Q: I am in my late teens. Should I do some missionary training now before I go to university?

If by going to missionary training, you will lose motivation to go to college, go directly to college. College is so foundational! It is sometimes really hard to spend four or more years in school when you'd rather be on the field, but persevere!

Take advantage of opportunities both now and throughout any training you receive. I taught English to an Indonesian student a couple hours a week while I was in college. Our college offered short term missions trips on spring and summer breaks. Learn a variety of things you're interested in! One friend used cosmetology to pay for college, and will probably use it on the field! I taught piano to help pay for college, and am now finding that teaching would open up opportunities for ministry on the field. Learn, learn, learn!

Secular universities are a great place to pick up evangelism training and practice. There are groups around such as Navigators and Campus Crusade for Christ, which devote themselves to helping college students fill their needs.

Also, if you're narrowing down what agency you want to work with, check what they prefer. There's no sense in losing time just because you don't know their requirements.

My friends and relatives were pretty jumpy at the thought of me doing a year or two of mission work before getting into college. Maybe more than anyone else, I was afraid of taking a road less traveled. Was it really the right choice? I was worried that I would eventually go back to the States to start college and be a “missionary misfit.” I would be a few years older than my classmates with a different worldview, experiences, and morals that would set me apart in an awkward way. But at the same time, I knew that my foundation as a Christian had been strengthened and that I would be more prepared to face the world with a better understanding of myself.

Now that I have finished my two years of missionary service and have been in college, I have found that I am not a misfit after all. I actually feel better prepared to disciple and encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ because of my experiences, and I find myself recruiting my friends into missions. Everyone, whether Christian or not, enjoys hearing my missionary stories. The fact that I am a few years older than my classmates has actually turned out to be a blessing.

I am of the opinion that there is a place and a time for college and university, but a year or two off will undoubtedly teach you more about who you are, who God is, and how you can actively serve in God’s kingdom.

Excerpted from pp. 173ff in the book Scaling the Wall: overcoming obstacles to missions involvement by Kathy Hicks.

I loved this training and I wish I had done it right out of high school. Sometimes the best training you can get before going on the field is not found in books but in an encouraging environment where you can focus on your relationship with God, which is exactly what we did for three months. Then we went around the U.S. performing a drama and giving information about what we do with other churches. Also, we were raising support for our month long missions trip overseas. I would definitely encourage you to get your feet wet in a program like this before getting stuck in the books for 4 years. However, after my experience overseas I realized I was really unprepared to go overseas long-term. I could have stayed with my YWAM base to do School of Evangelism and Staff in Training, do a few more short term trips, and get prepared that way, but instead I decided to come home, finish my four year degree, and work overseas through a career. That way I can have a profession that is contributing to society and reach out to people by living with them, working with them, and building relationships over time with them.

I am 19 years old and have finished one year at university. My first mission trip was to Asia the summer before my senior year in high school. When I got back, God placed it in my heart to go to Africa. I graduated and did one year at university and spent 10 weeks in East Africa. I was absolutely blessed to be there, got a first-hand experience of what missions is like, and now I know it's where I want to be. This year I am taking a year of hiatus from university studies to serve aboard a Mercy Ship in West Africa. I think taking missionary training before going to school is important, if you already know you want to be a missionary. But personally, I am saving my training for when I graduate and will actually be entering the field. If you can, I would take some mission trips to a few different places if possible, to seek out and make sure that God has called you to missions, and maybe get an idea of where you would want to be in the world.