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Who ever wants to be quarantined?! Maybe a few people out there but it’s not likely.

Thankfully there are tons of creative things you can do (and should do) to engage your participants even now as people are home.

We've mentioned how vital communication during a crisis can be. Don’t miss this opportunity to guide your people into a greater missional journey. Point to God with these ways to serve during quarantine.

• Prayer - create a prayer guide around missions (partners, projects, people, regions, needs) to send out to your participants to be praying each day for something missional.

• Learn - encourage them to keep learning in their missional journey either through a missions book or programs like Perspectives on the World Gospel Movement.

• Books - send out books about missions that people could read - biographies of missionaries, missions philosophy, stories, etc.

• Support Local Healthcare Workers - remember the work that local healthcare professionals are doing to combat the COVID-19 virus and reach out to provide a meal or help them in some way.

• Elderly in Area - reach out to local nursing homes or other facilities to see if could use assistance with supplies, errands, or other needs.

• Encouragement - write encouragement notes to missionaries, partners, donors, or others who are part of your missional community.

• Assessments - encourage your participants to take an online assessment (Enneagram, Meyers- Briggs, Strengths, etc.) to learn more about themselves and how their unique design could be used for missional purposes.

• Donate to a Cause - there are tons of causes out there now helping people in need around the current virus or financial circumstance, donate to one of those causes.

• Missional.Life - create a Missional.Life account to learn more about who God has made you to be, what story He has written, and where He might be calling you.

• Research - learn more about the specific field you were planning to visit to learn more about their culture, the religious makeup, their history, and their needs.

• Zoom Meetings - host a team Zoom meeting to keep everyone connected and engaged. Zoom meetings can be great to keep everyone’s mind in the game.

• Share Stories - have everyone share stories (online if possible) about what they are learning through this season about their short term trip hopes.

Have you or are you planning on using any of these ideas? Let us know on our facebook page. 

This is one post of many we're doing related to the current crisis. Download Cancelled: A Guide to Maintaining Missions Engagement When Your Short-Term Trip is Cancelled.

During this time of year, it is common for us to reflect on the things in our lives that provide a sense of gratitude, and that’s good for us to do so. But like the subjects of “Rest” or “Sabbath,” if we only wait until we are on vacation or a rare chance at a sabbatical to truly rest, we won’t find it refreshing. These are meant to be practices spun into and through our chaotic lives to provide an alternative to the hectic pace our culture espouses.  

With the dawn of each new year, I spend time prayerfully considering a theme that God might have for me. Sometimes this eventually comes as a phrase or a word that I spend time throughout the year focusing on and journaling about. This past January, the word I received was “grateful.” I genuinely feel that I am a positive person and pretty grateful already, so I wasn’t super excited about it, but I wrote it down and went about my year.

However, as I reflect back on these past 11 months, there are so many moments for which I am truly grateful, even though they were extremely hard at the time (and some continue to be).  There are moments of loss in this year, but gratitude in that our family could travel and be there with the loved ones prior to their passing. There are moments of extreme challenges and changes in life, but gratitude to find myself doing things I love with the people I love the most.   

As we head into the upcoming seasons, I know this is hard for many, sweet for some, and stressful for most :-)  I am blessed to have had a prompting in January that helped prepare me for my own journey this year as it has allowed me to build gratitude into my daily/weekly rhythms and allows for me to reflect during this time of year over the multitude of small events that I would have missed amidst the normal storms of life.

Allow me to share just a few practices that have helped me this year… and consider which ones (or others) you might be able to incorporate into your daily routine this coming season to help you through it 🙂

• At dinner, have each person share something from their day that they are grateful for.
• Take a moment during the day to pause. Set an alarm or use a tool like the One Minute Pause App to spend 1-2 minutes during your day to just breathe!
• Practice Benevolent Detachment.
• Journal… I know it takes time, but just a few notes allows your soul space to reflect.
• Take one day (or one morning) a month to get away from the keyboard and get outside.
• Don’t watch the news (or limit your intake)... We all know that news that sells is mostly bad, but it expands your worries and concerns to things you cannot control.
• Spend time with your neighbors and those people around you… most people are pretty reasonable when you get to know them… not all, but most *grin.*
• Read a book that challenges your assumptions around resources. (e.g. I recently read “A Beautiful Constraint” by Adam Morgan and Mark Barden… which made me grateful even for constraints within my life/business as they provide motivation for creativity and a chance to embrace an abundance mindset,)
• [Insert your own - exercise, time outside, Yoga, meditation, listening to worship music in the morning, etc.]

