Below you will find FIVE practical steps to help you put feet to your commitment to involvement in reaching and discipling the nations.

Step One: Become involved in sending
God has called all of us to be senders. Here are some ways you can gain a heart for missions as a sender:

• 1. Pray three minutes a day for a specific missionary.
  
  
• 2. Write to missionaries you know or that your church supports, or make a regular phone call to them.
  
  
• 3. Begin supporting a missionary. Many find that three day’s wages per year is a good starting point.
  
  

Step Two: Reach out the people around you
Each day, we come into contact with people who need to know that Jesus is the way to hope, peace and eternal life.

As you go through each day, watch for people God has prepared for you to touch in some way, to bring them one step closer to eternal life in Christ.

Pray for other opportunities to encounter those individuals again, and begin preparing for that encounter by praying for them.

When God opens the door, be ready to initate conversation. Reach out with friendship. Share what God has done in your life. See what God does through you!

Step Three: Take concrete steps to investigate whether God has equipped you for cross-cultural ministry

• 1. Talk to mature believers who know you well about your interest in cross-cultural ministry. Get your church informed and praying about how you feel God is leading you concerning cross-cultural ministry.
  
  
• 2. Meet with another person regularly, to discuss and most of all pray for God’s guidance concerning ministering in another culture.
  
  
• 3. Participate in a short term ministry. GO Teams and internships provide various types of opportunities for cross-cultural training while doing strategic ministry.
  
  

Step Four: Evaluate yourself to see if you are developing these qualities and abilities in your life

• 1. Is there evidence in your life of spiritual vitality? Do you see the following in your life?
  
  
• a love for God and His Word
• fruits of the Spirit
• spiritual disciplines in prayer and daily time in the Word
• a strong personal identity in Christ
• a demonstrated ability to reproduce your life in others
  
  
• 2. Do you have a “Great Commission lifestyle”? Is evangelism a way of life? Are you involved in discipleship? Do you have a consistent track recorded of involvement in sending missionaries?
  
  
• 3. Commitment to the local church ~ Do you have a committed relationship with your local church, and an appreciation for God role for the local church in His global plan?
  
  
• 4. Healthy family relationships ~ if single, are you content day-by-day? If a couple, is mutual love and respect present in your marriage? If parents, is your child’s relationship with you as parents characterized by obedience? Are they reasonably well adjusted and in agreement with the mission’s orientation your family is moving in?
  
  
• 5. Ability to relate to others on a personal level ~ Do you have a high degree of self-acceptance and personal security in Christ, genuine love for others, and ability/willingness to take initiative in building relationships?
  
  
• 6. Ability to work in a team ~ Are you self-motivated and able to manage your work and time? As a team mate, would cooperation, submission, dependability, commitment to resolving conflict characterize you?
  
  
• 7. Ability to cross cultural boundaries ~ Are you flexible, able to identify differences in culture, able to listen and follow, have an ability to discern the differences between Biblical truths and cultural preferences?
  
  

Don’t be overwhelmed! No one is perfect. If you don’t see yourself as excelling in all these qualities, don’t assume you’re disqualified. Use this list as a basis for setting some personal goals.

Step Five: As God continues to lead, please contact us to start dialoguing with you concerning your interest in cross-cultural ministries
We’ll listen to what God is doing in your life and help you investigate which of the many options may be best for you and your circumstances. We’ll work with you and your church to confirm God’s leading and enable you to move into the ministry role right for you.

Questions? About your role? About how to take steps in your situation? About where to focus your energies? Please call us at (574) 268-1888 or email Kip Cone. We look forward to walking along with you as you seek God’s leading in your life.