Partner with missionaries
CMS NSW & ACT
CMS is a fellowship of Christian people who are committed to global mission.
Our mission is to reach gospel-poor peoples for Christ, equip Christians as leaders in the church and the world, and engage churches in cross-cultural mission.
We do this by partnering with churches in Australia
to set apart and support missionaries who are sent to serve under the authority of local Christian leaders around the globe.
“We respond to the message of the cross by sending people out. Some people physically go, other people send them. Together, we pray that God would have Jesus proclaimed so that more people might know him.” – Daniel Morris, who served with CMS in France
We work in partnership to see the gospel proclaimed to the ends of the earth.
Shaped by the cross of Christ, long-term gospel work requires long- term partnership.
As a fellowship, we believe this is best supported by a body of believers who will pray for, give to and care for the ministry of gospel workers.
Those who are set apart to go have confidence in the committed support of our fellowship, and those of us supporting them have the privilege of participating in global mission.
“We might think of fellowship as cups of tea at church, when in fact it is partnership in the work of the gospel going out. That’s the why. We’re in partnership on mission and when we do this mission together, we have fellowship.” – Jim French, serving with CMS in Spain
Partner by praying:
Praying regularly for your missionary is a vital way to express your partnership in the work of the gospel. In his sovereignty, God uses our prayers to grow his kingdom. Missionaries rejoice to know they are being prayed for and are encouraged to persevere in their long- term gospel work as a result.
Ways you can partner in prayer
1. Sign up to your missionary’s regular prayer updates and respond to let them know you’ve prayed for them.
2. Commit to praying daily for global mission with the CMS Prayer Diary, alongside daily prayer points via our website or the PrayerMate app.
3. Organise a mission prayer event. Get together with others to pray for God’s work around the world.
“We can’t go anywhere without God, but we also can’t go without prayer.” – Sandra Parsons, serving with CMS in Japan
Partner by giving
Long-term mission requires long-term financial support.
Your committed generosity is vital for enabling a missionary’s ongoing ministry on location.
CMS missionaries are typically partnered with six or seven churches, alongside a network of other faithful supporters. Every donation contributes towards the ongoing physical and pastoral needs of all our missionaries.
This fellowship-wide approach to mission support is beneficial
in a variety of ways. It reduces the fundraising burden on the missionary and spreads the financial risk of gospel work across the breadth of the CMS fellowship.
It also allows people and churches to play a genuine role in partnership, regardless of their financial means. Missionaries are not sent out alone, nor are their supporters alone in sending them!
Ways you can partner in giving
1. Give towards a specific missionary. This allows for a more personalised expression of partnership and encouragement to our missionaries.
2. Give towards general mission support.
3. Give towards a specific campaign such as the Lasting Hope Appeal.
Leaving a legacy
In addition to the regular financial support of a CMS worker, you may also want to consider leaving a gift to CMS in your will.
“The first and most important thing we can do is to pray. After that, we can be involved by putting our resources that God has entrusted to us (our time, our money) into the work of raising up workers for a world that knows Jesus.” – Chris Overhall, serving with CMS in Chile
Partner by caring
Missionaries need a faithful team who will commit to supporting, praying and caring for them, both while they are on location and during home assignment.
You can support our missionaries with practical, emotional and spiritual care.
Practical care
Subscribe to your link missionary’s prayer letter to get to know more about them and their needs as they minister on location. You might see ways you could care for them as you receive updates – perhaps you could share ministry resources or send Christmas or birthday cards.
Once missionaries return for home assignment, you can care for them practically by lending them a car, stocking their pantry or cleaning their accommodation after they leave. What are some other ways you might offer hospitality or practical care to missionaries?
Emotional care
While your missionaries are on location, you can care for their everyday emotional needs by investing in relationship with them, as you read and respond to their prayer updates. Getting to know your missionaries is the best way to learn how to support them when life on location is tough.
Specialised pastoral care is facilitated through our branches and CMS Australia by a dedicated pastoral care team. Your financial contributions to the work of CMS ensure our missionaries are able to be cared for when complex needs arise.
While home assignment can be a time of refreshment for our missionaries, it also comes with demands as they travel long distances and readjust to life in Australia, where familiar people, places and comforts may have changed.
How might you offer emotional support to a missionary who no longer feels at home in Australia?
Spiritual care
As you check in with your missionaries, why not ask them how their spiritual life is going, and pray for them to be encouraged and refreshed in God’s word?
You might also recommend resources to them, be it a devotion you are finding helpful, a spiritually refreshing book, or a part of the Bible that may be of encouragement to them.