Opportunities to Partner
I have often been asked, “How do I know if God is calling me to mission?” As followers of Jesus, we are all called to missions. We are to be Christ’s witnesses, ambassadors, and disciple-makers. The bigger question is what that mission service looks like for each of us. Most of us do not receive any dramatic writing on the wall that tells us what to do or how to serve. It is more often an obedient response of taking a step of faith and allowing God to direct or re-direct, affirm or adjust.
LBIM is focused on reaching the unreached. About a third of the world’s population is considered unreached, living and dying without hearing a clear and relevant proclamation of the gospel.1 And of all cross-culturally sent workers, only 3% serve among unreached peoples.2 LBIM is intentional in sending missionaries and facilitating ministries among people and in places with otherwise very limited access to the gospel. “How can they hear without someone preaching to them?” (Romans 10:14b).
LBIM is looking for those who are willing to respond to the call of reaching the least reached. This is a significant call! It often means learning new languages, crossing borders, adapting to new cultures, changes in climate, in daily rhythms, major life disruption. But it is a calling worth pursuing for the sake of the gospel. Remember Christ, who gave up heaven, entered our world, spoke our language, suffered, even laying down his life, so that we might be saved.
If you are feeling called, LBIM wants to assist you in discerning God’s calling into this kind of ministry. Following are a few of the ways in which LBIM provides opportunities for people exploring a calling in international mission.
Top left: 2024 Taiwan Team at China Lutheran Seminary in Hsinchu Taiwan. Top right: 2025 Japan Team visiting House of Hope in Ishinomaki, Japan. Bottom left: Nick Brunner, with Chadian friend David, working on a house repair for the Narvesen’s home in Chad. Bottom right: Eva Narvesen with Kami Quade during Kami’s mission internship in Chad.
Join a short-term mission focus trip.LBIM facilitates occasional trips to our mission fields, especially for those considering vocational mission with LBIM. This provides the opportunity to experience the field and LBIM’s mission firsthand. Time is spent visiting missionaries, national believers, and cultural contexts that help to give trip participants knowledge and perspective that will serve to guide them in their ongoing calling.
LBIM and NAM (North American Mission) are working together to plan a vision trip for young leaders interested in our Chad mission field in 2027. Due to the current reciprocal visa ban between Chad and the US, the timing of this trip is now in question, but we hope and pray that this trip will become possible in the coming year or two.
Pastor John Olson, current pastor of Bethel LBC in Joice, Iowa, and former missionary in Taiwan, is leading a yearly team to our Asia fields of Japan and Taiwan. The trip to Taiwan is planned for November of 2026.
Consider a “gap” year experience, or mission internship. If an individual or couple is considering a call to serve the mission in a more intensive and longer experience, LBIM will explore with them the possibility of providing an internship or “gap” year opportunity. Our missionary families are blessed by the help in homeschooling, daily tasks, and ministry needs. These kinds of experiences not only provide a great opportunity for the participant to consider more tangibly what a missionary calling may look like, but they also serve as a blessing to the host family and ministry.
Volunteer for a field project or service need. LBIM has occasional opportunities for volunteers to serve a field ministry. It may be helping a missionary build a home or painting the N’djamena Welcome Center. It might be providing a children’s ministry component to a field missionary conference/retreat. These volunteer service ministries are a blessing to our field missionaries and the communities in which they serve.
Attend a Mission Conference or a Seminar/Course. Mission conferences can be a great way to grow awareness of mission work around the world and learn about the many mission opportunities available. Nationally renowned conferences such as Urbana, Cross Conference, or Perspectives on the World Christian Movement are doing incredible work. We would also be happy to help organize a mission conference or mission-themed weekend at your own church with the LBIM director or a field missionary as a guest speaker. We encourage you to explore possibilities of how you can further engage in our mission, whether individually, or collectively as a congregation.
Dan Venberg is the Director of Lutheran Brethren International Mission.
1 athirdofus.com
2 globalfrontiermissions.org/understanding-unreached-people-groups-upgs