“I don’t know if I could plant a church in a remote place on earth, but I would like to effectively support missionaries. How can I do this?” Good question — and the answer runs through every stage of a missionary’s journey. Supporting global outreach is not one act; it is teamwork sustained from preparation through decades of ministry, and even into the next generation.
Support at every stage
- 01
Support in preparing
The greatest need is people. People groups with no access to the Gospel are asking, even begging, for a missionary — yet God’s people, who have already been told, are too busy with other things. The solution is preparation and teaching: people who do not know God will have no heart for Him or His work. Intentional discipleship, beginning at an early age, is the foundation of missionary outreach. Prepare people to send and to be sent. (John 17:3; Jeremiah 9:24; Luke 14:33)
- 02
Support in training
The problem with not knowing is that you don’t know what you don’t know — and you may be the last to find out. It really is best to learn from the mistakes of others rather than pursue your pain alone. Training is often a difficult season: candidates are extremely busy, have not yet developed a support network, and funds are low. Having church members ask how to get involved can be very encouraging. Stay in touch during training.
- 03
Support in sending
After training, new missionaries travel constantly to build the partnership teams that will make their ministry possible. Transportation and housing are frequent needs; expenses run high. Financial resources help — but even more helpful are introductions to people and churches who might join their team long-term. Advocacy from friends is far more effective than cold-calling. Ask what you can do to assist.
- 04
Support on the field
Ta-da! The new family has arrived. Where will they sleep tonight? What will they eat? Is the water safe to drink? When we arrived on the mission field, the bathroom had only a hole in the floor and a large open-top cement box six times bigger than a bathtub. After some fellow travelers climbed into the box to bathe, we were all informed that it contained the team’s entire drinking water supply, collected from infrequent rain. The hole was the toilet; the quart-size plastic pan was for flushing it and for rinsing your soapy body. Missionaries need orientation — and career support workers who provide housing, food, IT, accounting, construction, transportation, child education, and consultant help in language, literacy, translation, and leadership. Send long-term workers.
- 05
Support through short-term teams
In a few weeks, a short-term team can accomplish physical work the career missionaries have been unable to get to for years — and many missionaries first set their trajectory during a short-term trip. But there is a balance: hosting a team adds a LOT of extra work to people whose load is already extreme, with logistics planned months in advance. Missionaries invest in short-term teams anyway, because of the potential impact on the participants and the relationship with sending churches. Send short-term teams — thoughtfully.
- 06
Support in the sending country
Missionaries are in over their heads: translation, lesson preparation, literacy, discipleship, plus day-and-night requests for medical and practical help — and more people groups asking for missionaries. Career missionaries serving at home carry part of that load: mobilization representatives, communications teams, Bible educators, trainers, and the finance-and-administration “serving senders” who maintain the bridges of accountability between churches and the field. See Support Teams for the full picture.
- 07
Support the TCKs
Third Culture Kids have grown up among many cultures — in Papua New Guinea we served with missionaries from 27 countries. “Normal” may be different; not bad, just not your normal. TCKs may never have used an ATM, driven on a highway, or visited a DMV. Taxes, W-2s, checking accounts, rent, and shoveling the sidewalk may be completely unknown to them — and they may not know what easily offends you or what you expect. The only way to support TCKs is to come alongside and develop friendships where they feel free to ask or tell. TCKs don’t know what they don’t know. Nor do you. Ask.
Advocacy from friends can be much more effective than cold-calling.
Go deeper
- Serving As Senders Today by Neal Pirolo — the standard on caring for the missionaries you send.
- Support Teams — the teams behind the teams.
- The Bible Basis for Support — why giving is a faith act, not a transaction.
- Start Moving — concrete things you can do this month.