Missionaries

SHARING THE GOOD NEWS OF GOD’S LOVE FOR ALL PEOPLE

Former UMC Missionary Andrew Lee with participants in a children’s ministry in Cambodia

Photo: Courtesy of Andrew Lee

Global Ministries trains, commissions, assigns and supports United Methodist missionaries in nearly 60 countries around the world. UMC missionaries serve in a variety of roles and placements, all with the goal of fulfilling the mission of The United Methodist Church itself: “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”

United Methodist Missionaries

Responding to God’s call to mission around the world.

200

total missionaries in service
Missionaries serve as pastors, educators, health professionals, agriculturalists and more in over 60 countries around the world.

48

new missionaries in 2024
These missionaries will immerse themselves in their placement site to bring hope and healing in their new community.

1833

the first missionary serves in Liberia
Global Ministries’ near 200-year legacy of sending missionaries began with the Rev. Melville B. Cox, a preacher from Maine who served in Liberia.
collage of missionary photos

View Our Missionary Directory

Learn more about the work of United Methodist missionaries and how you can support them.

Read Stories
of Impact

Get Involved in God’s Mission

Learn how you can support United Methodist missionaries or discern God’s call to mission in your own life.

Covenant with a Missionary

Provide ongoing support for a specific UMC missionary. By covenanting together, you and the missionary deepen your experience of God’s mission.

Become a Missionary

Discern a call to participate in God’s mission as a Global Ministries missionary. Read our discernment guide and learn how to apply.

Pray for Missionaries

Join us in praying for missionaries around the world. Pray for a specific missionary in our Missionary Directory or pray for all Global Ministries missionaries.

Connect with UMC Missionaries Serving Around the World

Join a monthly live Zoom call to hear from Global Ministries missionaries. Missionaries share about their work and what it means to answer God’s call to mission. Registration required.

a laptop showing a Zoom call with several people

Discover Missionary Resources

Learn more about Global Ministries missionaries. Share these resources with your church or on social media.

Global Mission Fellows: What Questions Will Define Your Future?

Promotional video that answers common questions for those applying to become a Global Mission Fellow (GMF).

Missionary Discernment Guide

Interactive guide to decide if being a missionary is right for you.

Connecting the Church in Mission: Missionaries

Overview video of the work of missionaries.
UMCOR Campaigns

Six Years, No Solution: A 500-Gallon Tank Carries Hope to West Virginia’s Forgotten

McDowell County is one of the poorest in the U.S., and the communities of Anawalt, Leckie and Gary are some of the hardest hit by the current six-year water crisis. All have Methodist churches that are part of the Welch Charge.

To ease the burden of residents who have to purchase many gallons of drinking water weekly, the Welch Charge contacted the West Virginia Conference Disaster Response Coordinator, Jim McCune, for help. McCune’s United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) connection put him in touch with Global Ministries’ Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) program. 

A WASH grant allowed them to obtain a 500-gallon “water buffalo.” The conference disaster response team arranged to fill the portable water buffalo from the Welch water system, the county seat of McDowell, and transport it to Gary, where residents have been supplied with refillable containers. Residents of all three towns can come to get water, and volunteers will also continue deliveries for those who need it. Meanwhile, residents, including church members, continue to advocate state and local officials for a permanent solution to their aging, compromised water infrastructure. Full Story