Published by the Orthodox Christian Mission Center, August 12, 2003

Is God calling you to be a missionary?

ST AUGUSTINE, FL, August 12, 2003 (OCMC) -- Is God calling you to be a missionary?  Below are ten things you can do to help you prepare for long-term mission service or explore if God might be calling you to be a missionary.

A missionary can be defined as someone who crosses cultural boundaries in order to preach the Gospel or to share the love of Christ.  Many different kinds of people can be missionaries: adults or children, men or women, priests or lay people.

Our Holy Orthodox Church has a tradition of sending missionaries, many of whom have become some of our most beloved saints.  When you think of St. Paul, St. Fotini, St. Kosmas Aitolos, Sts. Cyril and Methodius, St. Herman of Alaska and all of the Holy Apostles, one thing they all have in common is that they were missionaries.  Do you think that God might be calling you to be a missionary and to follow in the footsteps of the saints?

Whether you are ready to go now or will be ready in a few years, we will help you along in the process.  Here are ten suggestions for preparing for long-term mission service or exploring whether or not God is calling you to serve Him as a missionary:

1- Get involved.  Are you already involved in your own parish?  Missionaries are sent to help build up the Church in a particular region.  You should already be doing this where you live so that you can be ready to help others to do the same.

2- Strive for personal spiritual growth.  The missionary saints all struggled to live holy lives.  Increase your participation in the sacramental life of the Church with the guidance of your parish priest or spiritual father.

3- Get cross-cultural experiences here at home.  Are you comfortable with people who look, talk, act or worship differently than you?  Volunteer to work with immigrants in your area, or if you are in high school or college, reach out to international students on your campus.

4- Go on a mission team.  This is a short and relatively safe way to explore what mission work is and what missionaries do.  Each year, the Orthodox Christian Mission Center sends teams to Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America.  Find out more at www.ocmc.org/teams.  If you’ve already gone on a team, you may want to consider going on another!

5- Learn another language.  Whether or not it’s the one you’ll end up using in the mission field, you’ll have the foundation of skills to help you learn another one!

6- Read about missions.  You can start with the OCMC website www.ocmc.org, magazine and weekly e-mail news bulletins.  Look for books about the lives of missionaries and missionary saints of our Church.  Read about current mission activity around the world.

7- Give financial support to missions.  Contact OCMC to find out how you can use the resources God has given you to support missions.

8- Reduce your debt.  Live and spend intentionally.  If you think you might want to be a missionary, try to plan your finances now so that you will be debt-free (or close to it) before going to the field.

9- Both single people and couples can be missionaries.  However, if you are single and looking for a spouse, pray for a spouse with a similar missionary calling.

10- Pray for missions, missionaries and that all the nations may know Christ.  OCMC’s “Pray for our missionaries” web page, www.ocmc.org/involved/prayhome.htm, lists specific prayer requests for our missionaries in the field.

If you would like more information about becoming a missionary, placement opportunities, or any of the 10 steps above, please contact Maria Gallos at OCMC at 1-877-463-6784 or via e-mail at missionaries@ocmc.org.

You can also download the first part of the Missionary Application on-line at www.ocmc.org/missionaries/Missionary%20Application.pdf, fill it out and mail it to: OCMC, PO Box 4319, St. Augustine, FL  32085-4319.

Information on all of OCMC’s programs and publications can be found on our website, www.ocmc.org.

The Orthodox Christian Mission Center – helping Orthodox Christians respond to Christ’s call to teach, baptize and make disciples of all nations as the official international mission agency of SCOBA.