Missions Primer
Basic questions about missions
A guided collection of short videos, articles, podcasts, and reflection questions to help Immanuel think biblically about missionary calling, preparation, sending, supporting, and the work of reaching the least reached peoples of the world.
If you would like to learn more about missions or explore how God may be leading you, contact us here.
We would be glad to connect you with a missions council member.
There are six copies of the booklet Should I Be a Missionary? in the IBC library for you to check out. It will only take a couple of hours to read, but applying and testing its principles may take longer for someone asking this question honestly.
Several times in the booklet, the author answers the question with, “It depends.” Depends on what? That is for you to discover by reading the booklet.
Watch the 1-minute introductionHow do I know if God is calling me to be a missionary?
Dr. Paul Akin, Provost of Southern Seminary and former missionary, proposes five key questions to help a person assess whether they are truly being called to missions. In Dr. Akin’s view, God calls ordinary people through the affirmation of local churches to the specialized works involved in the missionary task.
Watch the full episodeThis section looks more deeply at the factors involved in identifying and preparing those who can be resilient and fruitful missionaries, particularly in cross-cultural contexts.
Listen to the Missions Talk podcast from Reaching & Teaching International Ministries and 9Marks. It is 36 minutes long, so allow time to hear it in one sitting. Take notes as you listen and pause as needed. After you have written your own outline, you can open the sample outline for comparison.
Listen to the podcastView the outline
Before reading this, try writing your own outline from the podcast. Then use this as a comparison tool.
Outline: On Missions Mobilization
- Urgency of missions versus proper preparation and execution.
- What missions is, and by implication, what it is not.
- The inseparable connection between missiology and ecclesiology. The ultimate purpose of missions is to yield healthy churches. More simply: missions leads to new churches.
- The importance of complete preparation, not just theological training. This includes language acquisition, cultural studies, demographics, domestic versus cross-cultural approaches to life and ministry, teaming, conflict management, and the ability to mentor and be mentored.
- Sending unprepared candidates can lead to personal failure, damaged field relationships, and in worse cases, harm to the Gospel witness itself.
- Prospective missionaries need more than desire, feelings, an emotional response, or an adventurous spirit.
- The local church has a crucial role in vetting candidates because it has lived life with them over time and through varied circumstances.
- And so much more.
Traits to look for in prospective missionaries
- They are church members.
- They have a history of active engagement in local church ministries.
- They consistently share the gospel.
- They exhibit healthy, regular spiritual disciplines over time, through thick and thin.
- They have already modeled behavior and characteristics of an elder. Better yet, send from your pool of deacons or elders.
- They demonstrate the ability to listen, learn, and lead.
- They show flexibility, especially in stressful living and ministry conditions.
For additional information, you may wish to refer to the supporting book mentioned in the podcast: Why Do Good Churches Send Bad Missionaries?
Looking at missionary qualifications from another angle, a local church should assess which missionaries exhibit appropriate approaches and solid execution of missionary tasks. Added to these metrics is consideration of specific character traits and giftings.
When the questions of what, how, and who are considered together, a church can more clearly discern whom to send and support.
Watch the 46-minute videoWhat?
A faithful missionary proclaims God’s Word, persists in gospel witness despite resistance, and applies Scripture directly in evangelism, discipleship, and church planting.
How?
A faithful missionary works with patience, careful teaching, and clear-eyed discernment to verify understanding and progress.
Who?
A faithful church supports serious, sober-minded people who focus on fruit, demonstrate patience, and fulfill the work of an evangelist.
Based on: 2 Timothy 4:1–5.
This video from ABWE was filmed at a Radius International conference in cooperation with Reaching & Teaching International Ministries. It addresses several important subtopics for local churches thinking carefully about missions.
Watch the 18-minute videoTopics covered
- Being a catalyst for cross-cultural missions.
- The source and center authority for implementing cross-cultural missions.
- The importance of collaboration with theologically aligned, baptistic churches.
- The downside of “turfiness” in cross-cultural missions.
- Church planting as the end goal of cross-cultural missions. Church planting is not a niche; it is the purpose.
The term least reached people is not an official or trademarked term as it pertains to cross-cultural missions. Sometimes it is applied broadly and sometimes more narrowly. More often, you may hear the terms unreached people groups (UPGs) or unengaged unreached people groups (UUPGs).
Perhaps one of the best definitions of the least reached is illustrated in the Global Frontier Missions video below. These people are often the most difficult to access because they may live in remote areas, may not have a written language, or may live in countries that actively restrict access to followers of Christ.
Watch: State of the World / The Task Remaining“My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else. I have been following the plan spoken of in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘Those who have never been told about Him will see, and those who have never heard of Him will understand.’”
Romans 15:20–21, quoting Isaiah 52:15
During Immanuel’s 2024 Missions Conference, a video about the Yembi Yembi people in Papua New Guinea was highlighted. Brooks Buser narrated the video and led the missionary team that established the first church among this truly least reached people group. Brooks now leads Radius International, which prepares missionary candidates for challenges like those his team faced in PNG.
This 36-minute interview-based video discusses several important topics for local churches and missionary candidates.
Watch the interviewTopics covered
- Church planting as the end vision of missions among unreached or least reached people groups.
- What the churches we hope to plant should look like.
- Why church planting among least reached peoples requires long-term focus and commitment.
- Why this long-term approach differs from rapid multiplication methods such as Church Planting Movements and Disciple Making Movements.
- The four “lanes” of missions that require specific approaches and training. The lane for least reached peoples is referred to as the minority language lane.
Gather. Grow. Go.
Pray, learn, prepare, and send well.
May these resources help us love Christ, strengthen His Church, and think clearly about the work of making disciples among all nations.