My friends… may you find ways to incorporate small amounts of gratitude and rest into your rhythms. I pray blessings over each of you as we head into this special season and especially as we head into December and reflect on how the God of the universe came to join us for a time (Talk about abundance of resources/creativity at our fingertips!)  

May your journey in the next few months have moments of gratefulness and sweetness, even amidst the pain!

~Micah

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The mobilization pipeline in mission work refers to the process and strategies employed to recruit, train, send, and support missionaries. Traditionally, this pipeline has been a well-established route for prospective missionaries, guiding them from the initial call to missions through to their deployment and service in the field. However, in the contemporary context, there is a growing sense that this pipeline is undergoing significant changes, raising important questions for both the upcoming generation of potential missionaries and the organizations that facilitate missions.

Before we start, we acknowledge that God is not limited in any way and can do amazing things within a group of people dedicated to following His call in their lives.  His Kingdom is not bound by culture, time, generational trends, or limited resources.  At the same time, many of our peers in this global endeavor are experiencing some shifts that are challenging us to ask better questions in hopes of aligning ourselves with where God is moving.

With that in mind, let's delve deeper into the evolving landscape of the mobilization pipeline:

The Drying Springs: The Changing Face of Recruitment

There is a widespread sense that the traditional avenues for mobilizing new missionaries are becoming less effective than in the past.  This might not be a “good” or “bad” thing, but might indicate a shift in how we recruit and prepare.  Here are just a couple of theories as to why this might be happening:

1. Cultural Shifts:
   The upcoming generation often holds different values and expectations regarding career, calling, and lifestyle, which might not align with the traditional concept of lifelong missionary service.  Church philosophies are also shifting and in some cases are placing less emphasis on equipping people to go on long-term missions.

2. Economic Challenges:
   Financial burdens, including student debt and rising living costs, can make the prospect of long-term missions daunting for younger individuals.

3. Diverse Opportunities for Impact:
   Today’s generation is often acutely aware of the diverse ways they can make a significant impact without leaving their home country, leading to a broader view of what ‘mission’ can mean.

The Emerging Generations: Poised for Impact

While there are challenges, the upcoming generations (GenZ and beyond) are uniquely positioned to contribute positively to mission work.  Some of the key elements of this include (but are not limited to):

1. Global Awareness:
   Growing up in a connected world, they have an innate global awareness and multicultural sensitivity that previous generations had to learn.
2. Adaptability and Innovation:
   This generation is often adept at adapting to change and leveraging technology and innovation in various aspects of life — traits that can be invaluable in modern mission work.
3. Passion for Purposeful Work:
   Many young people are driven by a desire to engage in work that makes a tangible, positive difference in the world — a mindset that aligns with the core of mission work.

Challenges and Opportunities: A New Missionary Mindset

The traditional values of “packing your coffin” and committing to lifelong service in a far-off land don’t resonate with many of today’s prospective missionaries. But this doesn't equate to a lack of commitment or willingness to sacrifice. Instead, it may signal a desire for a different kind of engagement:

1. Short-Term and Specialized Missions:
   There is a growing interest in shorter, more focused mission engagements that leverage a person's unique skills and passions.
2. Bi-Vocational Missions:
   The concept of combining a ‘secular’ career with mission work is increasingly popular, reflecting a holistic understanding of vocation and service.
3. Local and Global Synergy:
   The new generation often sees the interconnectedness of local and global issues and may be drawn to models of missions that address systemic and global issues from both a local and an international perspective.

Reimagining the Pipeline

Given these evolving realities, mission agencies and churches are faced with the crucial task of reimagining the mobilization pipeline:

1. Flexible Models of Service:
   Creating pathways for service that allow for varied lengths of commitment and diverse roles could make missions more accessible to a broader range of individuals.
2. Holistic Support Systems:
   Addressing the economic and psychological barriers to missions by offering robust support, including financial planning, mental health resources, and ongoing professional development.
3. Intentional Discipleship and Mentoring:
   This one won’t be a surprise… as it’s always been key for success: Investing in relational, long-term discipleship and mentoring that prepares individuals holistically for the challenges of mission work, which we can’t forget while we shepherd the next generation into their God-ordained work, regardless of location.
4. Finding Leadership Paths:
   Create feedback paths to learn from those already in your pipelines and recruit staff members in the generation you are trying to reach (and give them a leadership role).  While many organizations are decades, and in some cases centuries, old… ideas are not limited to those in any generation.  Intentionally engage your staff or bring in leaders to help shape your organization for the next 20-100 years.  

