What If My Church Doesn’t Want to Send Me?

Anna Price • May 04, 2020

One aspect of going as a missionary through TEAM is that every missionary, from a short-termer to a career missionary , has a sending church.

A sending church is the local church where you have served, grown and shared your calling to ministry. It is the group of people who stand with you as you prepare to go. They listen and pray as you face challenges in a new culture, and they surround you with care as you return home.

As they prepare to go, some missionaries-to-be find their church ecstatic to see what God will do through their cross-cultural ministry. Other churches might be sad to see an active member go or wonder what it really means to be a sending church.

And then there’s the response no missionary is ready to hear: We aren’t ready to send you.

To potential missionaries, this can be devastating. What do you do if your church says they won’t send you? Here is what we’ve learned as we’ve walked alongside potential missionaries over the years.

Listen, listen and listen some more.

Hearing your church isn’t ready to send you is difficult, whether you are just starting your missions journey or you have been on the field for years. Our number one piece of advice? Don’t let the conversation stop there . Ask your church leaders why they don’t feel ready for this step.

Your church may see some areas where you need to grow before you head overseas. If this is the case, ask your missions leaders or pastoral staff to work with you on a personal development plan. Ask, and be ready to humbly hear, how you can grow in your spiritual, emotional and physical health.

Problems don’t disappear when you go overseas. Oftentimes the stress of such a big change can emphasize weaknesses. Hear your church’s concerns and develop a plan for how you can grow.

Be willing to honestly assess where you are and accept constructive criticism from your church family. Their guidance will help you prepare for the field better than you could on your own.

Have an honest conversation about expectations.

Many pastors and leaders are inundated with requests for financial support and may see the title of “sending church” as a financial one. While most sending churches do give financially, the sending church is more than a financial partner. The church is a spiritual authority and partner in care for the missionary — and that can be intimidating.

If your church is hesitant to send and you sense this is the reason, work with your missions coach and your church to develop a plan of what it could look like to send you overseas . Every church and missionary is unique; therefore, the sending church relationship will look unique as well.

Model respect and humility.

These are difficult conversations you are having with your church. It is vitally important to show respect for the body of Christ and the leaders the Lord has put in place. As you share with others about your missions journey, be sure to honor your church, even if you disagree with their decision about sending .

It is easy to second guess motives or priorities when you feel your personal calling is being misunderstood or undervalued. For your spiritual health and the health of the church, believe the best in your brothers and sisters in Christ . Work to respect their leadership in this time.

Pray and fast.

Sometimes, churches may have a different philosophy of missions than the individual wanting to go overseas. Honestly, this is a difficult obstacle to overcome. If this is your situation, listen to your leaders, and pray for what God might be telling you through them . Is God refining your calling through your church’s focus? If so, how can you honor that in your missions journey?

Make sure that you have a solid group of believers surrounding you and lifting you up in prayer as you discern your call to missions.

Other people may find a fundamental difference in beliefs when it comes to missions. In this case, pray for wisdom on how to walk forward with your church. Is this the community God is calling for you to serve and learn with during this time? Ask a small group of trusted advisors to join you in this prayer as you make hard decisions .

Remember a church is made of people.

And because of that, no local church will be perfect and without challenges on this side of heaven. Pastors are overwhelmed with hundreds of requests a week. Sometimes it may feel like it’s difficult to find time to connect with your pastor directly.

In these cases, some churches have formed care teams to be the point people for sending missionaries . Care teams are small groups of people who will advocate for missionaries. They offer care, support and connection between the missionary and the rest of the congregation. If your pastor is not able to personally commit to communicate with you as often as they’d like, ask them if they would be open to you forming a care team from your church to engage more people in the congregation without putting the burden on his or her shoulders.

No matter where your church falls in this conversation, you don’t have to go through this journey alone . Gather a small group of trusted friends and mentors to walk alongside you in this journey, even if you are just starting to apply! At TEAM, you also get to work closely with your missions coach , who has worked with dozens of applicants and their churches to facilitate a healthy partnership.

Missionaries, what advice would you give to potential missionaries when it comes to developing their sending church relationship? Potential missionaries, how are you connecting with your church as you discern where God is sending you?

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Loving Like Jesus Cross-Culturally (Part 1)

