Mission Service Opportunities

Types of Missionary Service

Career Missionary

Length of service:

Career missionary service is intended to last no less than five years.

Financing:

The LCMS will work with you to raise the financial support needed for your service. We commit ourselves to your success in this effort. Covered in the cost of service is pre-field training, transportation to and from the field of service, salary, housing, insurance, student loan repayment assistance and more. Please consult with a recruiter for more information.

Candidate consideration process:

This process helps LCMS congregation members assess their capacity to serve. If they are suited for missionary service, it connects them to missionary service opportunities.

Next Step:

Complete and submit a missionary service inquiry form to start the missionary candidate consideration process. You may download the inquiry form below. Contact email: mission.recruitment@lcms.org.

Questions?

Email mission.recruitment@lcms.org or call 888-843-5267 (THE-LCMS).

GEO Missionary

GEO missionaries are Globally Engaged in Outreach with an initial commitment of 24-plus months of service.

Financing:

The LCMS will work with you to raise the financial support needed for your service. We commit ourselves to your success in this effort. Covered in the cost of service is pre-field training, transportation to and from the field of service, salary, housing, insurance, student loan repayment assistance and more. Please consult with a recruiter for more information.

Candidate consideration process:

This process helps LCMS congregation members assess their capacity to serve. If they are suited for missionary service, it connects them to missionary service opportunities.

Next Step:

Complete and submit a missionary service inquiry form to start the missionary candidate consideration process. Contact email: mission.recruitment@lcms.org.

Questions?

Email mission.recruitment@lcms.org or call 888-843-5267 (THE-LCMS).

Short-Term Volunteer (1 week - 6 months)

Short-term volunteers are needed to serve alongside missionaries and partner churches for one week to six months.

Short-term volunteers serve in various and important roles in His harvest field. Short-term volunteers have served as pastors, nurses, doctors, teachers, business managers, camp counselors, and in many other crucial positions.

As a short-term volunteer, you will have an excellent opportunity to participate in our mission priorities: spread the Gospel, plant Lutheran churches, and show mercy.

Length of service:

Typically one week to six months.

Cost/finances:

Vary on each trip. In most cases short-term volunteers are responsible for all travel and ground costs. In some cases, short-term volunteers may be responsible for project costs.

Placement process:

Application, references, pastoral recommendation, and placement interview with LCMS staff.

Next Step:

Take a moment to browse through the opportunity database

Questions?

Email Erin.alter@lcms.org or call 888-843-5267 (THE-LCMS).

Short-Term Teams (1-2  weeks)

Short-term teams are usually made up of three to 15 people who serve alongside LCMS missionaries and Lutheran partners to proclaim Christ for one to two weeks. Teams can be formed by congregations, families, friends, small groups, etc.

English Bible Camps, construction/renovation, VBS, and mission education are a few ways that teams can serve around the world. All of the short-term opportunities have been requested to help support the strategic goals of the LCMS mission work in that field and region- to spread the Gospel, plant Lutheran churches, and show mercy.

Length of service:

Typically one to two weeks.

Cost/finances:

Vary on each trip. Teams are responsible for all travel and coordination costs. In some cases, teams may be responsible for any project costs.

Placement process:

• Team online application (for team leader),
• placement consultation, and
• pastoral recommendation.

Next Step

Take a moment to browse through the opportunity database

Questions?

Email Erin.alter@lcms.org or call 888-843-5267 (THE-LCMS).

Who is a missionary?

The key is that missionaries are sent by the Lord through the mediation of His Church. While the names and position titles have changed over the years, this is how the church has always done mission, even back to the time of the Apostles when Saint Paul first brought along Luke as a physician. A missionary for The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is a person called, that is, ordained or commissioned, or appointed (medical personnel, business, administrative, or other worker) by the appropriate sending agency (the Board for International Mission) who is sent to bear WITNESS (Martyria) to the Gospel of Jesus, to show MERCY (Diakonia), or to support those who do as we have a LIFE TOGETHER (koinonia).

What do missionaries do?

The main priority of a missionary is to bring the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ to people who have never heard the Good News.

Learn more

Do you want to share the love of Christ around the world?

LCMS International Mission offers opportunities to serve in a variety of roles.

View Mission Service Opportunities

Experience what your missionaries are doing

‘You Get To Tell Them’

LCMS International Mission invites congregations to help us promote short-term and long-term missionary opportunities for members to serve our Lord and His people.

A poster and bulletin insert are available for congregations to highlight ways in which church workers and laypeople can use their gifts to spread the Gospel, plant Lutheran churches and show mercy to His people around the world.

Support the Mission