7 ways to support mission work without going overseas

By Susan Akyeampong

Following Jesus was never just about turning up to church on a Sunday. It’s also about what God is doing beyond your own walls, through people you may never meet.

Every mission worker serving overseas is held up by a much bigger team behind them, people praying, giving and cheering them on, often without ever leaving home. You don’t need a passport to be part of that. Here are eight ways you can support Christian mission work, wherever you are in the world.

1. Pray for a community where Christ is least known

Join SIM staff and mission workers in praying for communities around the world where Christ is least known. Prayer is part of our daily rhythm, both together in team meetings and individually.

Our prayer guide makes it easy to join us. Each day, it highlights a different country and community, giving you a specific place and people to pray for.

Jesus told his disciples that the harvest was plentiful but the workers were few, and asked them to pray that God would send out workers into it (Matthew 9:37–38). That’s still a prayer worth praying today.

“Every mission worker serving overseas is held up by a much bigger team behind them, people praying, giving and cheering them on, often without ever leaving home.”

2. Pray through our stories

Our stories come from mission workers themselves, and each one ends with something specific situations to pray into. Why not read a story and then pray it straight back to God. Paul often asked the churches he wrote to for exactly this kind of prayer, that God would open a door for the message (Colossians 4:2-3). You can do the same for someone today.

3. Bring prayer for the unreached into your small group

If you’re part of a small group, weave prayer for unreached people groups into how you meet. Paul urged believers to keep praying for all God’s people, on all occasions (Ephesians 6:18), and there’s something powerful about doing that together. Let mission become a normal part of your rhythm.

4. Support mission work financially

Giving financially is one of the most practical ways to get involved. Mission workers rely on financial support to fund their ministries, access the resources they need, and cover the cost of living far from home. Without that funding, the ministry itself doesn’t happen.

Here’s how it works:

• Get in touch with your nearest SIM office.
• We’ll show you who is being sent out from your part of the world, what their ministries look like, and how you can support them practically.
• Once you’re giving to a specific worker, you’ll be added to their newsletter.
• From there you can follow what God is doing through them, connect with them to send encouragement, and pray for them by name.

Paul described the Philippians’ financial support of him as a partnership in the gospel. As he put it: “Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only” (Philippians 4:15). That is really what giving is, an ongoing connection to someone’s ministry.

We hear from people who want to do this and find it feels complicated, but please don’t let that put you off. If you’re not sure where to start, email us at connect@sim.org and we’ll walk you through it.

5. Elevate mission stories within your church

Look for ways to keep mission work visible in your church all year round. Share updates in services, newsletters or small groups. Perhaps you could observe World Mission Sunday.

A church can only pray for and send people it first knows about, and it’s more likely to consider sending people when it’s already excited about mission. If mission work is invisible until the one Sunday a year when it gets mentioned, don’t be surprised if it stays low on people’s radar the rest of the time. The more it’s talked about and celebrated, the more your church will develop a heart for how the gospel is changing lives beyond your own community.

6. Help your church send a mission worker overseas

We’re guessing you love your church. It’s doing brilliant things in your local community and you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. But has it ever struck you that your church doesn’t actually send anyone overseas? Could that change? Could you, or your church, be part of what God is doing, not just on your street but around the world?

SIM partners with local churches to make that happen, and we’d love to help yours take that step. If your church has never sent someone before, get in touch and we’ll help you think through what a first step could look like.

“Could you, or your church, be part of what God is doing, not just on your street but around the world?”

7. Share what God is doing around the world

It’s okay if you’ve stumbled on this and don’t know much about mission yourself. We’re so glad you’re here! Have a browse through our stories and if one moves you, don’t keep it to yourself. Send the link to a friend or follow us on social media; you’ll always have a new story to pass on. We’ve built a genuinely encouraging community on social media and we’d love for you to join us. Let mission become part of your digital life.

The psalmist urges us to make His glory known among the nations, to tell of His wonders to every people (Psalm 96:3), and that’s exactly what we’re doing across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X.

Our hope is that you now have a better understanding of how you can be part of what God is doing to draw people to himself, wherever you are. God has always used ordinary people praying in their kitchens, giving what they can, or opening their homes for an evening to be part of something far bigger than themselves.

Pick one thing from this list and start there.