Why go to the mission field when there is so much need at home?

You may have asked this question yourself, or maybe someone has asked you. It’s a fair question. We don’t have to look far to see the needs around us. There are people in our neighborhoods, workplaces, and communities who don’t know Christ. Opportunities to share the Good News are all around us.

Wherever God has placed us, we are called to be His witnesses. We can be thankful for the many churches in our communities that faithfully share the gospel and disciple believers. But their presence doesn’t mean the work is finished. Every new generation needs to hear the Good News and grow as disciples of Jesus.

So why should we consider going somewhere else?

God’s Heart Is for the Whole World

Throughout Scripture, God makes it clear that His heart has always been for all nations. His saving power, justice, and love are for all the peoples of the earth.

May your ways be known throughout the earth,
your saving power among people everywhere.
May the nations praise you, O God.
Yes, may all the nations praise you.
Let the whole world sing for joy,
because you govern the nations with justice
and guide the people of the whole world.
— Psalm 67:2–4

The Bible also gives us a beautiful picture of where His mission is leading:

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”
— Revelation 5:9

One day, people from every tribe, language, people, and nation will worship the Lamb together. What an incredible picture of God’s heart for the world!

Jesus entrusted this worldwide mission to His Church:

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
— Acts 1:8

This command is not meant to be followed in sequence, as if we must finish the work in Jerusalem before moving on to Judea, Samaria, and beyond. Jesus sends His followers both near and far. His desire is for people from every nation to hear the Good News, become disciples, and join in His mission.

But What About Those Who Have Never Heard?

Think about the opportunities people in your community have to hear the gospel. There may be multiple churches within a ten-block radius, Bibles available in their language, and Christian neighbors or coworkers who can share about Jesus.

We shouldn’t take these blessings for granted. Nor should we assume that everyone around us has heard or understood the gospel simply because these resources exist.

But consider the billions of people around the world who have little or no access to those same opportunities.

For example:

• In Poland, a country of 37.6 million people, there are only 75,200 evangelicals—about 0.2% of the population. Ninety percent of its counties have no evangelical churches.
• Senegal has 19.5 million inhabitants but only 14 evangelical churches in the entire country!

The apostle Paul asks:

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
— Romans 10:14

When God Opens Our Eyes to the Need

As I was training for youth ministry at Bible college, one of my professors shared something that profoundly changed my life. He said that 97% of trained youth workers stay in North America, where only 3% of the world’s young people live.

I found myself asking, “Why not me? Why stay in North America, where there are so many trained youth workers, when the rest of the world has so few?”

Perhaps you’ve had a similar experience, hearing about a country with very few churches or a place where people have never heard the name of Jesus.

What do we do with that knowledge?

Today, we have remarkable opportunities to learn about and connect with people across the globe. Travel, communication, and global relationships have opened doors that previous generations could hardly have imagined.

With greater knowledge and opportunity comes greater responsibility. Not everyone is called to leave their home country, but none of us should be indifferent to the needs of the world.

Lift Up Your Eyes and See the Harvest

When Jesus saw the crowds, He had compassion for them. He turned to His disciples and said:

The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
— Matthew 9:37–38

The harvest belongs to God, and He is the One who sends workers into His fields.

We are called to pray for those workers. But perhaps, as we pray, we should also ask, “Lord, could I be one of them?”

What if God is inviting you to lift your eyes beyond the needs you see every day and consider how He might use you somewhere else?

So why go to the mission field when there is so much need at home?

Not because the needs at home don’t matter or because serving overseas is more important than serving faithfully where God has placed you now.

We go because God’s heart is for the whole world, because there are people who still have little opportunity to hear about Jesus, and because God continues to send His people into new harvest fields.

Sources

Poland statistics — European Mission
Senegal statistics — GodFirst

The Harvest in Action

What does it look like to share the gospel in places where few people have had a chance to hear it? Explore where Avant serves and see how missionaries are sharing Jesus and planting churches around the world.

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