Congratulations on your desire to get more involved in missions. Everyone's interests and schedules vary. If you started at the beginning of this path, you might have already viewed the video above. Most of the "Personal Involvement" sections began with a helpful video.

Ask God exactly what your wisest paths for involvement might be. Consider beginning with simple options such as:

Learn more about God's world, and the church's role in God's mission. Some great places to start include:

• The Missions Catalyst weekly email delivers news about missions around the world. Read and subscribe at https://missionscatalyst.net/.
• UnreachedPeoples.org has tons of information and graphics about the Unreached People Groups (UPGs) around the world. Another source is PeopleGroups.org
• If you know any mission agencies that work in places that interest you, subscribe to their newsletters or read their websites for news.
• The Perspectives course, while a significant commitment of time (15 weeks and substantial reading), is one of the best overview classes about the Biblical basis, history, issues and strategies of missions. The presenters come from a variety of backgrounds; so you’ll want to be discerning about what you hear. Like all watermelon lovers know: “Eat the fruit and spit out the seeds.” Visit www.perspectives.org to find a class near you.

Pray for the world. Many great resources are available, including:

• Operation World will help you pray for every nation in the world. Visit https://www.operationworld.org and sign up to receive a daily email.
• The Global Prayer Digest helps you pray daily for an unreached people group. Visit https://www.globalprayerdigest.org.

Learn about your city’s cross-cultural community, and get involved in local cross-cultural outreach

• Begin hanging out at ethnic markets, restaurants, and coffee shops in different ethnic neighborhoods of your city.
• Volunteer at a local church or with a local ministry that ministers cross-culturally. Ideal ministries might include tutoring English to refugees, driving refugees to appointments, and helping in hospitality events for international students.

Go on a short-term cross-cultural trip. Go through your church or with an agency that you trust. Select a trip that:

• If possible has a connection with a field missionary or mission work with which your church already has a relationship.
• Has a plan for preparing you before going, and debriefing you afterward.
• Is accomplishing a ministry requested by the field, and ultimately is directly connected to a longer-term church planting effort.

David Platt’s groundbreaking books Radical and Radical Together (available through Amazon.com) supplies a great year-long, five-step challenge for individuals or groups, including:

• Pray for the entire world
• Read through the entire Bible
• Sacrifice money for a specific purpose
• Spend time in another context
• Commit your life to a multiplying community