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Becoming a Missionary in Your Own Community

A couple weeks ago, I came back from a missions trip to Haiti. It was a phenomenal experience, and although I hate to use the “life changing” cliche, I’ve decided that some things about my life at home are going to have to change. Call it a service high if you want, but I want to play a bigger role as a missionary in my own community. For me, that starts with a few simple tweaks and seeing what happens next.

Make Relationships
Quick– what’s the name of the barista at your favorite cafe? The guy behind the counter at the convenience store? Or even the couple that sit behind you at church every Sunday?

Missions is all about one-on-one relationships (unless you’re preaching in stadiums like Billy Graham). If you’re going to show love and serve your community, you have to open up and start getting to know people. For me, this will start with slowing down my day. When I’m with people, I want to be with people. I want to ask questions, remember names, check my iPhone less, and listen to stories more.

Plug In To Your Community
As youth workers, we’re at church… a lot. And we’re pretty plugged in to what’s going on there. But does that community connection extend beyond the doors of the church? For me, it doesn’t–or at least not as much as I’d like it to. I’ve never been to a town council meeting, don’t know what the school board does, and have no idea who to vote for in local elections. I also didn’t have a clue there’s an orphanage the next town over that might need my help or that my sister-in-law is on the board of the local homeless shelter.

Sometimes, making an impact on your community means being an active participant in things that affect your life and the lives of your neighbors. I know I’ve personally been putting off these “less spiritual” community service possibilities.

Here’s a thought–wasn’t Jesus plugged in to his community? He was always in the temple and the marketplace, right? And how could the Pharisees (community leaders) have so many problems with him if they didn’t know who he was or see him all the time?

Become a Prayer Warrior
Prayer is a big part of daily life on any missions trip. Since it’s a scheduled activity, it seems like it’s easy to pray or at least becomes a much bigger part of the routine. At home? Not so much.

It takes blocking off time, energy, and effort to get prayer into your daily life. Sites like globalprayerdigest.org or joshuaproject.net are a great way to start, though, and can keep you involved in praying for the nations through daily emails and other updates.

Local Focus on the International
I don’t think it’s just about visiting the local Indian restaurant for their Sunday buffet (although, you could chalk that up to “making relationships” if you chat with your waiter). The possibilities are endless, really: colleges have exchange students looking for host families or a place to stay when the dorms close, there are partnership opportunities with leaders of other ethnic community groups for service projects, or there could be a locally based missions organization or missionary that needs help. It might take a little digging to spot those needs, but you won’t need a passport to make a difference.

Keep It Real
Whatever you do as a missionary in your hometown, make sure it’s real. This blog post from Josh Hamrick talks about the need for authenticity. Josh wrote about being a “local missionary” while leading worship, but the same sentiments apply on a broader scale, too.

You have to be authentic. If I were to wear overalls and a straw hat this Sunday morning, and attempt an all bluegrass worship service, it would not go over well. It would come off as mockery rather than sincerity. People would immediately know that I was putting on an act.

One thing’s for sure: I don’t want to lose this “missions high.” Rather, I want to see how it will look for God to take what I’ve learned and bring me some place new.