Local. National. International.
Missions for Small and Rural Churches
Small churches have always been the backbone of the missionary movement. You are not too small to change the world. You are exactly the right size to be faithful.
Acts 1:8 (ESV): “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
The Three Circles of Missions
Jesus gave the disciples a missions strategy in one sentence. Start where you are. Move outward. Never stop. Every church, regardless of size, can participate in all three circles.
Local Missions
Your town, your county, your neighbors. Food pantries, community meals, after-school programs, neighbor evangelism. The mission field right outside your front door.
National Missions
Church planting, urban ministry, disaster relief. Supporting missionaries and church planters across North America through your denomination or sending agency.
International Missions
Supporting international missionaries, giving to missions offerings, praying for unreached peoples, and short-term trips through your denomination or sending agency.
Local Missions: Starting in Your Own Backyard
The most overlooked mission field for most small churches is the one right outside their front door. Rural communities have real needs: poverty, addiction, isolation, aging populations, and families in crisis. Your church is positioned to meet those needs in ways that no outside organization can.
Local missions is not a lesser form of missions. It is the foundation. A church that is not reaching its own community is not ready to reach the world.
Local Missions Playbook
Community needs assessment, 8 program ideas, and how to connect service to the gospel.
Community Needs Survey Toolkit
Find out what your community actually needs before you launch a program.
Small Church Evangelism Playbook
Building an evangelistic culture in your small church from the ground up.
Disaster Relief Ministry Guide
How to prepare for and respond when disaster strikes your community.
National Missions: Church Planting and North America
Thousands of communities across North America have no evangelical church. Church planting is one of the most effective ways to reach people with the gospel, and small churches have a vital role to play in supporting it.
Your church does not need to plant a church to support church planting. You can pray for church planters, give through your denomination’s sending agency, partner with a new church in your region, or even send a member to plant a church somewhere that needs one.
How Your Church Can Support Church Planting
- Pray for church planters in your region by name through your denomination’s prayer resources.
- Give through your denomination’s church planting fund or sending agency.
- Partner with a new church plant in your area. Share resources, volunteers, and encouragement.
- Host a church planting information night to raise awareness in your congregation.
- Explore whether God is calling a member of your congregation to plant a church.
Small Church, Big Mission
Complete missions guide covering local, national, and international missions for small churches.
Building a Missions Culture
How small churches become sending churches. Five habits, all-age involvement, 12-month plan.
Short-Term Missions Guide
Planning meaningful trips for small church members of all ages through your sending agency.
International Missions: Supporting the World
Small churches have been the financial backbone of international missions for over a century. Your denomination’s international missions offering was built on the faithful giving of small churches just like yours. Your church’s consistent giving matters more than you know.
Beyond giving, your church can adopt a missionary, pray for unreached peoples, and send members on short-term trips. International missions is not just for large churches with large budgets. It is for every church that takes the Great Commission seriously.
Ways Your Church Can Engage International Missions
- Give consistently to your denomination’s international missions offering.
- Adopt a missionary through your denomination’s sending agency. Pray for them by name every week.
- Pray for unreached peoples using your denomination’s prayer resources.
- Send members on short-term trips through your denomination or a trusted sending agency.
- Invite missionaries on furlough to speak to your congregation.
- Write letters and send care packages to missionaries your church supports.
Adopt a Missionary Guide
How to personally adopt and support a missionary through your denomination’s sending agency.
Praying for the World
How to pray specifically for missionaries and unreached peoples. Monthly prayer calendar included.
Building a Missions Budget
How much to give, where to give, and how to grow missions generosity in your small church.
Browse All Missions Resources
Free downloads for small and rural churches. No email required.
For All Ages
Missions for Kids
Teaching children to love the world God loves. Age-appropriate activities and prayer guides.
Youth Missions Trip Planning
Planning meaningful trips for teenagers. Timeline, fundraising, and spiritual preparation.
Missions for Senior Adults
How older members can be your church’s most powerful missionaries through prayer and presence.
Related Resources
Outreach & Evangelism | Church Leadership | Rural Church Leadership | All Resources