Challenge completed
Reflecting on how God provided during the 1% Challenge (VIDEO)
When MTW Coordinator Lloyd Kim challenged PCA churches to pray that God would raise up an additional 1% of their members to serve in global missions over the next decade, Page Clarke of Village Seven Presbyterian Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, was both excited and intimidated.
“We considered the number of people, time, financial resources, and energy that would be necessary if we really did send out 1% of our congregation for missions,” the former director of mobilization said. “We were overwhelmed … but His faithfulness to us as a congregation in the past led us to take up this challenge.”
The 1% Challenge was a call for churches to pursue the Great Commission and gave a tangible goal to send much-needed missionaries to the nations to plant churches and reach unbelievers with the gospel.
But more than anything, it was a call to trust God.
“We were overwhelmed, and in many ways we still are. When we planted churches in the past and a group of our people went out with the new church, we felt the loss—but each time God has provided,” said Page.
Now in 2026, at the completion of the 1% Challenge, the PCA can confidently say that God indeed provided. According to a recent survey of all PCA churches, responding churches have collectively sent 1.9 % of their congregation into missions since 2016—far exceeding the original goal.
Completing the 1% Challenge was a group effort that involved the prayers and work of large, established PCA churches like Village Seven, and brand new church plants like New City Fellowship in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
“Even though we are a small, inner-city church plant, we want our people to grow as world-minded Christians. We want them to know that they can participate now in praying and giving towards the spread of the gospel across the world. They don’t have to wait until they become more stable or earn more money. God wants to use each of them to meaningfully advance the kingdom of God to the ends of the earth,” says Peter Eck, senior pastor of New City Fellowship.
Peter is touching on one of the added benefits of the 1% Challenge. It not only led to more missionaries but also to increased passion among PCA congregations to advance God’s global kingdom.
“The MTW 1% Challenge gave us both a clear goal and the encouragement to keep the vital work of missions before us,” says Andrew Park, senior pastor of Living Faith Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles, California. “Over the last decade, our engagement in missions has grown far beyond our expectations. In addition to commissioning missionaries from our own congregation, we have established numerous new missions partnerships, helped fund a variety of missions projects, sent out many short-term teams, and even supported a summer intern. These efforts eventually led to the formation of a missions committee that now champions missions within our church. We also have several members who are prayerfully discerning whether God may be calling them to long-term missionary service.”
Over the last decade, our engagement in missions has grown far beyond our expectations. In addition to commissioning missionaries from our own congregation, we have established numerous new missions partnerships, helped fund a variety of missions projects, sent out many short-term teams, and even supported a summer intern.”
Rich Wolfe, pastor of discipleship at Village Seven Presbyterian Church, says, “One of the charges of the 1% goal was to intentionally look within the congregation for signs of God working in church members’ hearts to consider a calling into world missions. Over the past 10 years, I have had the privilege of confirming a calling into mission for three families.”
One of the beautiful realities of engaging in God’s mission is that God uses the work not only to bless the nations with the gospel of grace, but also to spiritually strengthen the sending churches as they experience more of His grace and goodness.
Andrew highlights this dynamic, saying, “Perhaps the greatest blessing of the 1% Challenge has been how life-giving missions has been for both our church and for me personally. God has given us great joy as we have sought to obey His call, deepen our fellowship with our missionaries, and witness the remarkable work He is doing around the world. We are deeply grateful that He has enlarged our hearts for the nations, and we pray that He will continue to keep us faithful and steadfast in this work for His glory.”
Through the 1% Challenge, God has raised up more laborers to send into the harvest field He has prepared. He has used those laborers to plant and revitalize churches around the world and lead unbelievers to faith in His Son. And He has fueled PCA churches in their commitment to global missions and strengthened the faith of congregations as they experience the joy of participating in the Great Commission.
We praise God for all that He has and continues to accomplish through the prayers and work of PCA churches during the 1% Challenge. Join us in celebrating its completion by watching this short video.
Get good news every week! Subscribe to Stories & More for stories of God's work, videos from the missions field, and a wide range of missions topics.
Tom Mills
Tom Mills is a content creator for Mission to the World. He is a graduate of Wheaton College. Tom loves meeting and interviewing believers all over the world, capturing stories of God's global church.
