At Mercy Hill, we’ve always said that growth isn’t the finish line—it’s the runway. We grow so that we can go.

Recently on the Breaking Barriers Podcast, we released a two-part conversation focused on what it really takes for a church to move people from the seats to the nations. In Part 1, we explored the why behind building a missions pipeline—the conviction that we don’t drift into sending; we decide to send, and we build toward it.

That first conversation was so foundational that I wrote a blog recap to help unpack the vision in greater depth. Now, in Part 2, we’re turning from vision to implementation. In this follow-up conversation, I sat down again with our Missions Pastor, Landon, to get practical about how this actually happens. What does it look like for a local church to raise up resilient, gospel-gritty workers who are ready for the field?

Here’s the big idea: We need as much intentionality around going as we do around growing.

Episode Recap: Key Insights from Part 2

This episode takes us inside the practical framework of the missions pipeline at Mercy Hill—a multi-year, intentional process designed to move people from awareness to action, from calling to commissioning.

1. Go Teams: The Foundation of Sending

The starting point of our missions pipeline is exposure. Our Go Teams—short-term trips with four progressive tiers—introduce people to God’s heart for the nations. These trips range from domestic church-planting partnerships (Tier 1) to serving with long-term Mercy Hill missionaries among unreached and unengaged people groups (Tier 4).

Short-term missions are often misunderstood, but at Mercy Hill, we reject the cynicism that calls them “poverty tourism.” Statistics show that 91% of long-term missionaries first went on a short-term trip. These experiences ignite vision, shape conviction, and help people take their next “yes.” At Mercy Hill, that statistic doesn’t stop at 91%—for us, it’s 100%! Every one of our 71 long-term missionaries first went short-term.

Go Teams are the lead measure for us—they form the top of the funnel from which long-term workers are sent.

2. Envision: Capturing God’s Heart for the Nations

The next step is Envision, a four-week class we launched to help people slow down and process what God is doing among the nations. Envision happens once a year in the fall and provides space to hear biblical teaching, wrestle with the weight of lostness, and clarify personal calling.

Each week focuses on a different theme—from The Missionary God (Genesis to Revelation) to The Unreached World, Holy Ambition, and Finishing the Task.

This environment bridges the gap between short-term exposure and long-term calling. It’s where people begin to see the mission clearly and respond personally.

3. DMI: Disciple-Making Intensive

From Envision, participants can step into a DMI, a 10-week intensive focused on gospel-sharing, cross-cultural ministry, and prayer. It runs concurrently with our community groups each spring and uses a simple 3-2-1 rhythm:

  • 3 hours abiding in the Word
  • 2 hours engaging the harvest
  • 1 hour praying for the nations

That 3-2-1 rhythm forms habits that outlast the program itself. Participants pair up to share the gospel, gather weekly for “halftime teaching,” and spend an uninterrupted hour praying for the nations.

It’s not just about information—it’s formation. Many who start timid end up leading the way in evangelism and prayer by the end of the process.

4. RMC: Residential Missions Community

For those ready to take the final step before the field, we created the Residential Missions Community (RMC)—a nine-month immersive training environment in an international apartment complex in High Point.

Participants live together, follow the 3-2-1 rhythms, and undergo intensive formation in gospel awareness, teamwork, emotional and spiritual health, and cross-cultural ministry.

Everything that can be tested is tested—team dynamics, conflict, adaptability, and resilience. By the time they leave for the field, these missionaries have already faced many of the challenges that will come overseas. There are truly no shortcuts to this process. We want people who don’t just survive two years overseas, but who will thrive long enough to make disciples, plant churches, and multiply.

5. Sending: Finishing the Process

After the RMC, candidates move toward their sending agencies—most often the International Mission Board. By that point, they’ve been walking intentionally for two to three years. The IMB may have seven weeks of formal training, but for sent ones from Mercy Hill, those seven weeks are built on the seven years of discipleship, equipping, and testing that came before.

This kind of preparation reflects the weight of the task. We’re not just sending workers—we’re sending people we’ve invested in deeply because the gospel deserves our best effort and our most prepared people.

Listen & Watch

Listen to this podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform. Watch the full conversation on YouTube or at the end of this post.

Closing: A Call to Build and Send

Every church can build a pathway like this. It doesn’t have to look identical to ours. The goal isn’t the method—it’s to send well so that the nations hear the gospel.

If you already have a process, refine it. If you don’t, start small. Create one next step for someone in your church to take toward the nations this month. We can grow without going, but we cannot go without growing. Let’s be just as intentional about sending as we are about growing—for the joy of the nations and the glory of God.

Andrew