The NU Face of Missions
God is calling a new generation to missions, and Northwest University is answering that call.
Assemblies of God World Missions recently announced its most ambitious missionary initiative in decades: growing its missionary force from 2,569 to 4,000 workers by 2033. Behind that number are young men and women who have said yes to Jesus, counted the cost, and committed their lives to bringing the gospel to places where it has never been heard. Some will strengthen existing churches, walking alongside local leaders as those movements become fully self-sustaining. Others will pioneer churches among the 2,085 unengaged, unreached people groups in the world today. These are communities with no churches, no missionaries, and no access to the gospel whatsoever.
The new face of missions is sitting in our classrooms right now. But these young missionaries cannot go alone. They need the church to support them in three essential ways.
They need to be equipped—and that is the work happening at Northwest University. Our professors are not simply preparing students for local ministry; they are preparing men and women to cross cultures, navigate complex geopolitical landscapes, and plant the church where it does not exist.
They need to be prayed for. The mission field is spiritually demanding in ways that are difficult to overstate. Our local churches carry a responsibility to hold these missionaries before God consistently, by name, with urgency.
They need to be sent. Sending is an act of faith and sacrifice for the local church. It means releasing your people, platforming their call, and giving financially to sustain their work on the field.
This year, I have had the privilege of serving as missionary in residence at Northwest University, and I have been blown away by the quality and commitment of our students who are preparing for ministry. These young men and women are the real thing. They are saying yes to Jesus, and they are counting on us to say yes right alongside them.
Will you join me?
Equip them. Pray for them. Send them well.
Brent Colby is NU’s Missionary in Residence (MIR) and Associate Dean of the Center for Leadership Studies.