Follower of One’s very own Mike Henry, Sr., had the pleasure of being featured in the Fall 2024 issue of Destiny Magazine. Check out his article below.
Mobilizing Workers for the Harvest
Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.' (Matthew 9:37–98, CSB)
Is there a better way to mobilize workers for the harvest? Can we help everyday Christians see their mission field?
I began to follow Jesus about six years into my career. With work frustrations and unfulfilled ambitions, I believed success equated with meaning and purpose. But, I grappled with the notion that goodness alone, but not too good, could fulfill my need for purpose. Frustrated by my career and the lack of purpose and success in my life, I began searching. God led me to get involved in a local church, where, after a few months, I discovered that Jesus provided a relationship, an eternal purpose, and a fool-proof, error-free path to heaven.
At age 30, I received a new life, but I still had my old job.
A few weeks after I first trusted Jesus, our church invited an overseas missionary couple to speak. They talked about how they were “called” into full-time ministry, sold their home and belongings, and moved overseas. I was so unhappy in my job that I remember telling Jesus I wasn’t excited about moving overseas, but I was open to options. What did I have to do to get “called?”
Weeks went by. Eventually, I realized Jesus was answering me, but His answer was more like, “You want to be a minister? OK. You’re a minister. Now get back to work.”
But for those first few years, and even today, I struggled to keep my faith at the forefront of my mind. My to-do list and job pressures tempted me to return to old habits for handling stress or solving problems. At the same time, I felt like I was excluded from much of the enjoyment of my faith, because I couldn’t get away from work to participate in church activities. Why was there no way for me to integrate faith into my daily work activities? Why did it seem like I had to leave work to do anything my church was doing? Even with mission trips, why did we have to take off work and go to another country to go on a mission trip?
A pastor once told me that when people take a mission trip, that’s when they “get it!” He was trying to get me and others from our church to go on a mission trip to Mexico. But, I kept thinking that I already “got it,” and I drove 30 miles daily to get to work. Why was my daily activity something “other” than a mission trip?
Over the next 30 years, I realized there were many things I could do every day with my faith, even while I was at work. For example, when I discovered our FedEx guy was praying for a coworker of mine. Over time, that FedEx guy and I began sharing prayer requests and praying for one another as he would drop off or pick up packages. Praying for my coworkers eventually became a pivotal practice, helping me live out my faith more intentionally.
In 2017, I launched an online community named Follower of One to connect with people unsatisfied with how their faith impacted their daily lives. I longed to connect with others who wanted their faith to invade more than Sunday or Wednesday. Follower of One became a place where people could share ideas, so that our faith would impact all seven days of every week.
After starting Follower of One, I told a friend about my conversation with my pastor. “Why not do a virtual mission trip?,” he asked. “What if we created a virtual mission trip for people who worked regular jobs and couldn’t get away to go overseas?”
The Marketplace Mission Trip was born in early 2019. This two-week exercise challenges believers to live their faith practically in their regular workplace or life situation. In 2021, Follower of One began partnering with churches, so they could lead these marketplace mission trips for their members right inside the Follower of One online community. Follower of One is the guide, helping a group or team take the trip without worrying about the technical aspects. Since 2019, Follower of One has led 40 mission trips involving over 1000 people from over 20 countries. Eight of those trips have been church or ministry trips, including one taken by a ministry from India. For these ministry-based trips, Follower of One team members train leaders to act as hosts, customize the meeting times and locations, and include the church’s name and logo on trip images.
The Marketplace Mission Trip has helped hundreds of believers realize that the distance between an individual workplace and a mission field comes down to five words, “Here I am. Send me!” When we pray, “Here I am,” it’s like punching in. We get on Jesus’ time clock and try to do everything we do today for His glory (Colossians 3:17).
Follower of One also asks people for feedback after the mission trips. While everyone doesn’t give feedback, over 80% of those who do have said they plan to keep their mission trips going. We hope everyone comes a-way from the Marketplace Mission Trip saying, “Oh, I can do that!” Follower of One is donor-supported, and while we do charge for the Marketplace Mission Trips, we don’t want anyone to miss out because of the cost. We ask members to pay it forward for others, and God continues to provide.
To view a PDF version of the Fall 2024 Destiny Magazine issue, or to visit the Destiny Leaders website, click one the buttons below.
