Through the years, I have had the opportunity to meet and talk with many missionaries. I have been able to hear about their stories from living on the mission field. As a student at a missionary school, I became curious about missionary organizations around the world. I knew about quite a few from the missionaries I’ve talked with but wanted to learn more. I decided to look into the best missionary organizations in the world and learn more about them. Here is what I found while researching:
What is a missionary organization? A missionary organization is an organization that works to send and support missionaries. They work to help send missionaries onto the field by helping them find finical partners. Many organizations also support their missionaries by providing them with resources to help support them emotionally, spiritually, and physically.
Let’s begin by looking at Bethany International.
1. Bethany International
Bethany International is a missionary training and sending organization dedicated to taking the church to where it is not. They also have partners around the world who are also working to plant churches.
Bethany Global University (BGU) is one part of how Bethany International is training missionaries. BGU is an accredited missionary university. Through their Bachelor’s program, they train aspiring missionaries through education and a 16-month overseas internship. You can learn more about BGU here.
Bethany Gateways is how Bethany International is sending missionaries. Bethany Gateways is working to send missionaries into unreached people groups. They partner with the local church to help send out missionaries. You can learn more about their missionary opportunities here.
2. Ethnos360
Ethnos 360, formerly called New Tribes, is working to have a thriving church within every people group. They were founded in 1942. They are working to train and send missionaries, along with teaching the local church how they can support missions.
Ethnos offers short term mission trips, long term placement, and jobs for specific skill sets such as healthcare and education. They even have volunteer positions across America and online. You can learn more about volunteer opportunities here.
Prayer plays a huge part in the ministry of Ethnos 360. They ask people to partner with them daily in prayer. Every day, people receive a short story from on the mission field and are asked to pray over the need or situation. You can learn more about becoming a prayer partner here.
3. Operation Mobilization
Operation Mobilization is working the bring Christians together to reach the unreached people in the world. They mobilize missionaries around the world to help them bring the Gospel in an authentic way.
Operation Mobilization is helping bridge together the local church and the global church. They invite the local church to partner with churches overseas. They also bring speakers into local churches to help educate them on missions and how they can help reach the unreached in the world. You can learn more about their work with churches here.
They also provide both short and long term opportunities overseas. They will help place missionaries where they feel God leading them. Learn more about their overseas mission opportunities here.
4. SEND International
SEND International works to send missionaries through the support of their local church. They are dedicated to helping missionaries get onto the field and will help them every step of the way. Missionaries who are sent through SEND are well supported on the field as well. They are given resources such as Member Care to help them thrive emotionally, spiritually, and physically.
They offer both internships and specific jobs for people looking to enter the mission field. They will also partner with you where you are feeling God calling you to go. You can learn more about their mission opportunities here.
Send International also has daily prayer requests. The prayer requests are from the mission field. You can find their daily prayer request here.
5. International Mission Board
International Mission Board (IMB) is working to bring healthy churches into every nation. They are helping to reach the unreached people in the world. They believe every church has a role to reach the nations with the Gospel.
IMB helps missionaries get onto the field. They support short-term, mid-term, and long-term workers. To learn more about becoming doing missions through IMB click here.
IMB has daily and monthly prayer requests. These requests are usually about an unreached people group or a specific need from a ministry on the mission field. They also have an app where you can receive notifications about these prayer requests. To learn more about how to partner with IMB through prayer click here.
6. Pioneers
Pioneers are helping to equip missionaries to go out and reach the unreached people groups in the world. They train missionaries to make disciples. They also work to help missionaries bring the Gospel in a culturally understandable way.
Pioneers value the local church partnering with missionaries. This is why when you are sent out through Pioneers your church partners with you. They are working to maximize the resources your church has.
They currently have over 3,000 missionaries on the field. Each missionary uses their giftings to help reach the people within their community. From education to business and healthcare these missionaries are dedicated to bringing the Gospel to where it is not.
7. TEAM
TEAM (a Global Alliance of Churches and Missionaries) is working with churches to send missionaries around the world. They currently have over 500 team missionaries on the field serving in 35 countries. TEAM is helping missionaries bring the Gospel to where they feel God calling them.
TEAM calls their organization a “connector.” They are working to connect churches to missionaries. They want to help churches know how they can support missionaries and send them out. You can learn more about how TEAM is engaging churches here.
TEAM provides the opportunity for people to go on short, mid, and long term trips. They also offer internships and positions for professional careers. You can learn more about serving with TEAM here.
8. OMF International
OMF International formerly called China Inland Mission was founded by Hudson Taylor in 1865. Taylor served as a missionary in China for over 50 years. He was dedicated to bringing the Gospel to the Chinese people.
Today, OMF International is dedicated to sending missionaries to East Asia. They have missionaries working with more than 100 people groups in Asia. These missionaries are bringing the Gospel to people who are lost. You can learn more about being a missionary through OMF International here.
OMF International missionaries help the community they are living in by:
- Planting churches
- Providing medical care
- Teaching
- Translating the Bible
Missionaries are able to make connections with people in the community through the services and teaching they provide. This helps to build relationships with the missionaries and people in their town. Through these relationships, missionaries will hopefully have the opportunity to share the Gospel.
OMF International is also passionate about prayer. They realize there are millions of people in East Asia who do not know God. They are asking people to pray for these lost people and the missionaries on the field. You can learn more about prayer opportunities here.
If you would like to learn more Hudson Taylor’s ministry and how he founded China Inland Mission click here.
9. Africa Inland Mission
Africa Inland Mission (AIM) is a mission sending organization working to bring the Gospel to Africa. They desire to see people across the whole continent of Africa worshipping Jesus. Over 1,000 people groups in Africa haven’t heard the Gospel yet. That’s more than three million people who don’t know Jesus.
For over 120 years, AIM has been working to reach the unreached people in Africa. In 2020, AIM has set the goal of reaching 20 more unreached people groups. They will also be working to plant more churches.
AIM is also working to equip the African people. They are training them to go out and share the Gospel within their community. They are trusting God to move in a mighty way among the people in Africa.
10. Mission Go
Mission Go is partnering with missionaries to spread the Gospel around the world. They have been sending missionaries for over 75 years. Missionaries through Mission Go are supported throughout the whole process of entering the field.
Mission Go offers short term mission trips, internships, and full-time ministry positions overseas. They already have missionaries around the world and are continuing to grow the number of workers they have on the field. You can learn more about their missions opportunities here.
Each one of these ten missionary organizations is dedicating to taking the Gospel overseas. They have a passion and drive to reach people in the world who haven’t yet heard the Good News. Let’s continue to pray for missionaries and ask God to bless the work they are doing around the world.
Love is the root of missions; sacrifice is the fruit of missions.
-Roderick Davis