I hear a steady refrain from some of my students: “I just need to pass this class and graduate so I can get to the mission field.” I am encouraged by their eagerness and passion about proclaiming the gospel and making Christ known among the nations. Youthful passion is too often dismissed by older Christians. However, I always remind my students that a call to go is also a call to prepare. A desire to rush to the mission field as fast as possible may appear to be a more spiritual choice, but intentionally preparing through education reflects and builds spiritual maturity.
The Local Church, the University, and Cohorts
The Local Church
First and foremost, students preparing to go to the mission field must be actively involved in a local church. Students should be actively engaged in a local church close to campus in which they can serve throughout the week rather than merely attending services on the weekends. Students should also maintain a close relationship with their “sending” church at home if they moved to school from further away. The local church is where students begin to put into practice their gifts and skills. The local church also plays a crucial role in the ongoing discipleship that cannot be replaced by a university.
Universities
Universities and seminaries also play an important role in equipping young people as they prepare for the mission field. First, higher education deepens a knowledge base. University classes provide education on topics like linguistics, cultural anthropology, and cross-cultural communication in addition to classical theological topics. Additionally, students should not neglect the study of other topics such as science, math, and literature. Francis Schaeffer, missionary to postmodern European students, rightly observed in his book, The God Who Is There, that “True education means thinking by associating across the various disciplines, and not just being highly qualified in one field, as a technician might be.” Few places besides universities offer this kind of opportunity for education.
Some universities also provide opportunities for internships in cross-cultural settings. These internships are typically with trusted field partners who have extensive experience and can help students develop their cross-cultural competency while also making meaningful contributions to the ministry and work of the team. At North Greenville University, we have cultivated strong partnerships with church planters in Utah where many of our students do an internship in one of the least evangelical places in North America. We also have good partnerships with International Mission Board missionaries where our students can do an internship that provides substantial cross-cultural ministry experience even before they graduate. Other universities have similar opportunities in which students can participate as they prepare to go.
Seminaries provide further opportunity to deepen theological knowledge prior to going to the mission field. Some organizations such as the International Mission Board require a certain amount of seminary education prior to a career appointment, but mid-term programs like the Journeyman program do not require additional seminary education. Other organizations do not require any seminary training. However, seminary offers deeper doctrinal training that can help a prospective missionary think through difficult theological questions that may arise in a cross-cultural missions context. Southern Baptists have six outstanding seminaries serving our convention well and providing solid education for future pastors, missionaries, and ministry leaders. For those concerned about the cost of seminary education, extensive financial aid for seminary is available through SCBaptists, the Cooperative Program, and other sources such as the Charles B. Keesee scholarship.
Missionsal Cohorts
Students could also seek opportunities outside of the university such as a missional cohort. South Carolina Baptists have one of the best models for missional cohorts anywhere — Palmetto Collective. Palmetto Collective intentionally equips “college juniors and seniors from campuses across South Carolina to be missional leaders of the gospel, and for a lifetime of fruitful mission and ministry in any realm of society.” The characteristic that makes Palmetto Collective stand out is that it combines intentional internal discipleship with church-based mentorship and practical guided field experience. These kinds of cohorts are not for those who are “trying out” missions. Missional cohorts are for students who are committed to living missionally and desire a missions-focused community for mutual encouragement and accountability as they mature spiritually.
Word of Encouragement and Warning
I want to first offer a word of encouragement to students who are impatient about getting to the mission field. You are not wasting your time studying in a university as long as you are preparing well and taking advantage of the opportunities available to you now. A time of preparation is not merely a time of waiting to go. The time of preparation should be vibrant and active in your pursuit of holiness and Christlikeness. Your church, university, community, and family should benefit from your membership as much as you benefit from being a member. When you do eventually leave for cross-cultural Great Commission work, the people around you should rejoice in your obedience to Christ’s call, but also feel the gap that your departure leaves.
Second, I want to offer a word of warning for parents and church leaders. Young people have youthful passions that are not inherently bad simply because they are young. More spiritually mature Christians should offer counsel and wisdom, but they should avoid squashing their passions with aged cynicism. Sometimes we think we are offering wisdom, but we are unintentionally encouraging their disobedience to Christ’s call to the nations. Simple questions like, “Is this a real career choice?” can inadvertently do harm. Sometimes young children express an interest in being a missionary, but a parent or older church member unknowingly discourages them by politely acknowledging their desire while telling them to “Wait until you are older.” Instead of feeling the need to verbally respond to your student, I would encourage you to take the guidance similar to that offered by Gamaliel in Acts 5:38–39. If a student expresses that they might be called to missions, wait and see what happens in the coming weeks and months. If the calling is not from God, then it will likely fade and nothing will come of it. If the calling is from God, then opposing it would be unwise. Exercise wisdom and offer insight when possible, but seek to direct and guide your students’ passions in a God-honoring direction. Go on mission trips together. Bring them with you to share the gospel with others. Model for them what a disciple of Jesus is so that when they do go, they will not only have a strong foundation of salvation in Christ but they will also have the firm support of discipleship.
— Matthew Hirt is an assistant professor of Intercultural Studies at North Greenville University. He has missions experience on three continents, culminating in nearly two decades of commitment to making disciples in both frontier and legacy church contexts. He earned his Ph.D. in International Missions from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, N.C. He and his wife, Heather, have served as international missionaries together in South Asia and Nigeria as well as training and equipping U.S. churches to engage their communities in effective evangelism and disciple-making.