Holding the Rope: A Call for Missionary Advocates
Think of missionaries like old Roman soldiers trudging across a beat-up field, fighting off trouble while pushing forward and taking ground. Out there, swinging away, it gets tough when the rope from home isn’t held tight. Without folks in the church hanging on, it feels lonelier, and the inescapable wounds of battle sting more.
During our recent promotional trip to the US, my friend and pastor, Caleb, invited me to join a Saturday morning meeting of elders, pastors, and deacons at North Shore Baptist Church. It was truly encouraging to witness the gathering of men from a network of healthy, biblically sound churches across the greater New York area. I cherished the numerous meaningful conversations that morning, but what stirred my heart most was a compelling discourse delivered by Rocky, an active and faithful deacon at my home church, Levittown Baptist Church on Long Island. He presented a new ministry possibility that aims to connect deacons with particular skills and/or resources to specific needs in distant places where missionaries, supported by this network of churches, are serving on the front lines. His ideas and passion for addressing a tangible need deeply resonated with me, a career missionary.
BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN SENDING CHURCHES AND THE FRONTLINES:
The work of missionaries in foreign contexts is still quite nebulous to the average church member today. Most Christians still don't have an accurate idea about what their pastors do during the week. They just know they spend some time preparing Sunday's sermon. Faithful pastors, like shepherds with sheep, put in countless hours of labor doing many various tasks. They feed, guide, and care for God's people and the body of Christ entrusted to their care. Though much of this pastoral work is unseen or not well understood, the work of missionaries abroad is typically even more nebulous. The everyday Christian cannot see and engage with missionaries simply due to the distance that separates them...
One of the consistent challenges that missionaries face is the call to do impossible tasks with limited resources and few helping hands. The best missionary efforts are often done by a team or band of missionaries. This enables a variety of gifts and talents to be made available for the advancement of the gospel, the evangelization of the lost, the making of disciples, the planting of national churches, and the equipping of national pastors. The missionary band is also a great source of encouragement for the missionaries, at least it ought to be. Friendships formed by the gospel have a powerful effect on energizing and motivating missionaries for long-term impact. Yet many missionaries today find themselves without enough fellow servants by their side. As I see it, there is a great need for a resurgence of biblically qualified and healthy missionaries to be sent to places with true needs. Rocky's idea for this ministry to coordinate deacons and channel them to help meet needs on the mission field has the potential to help bridge the gap for missionaries in more ways than one. It serves the crucial role of what might be called the missionary advocate.
This excites me! I've been on the mission field full-time since 2007. One thing I've observed is that while you are laboring in the trenches, much like soldiers sent out to battle, you are often forgotten while "civilian life" simply (and naturally) carries on back home. Laboring abroad, a missionary often fades from memory—'out of sight, out of mind'—yet it’s in this isolation that God sanctifies him, strengthening his faith and reliance on the Holy Spirit, the One who truly makes all things happen.
It's not all bad, of course, yet, the mission of God best advances in distant and barren lands when it is well supported and prayed for, not forgotten, and when others are incorporated into the work for special projects. A missionary advocate understands the crucial role of holding the rope for the missionaries serving on the front lines with limited resources. He or she stays connected with a missionary, keeps in touch, and shares current happenings, prayer requests, and needs with other fellow believers in the sending church.
In our work in Italy, for example, the short-term evangelism cohorts play a vital role in boosting our efforts to both reach more lost people and build up the body of Christ. It's a great opportunity for church members back home to go and serve tangibly. Sadly, many fellow believers don't know when there are needs or special opportunities to serve. We at PMc are now praying to acquire a facility for the mission to maximize our impact in this region of Italy for many years to come. To see this become a reality we need funds, but we will likely also need some helping hands from men skilled to fix, repair, and beautify. Here is where a ministry like that proposed by Rocky can shine bright, especially among solid local networks of like-minded churches. It can enable other deacons to learn about needs, and opportunities, and then work together to send folks from their churches who are best fitted to truly make an impact. A ministry like this can help reduce the waste in mission work by having the right people for the job and in places with true needs being met by missionaries who are biblically faithful in their labor.
So, what does this look like in practice? It starts with understanding what a missionary advocate really does—and doesn’t do.
THE ROLE OF A MISSIONARY ADVOCATE
Though I do think every member of the local church should know the missionaries their church is partnered with, I don't think everyone needs to know all the latest going on overseas. Not all should seek, in my opinion, to be active as a missionary advocate. For most, it's enough to know the general idea of what the church's missionaries are doing and to keep them in your prayers as often as you remember them. If there is one active missionary advocate representing the missionary for the rest of the body, this would be sufficient. This person would be in somewhat regular contact with the missionary and able to update and inform the others. With the elder's permission, perhaps they could be given time at the Lord's Day gathering, once a month or quarter, to share for one or two minutes and update the body of Christ with how God is working abroad and how to pray for the missionary.
