Thanks for sharing the Switchboard message. This article is part of a series of three guides where we give you the tools you need to tell the story.

1. Connect your friends to the Great Commission.
2. How to sign your church up for Great Commission engagement.
3. Find help for your missionary friend.

Each article provides you with best practices, helpful resources and some FAQs.

Switchboard has something unique for your congregation and the missionaries your church supports.

Switchboard opens a path for the congregation to be part of the Great Commission.

The people in your church each have a unique collection of skills, talents and experience. But many don’t see a clear opportunity to use those as part of the Great Commission.

Take a moment and imagine all the latent talent and experience in your congregation that could be directed to support Great Commission work. Grab a piece of paper and write down 20 people you know from your church. Next to each name, write a skill, talent or experience they have that they could use to serve a missionary.

When your missionaries join the Switchboard platform, they don’t only have access to help from your congregation; they have access to all the Kingdom Consultants.

What would be the collective impact of your church on the world if each member was engaging with another Great Commission Organization or Individual?

Switchboard helps you support your missionaries.

You want your missionaries to be fruitful and thrive. Switchboard shares that same desire.

Serving on the mission field comes with its own unique set of challenges, and connecting missionaries to the help they need can be difficult. That’s where Switchboard can make a difference.

When your missionaries join the Switchboard platform, they don’t only have access to help from your congregation; they have access to all the Kingdom Consultants. They have access to support from the broader body of Christ.

Steps you can take

• Talking with your pastor
• Starting with a small group

How to connect your church with Switchboard

The process is pretty simple, and it begins with a few conversations.

Talking with your pastor

A conversation with one of your leaders is a great place to start. It could be your mission’s pastor or maybe whoever oversees spiritual growth and discipleship.

Here’s a brief agenda you could use when you connect with them:

• Ask them what needs missionaries have shared with the church or ways the church has helped support them.
• Explain the basics of how Switchboard works.
• Share your personal experience being a part of the Switchboard platform with them.
• Ask what benefits they would see by connecting members in the church and the missionaries to Switchboard.
• Propose trying it with a subset of people.

Start with a small group.

Being a part of a team on a mission is a typical highlight of a mission trip. But you don’t have to get on a plane to have that experience

Consider inviting a small group from your church to all join Switchboard together. It won’t be exactly the same as going on a mission trip, but they will get to share their experiences with one another.

FAQs

Does this take the place of mission trips?

Not at all. In fact, it pairs exceptionally well with mission trips allowing people to serve missionaries both before and after a trip.

Will this compete with other service opportunities?

It’s pretty common that when someone goes on a mission trip, they suddenly see more opportunities to serve back home. We believe the same is true when people serve the mission from a distance. They begin to see how they can use those same skills to serve the ministry in their local context.

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If your church is interested in Switchboard but has other more specific questions, please reach out. We’d love to help.