God is doing some pretty creative stuff all around the world. Sometimes we need to hear someone else’s story to activate our own. Really feel like you’re a part of the Great Commission family by getting to know these workers as real human beings that you can pray for and support in some fundamental ways – including the kids! You can turn curiosity into an in-person cross-cultural experience to revitalize a heart for the lost in your heart and church. Churches that build relationships with mission fields often find that niche ministry they’ve been looking for right in their own backyard!
Missions Emphasis Mobilizes the Local Church
What is Alliance Missions?
Alliance Missions leverages four specialized structures to advance the gospel. Each has unique purpose and each is equally important to seeing gospel access for and from all peoples. This allows more room for more Alliance people to be more involved in Alliance missions than ever before!
aXcess
Proclaims the gospel and multiplies networks of faith communities among the least-reached of the world.
CAMA
Develops communities and people through business, medical assistance, education, vocational training, and disaster relief
ENVISION
Identifies and develops missional leaders through short-term missions experiences and innovative ministry strategies.
marketplace ministries
Facilitates marketplace professionals who bring their expertise to a community to disciple those around them.
To the Hard Places
The world’s remaining unreached peoples have disadvantaged access to the good news of Jesus. Over 4,000 distinct people groups lacking gospel access remain in places from which 90 percent of their population will never migrate. Within each society of these unreached groups are also pockets of people with specific needs—vulnerable women and children, people with disabilities, minority groups, migrants, prisoners, and others represent groups often overlooked, though not by our God.
As Alliance people, we long to see gospel presence among unreached peoples multiplied as new believers and churches are raised up to join us in reaching beyond their physical and cultural borders to the remaining hard places.
The task of reaching the unreached is hard. But God remains faithful to open doors to those who have yet to experience His loving embrace. We, as the Alliance family, remain watchful as new doors open and eager to walk through them when they do. And the time for advance is now.
What it Takes
Alliance workers were present in the following ways in 2023. What resonates with how your church desires to reach the hard places?
- Alleviating poverty
- Bible translation
- Broadcasting
- Business as a mission
- Camps
- Church development
- Church planting
- Conflict resolution
- Counseling
- Crisis & trauma therapy
- Disaster relief
- Discipleship
- Evangelism
- Food/water security
- Helping at-risk women
- Immigrant services
- Job creation
- Medical care
- Nutrition & fitness training
- Leadership development
- Member care
- Orality
- Orphan care
- Pastoral coaching & counseling
- Prison outreach
- Refugee assitance
- Schools
- Social justice
- Sports ministry
- Theological education
- Vocational training
- Youth & children’s ministries
Your Presence Matters
What it Takes
In fulfilling our All of Jesus for All the World vision, The Alliance continues not only to send U.S. workers into all the world but also to raise up, train, and equip national leaders in their homelands to reach their own people and take the good news beyond their physical and cultural borders. As a result, there are 6.3 million Alliance believers worshiping in 24,000 churches in more than 80 countries throughout the world!
Yet there still remain 3.4 billion people—40 percent of the world’s population—who have yet to experience Jesus’ loving embrace. Until a gospel presence is established among them, The U.S. Alliance will continue to send workers to live and serve among the world’s unreached and overlooked. To those still without gospel presence among them, the workers you send and support become vital agents of hope—in word and deed—for this life and eternity.
-
PRAY
So they can overcome obstacles and opposition they will face in carrying out their call.
-
SUPPORT
So they have all they need to care for the physical and spiritual needs of those they’ve been sent to serve.
-
PARTICIPATE
So you can spur one another on to love and good deeds in your own contexts.
-
SEND
So more workers will join us in seeing our All of Jesus for All the World vision fulfilled.
Key Elements to a Missions Emphasis Event
- Make it fun and memorable
- Create a shared experience (conversations and relationship happen most naturally with these)
- Play to the strengths and interests of your church
- Invite as many ministry leaders as possible into planning the event with the missions committee
- Find out what interests the IW and find ways to weave that into your schedule
- Figure out a way to invest in the IW’s family
- Share hosting responsibilities among multiple people to foster relational engagement
- Let the speaker have down time to rest and prepare for his/her times of speaking
- Provide opportunity to call people into ministry and missions
- Present the Great Commission Fund and Alliance Missions
Who do you invite?
Of course there are the traditional audiences: The whole church, men, women, youth, and children. There are also smaller groups that would benefit from meeting with our international workers!
Limited Time Speakers
Workers from this district are from all four Alliance Missions structures. These speakers are only in the States for a limited time before they return to their overseas assignments. Because The Alliance sends workers to Creative Access Countries, this is a great time to hear confidential stories in person that can’t be shared via newsletters or social media.
Carrisa Van Schooten
Berlin, Germany
Mark and Sue Davis
Mexico
EKM
CACSpeakers Close to Home
These families live in our district and are available for speaking throughout the year.
Steve and Mary Westergren
Member Care Directors
Scott and Natalie Manke
Envision Chicago
Carlos and Sandi Perez
Envision Chicago
Marshall Mullinax
Associate Superintendent for Church Advance and MissionsSchedule a Speaker
We’re happy to facilitate the scheduling process! The form below starts the conversation. We’re happy to be an ongoing resource for you as you mobilize your church with missions.