Most new missionaries today stepped into their calling gradually over a period of many weeks or months while exploring opportunities and learning about missionary life. Even after making the decision to become a missionary, most people spend a significant season of preparation prior to moving overseas.

Missions agencies like Mission to the World have created intentional pathways to missionary service that support a gradual process of exploration, learning, and discernment. Gaining clarity on this path can help remove much of the mystery surrounding the missionary calling and provide valuable insight into whether the Lord may be leading in that direction.

If you or someone you know is thinking about becoming a missionary, learning about the following steps could bring valuable insight. Here are eight steps toward becoming a missionary:

1. Form a strong connection with a sending body.

This is really a pre-step, but it’s something that is easily overlooked. Missionaries need the strong support of a sending body to shepherd and disciple them, encourage them, help them discern the Lord’s guidance, and support them financially. This type of strong support is best cultivated over time through intentionally building relationships, serving, and growing alongside brothers and sisters in Christ. As you pray about missionary service, lean into your local body of believers. Consider stepping up to serve where there are needs and invite others into your own spiritual journey. This type of church engagement will bolster your preparedness for ministry and lay the groundwork for a strong partnership if the Lord leads you into missions.

2. Submit an interest form with a missions agency.

Connecting with a mission agency like Mission to the World early on can greatly clarify the process and help you know how to communicate with others about where you are in your missions journey. MTW offers a simple interest form for those considering missionary service. After providing some basic information about yourself and your interests, you will be put in touch with a candidate specialist. This simple step in no way locks you in on a commitment toward missionary service, but rather it initiates a helpful dialogue about the process and possibilities.

3. Explore your options.

The next step is to prayerfully discuss your interests and gifts with a candidate specialist who can answer many of your questions and help guide your exploration of missions. This person may put you in touch with current missionaries in various locations to discuss the needs and dynamics on their fields. A call with a missionary team leader can help you gain an idea of what it might look like to serve alongside them.

If a conversation with a missionary team progresses and they sense that you may be a good addition to their team, you may be invited to their field for a site visit. A site visit allows missionary candidates to spend time on-site with a missionary team, observing their daily routines, interacting with nationals, and experiencing some of the highs and lows of life in a foreign culture. This type of opportunity can be immensely helpful in pursuing what God is leading you toward.  

4. Submit an application to a mission agency.

After discussing your options with a candidate specialist and connecting with teams on the field, you may be ready to submit an application to a missions agency. At MTW, this application process involves providing a personal history form as well as personal and church leadership references. You will also complete a series of tests and interviews that assess your Bible knowledge, theological understanding, and psychological health.

These steps take some time, but they provide valuable conversations and awareness that will guide you and the missions agency toward the best pathway for you to engage with global missions. Each of us brings distinct experiences, gifting, strengths, and weaknesses as we offer ourselves to the Lord of the harvest. As such, mission agencies seek to guide and equip each one appropriately.

5. Complete a readiness evaluation.

For those who are ready to move toward an initial missionary term of at least two years, the next step MTW provides is a three-day virtual assessment called Readiness Evaluation. As the name implies, this evaluation measures preparedness for cross-cultural missionary service. Experienced missionaries and assessment experts have honed this testing process over many years to pick up on potential issues that could present difficulty to missionary candidates on the field. At the conclusion of the assessment, valuable feedback and recommendations are provided along with a final decision regarding whether the candidate is approved for missionary service.

6. Receive a field invitation.

After an MTW missionary team has gotten to know you and believes you will be a good fit to join them on their field, the team leader will extend a written invitation to join them. This invitation will describe your proposed role on the team as well as any language training that will be required of you. After receiving this invitation, you will be cleared to begin MTW’s onboarding and training process for new missionaries.

7. Equip as a missionary.

Most mission agencies wisely require a period of training and preparation before sending missionaries to live overseas. At MTW, this process is called Kingdom Foundations. It begins with a five-day in-person orientation, after which you can begin ministry partner development (support raising). Orientation is followed by 10 months of coursework and bimonthly meetings with a mentored cohort of fellow new missionaries. It concludes with a final weeklong pre-field training event. This journey equips missionaries in multiple ways—building community through a supportive cohort, providing structured learning, and helping each person develop a team of ministry partners to support their ministry.

MTW provides each new missionary with a dedicated support team equipped to offer guidance and resources throughout the onboarding and training process. This team helps set a realistic departure timeline and provides practical pointers and checklists to navigate the final months before heading to the field.

8. Deploy to the field.

Transitioning to your missionary field is an exciting mile-marker after months of preparation and training. Upon arrival, many missionaries focus their energies on learning the language and culture before jumping into ministry heavily. Teammates or national partners help the new missionary navigate life during their initial days on the field.

The life of faith our Good Shepherd invites us into is most often a series of small steps of obedience, trusting Him to lead and provide along the way. The missionary calling is no different. Taking one step at a time, we watch for how the Lord will work and respond to His invitations, growing and becoming more like Him along the way. It’s an experience that is well worth the investment!

Interested in missionary service? Visit MTW’s Steps to the Field, browse opportunities to serve at mtw.org/serve or connect with an MTW candidate specialist.