Description
This resource equips church leaders to proactively invite the influence of their missionaries—both while they’re on the field and during furlough. It offers a biblical vision from Acts 14 and practical ideas in three key areas: Presence, Reporting, and Exhortation. Church leaders can use this guide to build missionary influence into their sending rhythms, cast vision to their congregation, and deepen the relational connection between the church and its missionaries.
In many churches, missionaries are viewed primarily as those who go—serving overseas, sharing the gospel cross-culturally, and representing the church abroad. But a healthy sending church understands that missionaries are also meant to influence back. Their presence, stories, and spiritual insight can refresh the church’s faith, fuel prayer, and expand missional vision at home.
We see this dynamic beautifully in Acts 14:26–28, where Paul and Barnabas returned from their missionary journey to Antioch, their sending church:
From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.”
At least three key actions are clear:
They reconnected intentionally—gathering the church together
They reported faithfully—testifying to God’s work among the nations
They reinvested relationally—staying a long time in the community
This pattern offers a vision for churches today. Missionaries aren’t just called to make disciples abroad—they have the ability to bless and strengthen their sending churches. But this kind of mutuality doesn’t happen automatically. It must be invited and initiated by the church.
This resource is designed to help church leaders proactively create space for missionary influence—whether during furlough or while the missionary is still on the field. Each section below offers practical ideas in three key areas: Presence, Reporting, and Exhortation. You can use it to build expectations into your sending process, shape your missionary care rhythms, or begin a conversation with your sent ones.
Presence: Reconnecting Relationally
Missionary influence begins with proximity. When missionaries are physically present—whether during furlough or via virtual connection—they have the opportunity to reenter the life of the church, rebuild relationships, and remind people of the importance of global missions.
Ways to Cultivate Presence:
Build expectations into the sending covenant for missionaries to spend meaningful time with the church during furlough—not necessarily the whole time, but long enough to engage in a deep way.
Encourage church members to meet with missionaries—including newer members who may not know them personally. Remind people to ask good questions and listen well.
Send short- or mid-term volunteers to serve alongside your missionaries. This allows missionaries to influence church members while still on the field.
Reporting: Sharing What God Has Done
When missionaries testify to God’s work, it stirs worship, strengthens faith, and gives the church a global lens. Reporting isn’t just about updates—it’s about storytelling that leads to prayer and praise.
Ways to Encourage Reporting:
Provide specific platforms during furlough—Sunday services, small groups, and mission events—where missionaries can share their stories meaningfully and clearly.
Use technology to invite missionaries into church life from afar—joining staff meetings, small groups, or prayer gatherings via video call.
Ask for consistent updates through newsletters or social media, and assign someone in the church to keep the missionary informed in return. This allows for mutual prayer and shared insight.
Exhortation: Speaking into the Life of the Church
Missionaries don’t just share what’s happening—they can also speak into what the church needs to hear. Their unique perspective on faith, suffering, cross-cultural life, and obedience can edify the body in profound and lasting ways.
Ways to Invite Exhortation:
Remind missionaries that their voice matters. Encourage them to share not only successes but struggles, not only updates but spiritual insights.
Ask them to create videos or letters to be shared at strategic moments in the church. Consider sending someone to record them in the field for use during services.
Offer teaching opportunities if the missionary is gifted in this area—whether in a Sunday class, small group, leadership meeting, special event, or even a Sunday sermon. This is especially valuable for instructing up-and-coming missionary candidates.
From the Nations Back to the Church
Missionary influence is a gift. When churches make space to receive from their sent ones, everyone benefits—missionaries feel remembered, the congregation is built up, and the global mission of God becomes tangible and personal.
You don’t need to implement every idea in this guide. Start small: choose one or two ways to open the door for your missionaries to influence your church in the coming year. As you do, you’ll not only send better—you’ll receive better too. And in that mutual exchange, the whole church is strengthened for the mission of God.
Next Steps
The journey toward sending well happens one step at a time. Here are some ways you can continue drawing out the rich influence of your missionaries:
Consider starting a rhythm called “Lunch and Learns” (or something similar). Even if you haven’t sent a missionary, or they haven’t returned on furlough, invite other visiting or returned missionaries you know to come and share. Use this rhythm to expose your congregation to missionary influence and to prepare them for when your missionaries visit.
How can you, as the sending church, teach and inspire your missionary candidates and sent missionaries to take the initiative in influencing the church? Explore practical ideas in the Upstream resource, “How Missionaries Can Influence Their Sending Church”.
Have some ideas on how to invite missionaries’ influence in your church, but running into some barriers? Reach out to the Upstream team at info@theupstreamcollective.org to schedule a call to walk through some of your questions.