Missionaries

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has been involved in mission and outreach since 1851 when it established its first mission board. Today, LCMS World Mission trains, sends, and supports called and appointed career, long-term, and short-time missionaries throughout the United States and in various countries around the world where there are mission stations, partner churches, schools, or mission relationships.

Role of a Missionary

The main priority of a missionary is to bring the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ to people who have never heard the Good News. LCMS missionaries usually share that Good News in the language of the people they serve. When the Holy Spirit begins to gather people into Christian fellowship, missionaries assist these new Christians in forming their own indigenous church leaders. LCMS missionary teams are made up of people who focus on planting churches, leadership formation or some type of locally initiated holistic services in areas of health, agriculture, community development, English-as-a-Foreign-Language classes or partner support activities. Missionary teachers also serve in international schools where missionary children, expatriates, and often national children attend. Agricultural and medical missionaries are utilized when their work will strategically contribute towards reaching and gathering a communities of believers, so that churches can be planted.

Missionaries usually spend a good deal of time when they first arrive on the field developing language skills and learning about the culture and mastering a foreign language.

The overall LCMS mission “team” consists of ordained pastors, directors of Christian education, directors of Christian outreach, deaconesses, teachers, lay ministers, Directors of Parish music, medical professionals, agriculturalists, vicars, church work program interns, retired Lutheran laity, and college graduates. All are scattered across the globe working together with national partners to tell the Good News of the salvation that is found only in Jesus Christ.

Quick Facts--Missionary & Personnel Information

As of August 2010, 126 career missionaries and personnel are serving with LCMS World Mission. They inlcude:

• 43 clergy
• 8 clergy serving as Ablaze! Alliance Missionaries* 
• 6 teachers
• 3 DCEs and DCOs
• 1 deaconess
• 1 vicar
• 3 medical missionaries
• 21 lay people
• 39 spouses with missionary solemn appointments

*These eight (8) missionaries come from LCMS international sister/partner churches and are serving in foreign countries in partnership and support through LCMS World Mission.

Additionally, serving are

• 83 GEO long-term missionaries
• 53 international educators are serving schools in 5 countries
  
• 221 military chaplains, including
  • 72 active duty chaplains
  • 93 Reserve and National Guard chaplains (30 of which are on active duty)
  • 25 Veteran Affairs chaplains
  • 26 Civil Air Patrol chaplains
  • 4 federal prison chaplains
    
• 27 short-term missionary individuals are serving in 2010
• 476 individuals serving on short-term mission teams in 2010
• 53 full-time and 3 part-time staff members, both based in St. Louis and deployed
• 64 volunteers with The 72--Partners on the Road, National Mission

Number of countries (as of August 2010)

• LCMS World Mission is working, has working partnerships, or has historical work in approximately 89 countries, including the United States.

Support a Missionary

You can "adopt" and prayerfully and financially support a missionary through the Together in Mission program (congregations) and the Mission Senders program (individuals). 

Other Links

• Find a Missionary
• Good News from the Field Stories
• Missionary Web Page and Blog Directory
• Have you considered missionary service? Learn more.
• Missionary Alumni