There are many books on how to raise your children. There is also an overwhelming number of books on how to ‘reach the nations’. However, as a believer, husband, father, missionary, and now pastor, I have found a lack of resources on how to mobilize your children, home, and family toward God’s heart for the world.

If we are passionate about making disciples cross-culturally, we must first be passionate about making disciples in our homes. If we are eager to mobilize the global Church among tribes and tongues, we must first be mobilizing our families to engage neighbors and nations. True family mobilization is Spirit-driven. These activities will only be culture lessons unless they are practiced in step with open ears, hearts set on the Word, and arms locked with brothers and sisters. 

Below are six easy and fun activities to try as a family… they’re not magical, and they do not produce ‘missionary dust’ to sprinkle on your children as they sleep, but they do open the door to conversations about God’s heart for the nations. 

A caveat to these ideas is that they are partnered with the assumption you are already reading the Word with your family, praying together, and part of a Christ-honoring body. One danger of family-oriented mobilization is becoming isolated from the church body. As you use these resources or continue towards God’s heart for the nations, it is necessary and commanded to do it alongside community. Invite your small group to join you, meet with a pastor to discuss how to use some of these, or invite one or two other families to come alongside you as you work through these activities, rhythms, and learning.

#1 ) Learn about different religions and cultures.

What if your 10-year-old understood a Hindu’s motivation for life? What if your 17-year-old read a book or two on Islam this semester? What if you and your spouse could pray for specifics about your friend’s new-age atheism? Generally praying for the world, the poor, the widows, and the orphans is a good start of course, but vagueness leads to apathy. “Eat healthy!”, “Do good!”, and “Be safe!” are all vague comments that do not spur on conviction and application. Specifics create ownership and accountability. 

Learn about the different worldviews of the world and mobilize your family to ‘own’ the mandate to understand the world we are called to share love and truth with. There are resources about other religions all over the internet, but here are a few our family has utilized in the past:

                - Worldview Curriculum: a book, videos, and crafts/recipes/activities for kids
                - Pray for the World: a book for adults and an activity book for kids
                - Globally Taught - 5 powerful videos for teaching about world cultures
                - 3D Gospel: book about sharing the Gospel through different cultural lenses
                - Culture Kids Podcast: a podcast highlighting cultures and world religions

#2 ) Read/watch mission biographies.

If you share with a child that they could one day become a missionary, there are surely several different stereotypes that come into their mind. A tall man with a burly mustache and a machete, a single woman serving the poor, or maybe a family huddled around a fire in the African bush. Reading real stories of real people creates a true expectation and trajectory for what missionaries and normal Christians look like. These stereotypes could very well be their future, but what about the character of these people, the faith of these humans, and the goodness of their God? True stories and biographies allow our families to praise God for what He’s done in the world and also be mobilized for what He’s doing now. Imagine the difference of telling your 7-year-old he could one day be a policeman versus his uncle serving as an officer. One is hopeful and encouraging, the other is real and tangible. 

Ideally, you are intentionally hosting and inviting current or former missionaries in your church, community, or network for dinner! Relationships always trump resources. Until then… here are some resources our family enjoys when missionary folks aren’t nearby:

                - 10 Who Changed the World (Akin) - for families with older children
                - Sunlight’s Book Recommendations - books for kids and families
                - Trailblazers Series - books focusing on one missionary at a time
                - Torchlighters - movies and media for kids focused on missionaries
                - Not Consumed Curriculum - a great resource for families to learn together

#3 ) Host an international.

I believe this one is best practiced in the context of a larger community such as a school, university, organization, or something already functioning in your city. Research to see if there is an international student or refugee-focused ministry in your context (ISI is a great place to start).  If not, consider if there’s a creative way to approach it for your family and community. 

Please do not read this as ‘go objectify an international and make them your project’. In the same way you may extend a dinner invitation to one neighbor and not another, try to invite an international over for dinner instead of someone who looks and acts like you. Again, do not pull up to someone walking into Target and ask them to come to dinner. Instead, consider who in your current circles or schools or workplaces is not from America and needs to enjoy a good ol’ American meal in an American’s home? 

It is estimated that over 90% of international students never step foot in an American’s home while studying and living in the USA. Imagine moving to Morocco to study engineering, and day in and day out you’re wrapped up in classes, foreign Arabic background noise, inevitable isolation, constant cultural overload (smells, noises, norms), and missing friends and family. Now imagine that same scenario, but there’s a local family that invites you into their home for a meal and to hear about American culture. It’s life-giving, it’s hospitable, and it mobilizes your family and home to consider another culture while also welcoming and blessing someone. You can be that for someone living here in America, outside of their home culture.

