A Nicaraguan hammock sways between two trees in my backyard. It's from a recent trip I took with two missions team members and my husband, Ron Barnes, who is the Community and Missions Pastor for Flatirons Community Church in Lafayette, Colo. We were looking for partnership opportunities for our church to be more involved in making disciples all over the world.

Nicaragua is a tropical beauty that ranks second only to Haiti for poverty in the Western hemisphere. But while the physical needs of the people there are numerous, so are the needs of people elsewhere. So what would compel a North American church to get involved there, or anywhere in particular?

A Global Vision

Perhaps because more Christians today are interested in short-term mission trips, direct missions involvement, and missional ministry, an increasing number of congregations are discovering a need for a global outreach philosophy. A vision for reaching out to the world is imperative to guide good decision-making processes for ...