Becoming a Christian Missionary: A Guide to Fulfilling the Great Commission

If you’re wrestling with how to become a Christian missionary, you’re wrestling with one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make. Becoming a Christian missionary is a high calling. Across the history of the church, missionaries have played a vital role in fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).

But unlike some things in life, discovering how to become a Christian missionary isn’t like flipping a light switch. You can’t just jump into the deep end of the pool. Answering the Lord’s call to Christian missions is like a puzzle with many different pieces. If you’re missing some of the pieces, you’ll never get the full picture—which could leave you confused and frustrated.

Putting the Pieces in Place

Many great organizations provide a “getting started guide” for learning how to become a Christian missionary. These tools are designed to help you confirm God’s call on your life and to sort through the steps of getting where He wants you to go.

With that in mind, it’s helpful to go into the process with a broad outline of what you can expect. Below, we’ve provided six vital elements of becoming a Christian missionary. These are six pieces of the missionary puzzle. You may find other pieces that fit your particular context along the way, but these steps represent non-negotiables in whatever area of missions you pursue.

1. Start with Prayer: Nothing of significance happens in the kingdom of God without prayer. It is your starting point and your lifeline as you’re discovering how to become a Christian missionary. Along with Bible study and the insights of close friends and family members, prayer is how you will hear God speak most clearly. You’ll never find your calling without prayer

2. Identify Your Strengths and Gifts: God will never assign you to any task for which He hasn’t equipped you. As a believer, you have gifts and talents and abilities. He has wired you for His purposes. So, it’s fair—and even necessary—for you to determine what you bring to the table when it comes to being a Christian missionary. Discover what God has planted in your life and then use that as a filter for moving forward.

3. Do the Research: Once you have confirmed your call and identified God’s gifts, you can start looking for opportunities. You can uncover what’s available and identify situations where you can serve in your strengths. You can also learn a lot about the gaps in your life and how you can meet those requirements to be best prepared for your work as a Christian missionary.
   
   This is also where you would start looking at suitable sending agencies. You’ll have dozens of choices, so you’ll need to dig deep and pray hard. You can start by considering where you want to serve and for how long. You also can look at the structure of agencies, the support they provide, and their history.

4. Start Preparing Yourself:

   Even if you know that God is leading you to become a Christian missionary, the process will take some time. Take advantage of that time by preparing yourself for the future. You can do that by ruthlessly evaluating who you are and what you need to be. Allow friends and trusted mentors to speak into your life to identify weak spots in your spiritual walk.
   
   While you’re focused on becoming a Christian missionary, you can grow where God has planted you in the moment. Prepare yourself by serving right now. God won’t waste any experiences you gain as you wait. This might include expanding your formal education. Many Christian universities and colleges offer missions courses and degrees that could help you get ready for your mission field.

5. Get Out of Debt: One major roadblock to becoming a Christian missionary is financial debt. While it’s not something many think about until it’s too late, it’s hard to gain traction on the mission field if you are hounded by things like mortgages or student loans back home. So, as you work toward becoming a missionary, make getting out of debt and staying out of debt a priority.

6. Keep On Praying: This is where we said to start, but prayer is an ongoing process. You will need it at every step of the way. One great way to pray as you move toward becoming a missionary is to make it a team sport. Enlist a network of prayer warriors who will lift you up during preparation and after you’ve left for the field. Again, it is impossible to overstate the importance of prayer as you discover how to become a Christian missionary.

A Christian Missionary

If you search online for missions opportunities, you’ll probably come across some secular organizations that do good work in other nations, but they aren’t committed to sharing the gospel like Christian missionaries. They might focus on the adventure of travel or helping make the world a better place, but Jesus isn’t part of their plan.

That doesn’t mean those organizations are bad, but they should never be confused with Christian missions. Christian missionaries are called by God to fulfill His plans and purposes. They understand that the only way the world becomes a better place is if individuals turn from their sin and embrace Jesus as Savior.

As you discover how to become a Christian missionary, never lose sight of this calling. You are bringing light to the darkness. You are fulfilling the Great Commission. You are making a difference for God’s kingdom. That’s what becoming a Christian missionary is all about.

That’s what becoming a Christian missionary is all about.