What are Christian missions?

Christian missions are the sending of people to share the good news of Jesus and love their neighbours across cultures, following the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). This includes evangelism, church planting, Bible translation, medical work, teaching, and relief.

How do I get involved in missions?

Start with your local church, which can help you pray, give, join a short-term trip, or take a longer step with a trusted sending agency. You can find a church near you and connect from there.

What is the Great Commission?

It is Jesus' command in Matthew 28:19-20 to 'go... and teach all nations, baptizing them,' the foundation of Christian mission. Acts 1:8 adds that his followers would be witnesses 'unto the uttermost part of the earth.'

Christian Missions: What They Are & How to Get Involved

Christian Missions

Christian missions are the sending of people to share the good news of Jesus and love their neighbours across cultures and around the world. It flows straight from the Great Commission, Jesus’ command to go and make disciples of all nations. Missions today takes many forms: preaching and church planting, Bible translation, medical and relief work, teaching, and quiet friendship in places where the name of Jesus is still new.

What Christian missions are

At its heart, mission is the church living out the last command Jesus gave before he ascended: to carry his good news to everyone, everywhere, in word and in love. The word means ‘sending.’ Some are sent far, some serve near, and all of it belongs to the same work.

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”

Matthew 28:19-20

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Acts 1:8

The kinds of mission work

Mission organizations, agencies that send, train, and support workers, such as Wycliffe Bible Translators, YWAM (Youth With A Mission), and The JESUS Film Project.
Short-term mission trips, from a week to a few months, often through a local church.
Bible translation, putting Scripture into languages that have never had it.
Medical missions, healing and hospitality as an expression of the love of Christ.
Church planting, starting new churches where there are few or none.

How to get involved

The best first step is almost always your local church, where sending and support belong together. A church can help you pray, give, go on a trip, or take a longer step with a trusted agency. Start by finding a church near you. If you lead a church or ministry, our tools for churches and for missions can help you mobilize and stay connected with the people you send.

A word on safety. Many workers serve in places where being known as a Christian missionary is dangerous. Trustworthy sending agencies never publish the names, exact locations, or family details of workers in sensitive or restricted regions, and neither do we. If you are exploring this, follow a real organization’s guidance on discretion, and pray for those you will never be able to name.

Frequently asked questions

What are Christian missions?: Christian missions are the sending of people to share the good news of Jesus and love their neighbours across cultures, following the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). This includes evangelism, church planting, Bible translation, medical work, teaching, and relief.
How do I get involved in missions?: Start with your local church, which can help you pray, give, join a short-term trip, or take a longer step with a trusted sending agency. You can find a church near you and connect from there.
What is the Great Commission?: It is Jesus' command in Matthew 28:19-20 to 'go... and teach all nations, baptizing them,' the foundation of Christian mission. Acts 1:8 adds that his followers would be witnesses 'unto the uttermost part of the earth.'

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Behind every mission is a Person

All of this, the sent workers, the translated Scriptures, the songs on the radio and the books on the shelf, exists for one reason: so that people who have never heard might hear of Jesus, and love him. If you have never met him yourself, you do not need a passport or a program to begin. Read his own words, and see. The Gospel of John is a gentle place to start, and it costs you nothing but a little quiet and an honest look.

Meet Jesus Read the Gospel of John Ask for prayer

Jesus Christ is Lord.

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