Five Characteristics of East-West Missionaries
Since our founding in 1993, East-West has boldly followed the Holy Spirit’s leading to places the gospel has never been and often unwanted. We know God intends to bring members of every tribe, tongue, and nation into His fold, so we go to the unreached in hopes that God will use us as vessels of His grace.
One of our ministry’s objectives is mobilizing the Body of Christ at home to spark movements of multiplication in the world’s spiritually darkest places. And our Mobilization Department is tasked with recruiting and hiring missionaries who share the same Spirit-filled passion for the unreached as East-West.
We asked them for a list of the top characteristics they look for in people interested in serving overseas. Here are the five characteristics they look for the most.
Evangelist
As Paul writes in Romans, how can they hear without someone preaching to them (Romans 10:17)?
For people to place their trust in Jesus, they must hear the gospel. When sending workers into the mission field, East-West looks for people with a proven track record of sharing the gospel and bringing non-believers to faith in Jesus Christ.
Discipler
God’s method for spreading the gospel is discipleship.
Those we send are passionate about entrusting their knowledge of the Lord to reliable people who can then teach others (2 Timothy 2:2). They consistently invite others to follow them as they follow Christ and are deeply committed to discipling and equipping new believers to reproduce their faith in others (1 Corinthians 11:1).
Learner
Our staff is comprised of lifelong learners. We are open to trying new things for the sake of the gospel and appreciate constructive feedback from our peers and supervisors. Our Mobilization Department searches for people who are teachable and intentional about refining their ministry to be culturally relevant and to stay on the cutting-edge.
Accountable
East-West sets goals and actively pursues them in order to stay focused on our mission and tangibly show how the Lord is working throughout the world’s spiritually darkest places.
Before a goal is established, we spend time in prayer and determine what layers of checks and balances need to be in place to hold ourselves accountable in fulfilling the goals we believe God has led us to accomplish. We ask the same to be true of our missionaries and desire workers who are willing to set goals and be held accountable by their peers and supervisors to achieve them.
Compatible
As a ministry that is passionate about Jesus and seeks to serve the unreached, it is crucial that our missionaries are engrained with the same DNA. Missionaries seeking to work with East-West must have compatibility with our vision, mission, and core values.
They are not only willing to minister to those far from Christ, but make it their number one priority to step outside their Christian bubble to reach the unreached. These people are comfortable and passionate about engaging with people of different religious beliefs and are well versed in how to effectively present the gospel to them (Colossians 4:6).
Do you think you fit the characteristics of East-West missionaries? Click here to view our available Field Ministry openings.