‘People have to know about Jesus’

A phone call in July 2000 brought Mitchell (name changed for security purposes) tragic news: his college roommate from years before died of an overdose.

Having lost his grandmother only one day earlier, this second tragedy only compounded Mitchell’s grief.

Mitchell and his friend had talked about Christ during their time as roommates. But his friend wouldn’t submit his life to Jesus. On the other hand, Mitchell’s grandmother followed Christ, creating a stark, black-and-white contrast.

This pastor’s son gained a guiding path because of the grief.

“I know these two people in my life; I know where they’re going to spend eternity, and it’s different places,” Mitchell said. “People have to know about Jesus. Jesus is pretty amazing, and I want people to know about him.”

Now, 22 years later, the Converge global worker leads the Great Sea Initiative. This effort engages teams of empowered partners who make disciples among least-reached peoples in 21 nations around the Mediterranean Sea.

Befriending those who were far from Jesus

The year after his grandmother and friend died, Mitchell and his wife were helping a Converge church start. Meanwhile, he worked in a restaurant with a bar to utilize his culinary degree skills.

During those years, evangelism through relationships with his coworkers was a priority. Of course, there were challenging questions in those friendships, but Mitchell continued studying the Bible, which grew his faith and helped others know Jesus.

“I was convinced if Jesus was around today, he’d be spending time in a bar with people who were far away from him,” Mitchell said.

Related: How can sharing with people far away from Jesus increase?

As a result, Mitchell didn’t see a future in global missions. Why travel thousands of miles and uproot his life when many around him faced a dark eternity?

Seven years later, in 2008, God started to change his mind.

Sell, give and go

First, Mitchell and his wife discussed what God wanted for their lives. The answer that came first was to sell their home. Soon after, they sensed God wanted them to give more money to global work.

By the end of 2008, the couple had sold their home, moved into a smaller house and adjusted their lifestyle to fund more gospel work around the world. However, Mitchell and his wife soon realized God wanted them to go, not just give.

Mitchell talked with his dad, who connected him to Converge leaders. Then, in 2009, Mitchell took the Perspectives on the World Christian Movement course, an eye-opening lesson on the reality of least-reached people groups.

“It was the first time I remember hearing that two billion people didn’t have access to the gospel,” he said. “That blew my mind.”

Related: Knowing God’s heart

Mitchell and his wife went to Converge’s Missionary Discovery and Assessment Center six weeks later.

“There’s nothing else to tell you,” he said of his thoughts in 2009. “This is really how God is leading us. I didn’t know how weird this was. I thought this was just how it worked.”

Proclamation and demonstration of who Jesus is

By 2011, Mitchell and his family were in southern Spain. They started friendships with Christians of Muslim background. Their work was mainly evangelism through merciful acts like distributing clothes and food and teaching English or life skills.

“The whole goal was, ‘How are we going to talk about Jesus?’” Mitchell said. “It was a slow go, but it was very stretching. God did some really cool things.”

Related: Setting the table for friendship evangelism

One such act was starting a church for Muslim background believers in the town where Mitchell and his family lived. That church continues today.

Refugee crises across Europe redefine a ministry

Mitchell’s family scheduled a home assignment from Spain in 2015, around the start of the Syrian civil war. Tens of millions of refugees fled, many ending up in Europe and countries around the Mediterranean Sea.

Their dislocation had regional and even global impacts. The massive disruption of millions of lives also represented a powerful opportunity for Mitchell’s ministry.

“It felt like God was saying, ‘there’s more going on, there’s a lot more work to be done in the region,’” he said.

The church’s response, time and again: Is there anything more we can do?

Ultimately, the answer to that question is Converge’s Great Sea Initiative. Global workers in Europe and Mediterranean countries partner with indigenous church leaders to disciple least-reached areas.

Related: Converge’s priority is least-reached peoples.

“A lot of people are coming to Christ’s church because of what Christ’s church is doing in response to crises,” he said. “Everywhere a church puts Jesus first, people come to Christ.”

What is the initiative hoping to accomplish?

The Great Sea Initiative formed specific goals to pursue over the next several years:

• Focus on Muslims in strategic urban centers.
• Embrace marginalized communities such as deaf people, individuals with physical, emotional, and cognitive struggles and those in extreme poverty.
• Develop local leaders to continue long-term discipleship.

Mitchell said the team trusts God to move in half the region’s 21 nations in 10 years. They also hope to begin work among unreached people groups in another 25% of the nations. Finally, the team aims to identify leaders in specific unreached people groups among the remaining countries.

Technology helps achieve the goals

Mitchell works from his home in the United States, connecting virtually with indigenous leaders and Converge staff throughout the region.

“There’s a shift in understanding what can be done from different parts of the world,” he said. “Technology’s been a game changer in the world of missions in the past 20 years, just like it has been for every industry.”

Mitchell explained that using technology in new ways means Converge can focus on strategically reaching people groups by investing appropriately in personnel and indigenous leadership.

Related: How a Converge global worker trains seminary students from around the world

Just as technology helps Mitchell minister from the Midwest, those in his region find Jesus digitally. Moreover, he said more people are doing online searches related to spirituality, hope and peace since the pandemic.

“The pandemic has created an amazing opportunity to do online work,” Mitchell said. “The way they felt secure and safe in the past has been shaken. When those types of things are shaken, people start asking a lot of questions. Where people encounter Jesus in those questions, he’s doing amazing work.”

Those questions are finding answers online and through satellite TV ministries that share the gospel and generate discipleship.

“Now there’s a community of online believers,” he said. “People with a common language can come together and celebrate Jesus, share their story, and find encouragement because of technology. I love being a part of this time in history where people are able to seek in ways they never were able to before.”

In addition, gospel opportunities have grown among Muslims in the Great Sea region. Mitchell explained that some Muslims are re-evaluating their commitment to Islam because of terrorism.

“There’s a ton of searching right now,” he said. “There’s a discontentment, especially in Islam. Most Muslims say terrorism doesn’t reflect what they believe, so they start asking a lot of questions.”

Tough questions are part of spiritual triumphs

Mitchell has never shied away from such questions. Even when he was a restaurant manager in the United States, he remembered the reality that people have an eternal destination. So, as he talked with unbelievers, their questions encouraged him to study the Scriptures and know what he believed and why.

In those reflections, he learned Jesus is a wonderful savior and a Lord worth serving. Mitchell also discovered the heart of God for people around the world, especially in least-reached groups.

Whether working in Minnesota or near the Mediterranean Sea, witnessing in a restaurant in the U.S. or to an Iranian man, Mitchell wants every interaction to glorify Jesus. A desire reignited by the loss he experienced more than two decades ago.

“When we share the gospel and people come to Christ, that’s the Holy Spirit’s work,” he said. “We get to celebrate, but that’s not something we accomplish. What we get is actually to experience Jesus in a more profound and special way. Missions is a great way to experience more of Jesus.”

Converge is asking God for a gospel movement among every least-reached people group – in our generation. Learn how we play a role in accomplishing the Great Commission and how you can be involved.