By Megan Lunsford • 23 Apr, 2024

When seeking to serve cross-culturally with an authentic love for others, there’s no better example for us than Jesus. If we sat around a table and threw out the question, “How do we love like Jesus?” I think we would have several commonalities as we respond. For example, Jesus loved all people right where they were. He loved those who were deemed the least, those hardest to love, or those who were His enemies. These are all beautiful realities of the heart of Jesus. When we step into relationships, it can be easier to take on the warmer, more gracious gestures of Jesus’ love, especially in cross-cultural relationships. Think about it––when doing life with those who look and act differently than us, we are already out of our comfort zones and would rather keep things as simple and familiar as possible. But there are other facets of Jesus’ heart we often overlook that can transform us and others even more into His likeness. Jesus is love because God is love. Everything Jesus did was out of love; it’s the mere definition of who He is. As followers of Jesus, He calls us to the same: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” (1 John:7-12) Every display of love we offer to others is an opportunity for them to encounter the ultimate love of the Father. That’s a pretty big deal! In this article, we’ll look at three expressions of Jesus’ love that we tend to overlook when engaging others cross-culturally. (Next month, we’ll look at three more.) 1. Jesus loved sacrificially. Everywhere Jesus went, crowds followed Him. We even see times in Scripture where Jesus had plans to step away for time alone but those who were hurting found Him and He had compassion on them and stayed with them. Can you imagine rarely having any time to yourself but, instead, constantly being surrounded by crowds of people wanting help from you? Jesus loved sacrificially. He welcomed all who came to Him with love and compassion, never turning anyone away. “When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36) In the same way, we can make room in our lives for Jesus to bring sacrificial interruptions which, in His eyes, are orchestrated encounters to transfer His love to others. It can be tempting to be so “on mission” that we are full steam ahead and find ourselves frustrated when the Holy Spirit sends an interruption into our path that we feel we don’t have time for. Or, perhaps, we have scheduled a meet-up but it’s the norm in another culture to be 30 minutes or an hour late. We anxiously think through how it will affect whatever we have planned next. While it’s normal to feel a little stressed, what if the very "interruption” standing in front of you was really a divine appointment sent by God? Or what if that person running late experiences how peaceful and gracious you are in adapting to their culture and therefore, they can encounter a beautiful display of Jesus’ love? To truly represent Christ, we should remain ready and willing for each assignment the Lord sends into our path, no matter the cost or how much we will have to re-route our day. He is always a hundred steps ahead and will work all things for His glory and our good. 2. Jesus loved by discerning each situation well. Think about how many situations Jesus had to respond to on a daily basis. We read in Scripture that there were lines of people waiting to be healed by Him, talk to Him, hear His teachings, or simply touch the hem of His robe. Jesus was fully dependent on His Father to discern each situation before addressing it. “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” (John 5:19) Another temptation we can have when in a relationship with those God has sent us to is to think we already know the solution or what God wants to do before we’ve even asked Him. We believe we are full of knowledge, so we just pull from the bank we have stored within and go with it. However, when we access what is familiar to us as our default, we risk missing out on a God-given solution that might truly be the key to unlocking whatever challenge is in front of us. What does this look like when interacting with others? We can simply ask, “God, what is on Your heart for the person standing in front of me?” Then we listen and respond as He speaks. When we make it a daily habit to pause and hear God’s heart for each situation before responding, we are guaranteed to be effective in loving those around us. He knows the heart of every person that will cross our paths. Imagine how impactful we can be if we first lean on His wisdom and discernment before moving forward. 3. Jesus loved by speaking truth. Most of us are familiar with the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. If we are honest, this conversation makes us a bit nervous as none of us would be comfortable with Jesus calling out intimate details of our lives that we would prefer to hide. But Jesus went further than just airing her dirty laundry. He offered her the hope of the Gospel and a relationship with Him - a divine fulfillment that could never be found in an earthly relationship. Jesus modeled a powerful example of loving others well cross-culturally. He took the low place and spoke truth, truly out of love––speaking to her heart from His. Like Jesus, our goal in sharing the truths about Him and His Word is to bring hope and satisfaction through Him alone. When we speak truth from Scripture, we are calling others higher into all God has for them. The tricky part here is we should avoid speaking truth if it isn’t first fueled by compassion. If it merely comes from a place of judgment, condemnation, or self-righteousness, it will fall flat 100% of the time. But if it truly comes from love, you are likely to not only win a heart back to the Father but, like the story of the Samaritan woman, even an entire village! If you see someone living outside of God’s best for their lives, ask God to show you your heart before engaging theirs. Once your heart is properly postured, you can speak truth out of an overflow of God’s love and trust Him for a transformation in their lives.

Hospitality, Help, and the Hope of the Gospel

By Suzanne Pearson • 16 Apr, 2024

TEAM Canada provides warm welcome and trusted friendships for diaspora populations living far from their native countries. As TEAM Canada workers Peter and Ruth (names changed) drive from their home to a nearby community center, they pass numerous apartment buildings and townhouses. Most of the families who live there are immigrants. They’ve left their countries of origin due to political unrest, trauma, and other difficulties. They’ve left family, friends, homes, jobs, and personal wealth behind. They search for peace, justice for the oppressed, and rest from fear and weariness. And as they adjust to a new country and a new language, they are often very isolated from others around them. “The sad reality is most immigrants are never even invited inside a Canadian home,” says Ruth. Peter and Ruth and their team try to change that reality. For the last nine years, the team, which includes workers from partner organizations as well as volunteers, has held English classes at the community center. Three days a week, over 60 students from more than 20 countries come together to learn English as well as to fellowship together and receive practical help in assimilating to a new normal. Meeting Needs and Building Trust That practical help may come in the form of procuring furniture, clothes, or dishes for newcomers, assistance with creating a resume and finding a job, or teaching people how to navigate Canadian laws and the medical system. As these tangible needs are met, relationships are built. “We invite them into our homes for meals and games,” Ruth shares. “We take them on hiking trips, picnics, outings, and out for coffee.” This is particularly important in this type of ministry because most immigrants come to Canada from cultures that value hospitality. Conversely, Canadians do not typically prioritize hospitality and consequently many newcomers feel lonely and isolated. Inviting folks to various gatherings and outings allows the team to spend extended time hearing people’s stories, struggles, hopes, and dreams. When she speaks about building friendships, Ruth’s heart for the people she serves is evident. “Hearing their stories, it’s easy to love them, and many have become close friends,” Ruth says. “We recognize the value of steady one-on-one relationships.”