Is your profession needed overseas?

Going through his late teens and early adult years, our son wrestled with the sense that God was inviting him into full-time Christian ministry while at the same time he was seeing an opportunity to use his videography and editing skills in the marketplace. How, he wondered, could both come together—and was it even possible? Or would he have to abandon one for the sake of the other? The Lord opened the door for him to do both as he spent nearly the entire year of 2023 serving overseas on mission doing discipleship and leadership development as well as using his videography skills.

Andrew Reimer (left) on set while filming in Ireland.

While the history of our EMC Missions program has focused on planting churches among people groups where few or no other evangelical churches exist, from our beginnings we have always seen our overseas workers bring with them some type of professional skill to help bridge gaps. Whether it has been in teaching, medicine, nutrition, radio, flying or technology (and the list goes on), our missionaries have looked for creative ways to engage local communities.

When I was accepted by the EMC Board of Missions to serve in Chihuahua, Mexico, in 1992, I wondered what professional skills I was bringing. I was called a church planter but because of years of “preparation” in my home church and community teaching Sunday School, singing in a quartet, counselling at Bible camp, farming, carpentry and so much more, I had skills to bring to Mexico, and these allowed me to build trusting relationships with many people.

But having professional skills does not automatically mean you are ready to serve overseas. According to Catalyst Services, a missions mobilizer resource based in Pennsylvania, when churches are looking to send professionals overseas to do mission work, they need to consider both the worker and the community they will serve. Would the skills they have benefit the local community? Does it provide employment for the local people? Is the work transferable to the local culture? Are the workers equipped to give sound biblical teaching? Are they unbiased when it comes to engaging with other ethnic groups? Does their profession allow them time to do ministry beyond work hours and, perhaps most importantly, give them an avenue to share the gospel?

Scripture is filled with stories in both the Old and New Testaments of how God used people and their professions to evangelize people and grow the body of Christ. Paul the tentmaker, Deborah the nurse, David the shepherd, Nehemiah the cupbearer, Peter the fisherman, Simon the tanner, Matthew the tax collector, Lydia the purple cloth business owner, Luke the physician, and so many more.

If you are wondering whether your profession can be used in global ministry, invite the Lord to show you and talk to your pastor about what this could look like in your journey.