Advice for Those Preparing for the Field – Part 2

R – MENA

Missionary life is humbling because the missionary will never truly arrive. If you go to the field, you will always be learning. You will most likely never achieve full native status in the foreign language and culture in which you are serving. More importantly, you are a lifelong student of Jesus Christ. So how can you best prepare for a life of service to the Lord in a foreign context? You can seek to cultivate your love for your local church, your love for the culture you desire to serve, and ultimately your love for the Lord.

First, be a student in your local church! Press into the life of God’s people whom he has called you to serve. Look closely into the lives of those who are running the race with faithfulness. Ask good questions that point regular conversations to Christ and his word. Make disciples. Choose a couple of people with whom to follow Jesus, and then read the word and pray with them. Seek to do them spiritual good. These ministry patterns and priorities will serve you well in the long run. 

Second, develop an intimate understanding of the culture to which you hope to bring the gospel. Learn about the beautiful things: the different foods, greetings, clothing, and dialects. Watch movies. Start conversations with people. Get an online language tutor. Go to a cultural center. Also learn about the ways sin has corrupted that culture. How is marriage viewed? What does it mean to be human? What is their god like? Consider how the gospel light shines into the specific darkness of that culture. 

Most importantly, press on to know the Lord better through his word. Seek to be like Martha who chose the better portion at the feet of Jesus. Remember that no time spent lingering with the Lord is wasted. Explore him. Who is he? (Think through the doctrine of the Trinity.) How has he revealed himself to humanity, starting with the prophets and culminating in Christ? (Consider biblical theology.) What has he done to display his love to a sinful world? (Meditate on the doctrine of salvation.) And don’t stop there. How do all these essential doctrines work themselves out in the context of a church? What does it look like to disagree over preferences? How does disagreement over a gospel issue look different?

By living now as a student of the local church, another culture, and God’s word, you are setting yourself up for a life full of learning on the field.

N – Southeast Asia

“‘Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?’And they said to him, ‘We are able’” (Mark 10:38b-39a ESV). Jesus asks his ambitious disciples a hard question here. As Eckhard Schnabel remarks, “They lack understanding, but they are courageously loyal.”^[1]

Something similar happens every day as Christians beam with ambition and set their faces toward becoming missionaries. They’re courageous and loyal, but they often lack understanding. At least that was true for me. And I’m thankful for those who were willing to help. So, here’s what I say when aspiring workers ask me how to prepare. My aim is to help you prepare harder, go further, grow faster, and last longer.

First, engage your church. This can’t be overstated or affirmed just because you are supposed to do so. Engaging your local church will teach you to submit to leaders, know your gifts, and prefer others. These lessons will sharpen your understanding of where and how you might fit in the missionary task.

Second, get sufficient training. You don’t know what you don’t know, so learn from those who know better. Church experience provides needed experience, and seminary classes offer broad knowledge. You need to know which hills to die on and how to speak measured words. Read beyond what’s required. Get training that the church can’t teach, such as first-aid; language acquisition; and business skills, if needed. Your training should match your intention. Do you want to be a pastor? A deacon-like teammate? A seminary professor? A Bible translator? A superhero homeschooling mom? The answer to that question will shape your preparation. Invest in your ministry.

Third, find a team. Work the relationships of trust you already have and find someone you know, agree with, and can submit to. If there’s no one to join, then make sure you’re making that difficult decision with input from your church.

Fourth, rally support. Being a supported worker is one of the greatest blessings. Seek as many financial and prayer partners as you can. Don’t shortchange your ministry. In a few years, you won’t have the network you have now. And remember, partners are not just a means to an end of ministry. They’re a part of your ministry.

Fifth, here are some rapid-fire pieces of advice:

• Take the vision trip because you can’t see everything on a video call.
• Number your days before you go. Remaining stateside to celebrate the next Thanksgiving isn’t weakness.
• Prepare to relearn how to abide in Christ because rhythms will go sideways.
• Go digital with your books because there aren’t enough suitcases.
• Be patient with your spouse. Trust me on this.
• Care for your extended family because they’re saying goodbye, too.

^[1] Eckhard J. Schnabel, Mark: An Introduction and Commentary, ed. Eckhard J. Schnabel, vol. 2, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (London: Inter-Varsity Press, 2017), 251.