Missio Nexus is an organization that represents over 53,000 staff members within organizations, churches, and businesses engaged in the Great Commission. Its motto is “The Great Commission is too big for anyone to accomplish alone and too important not to do together.” In the overall scheme of what God is doing in the world, your part and mine are small, but when done in humility and partnership with others, we see progress. Good partnerships in missions are not just transactional but relational. There is a synergy that comes from a combined effort that is greater than the sum of our separate roles. More importantly, a healthy relationship between a missionary, the church, and the sending organization brings glory and honor to God.
The concept of a mission agency developed at the end of the eighteenth century to recruit and manage Protestant missionaries. Today, many denominations and churches partner with what we now refer to as sending or field organizations, as these have proven faithful in successfully preparing individuals for the mission field.
Through the missionaries we support, First Church partners with over 16 sending organizations. The staff of these organizations are kingdom professionals and ensure that missionaries under their covering are screened and qualified.
They share the same high standards that Paul speaks of in 2 Timothy 2:15: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
Finding a sending organization that aligns with their preferred geographical location, people group, ministry model, and beliefs is the path to missions for most of those who feel called to the mission field.
On his Lighthouse and Flint blog, Dr. Robert Blincoe observes how Peter and Andrew were fishing all night but caught nothing (Luke 5:4-7). In the morning, Jesus stepped into their boat to teach the crowds and told them to lower their nets again. That’s when the miracle happened, and thousands of fish filled the net so that they called out to a second boat for help. Blincoe writes: “Without the help of the second boat, the catch of fish would surely be lost. Local congregations and sending organizations are the two boats. The one cannot say to another, ‘I have no need of you.’”¹ Sending organizations, churches, and missionaries working under a sending agency’s umbrella can catch extraordinary numbers of souls when they partner.
Once the application, interviews, recommendations, and screenings are complete, and the sending organization accepts a prospective candidate, a training process is also required. This process looks different for each agency and candidate depending on education, experience, and the outcome of the screenings and evaluations. The objective is to set up missionaries for as much potential fulfillment as possible, primarily with the Lord’s strength and the Holy Spirit’s guidance. When the family or individual is on the mission field, the sending agency supports them by handling their finances, medical coverage, communication, counseling, and any emergency assistance needed. Along with the church and individual supporters, a prayer network develops, all working alongside those carrying out their sacred assignments—a true partnership where each part adds strength to the mission of fulfilling the Great Commission!
by Missions Director Trusha Barner
¹Blincoe, Robert. “Two Boats and a Great Catch of Fish.” Lighthouse and Flint, 18 Jul. 2022, robertblincoe.blog. Accessed 13 Jun. 2023.