Maybe you do not have anyone within your circles to invite over - what about reaching out to a local mosque, refugee nonprofit, or ESL club and asking if you could bring a meal to someone instead of hosting them? The point is not to just check this off, but for your family to interact with and love someone who does not look or think like you.

#4 ) Zoom a missionary.

If you are reading this, you likely are connected to a church, Lord willing. In that church, there is likely someone or a group of someones who is noticeably engaged in missions. Find that person or a church leader and work through this one with them. 

You could reach out to a mission agency if needed, but it would be ideal to connect with someone you are somewhat already connected to. Remember that second cousin that moved to Jordan for missions several years ago? How about that old man who spoke at your church last summer who was living in Oman? Or that roommate that served for one year in Nepal? These connections are a great way to start. Here’s the draft email *don’t use the word ‘missions’:

“Hello, my name is _____. I’m connected with __________ and my family is longing to learn more about cross-cultural work and what that means for our lives here in America. Could we Zoom with you for 30 minutes soon and hear your thoughts and insights into this? We do not want to take up much of your time, but we also want to encourage you as a family. Thanks!”

I remember living on the Arabian Peninsula, standing in our kitchen with our two toddlers, it was 115° outside, and a family video-called us to hear about life. We talked about the weather, things we hated about the culture, how God was faithful, people we loved from our country, and new rhythms we were trying to maintain as a young family on the field. This kind family prayed for us, laughed with us, and were so eager to hear how we were doing. We did not know them well at the time, but we still talk about that 30-minute call 10 years later and they are now some of our best family friends. 

Mobilize your family to invest in foreign faces. What if it was normal in your house to have Zoom calls at breakfast before school with people living across the world on the frontlines of cross-cultural kingdom work? What if your children made friends with kids their same age living in Indonesia for the sake of Jesus? Try to set up a Zoom call with someone who has served or is serving cross-culturally for the sake of the Gospel!

#5 ) Set up a cross-cultural experience.

Do you know of a nearby grocery store that specifically markets and sells items in another language? Perhaps you know of an Egyptian family who sells amazing incense and affordable watches at a corner store? Or an African couple who sells high-quality fabrics and organic vegetables? Or an authentic Venezuelan restaurant two blocks over? Try and set up a time to intentionally take your family through these cross-cultural places and interact with the employees. The point is not to treat it like an amusement park, but to try a new food, hear a new accent, and begin exposing your family to something outside their ‘normal’.

Another potential opportunity could be visiting a local mosque, temple, or place of worship that is not Christian. You can email or call beforehand and ask if it would be okay to show up and observe… tell them why! You’re a family/small group learning about different cultures and religions and want to learn from people, not the news or a textbook. Set up a visit to experience another culture and begin developing relationships with cultures and peoples you’ve been reading about (ideas #1 and #3).

Families, compelled by Christ, to learn more about how to engage the world together is a very powerful kingdom force. Remind your kids you are learning too - pray and debrief experiences like these examples together. 

#6 ) Weak Week

Alright… hear me out! A lot of mobilization is inviting people to consider something new and pursue something out of the normal routine.

Be creative with this one, but the overarching point is to be intentionally uncomfortable. Our lack of dependence on the Spirit of God is surely linked to our American dependency on comfort and convenience. There are blessings of course with these, but the majority of us are immobilized or numb or asleep to the world because of our convenient routines and humdrum comfort. You could create a week (or day, or month, etc) to highlight your weakness (our dependence on God) as a family. 

Weak Week could be cold showers for everyone, turning off your hot water. A small reminder of physical discomfort that reminds us of our weakness. Weak Week could be not using your personal vehicles, leaning on friends and neighbors, and public transportation. Weak Week could be no appliances, soaking clothes and hang drying for laundry, or washing all the dishes by hand. 

The point of this mobilizing timeframe is simply to remind our families that we are dependent on so much and weaker than we realize. In our weakness we lean on Christ and prove His strength and sustainability. Think of it like, not the same as, but like fasting in that you are intentionally withholding from a ‘need’ (realistically a comfort) as a physical way to remind yourself of your dependence on God.

Conclusion

These are just ideas. Be creative and make your own! It does not have to be ‘another thing to do’, but can easily be included in your existing rhythms. Listen to a podcast on the way to school, watch a Torchlighters movie instead of Frozen, pray for international friends at your kid's school as you go on a family walk, take cold showers instead of hot ones (but please keep showering) or pick a biography to walk through as a small group. Be intentional, grow in community, and fight the temptation to maintain ‘the norm’ or stay vague in your pursuits. Mobilizing is moving from understanding to ownership to identity. 

Our God is a global-minded God, surely we must then be a global-minded people. 

For more tips and resources, check out our Globally Minded Families Hub.