Sharing missions stories: Tips to guide careful communication
By Amy Walters —
I received an email recently from some SEND missionaries preparing to visit their future mission field.
“We’ve been encouraged by our church to take many pictures and gather many stories for sharing in newsletters, blog posts, etc.
“Are there any resources you could point us to about how to do that correctly?
“Specifically, how do you gather images of a place in such a way that you don’t take advantage of people or treat them disrespectfully? So that you don’t romanticize or trivialize the work of missionaries already there? So that you give a balanced view of the country, the people, the need, the current work, the missionaries already there, our projected work?
“Aaaaaaah! There seems like so many ways we could unthinkingly misrepresent reality.”
In nine years of training missionaries on how to write newsletters and give presentations, this was the first time anyone had asked me this. To be honest, these are questions I had barely considered myself. And yet, they are probably some of the most important questions we could ask.
Why? Because communication affects relationships. Let me give you some examples.
Word gets around
I once met a young lady from East Asia who had come to Christ through the ministry of a missionary. She shared with me the deep hurt she felt when she discovered very personal details of her story in that missionary’s newsletter. The missionary had never considered that this young woman would read what she wrote. This incident broke trust and profoundly impacted their discipleship relationship.
When you send something out over the Internet, you have very little control over where it will end up and who will read it.
Showing the worst
A short-term missionary took a weeklong trip to a village in Alaska. Upon returning, he wrote a blog post about his trip, highlighting the problems in this village — alcoholism, abuse, and violence. While those were real issues, his choice to only share the negative really upset the people in the village. The situation jeopardized the ministry of the long-term missionary who lived there; it took a long time for him to rebuild trust with the community.
Remember that your communication does not just affect you — it can have ripple effects that harm other missionaries’ ongoing ministry.
Integrity in question
Several years ago, I traveled to a security-sensitive country. While there, I saw seminaries, churches, and Christian aid organizations that were operating with government approval. I was surprised by their ability to minister openly, but came to learn that what is allowed in one part of a country might not be allowed in other regions.
A few weeks later, some missionaries visited our church in the States and shared about their work of smuggling Bibles. They declared definitively that Bibles are not allowed anywhere in the country I had just visited. They also shared stories of careless travel plans that put other believers in jeopardy. They boasted that they had never got in trouble with authorities for their activities.
Their overarching statements contradicted what I had learned and experienced in my time in that same country. It may be true that the region they traveled to did not allow Bibles. But their unequivocal statements about “no Bibles allowed” were exaggerated. These words cast a shadow of doubt over all of their stories and impacted how I, a member of a supporting church, viewed them and their work.
Where to start
This is not to say that we should all just keep quiet. The stories of God’s amazing work around the world need to be heard. The issue is, how do we share them respectfully?
This is the first in a series of articles that explores that question and will hopefully help equip you to build bridges through your communication, instead of burning them.
To begin, here is a snippet of what I recommended to the missionaries who asked for guidance:
This is part 1 of a two-part series. Read part 2: “Three rules to keep you from falling into the rude foreigner trap.”
Additional Posts
Choosing a Missions Organization: Why SEND International Stands Out “Why should I be a missionary through SEND International?” Jenna, a new missionary in Eastern Europe, shared with us what she appreciates about working with SEND. The highlights for her are: - Devotion to prayer - Diligence in communication - Commitment to development - Intentionality in accountability Prayer “Back in September of 2022, the Lord reconnected me with SEND after I had met them a year prior at the Moody Bible Institute. However, before he would sign me up for anything, my Missions Coach encouraged me to pray. He said something to the effect of, "I know that you've been praying on your own for a long time. But as the Church, we are not called to walk alone. So, you and I won't talk for about a month unless you have questions. I want you to go pray with 5 or 6 others from your church about where God is calling you." That October, more than 10 friends prayed with me and we saw God answer as He directed me to Romania. From February 2024 to November 2025, I had the pleasure of being a part of team meetings in Romania with my SEND colleagues. Our meetings were four hours long, two for prayer and two for business. This has been the minimum for our team. There are also prayer meetings with the local churches we partner with, among smaller groups within our team, of course prayer with many of you across the pond, including those at our US office. The organization was built, has been sustained, and continues to run on prayer. This is my favorite thing about SEND. Communication As I mentioned above, we have a two hour block for business / ministry details in each of our meetings. This provides consistency across our team which works alongside three different churches and in a variety of ministries. It also helps us to communicate about the need for change or growth, alongside what is working well. In addition, my team director also meets with each of us, allowing us to communicate needs, considerations, and prayer requests. I've also enjoyed getting to work with SEND workers outside of my immediate region . We receive emails with the minutes from the Europe leadership team, Friday communications from our international director, and information regarding projects that affect our work among the unreached. In December of 2024, our international director at the time wrote a note to my parents for the first Christmas that I was gone. If nothing else had convinced my mom yet, this did. He took the time to care for me, but also to care well for the parents that were sending me (What it meant to my dad and mom for him to do this well has been one of the greatest ways I've been supported.). I also have some pretty wonderful regional directors. These people have prayed alongside us (while also serving in their own countries of service), they have taken time to come visit and encourage our team, and they have also taken the time to encourage the people in our churches. Development SEND has provided much in the area of development and care (spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally). At our regional conference (every three years), there have been medical check ups available, counseling options, and time for connecting with others on the field with similar experience. At our conference last October, I connected with a missionary who served overseas for many years, and is now serving on the administrative side of SEND. She has met with me since then for mentorship and has also invested much of her time recently in preparing a retreat for the singles across Europe. Accountability Over the years I have read and heard amazing stories of how God has worked through missionaries. God has done great things and great things He is still doing! However, people who have committed their lives to the Lord in this way are not “super Christians”. We are still humans with the same struggle against flesh that others have . A major challenge is in being isolated -- living in areas with little to no presence of other believers to sharpen them can cause many difficulties. SEND has been a great resource in this area too. Through my team, I have an accountability partner that I meet with monthly. When my regional director came to visit, he and his wife spent a day with me and asked intentional questions about how I lead, handle conflict, and how I am growing in general as a Christian. In addition, my teammates share their wisdom with me on a regular basis. These things and more have assured me that SEND International is a highly valuable organization and I'm excited to partner with them in service to, for, and with our great God! Interested in being sent by SEND?
Learn about the spiritual harmony in Vietnam & how missionaries engage with college students. Join us in sharing the gospel!
Explore Georgia's spiritual heritage and the impact of SEND International's mission. Join us in fostering authentic relationships today!
