How Do Churches Raise Up Missionaries?

How do churches raise up missionaries?

How do churches nurture missionaries? How do they raise up missionaries?

Number one, I think they read and they study Romans 10:13-15, and they look at what it means to be a good sender. They raise their sons and daughters to be goers. They raise them with that in mind. And what that means is when they put them to bed at night and when they speak around the dinner table, they have missions sprinkled into that discussion. Your children are raised with the knowledge of who Gladys Aylward is, who Amy Carmichael is, who Adoniram Judson, John Paton, and Hudson Taylor are. They know these names because their parents were intentional in raising up sons and daughters with that in mind.

And then I think churches make sure that their members have skin in the game, that they're invested in the great commission. They live a certain way, their houses are a little bit smaller. Their cars are not the newest cars, Their 401ks, their retirement accounts are skinnier for the sake of the Great Commission. Not to to support everything, but if we're going to raise up 14 young people, or if we're going to raise up five young people from our church, we want them to primarily be supported from this church. Our church has skin in the game.

And then I think good senders, those who send missionaries well, good churches, they're faithful to being a local church there in that context. They stick with that local church.

Those are the three primary ways we see good sending churches buy into this, that they're bought into the Great Commission and their role as senders.