Concluding Thoughts

The changes in the mobilization pipeline represent both challenges and opportunities. While the traditional model may be under strain, the shifting landscape opens the door to new, potentially more effective and contextually relevant forms of mission engagement.

This is an exciting opportunity to re-imagine sending within your own context.  Therefore, in this time of change, our prayer is that mission organizations and churches approach the task of mobilization with creativity, grace, and a deep-seated commitment to equipping the next generation of missionaries to participate in God’s work in the world in fresh and faithful ways.

As Henry Blackaby once wrote, “For you to do the will of God, you must adjust your life to Him, His purposes, and His ways.”  May we be people who are constantly seeking God first and willing to ask hard questions or evaluate ourselves to align with where He is working.

In the last post, we started asking ourselves: What if our strategy around mission trips focused as much on the participants’ spiritual health as on our destination? Could we even go as far as to use Short Term Mission Trips as an internal evangelism tool for our organization?

I’ve been calling this the Mission-Centric Engagement Strategy (MCES)… mainly because it sounds official and all things need an acronym.

Before we dive into an overview of the concepts behind this, I want to acknowledge a legitimate concern around this concept that has been raised. One fear I’ve heard is that, while this approach of engaging non-believers might benefit the team members themselves, would it be at the detriment or expense of the local community or partner?

It was such a great conversation that, although there are other concerns we will address in subsequent blogs, I wanted to discuss it here briefly. Ultimately, our goal is to provide healthy serving for a population/people group/partner that lasts beyond the time in which we are in the field. As you are aware, doing this well involves a lot of self-sacrifice and coming alongside the partners that are already in the field and have relationships with the local community.  

Remember this is an intentional strategy for some portion of your trips, not “all” trips or service opportunities. So, how do you choose?

1. First, start with your partner. Select which partner would be a good fit even if you had a mixed team. 

2. Next, include your team leaders from the very beginning and let them know why this trip is a good fit for this type of approach. 

3. Then, train the team well. Since you have folks coming from different backgrounds, make sure that you mention the overall end goal repeatedly (Healthy serving) and provide ways for them to learn this process themselves. We would strongly advocate for a theological basis to Missions (God’s heart for the world) and education on how to live that out well. For example, you can have the team read books like “When Helping Hurts”, or “Toxic Charity”, etc. The benefit goes beyond this trip and in the realm of service altogether, but opens up each participant to how they can enact those principles within their daily lives as well.  

Over the past several years, the strength of certain training programs prompted this entire MCES concept. While a team participant prepares for their trip, they often receive theological teaching, emotional encouragement, leadership development, and other field-readiness training that has a positive impact on their life regardless of their past faith journey. 

If you find yourself doubting the effectiveness of your own training in your organization, we will discuss more ideas in a later blog, but I would challenge you to find one element of your current training program and improve it for next year. Don’t try to change everything at once, but do one small thing incrementally, and you will be amazed at how much that makes a difference in your leaders and teams.

For today, let’s dive into a quick overview of the concepts behind this Mission-Centric Engagement Strategy I’m proposing. 

Why “Mission-Centric?”

As a technology leader, when I start looking at a large project, I often like to challenge myself or my teams to think about the end first. For example:

• What will the user encounter?

• What will they take away from the trip?

• How will we report on this?

• and so forth…

By envisioning the end result, we can often save ourselves effort by not distracting ourselves with many other features; Ideas that won’t actually matter for the end product.  

What I love about missions is that we already know the end of the story and we know its purpose. It is found in Revelation 7:9-10:

“the great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, trip, people, and language” worshiping God.  There has been a lot said on this passage by people way smarter than me, so allow me just two quick thoughts on this… First, this isn’t some mystic vision, but reality.  This is where the story will really start!  Second, the goal is worship. We often misplace that worship here on earth, but in reading this, I recognize that missions are the mechanism to get to the end goal, which is worship in the Kingdom. John Piper once put it this way, “One day, missions will come to an end, but worship will endure forever!”

We acknowledge that missions have never been, nor ever will be, about ourselves. It is always about God and His heart for the world and turning others to worship Him.

So if that is the end… where did it start?  

