Christian Missionary Work Overseas

What Is Christian Missionary Work?

Christian missionary work overseas
Christian missionary work in Africa
Christian missionary work in Nepal
What is Christian missionary work

A Christian missionary has been defined as a person who has dedicated their lives to working to fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19–20),[1] but what is Christian missionary work? Missionary work can look different for each person and context; however, there are a few unifying actions and attitudes of missionary work. Bethany Global University[2] identifies some, including the following:

  1. Follow Jesus first: Like all Christians, missionaries are called to follow Jesus and love Him with all their heart, mind, soul and strength.
  2. Love and serve others: By showing love and serving others, missionaries model Christ’s love for all people.
  3. Care for the least of these: Missionaries are the hands and feet of Jesus, caring for the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the prisoner, the widows and the orphans as if they were caring for Jesus Himself (see Matthew 25:34–35).
  4. Live interculturally: Missionaries integrate their lifestyle, language, customs and wardrobe to relate to the people they serve.
  5. Share the Good News: As missionaries serve people, they live out the Good News of God’s love. He loved people so much, He sent His Son to die and rise again for us (John 3:16), which is a life-changing message of hope, love and peace.[3]

GFA World’s national missionaries fulfill each of these tasks as they serve the people of Africa and Asia. They have experienced the love of God and have a passion to share that love and care with those in their own countries. They do this by praying for and ministering to the sick, providing income-generating gifts, helping provide access to medical care and much more. They understand the culture instinctively since they grew up in it, so they know the best ways to communicate with the people, which needs to meet, and how best to share the Good News in a loving way.[4]

GFA Pastor Zacchaeus is just one example of this. He lived and served in a village where there were no proper sanitation facilities, forcing the people to go to the bathroom in the open—among wildlife, in inclement weather and even in front of others. Contamination and exposure posed a constant threat to health. Pastor Zacchaeus knew the villagers’ struggle and began praying that toilets could be installed. God soon answered the prayer, and the church began construction of twelve toilets for the area. The villagers experienced the love and mercy of Jesus through their practical needs being met.[5]

Christian missionary work overseas cannot happen without support. You can sponsor a national missionary with GFA World for just $45 a month and allow them to keep showing others the love of God.[6]

Discover how to support GFA World’s Christian missionary work overseas

[1] “Who Are Christian Missionaries and What Do They Do?” Compelling Truth. Accessed December 10, 2024. https://www.compellingtruth.org/Christian-missionary.html.
[2] Rimiller, Avery. “What does missionary work mean? Definition and examples.” Bethany Global University. November 18, 2020. https://bethanygu.edu/missionary-work-mean.
[3] Ibid.
[4] “National Missionaries: About National Missionaries.” GFA World. Accessed December 10, 2024. https://www.gfa.org/sponsor/why-national-missionaries.
[5] “Toilets Bring Health, Hope to a Village.” GFA World. June 28, 2021. https://gospelforasia-reports.org/2021/06/toilets-bring-health-hope-to-a-village.
[6] “National Missionaries: Sponsor a National Missionary.” GFA World. Accessed December 10, 2024. https://www.gfa.org/sponsor.