Considering Long Term?
Oh sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
(Psalm 96:1-3, ESV)
"There are only three kinds of Christians when it comes to world missions: zealous goers, zealous senders, and disobedient." John Piper
Two-thousand years ago, Jesus gave his disciples a mandate to make disciples of all the nations of the earth (Mt. 28:19-20). As a follower of Jesus living in a world where thousands of ethnic and language groups have little or no access to the gospel, you have a vital role to play in that mission.
How do you identify God’s call to go to the nations? How can you best leverage your college years to be equipped for the task of making disciples cross-culturally? These questions can only be answered through God’s Word, prayer, and in conversation with godly leaders in your local church. As you seek guidance from these sources, CBU Mobilization is ready to facilitate connections and provide resources. Below you will find five, key areas of growth for potential long-term goers geared specifically for this season of your life. Under each header, you will find tools to help you understand, assess, and grow.
5 Priorities for College Students Considering Long-Term Missions
As followers of Jesus, the call to make disciples of all nations is a mandate for all of us. Our time, relationships, and resources are all gifts from God that we can leverage for his worship among all peoples. Capturing this biblical vision of God’s mission, and our place in it, is at the heart of following Christ. While not everyone is called to go to the nations, that is what you are exploring; and at times, it can be a little lonely. Below are some ideas to help you find like-minded community and encouragement to keep you on the path. You will find inspiration as you learn about the work of missionaries who “went before us, who ran the race, and finished well,” and glean wisdom from those currently serving on the field. In addition, reading books, attending conferences, and taking classes are great ways to broaden your understanding of global missions and take the next steps in this important season of life.
| Resources | |
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 Assess |
Long Term Interest Form (Get connected to opportunities with other potential goers) |
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Connect with a Missionary Perspectives (class) Explore Missions (class) God's Heart For The Nations (study) Cross Con 21 (conference) |
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Five Reasons to Read a Missionary Biography This Year (online article) Live Life On Purpose | Claude Hickman (book) |
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Reaching the Unreached (video) Beautiful Hope (video) World Vision Illustration (video) |
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Global Missions Podcast (podcast) |
Grow
Read
Watch
ListenAs a follower of Jesus, you have been welcomed into the worldwide family of God known as the church. This family comes together in different places and in different cultures to worship God, encourage one another, and serve its community. That is the local church. Active involvement in a local church is an essential part of your spiritual growth and engagement in the Great Commission both now and in the future. Your local church is a place to know others, and be known and discipled, and exercise your gifts in serving others. However, participation in a local church, especially during college, requires intentionality on your part. Check out these resources to learn more about how you can deepen your roots as you pursue being sent by a local church.
| Resources | |
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| Assess |
Church Involvement Self-Assessment |
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Church Missions Leader Introductory Meeting Area Church Directory |
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Why Missionaries Need Local Churches (online article) Every Good Church is Messy (online article) |
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Loving Jesus By Loving His Church (video) |
During these college years, your identity, core values, beliefs, and guiding principles are being shaped in many ways. These changes will, in turn, influence your interests and passions. You clearly have a desire to glorify God through engaging in his global mission. However, a passion for missions alone is not enough to carry you to the field. There are many potential stumbling blocks during this college season as you make some of the most important decisions in your life. Physical health, mental health, relationships, sexual purity, and personal finances/student debt are areas that can delay missionary candidates on their launch to the nations. We have provided some tools below to help you identify personal barriers and be proactive in taking steps now towards wellness and freedom in these areas.
| Resources | |
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| Assess |
Physical and Mental Health |
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The Freedom Fight (porn recovery) Nerdwallet Budget Planning Worksheet |
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How Getting Physically Fit Prepared Me for Missions (blog) How Porn Is Sidelining Missionaries (online article) Obstacles to Missions: Dating (online article) Obstacles to Missions: Debt (online article) |
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Singleness, Dating, Marriage (video) Pursuing Holiness and Fighting Sin (video) |
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My Money Life (podcast) |
Jesus’ mandate for missions is a call to make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:18-20). If we want to make disciples, we must first be growing disciples ourselves. Jesus taught us that the key to spiritual growth is abiding or remaining, in him (John 15:1-5). This joy-filled relationship of abiding with Jesus involves understanding his teaching, communicating with him through prayer, living in his love, and keeping his commandments (John 15:7-11). Growing in this relationship is a work of God, but it also requires intentionality and community (Phil. 2:12-13). While there are countless resources to help you grow and develop spiritually, we have highlighted a few here with you, the potential long-term goer, in mind. We encourage you to begin with the assessment and share and discuss the results with a friend or mentor.
| Resources | |
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| Assess |
Lifeway Spiritual Growth Assessment |
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Discipleship Ministry at CBU Deepen Discipleship (an online discipleship course) |
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Biblical Foundation: Missions and Discipleship (online article) A Personal Disciple-Making Plan (online article) The Word Hand (online article) What is the Gospel? by Greg Gilbert (book) Multiply: Disciples Making Disciples by Francis Chan (book) |
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The Workshop: A place to find tools for spiritual growth (brief videos) |
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Solid Joys Daily Devotional (podcast) |
As you explore the call of God to serve as a Great Commission goer, an essential part of your preparation is engaging with the lost (people who do not know Jesus). Evangelism is at the heart of global missions, so it only makes sense that you should be sharing the gospel at home before you plan to do it in another culture. In addition to helping you grow as a disciple-maker, the resources below will direct you to other ways to grow in your engagement with the lost right where you are. They include supporting missionaries, participating in mission trips, building relationships with internationals, and praying for unreached people groups.
| Resources | |
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| Assess |
My Evangelism: An Assessment |
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Beginner’s Guide to Global Impact (online article) Participate on an International Service Project (webpage & application) Apply to be a Conversation Partner (webpage & application) |
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International Students: Key Opportunity for Reaching Unreached Peoples (online article) |
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How to Get the Most out of Short Term Missions Trips (video) The Three Circles Presentation (video) |
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Unreached of the Day (podcast) |
Recommended Reading
The resources we have provided above are just a starting point for you. We want you to keep learning, and one of the best ways to do that is to read good books. You could fill a library with excellent books about what it looks like to faithfully follow Jesus and join in on his global mission. To give you some ideas on where to start, we reached out to a variety of local church leaders, missions leaders, and academic leaders. We asked them the following question: "If you were meeting with a college student with nothing more than the training and excitement of a short-term mission trip, what two books would you recommend to them as they begin their journey to the nations?"
Connect
If you would like to learn about ways to network with other CBU students that are exploring overseas service as well as receive invites to special missions-related opportunities, you can let us know HERE. Additionally, if you would like to meet with our Mobilization team as you progress through the steps listed above, email Kris Smith (Assistant Director of Mobilization) at ksmith@calbaptist.edu. We would welcome the opportunity to help you process the information and answer any questions you have.