Why Support Global Outreach?
Have you ever traveled to a new and unfamiliar place?
Imagine booking plane tickets for your entire family, packing only the essentials, and moving to a foreign land. Not everyone in your family knows the language well, your kids are in new schools and cultures that differ from what they are used to, and you are confused about why your neighbors constantly expect you to invite them over and share things. The culture shock alone is a lot to deal with, but when you add in the family aspect, managing your finances, fundraising, relationships with people you work with, and just trying to figure out how to get groceries in a street market, the stress can be overwhelming at times.
The good news is that as a missionary, you don’t have to be alone in trying to simultaneously manage all of these things and share the Gospel.
Global Outreach is a missionary agency. Missionary agencies, not missions agencies, are built to serve and equip missionaries so that they can smoothly transition to the mission field and share the Gospel. Missionaries are essentially employees of the agency and that relationship typically differs depending on which agency they are with. Global’s approach to this relationship and belief is to continuously find ways, systems, and connections that we as an employer can use and implement to empower each individual missionary, as opposed to finding ways to restrict God’s calling. Unfortunately, we have seen this relationship across other agencies become more transactional in nature, restrictive, and ultimately leaving the missionary feeling as though they are still alone.
The care and systems Global Outreach has put in place are designed to help provide a smoother transition and continued support for each individual missionary. Here are just a few ways we help missionaries not just survive, but truly thrive on the field:
1) We Don’t Take Anything from Missionaries
One major way we directly support missionaries is through our giving and fundraising platform. Our system offers great accounting and financial management resources and our 100% pass-through policy ensure missionaries receive all the money they raise. It usually comes as a surprise to some people when they hear that Global takes nothing from our missionaries. We believe that 100% of the money missionaries raise should go totally to them. This is quite unusual compared to most missionary organizations and means that we as an organization are free to value and care for each Global Outreach missionary equally. This care comes in various forms including long-term strategy consulting, handling newsletters, individual missionary care, and more, all at no cost to the missionary.
2) We Champion with Missionaries, Not Restrict Them.
A core belief at Global Outreach is that God calls each individual to a unique purpose and place. Instead of telling people where or how to share the Gospel, we work to equip others for where they are called. As an inter-denominational organization, we do not put restrictions on denominational backgrounds, age, sex, or marital status. We stand with everyone from single missionaries, families, young adults, and people that are career missionaries. When missionaries go to the field after initial training, they feel comfortable knowing a team is backing them up every step of the way.
The great commission (Matthew 28:18-20) calls all who are in Christ to serve others and make disciples to all the nations. Whether a missionary is called to mission in their backyard or across the ocean, we work to equip and train them for the specific calling God has emplaced on their hearts.
3) We Pray for Our Missionaries.
This may seem small, but we really do pray and talk with our missionaries. Each morning our staff comes together for a quick time of devotion and prayer for each specific missionary. Our Director of Prayer and Outreach, along with other staff members, directly communicates and prays with our missionaries across the globe. We treat our missionaries as a family and are constantly looking after their financial, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
4) Missionaries Become Part of a Bigger Team.
We believe mission happens best when you have a team behind you. Each missionary on the field is assigned to a regional care director for their specific region of service. This person is a vital part of our team and regularly keeps in communication with missionaries in their region. We also have a Missionary Care Director and staff members who have themselves served as missionaries. This team makes a point to regularly communicate with missionaries, watch for political and social issues that may impact missionaries, and actually visit our missionaries and host retreats for them.
5) We Partner with Churches
Many missionaries entering the field have what is called a “sending church.” A sending church assists in financially supporting and sending out the missionary. We value this relationship and want to partner alongside churches to best serve missionaries and connect others to them. Our organization comes alongside churches to handle the detailed tasks and functions needed for missionaries to thrive that may not be offered by most churches.
The Work is Continuing
Global Outreach now serves close to 300 missionaries in nearly 50 countries and our numbers are increasingly growing. You can take a direct role in kingdom work by becoming a financial partner of Global Outreach and see that missionaries serving around the world are continually taken care of. Global Outreach missionaries rely on us, and we rely on faithful supporters like you that desire to share the Gospel to the nations. Will you see that Global is able to care for even more missionaries in 2020? To become a Global Partner, donate online here: https://globaloutreach.org/support-home-office