If you are a Christian and are convinced that God has called you to serve as a missionary, here are ten things you can do to prepare yourself.
1. Grow in your personal relationship with Jesus.
Develop an intimate and close relationship with Jesus. Strive to be as close to him as possible. Paul tells Timothy, “Train yourself for godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7). You must cultivate the daily habit of having fellowship with Christ through prayer, reading, and meditating on his Word.
In the mission field, there will be physical and spiritual challenges. Due to this, it is common for missionaries’ spiritual lives to decline while on the field. That’s why it is important that, before stepping into the mission field, your relationship with Jesus is strong, consistent, and filled with joy.
2. Build your theological foundation.
It is very important that you know biblical doctrines and have a deep understanding of God (1 Timothy 4:16).
The better prepared you are, the more useful you will be in the mission field.
As a missionary, you will need to evangelize, disciple, and train other leaders in the culture where the Lord sends you. And if the goal is to plant churches, you must understand what a church is and how it functions. That’s why theological training is essential. You can achieve this through your local church, a seminary, or even online courses.
You cannot teach or explain what you do not know. The better prepared you are, the more useful you will be in the mission field.
3. Serve in your local church.
Just like all believers, you have been given spiritual gifts for the benefit of others (1 Corinthians 12:7). You should identify your gifts and find opportunities to use them by serving in your local church and community.
Getting on a plane doesn’t change you; you must be serving in your local church before you can serve in another country.
4. Evangelize and make disciples.
Jesus’ call in the Great Commission is to make disciples, and this begins with evangelism. Evangelizing and discipling will likely be two of the tasks you do most in the mission field.
You must be able to share the gospel clearly and accurately; at times, you will need to contextualize it. You will also need to disciple others, helping them to establish a firm foundation in God’s truth and equipping them to make disciples themselves.
Research, study, and practice different methods of evangelism, and begin doing it in your community. If you’re not discipling anyone, start a discipleship relationship with a new believer or someone else in your church.
5. Research missionary agencies.
The call to missions is to the church, and it is the local church that should send you as a missionary. However, there are missionary agencies that can assist the church and the missionary in this process, providing cross-cultural training, field contacts, and more.
Make sure that the agency you choose does not replace the role of the sending church, but rather complements and assists it in this process. Also, ensure that the agency is compatible with your ministry and theological convictions.
6. Participate in short-term mission trips.
I believe that short-term mission trips, when done correctly, are a great place to start understanding the mission field and missions. They can also be a way to begin exercising your calling.
Go on at least one short-term mission trip. If possible, go to the country or area where you want to serve long-term. If you’re still unsure where you want to serve, go to any place that takes you out of your comfort zone. Serve in a different context and learn from missionaries who are serving long-term in that place.
7. Learn another language.
If you are going to serve in a place where your native language is not spoken, you must commit to the constant learning of at least one new language.
If you are not bilingual, I would recommend learning a widely spoken commercial language such as Spanish or French, as they are spoken in many parts of the world and recognized internationally. You should also learn the language of the country or area where you plan to serve long-term, as it will make your integration into the local culture easier.
8. Develop good financial management.
One of the main barriers in preparing a missionary to move to the field is poor financial management. Debts or commitments in your home country can be a problem, so I encourage you to have as few debts as possible. Avoid taking unnecessary loans, or if you can, avoid taking any at all.
It is also very likely that, as a missionary, your resources or income will not be abundant, or may even decrease at some point. This is where you must be a good steward of the resources that God has provided you.
9. Continue to build your career skills.
There are people who leave their professional careers to go to the mission field, which is undoubtedly admirable. However, today we live in a globalized world where professional preparation can be very useful when entering certain unreached countries that do not allow the entry of religious workers or missionaries.
If you are planning to go to some of these countries to serve long-term, I encourage you to at least determine your professional career so that you have a legal justification for entering these countries.
10. Follow your calling.
Following the missionary call is not easy, especially when our society invites us into materialism, comfort, and selfishness. Even our own family and church may be involved in this worldly way of thinking.
Never forget that God has given you a higher calling, one that was bought with his blood: a calling to be part of his work. Be steadfast and immovable, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58).