Practical Ways to be a Missionary Advocate
If you are not aware of anyone in your church who is currently keeping others up-to-date about the work the church's missionary is doing, here are some ways perhaps you can step up and assist in this crucial but often lacking role of the Missionary Advocate.
I. Sign Up to Receive the Missionary's Newsletters
This is usually the easiest way to stay updated and informed. Make it a thing to dedicate part of your devotional times with the Lord to actually read and consider the updates. Pray for the missionary as they request. Take some notes perhaps to share some key highlights with others in your network of Christian friends. Perhaps you could even print out the newsletter to share a copy with someone else you think may be interested.
PMc, though a small mission organization focused exclusively in Italy, is committed to parting the clouds that separate the everyday Christian from the missionary work happening abroad. We are intentional about sharing news, updates, prayer requests, and content that edifies the body of Christ.
To stay connected with us for example, you can sign up to receive our email updates/newsletters and you can freely join our online Discord community for partners and friends of the ministry - The Italian Cohort. This gives you inside access to the work overseas, but also to our personal lives. It's a great way to stay connected!
II. Pray Daily for Missionaries
Never underestimate short, heartfelt prayers. Too often we Christians don't pray enough because we believe that to pray means we must stop all other things and get alone on the mountain... We think it requires hours and hours. There is certainly value in extended times of prayer away in isolation. Not enough of us make time for this very important kind of prayer. That being said, however, there is also the error of the opposite kind. We forget that we ought to be communing with God all throughout the day through short heartfelt prayers.
Practically speaking, when something reminds you of your church's missionaries, simply stop for a brief moment and pray for them. If you keep a list of people to pray for, add your missionaries to the list too. The Lord knows they need more people praying for them! Let your prayers move the heart of God to bless the sacrificial labor of those sent out in the name of Christ.
III. Reach Out to Missionaries
Indeed, good missionaries are often busier than they probably should be. The work to do is usually extreme, and as mentioned they often are short on manpower, fellow laborers in the harvest. Yet most missionaries rarely hear back from others when they send out updates. A great way to be a Missionary Advocate is to simply respond to their updates. Share a short word of encouragement. Let them know you are praying. Ask simple questions if you want more clarity about something. Don't hesitate to stay connected!
IV. Share Updates and Missionary Prayer Requests
When you gather together with fellow Christians from your church or small group, perhaps for a coffee, make it a thing to share something you found interesting from the recent newsletter or update that you read (or heard) from the missionary.
If you lead your family in times of worship at home, which you definitely should if you are married and with children, mix things up a bit by sharing a missionary testimony with the family and then take time to pray together for the them.
V. Recruit When Help is Needed
If the missionary needs some helping hands for a special project overseas, spread the word.
Missionaries at times need to relocate to a different home or village. At other times they might need help for a short season while in difficulty. You can help get some folks together to take a trip and serve.
PMc, for example, has many ways for others to get in on the action! We don't have many folks able to spread the word, but if we did we could find the help we desperately need. Here are some current needs and opportunities:
Short-term evangelism cohorts each summer
Long-term missionaries to join the church plant cohort
Internships and Special projects for the Italian media and publishing ministry
Roles like ESL director, Administrative Assistant, Podcast Producer.
VI. Keep On Doing It
Life goes on, but so does the mission of God in our world. The missionary task is far from over. Good missionaries finish a task or church plant only to keep on reaching more towns, villages, and areas for Christ. The Missionary Advocate should see the task as a high calling, but not necessarily as a lifetime commitment. Perhaps it's more feasible to consider fulfilling the role of advocate for a one- or two-year term to not get tired of the job. Then make plans to train someone else to take your place so the missionary doesn't fall through the cracks and get forgotten.
Consider enrolling others to help you represent the missionary and the mission.
Don't overcommit yourself. Many times in life we can find ourselves taking on too many responsibilities. When this happens we typically don't do a good job. Start small. Anything helps. Choose just one missionary family to pray for and represent.
Few things can motivate and encourage a missionary serving on the front lines more than tangible support from others who hold the rope for them back at the home church. Imagine the impact if all missionaries had at least one active advocate from each church that supports them! The task of the Great Commission can often feel like a long, messy fight—fields full of battles. The job is far from done, but here’s the good part: when advocates hold that rope steady, no missionary has to slug it out alone. You could be that friend who keeps us going, yelling support from back home and tying us to the mission.
I believe this forgotten role of the Missionary Advocate is crucial and in need of being rediscovered. Are you looking for a tangible way to serve Jesus in the Great Commission, but not sure how? Are you looking for a way to serve and have an impact abroad but you are unable to go yourself? Let me encourage you to give some serious thought to taking up the rope of advocating for a missionary! Imagine being the one who keeps a missionary pressing on, the one whose prayers or timely help lift a weary warrior so he can keep fighting for the gospel. That’s the power you hold as an advocate.
And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two are better than one... For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow... a threefold cord is not quickly broken." - Ecclesiastes 4:12
Written by Jesse Schreck | founder, director, and missionary church planter in Italy with Practical Missions Cohort
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