April 27, 2026April 20, 2026

Your Church was Made for Mission: 5 Ways to Partner with Christ For the City International

At Christ For the City International, we believe the Church was never meant to stay inside four walls. From the very beginning, God called His people to live on mission—loving their neighbors, serving their communities, and bringing the hope of Jesus to the nations.

Churches play a vital role in that mission.

Whether your congregation is passionate about going, giving, praying, or mobilizing others, there are meaningful ways to partner with what God is doing through CFCI around the world.

Here are five simple ways your church can be part of the story.

1. Go on a Mission Trip

One of the most powerful ways a church can engage in missions is by going together.

Mission trips allow youth groups, college ministries, young adults, small groups, families, and entire congregations to step outside their normal rhythms and serve alongside local ministries around the world.

Through Urban Plunge trips in U.S. cities and Global Teams serving internationally, churches can:

• Share the Gospel
• Serve practical needs in communities
• Encourage and support local leaders
• Grow in faith and unity as a team

There’s something powerful about taking what God is doing inside the church walls and living it out together in the world.

2. Give to the Mission

Missions move forward because of faithful generosity.

When churches give to the vision of Christ For the City International, they help sustain ministry happening every day in cities and communities across the globe.

Your giving fuels discipleship, leadership development, outreach, and compassionate service through our international bases.

Our vision remains bold:

No place without a witness.
No church without a vision.
No person without hope.

And we continue to believe God is inviting us to help create environments where 1 million lives can be forever changed through the ministry of CFCI.

When your church gives, you’re investing in transformation that reaches far beyond what any one team or trip could accomplish.

Become a financial partner!

3. Pray for the Mission

Prayer is one of the most powerful ways your church can partner in missions.

Across the world, CFCI teams are serving communities, discipling believers, and sharing the hope of Jesus in places that often require courage, perseverance, and faith.

Your prayers provide encouragement, protection, and spiritual covering for missionaries, national leaders, and the people they serve.

Consider setting aside time to pray for:

• CFCI missionaries and global staff
• The communities being served
• Open hearts to the Gospel
• Future leaders being raised up

When the Church prays, God moves.

4. Mobilize Your People

Sometimes the greatest impact a church can have is simply inviting people into the mission.

You can help mobilize others by:

• Sharing mission trip opportunities with your congregation
• Encouraging students and young adults to explore serving abroad
• Highlighting stories of transformation from the field
• Creating moments where missions becomes part of the conversation

Many people feel called to serve—but they just need someone to point them toward the opportunity.

Your church could be the place where that calling begins.

5. Build a Long-Term Partnership

Missions are most powerful when relationships grow over time.

Some churches choose to partner more deeply with CFCI by building an ongoing relationship with one of our ministry bases or returning regularly to serve in the same location.

Over time, these partnerships allow churches to:

• Encourage and support local leaders
• See long-term impact in communities
• Send teams year after year
• Watch God work in powerful ways

What begins as a single trip can grow into a lasting Kingdom partnership.

The Invitation

The mission of God is bigger than any one church or organization. But when we work together, the impact multiplies.

Whether your church chooses to go, give, pray, mobilize, or partner, you have a role to play in bringing the hope of Jesus to cities and communities around the world.

And together, we believe it’s possible to see 1 million lives forever changed.

Ready to explore the next step for your church?

Visit cfci.org/go to learn more about mission opportunities.

March 2, 2026March 4, 2026

Fasting Before You Go: Making Space for God Before Your Mission Trip

It’s Lent.

A season of slowing down.
Of surrender.
Of making room.

And if you’re preparing for a mission trip — whether across the street or across the world — there may not be a better time to lean in.

Before you pack your bag, raise support, or finalize logistics… consider fasting.

Not to prove something.
Not to be intense.
Not to check a spiritual box.

But to make space.

Why Fast Before a Mission Trip?

Mission trips aren’t powered by strategy alone. They’re sustained by dependence.

Fasting is one of the clearest ways we say:

“God, I need You more than I need comfort.”

Throughout Scripture, fasting was connected to:

Clarity
Repentance
Breakthrough
Preparation
Spiritual authority

Even Jesus fasted before stepping fully into public ministry (see Gospel of Matthew 4:1–11).

If fasting mattered before He stepped into His calling, it might matter before we step into ours too.

What Is Fasting — Really?

Fasting isn’t about spiritual performance.

It’s about removing something normal in your life to become more aware of your need for God.

It’s creating intentional hunger — physical or otherwise — so your heart becomes more attentive.

And during Lent especially, fasting reminds us:

We are not self-sufficient.
We are sustained by Him.

How to Fast (Without Making It Weird)

You don’t have to go extreme to go deep.

Here’s a simple framework:

1. Ask God What to Fast

One meal?
A full day?
Social media?
Caffeine?
Sugar?
Streaming?

Start with prayer. This is about obedience, not comparison.

2. Set Your Focus

Don’t just remove something — replace it with intention.

Ask:

Am I praying for boldness?
Unity on our team?
Protection?
Open hearts?
Personal surrender?

Write it down. Be specific.

3. Replace the Time

If you skip a meal, use that time to pray.
If you give up social media, use that scroll-time for Scripture.

Reflect on passages like:

Psalm 69:10,13
Joel 2:12
Gospel of Matthew 6:16–18

Fasting without prayer is just dieting.
Fasting with prayer is dependence.

4. Expect Discomfort

You might get a headache.
You might feel irritable.
You might really miss your coffee.

That discomfort is not failure — it’s awareness.

Every time you feel it, let it become a whisper:

“God, I need You.”

And don’t be surprised if distractions increase. Spiritual focus often invites resistance. Stay grounded. Stay steady.

5. Ease Back In

If you fast from food, reintroduce it slowly. Your body will thank you.

Fasting is spiritual — but it’s also physical wisdom.

Before You Begin

Pause for a moment.

What might God be inviting you to surrender?
What time can you intentionally set apart for Him?
What are you hoping to hear?
What are you afraid He might say?

Lent is not about deprivation.
It’s about preparation.

And a mission trip is not just something you do.
It’s something God does in you.

Living Sent Starts in the Secret Place

Before public ministry comes private surrender.

Before outreach comes intimacy.

If you’re preparing for an Urban Plunge or a Global Team, don’t just prepare your suitcase.

Prepare your spirit.

Make space.
Lean in.
Let Him shape you before He sends you.

Ready to step into what God is inviting you into?

Learn more about upcoming Urban Plunges and Global Teams at:

Surrender