After declaring that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved,” Paul asked a series of questions in Romans 10 that we must still answer today: “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?” (Romans 10:13-15).

While it is true that we should make disciples as we go, it is still imperative that we send missionaries, recognizing that there are people in the world who will never hear the gospel unless someone goes intentionally to share Jesus. God is still calling out people to go, and calling on others to send and support them.

A map of the world hangs above my desk with pictures of missionaries taped to it. These are but a few of those who said, “Here am I, send me,” when confronted with the questions in Romans 10. Their pictures silently echo the plea of Paul, who wrote, “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should” (Colossians 4:3-4, NIV).

Missionaries today may not be in chains, but they have challenges. A thoughtful commitment to missions requires that I do my part, whether as a missionary or as one who sends.

I come from a long line of women committed to the mission of God. Among my favorites are the women listed in Luke 8:1-3, who were part of the larger group of disciples and supported the ministry of Jesus out of their own means. Years later as the modern missionary movement began, women started groups to share missionary letters, pray, and raise money.

Southern Baptist women formed a national organization in 1888 and have been teaching, praying, giving, and doing missions ever since. I was raised under the tutelage of Woman’s Missionary Union, and the experience shaped my worldview for life. As a child, I learned geography while praying for missionaries and said a pledge that included my promise “to accept the challenge of the Great Commission.”

Today my commitment to missions includes the understanding that individuals are called by God to go, that churches send them, and that denominational entities facilitate the process. In giving to the Cooperative Program and missions offerings, I am expressing commitment to missions. When I pray daily for missionaries on their birthdays and pray for those featured during our Weeks of Prayer, I am showing the commitment that Paul pleaded for.

Missions is also something I do, locally and globally. God has given me opportunities to join Him and our missionaries in many places around the world. Mission trips have enhanced my understanding of the mission of God. Encouraging women here and in other countries continues to be a significant ministry for me through WMU.

Missions is so important that it is worth our time to teach others, share the stories of missions work around the world, and to teach the biblical basis of missions, which runs from Genesis to Revelation. Sandy Wisdom-Martin, national WMU executive director, said in her report to the Southern Baptist Convention in Nashville, “We have more knowledge at our fingertips than ever before, but our kids and grandkids still need us to teach them about certain things, and missions is one of those things.”

Teaching missions to children and students has always been a challenge, but it is at this level of commitment that we support the whole mission of God. We instill the truth that God calls people to serve Him, and in providing opportunities to do missions, we not only reinforce the teaching, but we plant seeds of personal commitment to God’s mission around the world.

On my first overseas mission trip to Rwanda in 1992, the missionary took our team out to a church in the bush. As we drove to the church, he told us about the congregation and how they built the building themselves out of mud bricks. Then, almost as an aside as we parked the car, he said, “Oh, and by the way, the tin roof on this building was provided by the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.” I wept through the service because I have given to the LMCO since I was a little girl. That day I knew for certain that what we do on this side of the world makes a difference on the other side of the world.

A thoughtful commitment to missions compels us to answer the questions of Romans 10 and do our part in response.

— Joy Bolton served as executive director-treasurer of Kentucky WMU from 1999-2018 and retired to Charleston, S.C., to live near her grandchildren. Earlier, she was adult missions consultant for South Carolina WMU. She is now the volunteer international coordinator for the national WMU.