Become a Mission Partner
CMS sends mission partners to many parts of the world. Select
from the following missions to learn more about opportunities to serve:
Are you?
- actively involved in your local church
- growing in your faith
- sensing God's calling to service in a different culture
- able to discern that God is present and at work in cultures different to your own
- capable of working harmoniously with Christian traditions which are different from your own
- suitably qualified to meet the needs of partner churches
- able to meet the visa and work-permit requirements of host countries.
If you are, you could be a CMS mission partner.
Who are CMS mission partners?
CMS mission partners combine professional skills with Christian commitment and take on the challenge of serving God with a local church in a different culture. Being a CMS mission partner often means working in relationship and under the authority of local church leaders. Openings are generally created at the specific request of such churches.
What work could I do?
There are nearly always openings for clergy, development workers, theological educators, teachers of English as a foreign language and other subjects, doctors, nurses and other health professionals. The list is not exhaustive and changes according to the needs of the local church. So anyone sensing a call to mission should apply as we can also help in the discernment process.
Working in relationship
A good number of CMS' partner churches are small, struggling and under pressure. You may be asked to work in a situation that is very different from any that you have encountered before. There may be a different local understanding of the demands of your job, so you may need to draw on your personal store of physical, emotional and spiritual resources.
Mission service is an extremely valuable experience though it can sometimes come with challenges. The most needed virtue is longsuffering. Some locations involve the risk of physical danger. Previous overseas experience can prove invaluable. CMS has a lot of experience in sending people and can help you evaluate your readiness and give you practical help and grassroots knowledge.
Length of service
In our experience it requires a minimum commitment of four to six years for a mission partner to adapt to a new environment and make a useful contribution. A small number of openings are viable on the basis of a two or three-year commitment.
Selection
CMS' selection procedures are not about passing or failing. We believe it is important for you and us to discover and test your particular calling. This process may lead you to a vocation as a CMS mission partner, to service with another agency, or even help you to confirm that you should stay in your present area of work.
Training and preparation
CMS provides training for all aspects of being a mission partner. You will do mission studies and be introduced to some of the skills required to live and work in a new culture. Language training is available if required. On arrival at your mission location, the host church will provide orientation.
Sharing experiences
CMS believes it is important to share the experience of God's mission with Christians elsewhere. The churches you raise your support from should be committed to praying, giving and supporting your work and you would be openly sharing your experiences with them so as to increase their awareness of mission, the lessons you are learning and the joys and challenges faced by partner churches.
Conditions of service and costs
The range of resources needed to support a mission partner include the cost of pre-service and on-going training, a regular living allowance, housing costs, children's education, health care and old-age pensions. CMS' works with mission partners and their supporting churches and communities to ensure that they are fully resourced.
Contact Us
We are eager to hear from those who are interested in serving in mission or exploring your call to mission. Send your resume to us at info@cms-usa.org and please include any information you think might help us know you and guide you in your discernment.