The work of a missionary is often met with positive reception but vague understanding. What is the role of the on-the-field International Mission Board (IMB) mission worker? How do they approach their specific ministry? While each missionary team's work will differ based on their local context, the core task based on the same framework.

Each team enters into a particular region or commits to work with a certain people group. Their target audience is chosen, and they set out to labor in these fields. As these workers get to know the people, culture, and context of this new area, they learn how to best share the gospel with those around them. Understanding religious backgrounds, literacy rates, tribal customs, and many other cultural considerations are vital for the missionary to be effective.

Certainly the message of the gospel will not and cannot change, but how the gospel is shared must be adjusted to meet the people where they are and how they are able to receive it. Just as a farmer sows seeds with the hope of a great harvest, the missionary seeks to effectively sow the gospel into the hearts of those around them.

Once God blesses the work and new believers come to faith in Jesus, they must be discipled. These new brothers and sisters in Christ must have their new faith cultivated, encouraged, and challenged. As they grow in understanding, these new believers should be trained in how to raise up new believers to be fruitful. How to multiply this disciple-making process must be instilled into all believers for the message of the gospel to move through a people group or region.

As great as it is to see people come to faith, the process does not stop there! Believers are brought together to form local churches. While these churches may look physically different than what you are used to seeing, they will begin to perform and practice the functions necessary for a healthy biblical church.

The final mark of the missionary task is the exit. Mission workers hope that one day they will need to move due to the lack of pioneer work left to do. Once generations of churches are formed and leaders are raised up from within those churches, missionaries no longer have a role to play in that particular region or people group. Leadership development is a key action before the final step of exit can be finalized.

In Romans 15:23, Paul stated that there was no place left for work in the regions he had been ministering in. How could he say that? He had entered into different areas. By sharing the gospel, many people began following Jesus as their Lord. Churches were planted, and leaders were raised up. After that, Paul would move to another needy location.

This is the call of our present-day missionaries.

How You Can Pray

• Pray for new fields in which our IMB workers can labor.

• Ask God to give these missionaries clarity in how they share the gospel.

• Pray for glorifying discipleship relationships to help new believers to grow deeper in their understanding of Jesus.

• Ask God to raise up healthy churches in places that have no such presence.

• Pray that God will build up new leaders to lead churches and serve as missionaries to their own people groups and regions.

• Ask God to work in dark areas so mightily so that there is "no place left" for our missionaries to work in those places.