In the very beginning! We see God’s heart to reach “all people” through his promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 where He says “and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Do you know what the Hebrew word is used for ‘all’?  It’s not a trick question… it means “All!”  (it’s “kol” for you Hebrew geeks, pronounced like “coal”, meaning “all, in totality”).  But the point is, there isn’t anyone who ever existed that wasn’t on God’s heart.

So from the very beginning to the end, God’s heart is to reach every tribe, every nation, every language and bless all people through the good news of Jesus Christ.  

That is why we must start from a position where the Mission of God to reach EVERYONE is in the center of everything we do.  

If we are going to achieve lasting impact, we need to engage and equip folks in ways that align with each individual’s purpose and design. My hope is that a Mission-Centered Engagement Strategy can bridge the gap between the Imago Dei (the image of God within us) and the Missio Dei (the mission of God in the world), particularly for engaging children, students, and adults in a church or ministry setting.

The 30,000-Foot View: Connecting Imago Dei with Missio Dei

We are all uniquely created to participate in God’s mission. Each individual, regardless of age, carries a set of interests and skills that are not merely coincidental but are part of a divine design. However, for many, there exists a significant gap between recognizing the image of God within and utilizing this inherent spark in service of a greater mission. As I stated previously, we often misplace this in work, relationships, etc. 

Closing this gap often involves a process of rediscovery and creation where others guide or disciple us to understand, at a foundational level, how we can leverage God-given skills, experiences, trades, and passions in ways that create lasting impact:

• Rediscovery: Every person bears the unique imprint of Imago Dei. By peeling back layers of personal brokenness —often only possible through the transformative love of Jesus Christ and life within a healthy community— we can uncover passions and purposes essential for missional living. The most effective way is often within relationships where we can be reminded of our identity and challenged to live within that reality.
   

• Creation: We are not only created uniquely but also with the capacity to create. It’s the first thing we discover about God in Genesis 1. Recognizing our inherent capability to create, true discipleship becomes a lifelong endeavor of nurturing and utilizing our God-given talents in accordance with His mission. There is a reason you have the passions and skills you have… you are here for a purpose!

Practically, this mission-based identity and awareness usually starts with steps such as self-assessment, both individually and as a team/community, to discover and remove obstacles that obscure our innate abilities and allow us to function within a healthy group. Aside from scripture, tools like personality assessments (DISC, Myers-Briggs, etc), spiritual gifts inventories, Strengths Finder, Emotional Intelligence tests, and leadership mapping can facilitate this exploration, enabling personal growth and skill development.  

By engaging in self-assessment tools and community discussions, individuals can identify and develop their God-given potential, preparing them for both local and global missions. Another result of this discovery is that they often become better equipped to operate within a team.

Mission-Centric Engagement Strategy to Expand Our Reach to All

As we navigate through the post-modern and post-Christian landscape, some of the attraction-based models – where the church uses music, preaching, and programs to draw folks in – are losing steam. There are still effective tools in place, but they could be enhanced by shifting to a mission-centric model that places mission at the core of church activity.

This shift from traditional church engagement methods to a strategy that places mission at the heart of all church activities not only invites church members to participate in missions but also attracts individuals from outside the church who are motivated by a desire to serve and make a difference.

So, could a shift towards missions as a broader term draw more people into God’s family everywhere?

Next Week: We’ll look into the upcoming generations and how they might be wired for missions.

In the meantime… Start with yourself. Ask yourself:

• How has my own identity been shaped by the understanding that I am made in the image of God?

• What skills, talents, passions, experiences, trades, or education have I viewed as just the result of my hard work or circumstances? Could God be shaping me towards a significant impact in the world?

Can we engage non-churchgoers in mission work?

The better question may be:

Should we engage non-churchgoers in mission work?

In some of our recent posts, we posited a different – and broader – approach to mission engagement in churches. The answer to the question above is foundational to this approach, which we’ve been calling Mission-Centric Engagement Strategy (MCES).
(If you're just joining our discussion on this strategy, check out our overview of this concept here.)

Here’s the reason we answer yes to our question:

If we believe God equally desires to reach people who live on your street as he does the people in that cinematic scene of a remote tribe in Africa, then we can answer our question affirmatively. Engaging non-churchgoers in mission activities can be possible and purposeful. There are many ways God encounters someone (or they encounter Him) so we believe people can be eternally changed through the action of service.

That's how we explain missions for this approach. We should probably clarify that definition too and we'd like to keep it simple. We believe it is outreach and service work that extends goodwill to others, demonstrating Christ and His love. 

