What Do Christian Missionaries Do with GFA World?
What do Christian missionaries do? They serve as ambassadors of Jesus, dedicating their lives to fulfilling the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19–20. Traditionally, this has meant leaving one’s cultural and national boundaries to share the Good News to people groups that have never heard the name of Jesus. In addition to preaching, missionaries engage in acts of service, helping to fulfill physical needs, thus demonstrating the love of Christ in practical ways.[1]
The calling to serve as a missionary goes beyond geographic boundaries. It reflects a heart transformed by God’s love and a desire to extend that love to others. Whether a missionary serves for decades or months, the motivation remains constant: demonstrating Christ’s compassion through word and deed.
Understanding Christian Missionary Responsibilities
The activities of Christian missionaries are broad and can change over time, expanding or contracting in new seasons and situations. Their roles may include humanitarian aid―providing food, shelter and emergency help to those affected by poverty, disasters or conflict; education, which involves running schools and organizing literacy classes; healthcare―founding hospitals, providing medical supplies and offering health education; and advocacy, which is working to protect human rights, welfare and dignity. The ministry’s shape can vary, but its primary objective is always to nurture relationships and share the Good News of the love of God.[2]
What is christian missionary work in practical terms? It encompasses Bible studies that ground new communities in Scripture, discipleship that nurtures spiritual growth, and tangible service addressing immediate physical needs. Research published in the Christian Journal for Global Health demonstrates that holistic missionary approaches—integrating evangelism, health education, and community development—achieve measurably greater transformation than programs addressing only spiritual or physical needs.
This multifaceted approach reflects the pattern established in the early church. The global church today continues this legacy, with missionaries serving across every continent and cultural context.
Historical Examples of Missionary Service
To fully answer the question of what do Christian missionaries do, it is beneficial to look at examples of missionaries through time. For example, David Brainerd was one of the first missionaries to bring the Good News of Jesus to the Native Americans of New Jersey in their own language.[3] His work translating the Bible made that possible.
Amy Carmichael served as a missionary in South Asia for many years. Her most well-known ministry was opening an orphanage and rescuing children from being trafficked.[4] Brother Andrew van der Bijl’s missionary work involved smuggling Bibles into closed countries during the Cold War. Helen Roseveare was a missionary to Congo for twenty years, and she served the people by establishing dozens of medical clinics.[5] Each Christian missionary testimony reveals another facet of what missions work has looked like in the past and what it can look like today as it plays out in various areas of the globe.
These accounts demonstrate an essential truth: effective christian mission adapts to the specific needs of each community while maintaining unwavering commitment to sharing God’s love.
The term missionary traditionally described someone crossing cultural or geographic boundaries to share the Good News. HeartCry Missionary Society emphasizes that contemporary missions increasingly relies on partnership between international workers and indigenous missionaries, recognizing that local believers often achieve deeper, more sustainable impact in their own communities.
Where Missionaries Are Needed Most
When discussing missionary work throughout the world, the question, “Where are Christian missionaries needed most?” naturally comes up. The answer is: in the 10/40 Window. The Joshua Project defines the 10/40 Window as a vast expanse from North Africa to Asia, bordered by the 10 and 40 degrees north latitude. Here, amidst widespread poverty and illness, reside billions untouched by the transformative power of God’s love. The Joshua Project reports that around 3.31 billion people within this zone, often called “The Resistant Belt,” are yet to receive the Good News due to the prevalence of traditional Asian faiths, complicating efforts to spread the message of Christ’s love.[6]
Within this region, Joshua Project data identifies over 7,400 distinct people groups, with approximately 3,200 classified as unreached—meaning they have no indigenous community of believers and limited access to the message of Christ. The scale of this need calls for both short term mission trips that raise awareness and long term missionary commitments that build lasting relationships and sustainable ministry.
Many communities in the 10/40 Window have never encountered a follower of Jesus. The absence of a local church means no gathering place for believers, no witness to Christ’s transforming power, no spiritual family for those who respond to the Good News.
The National Missionary Advantage
Currently, more than 85 percent of Asian countries do not allow Western missionaries to minister freely, making it difficult to fulfill the Great Commission there.[7] But GFA World’s national missionaries are uniquely positioned to share God’s love in this area. These workers were born and raised in the countries where they minister, so the restrictions on outsiders do not apply to them. In addition, they have fewer or no cultural barriers to overcome, so they can immediately begin sharing the message of Jesus Christ with those who have never heard. National missionaries instinctually know the best ways to communicate with the people around them in a way that makes linguistic and cultural sense.
