Prayers for the Practicum

In early June, 32 believers between the age of 18 and 29 will travel to eleven different countries to spend their summers with Reaching and Teaching’s global workers. As part of our Practicum program, the students will experience living cross-culturally and learning about church-centered missions while being mentored by our veteran workers on the field. I’ve had the privilege of walking alongside these students since September 2022. My job is to help them prepare for their time abroad. Our Practicum team teaches them about fundraising, how and why to study theology and missiology, and the structure of a missions agency.

As the time for our 2023 Practicum to be sent to the field approaches, please pray for us in four specific ways.

Pray that the students would develop a greater love for the local church.

Throughout their preparation, we’ve emphasized the centrality of the local church in missions. We hope to inspire a deeper love and appreciation for the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. We want to encourage them to see that the work of missions is the work of establishing and strengthening churches overseas through the ordinary means of grace. Hopefully, this will inspire them to fully invest in their own local church back home. Please pray that each student will develop a greater desire to see the Kingdom of Christ expanded throughout the nations via His chosen vehicle: healthy local churches.

Pray that the students would have a holistic cross-cultural experience.

The Practicum exists to provide students with the opportunity to experience the day-to-day joys and challenges of living overseas. Six weeks is enough time to get a feel for the everyday aspects of missionary life. They’ll get a peak into language learning, the daily grind of cross-cultural challenges, and the challenge of contextualizing ministry in a foreign setting. Pray that the students would come away from the Practicum with a realistic picture of what life is like for missionaries overseas.

Pray that the Practicum hosts would both serve and be served by the students.

Hosting Practicum students for six weeks is a major sacrifice of time and effort. But it’s a sacrifice that leads to much joy—as all our previous hosts can attest. So, pray for them. Pray they would have wisdom to serve and mentor the students well. Pray also for the students, that they will be flexible, humble, and teachable as they spend their summer learning from and serving alongside their hosts.

Pray that the students would come away from the Practicum with a greater desire for biblical missions.

Above all, the Practicum exists to help the next generation of senders and goers cultivate a love for the local church and missions. We want to help young believers determine how they may use their short time on earth to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth. Whether or not our Practicum alumni end up in vocational missions, local church ministry, or in secular vocations, we want them to have a lifelong devotion to healthy, church-centered missions.