Examples of Mission Trips to Include Non-Churchgoers

So, if we have agreement on these points above, allow us to share a few examples of mission endeavors for specific groups within the church that align well with our Mission-Centric Engagement Strategy (MCES) and could include non-churchgoers:

1. Men’s Ministry Trip Ideas

• Construction and Disaster Response/Repair Missions: These involve building or repairing homes, churches, or community centers in underserved areas. They tap into skills that can be particularly prevalent and rewarding among men, offering tangible results from their efforts.

• Adventure and Bonding Trips: Trips that combine serving with outdoor activities, such as building trails or working in conservation areas, can be appealing. These missions often include elements of physical challenge, bonding, and spiritual reflection.

2. Women’s Ministry Trip Ideas

• Community Development and Empowerment: Focus on trips that support women in other communities, such as teaching skills (sewing, cooking, business) or health education. These missions foster a sense of empowerment and connection among women across different cultures.

• Retreats with a Purpose: Combine spiritual retreats with local missions, such as serving in a women’s shelter or organizing community beautification projects, blending spiritual growth with service.

3. Youth and Student Ministry Trip Ideas

• Cultural Immersion and Service: These trips involve students in global or local cultural experiences where they can serve in contexts such as schools, orphanages, or community projects, helping them to develop a broader worldview.

• Urban Outreach: Engage students in urban settings, focusing on homelessness, urban poverty, and social justice issues. These experiences are often eye-opening and inspire a passion for societal change.

• Sports Camps: Building sports areas (e.g. basketball courts) or running sports camps for a community alongside a partner, etc can allow students to use their talents and engage with peers or people entirely different from them through the camaraderie of sports.

4. Family Ministry Trip Ideas

• Family-Friendly Mission Trips: Design trips where whole families can participate, such as community clean-ups or assisting in local food banks. These trips can accommodate various age groups and foster a family culture of service.

• Eco-Missions: Involve families in environmental stewardship projects, such as planting trees, wildlife habitat restoration, or beach clean-ups, emphasizing creation care.

5. Senior Ministry Trip Ideas

• Heritage and Historical Service Projects: Seniors might enjoy trips focused on maintaining or restoring historical church sites or engaging in genealogical research for communities.

• Mentorship Missions: Utilize the wealth of experience among seniors by setting up trips where they can mentor younger generations, either within the church community or in partnership with schools and youth organizations.

6. Music and Arts Ministry Trip Ideas

• Cultural Arts Festivals: Participate in or organize festivals where music and arts are used to bridge communities and share cultural expressions.

• Performance and Outreach Missions: Travel to different communities or countries to perform concerts or art shows that benefit local charities or raise awareness for causes.

Each of these trips can be tailored to the unique interests and capabilities of the respective ministry groups, ensuring that participants feel engaged and that their contributions are meaningful. By aligning these trips with the broader goals of the MCES, churches can ensure that these experiences are not only enriching for every participant no matter where they are in their understanding of Faith in God, but that the experiences also align with the strategic mission goals of the church.

Pitfalls to Mission Work with Non-Churchgoers

As we’ve said in other posts, there are potential pitfalls to incorporating non-churchgoers in ministry trips, especially if it involves more than completing helpful tasks but also includes engaging deeply with other people. Someone without a biblical worldview could say or do something that doesn’t align with a church’s policies which the individual doesn’t personally have a conviction about. 

However, we could argue this can happen with church members during mission activity too. Trip leaders should play a significant role in managing this well. We also believe even if someone has not become a regular part of a church, they can still begin their journey of building a relationship with Jesus. Of course, we encourage Christians, as they mature, to submit to a church body out of obedience to scripture and for their own betterment.

This is also why we believe this approach is not applicable to every type of mission endeavor. Certain trips aren’t conducive for including certain team members, especially when they aren’t part of the church; just as some trips aren’t a good fit for someone who is not mature, either in age or in spiritual understanding. 

In summary, although there may be pitfalls, or at least limitations that present themselves when non-churchgoers are included in mission trips, there are times where it is purposeful to include them as an intentional investment or connection point that may compel them to engage when they might not otherwise be willing to.

The man or woman in your neighborhood is likely to be more receptive to friendship and hearing the gospel presented to them when they’ve been serving alongside you all day and given opportunities to fulfill a purpose than they would be towards you if you knocked on their door and presented them a Gospel pamphlet, no matter how nice your demeanor might be.

If this resonates with you, we ask that you take time to consider where you and your church could stretch and expand your view of missions while simultaneously reaching out to your own community more intentionally?