The effectiveness of national workers extends beyond language fluency. Analysis from Advancing Native Missions notes that while a Western missionary may require $100,000 in annual support, the same investment could sustain three indigenous missionaries in countries like Myanmar, multiplying kingdom impact significantly. Furthermore, national workers remain embedded in their communities long-term, building trust that transcends any single project or program.
This model strengthens the missionary in the church concept—believers raised up from within communities to serve their own people. It also supports church planting efforts that reflect indigenous worship styles, leadership structures, and cultural expressions.
Practical Ministry in Action
As they serve God and people, our missionaries look for specific and tangible ways to meet needs and show God’s love and concern. This looks different for each situation—a slum does not have the same needs as a village or a city—so sometimes the missionaries provide Jesus Wells and sometimes they distribute income-generating gifts. Whatever the need, GFA World’s missionaries seek to help their countrymen both physically and spiritually.[8]
Clean water initiatives alone transform entire communities. World Health Organization data confirms that access to safe drinking water reduces diarrheal disease by up to 50 percent, dramatically lowering child mortality rates in underserved regions. When missionaries install Jesus Wells, they address immediate physical suffering while creating opportunities to share the gospel through demonstrated love.
For communities that have known only contaminated water sources, the transformation goes beyond health metrics. Mothers gain hours previously spent walking to distant wells. Children attend school instead of carrying water containers. Hope takes root where despair once reigned.
Interestingly, demographics reveal that middle aged believers form a significant portion of today’s missionary workforce. Pew Research Center findings indicate that Christians aged 40-60 increasingly pursue missionary service after establishing careers, bringing professional skills and life experience that enhance ministry effectiveness.
A Story of Health Transformation
Pastor Reinhard is just one of GFA World’s missionaries. The area where he served was particularly rife with diseases, including typhoid. The town had no medical facilities, so the villagers had to take long and expensive trips to the nearest facility or just let the illnesses run their course. Many lost their lives to various diseases at young ages.
Pastor Reinhard saw the great need for improved health in the village, so he and other volunteers organized a Global Handwashing Day program. The workers at the program demonstrated proper handwashing techniques and shared how washing hands decreases the risk of getting sick by removing the germs that cause pneumonia, diarrhea and typhoid.[9]
Simple interventions like handwashing education produce remarkable results. When communities adopt these practices, families experience hope renewed as children survive illnesses that once seemed inevitable.
These practical demonstrations of care open hearts to spiritual truth. People recognize that genuine concern for their wellbeing reflects the character of a loving God.
Supporting Missionary Work
As Pastor Reinhard’s ministry shows, the answer to “What do Christian missionaries do?” can be much broader and more practical than we might think, but it is always with the aim of blessing their community and demonstrating God’s love. You can sponsor a national missionary with GFA World for just $45 a month and help them continue to serve full time, sharing God’s love with those who have never heard about it before.[10]
Learn more about how to support Christian missionaries through GFA World
[1] “Who Are Christian missionaries and What Do They Do?” Compelling Truth. Accessed December 4, 2024. https://www.compellingtruth.org/Christian-missionary.html.
[2] Koering, Jeremy. “What do Christian missionaries do?” Nations Outreach. March 8, 2024. https://nationsoutreach.org/stories/what-do-christian-missionaries-do.
[3] Contributors to Wikimedia projects. “David Brainerd.” Wikipedia, December 30, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Brainerd.
[4] Ortiz, Kenneth. “10 Christian missionaries every Christian should know.” Theology for the Rest of Us. January 18, 2023. https://www.theologyfortherestofus.com/10-christian-missionaries-every-christian-should-know.
[5] “24 Famous Missionaries.” Bibles.net. Accessed December 4, 2024. https://www.bibles.net/meet-24-famous-missionaries-and-their-stories.
[6] “What Is the 10/40 Window?” Joshua Project. Accessed December 4, 2024. https://joshuaproject.net/resources/articles/10_40_window.
[7] GFA World. “Sponsor a Missionary.” Accessed January 25, 2025. https://www.gfa.org/sponsor/why-national-missionaries/.
[8] “National Missionaries: About National Missionaries.” GFA World. Accessed December 4, 2024. https://www.gfa.org/sponsor/why-national-missionaries.
[9] “Protecting Lives through Clean Hands.” GFA World. October 14, 2021. https://gospelforasia-reports.org/2021/10/protecting-lives-through-clean-hands.
[10] “National Missionaries: Sponsor a National Missionary.” GFA World. Accessed December 4, 2024. https://www.gfa.org/sponsor.