What to Prioritize When Exploring Serving Overseas
Aug 4th, 2025 | Ashley Hendrickson
There are many factors to consider when exploring the possibility of serving overseas. Some are objective and circumstantial—such as family responsibilities or the physical and mental health of you or your loved ones—that may clearly limit or even close certain opportunities. Others are more wisdom or value-oriented considerations, like how to match a person’s skillset with a community’s needs or what to do if parents are not supportive of ministry as a career. Such wisdom questions can be harder to consider. If you are someone exploring cross-cultural work, you may be asking yourself things like:
“Should I serve where the greatest need is, or where I am most passionate?”
“Should I do more school or training before serving overseas?”
“Should I serve if it would mean leaving another opportunity in the US behind?”
“Should I serve if I have the desire to go, even if there are other obstacles?”
Many of these questions seem to boil down to issues of either strategy (general principles to be most effective in the kingdom) or stewardship (leveraging what God has specifically given us for his kingdom). Both are important aspects of wise discernment. Naturally, especially as Westerners, we wonder how our passions and skills can best be put to use, meet the greatest needs, and produce the best results. It is good and important to prudently consider these things, and many helpful guidelines could be given about each of the topics listed above.
However, if given ultimate priority, even things like strategy and stewardship can become self-focused, futile errands about what we can bring, plan, and do. Rather than faithfully following and resting in God’s provision, we can begin to put all of the focus and pressure on ourselves. There is only one ultimate priority when considering whether, when, how, and where to serve overseas (and most any other opportunity in your life, for that matter!). In this article, we want to offer one simple question that can help guide you towards this final reality: “Will this specific opportunity allow me to draw near to God?”
Follow Me
When Jesus first met Peter and Andrew, he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Notice that he didn’t say: “Become a fisher of men so that you can follow me.” The focus of these new disciples was to be one thing: Jesus himself. This is a consistent call throughout all of scripture. God doesn’t want our outward actions; he wants our inner hearts. He doesn’t simply want us to imitate him; he wants us to be unified with him. He is not just an external teacher; he is a life-giving Spirit who lives within us (1 Corinthians 15:45, Colossians 1:27). Our focus and priority is to simply abide in his vine, which will produce secondary fruits like good decisions.
Without Jesus, we can do nothing (John 15:5). For, “What do you have that you have not received?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). When we do think about issues of strategy or stewardship, we need to consider them through this lens of drawing near to God. He is the source of their strength. Strategy is ultimately about drawing near to God’s heart, character, and priorities. Stewardship is ultimately about drawing near to God’s life and empowerment. Both are about walking with God, by God, for God. To work for his kingdom, we first need to walk in the ways of his kingdom.
So, will this specific opportunity facilitate your drawing near to God? Will it provide environments, people, and work that will allow you to follow Jesus, draw near to his heart, and receive his empowerment? If so, take your next step in freedom! Some specific things to look for might include:
A healthy community of believers to grow alongside
Opportunities to be taught, discipled, or equipped
Space and time for healthy spiritual rhythms, including rest
Proximity to the poor, oppressed, unreached, or others close to God’s heart
Responsibilities that align with how God has already been empowering you
Chat with a Serving Coach
For some people, this kind of framework is really helpful. For others, it just triggers way more questions! We understand that, and we’d love to help you think through your specific circumstances and questions. If you’d like to talk to a serving coach at any point along your journey, you can schedule a call with us below!
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