Regardless of where we find ourselves ministering in the world, there are a couple of principles that stay the same. We’ve talked about this in detail in our Four Pillars of Ministry post, giving a list of priorities that keep our ministry in Haiti on track. These goals revolve around enabling the church to meet needs in local communities so that in the process, we can be about Jesus. We’ve seen this focus bear fruit in many places around the globe, in a variety of cultures and social contexts.

Greg has shared in the past about a conversation he had with a pastor in Kampala, Uganda. Unemployment was a substantial problem in the community, so together, in partnership with the church in the US, they developed an employment training center. From start to finish, this involved constructing a building and developing a list of courses—masonry, sewing, woodworking, and similar skills that would be useful in the community—which were all taught at the new site. Approximately forty students completed the first training, and by the end, all but one had come to Christ. They all joined the church, and the congregation continued to grow as a result of the training center.

A short-term ministry trip can have a lasting impact simply by demonstrating what outreach can look like. And it always starts with assessing the community’s needs. We know that the ultimate need of any community is Jesus, but looking first to tangible needs lays groundwork to build a relationship where we can share the gospel. In a way, this requires flipping our mentality. So often we think about ways to draw the community to us—but the model we see in Scripture is of Christ constantly pursuing us, His lost sheep. Shouldn’t we as His disciples be striving to do the same?

What’s required is for us as Christians to pursue the lost. The principles of Scripture are not hard to grasp. God sought us to make us His disciples, and we likewise are called to “make disciples of all nations” (Matt 28:19). The church is always meant to be part of the solution to the problems of this world, shining a light in the darkest of places. The beauty of this concept is that it works everywhere. It doesn’t change based on culture, population, language, or any other factor. As God’s church, we shine a light for the world, reaching out to the lost with the goal of bringing many to Christ.

To learn more about making missions a reality in your life, check out Greg Barshaw’s book, Go, Engage, Invest: Touching Lives with the Hope of Christ.