Request an Invitation
In our invitation process, we seek applicants whose values, passions, and priorities are a match for Homeward. Missions Week exclusively hosts active or tenured missionaries with substantial experience.
Because love for Jesus and for the gospel exists in every corner of the world, Missions Week draws families ministering in over 40 nations. Our guests are united by an intense passion for Jesus, readiness to sacrifice to preach the gospel, and drive to accomplish what the Lord has set before them.
Our primary purpose is to support the preaching of the gospel to all peoples - and especially the poor and unreached. To that end, we seek the best possible cohort of missionaries and ministers whom we believe will contribute to fulfilling the Great Commission.
Each invitee’s core family is included in their invitation. This includes the minister’s spouse, biological children under age 18, adopted children (conditions apply), and other dependents.
Active or Tenured
Engages in ministry work full-time as his/her life’s calling. Devotes substantially all vocational labor to ministry, supported by donations. A missionary qualifies as tenured after 25 years of full-time service.
Missionary
Makes a long-term commitment to preaching the gospel to a people group which is different from their own.
Substantial experience
Completes the core work of missions (evangelism and church-planting) with competence and understanding - typically gained after 5+ years dedicated to one people group.
Additional Requirements
All family members fluent in English and holding legal entry authorization to the United States
Important Note: Though Missions Week is hosted in a resort environment, our DNA is conference intensive. Please be prepared for full days, as we hope to fill our time together with meaningful activities and enriching experiences. Missions Week is not a good fit for those primarily seeking a leisurely getaway.
Application Timeline
From beginning to end, the invitation cycle for first-time applicants often takes 4-8 weeks. The application calls for thoughtful responses (which may be best completed over a few days) and the applicant may be asked for follow-ups from our Guest Relations team. If you are interested in HMW, we recommend beginning your application as soon as possible.
To ensure that we are able to serve each invited family well, participation in Missions Week will not exceed 150 qualified ministers, and perhaps less depending on family sizes. When we are fully committed, all further invitations will be on a waitlist basis.
Our Definitions
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A missionary has a long-term commitment to preaching the gospel to a certain people group, which is typically different from their own. A different people group does not necessarily refer to skin color, language, or ethnicity - sometimes people groups within the same city or nation are sufficiently different to qualify as missions.
Indeed, many of the distinctive life experiences of missionaries are traceable to their need to bridge the gap between their background and the people whom they have elected to serve.
A missionary’s aim is to convert unbelievers and disciple new believers.
A missionary typically lives full-time with their families among their target people and engages day-to-day with their target people.
We consider evangelism central to missions. Mercy ministries and humanitarian efforts should be coupled with evangelism to qualify.
All services and programs should be freely given.
We occasionally extend invitations to missionaries who, while personally engaging in little evangelism, support a larger team in a manner which allows others to better focus their evangelistic efforts. However, in general each invited missionary personally spends the overwhelming majority of his ministry time and effort in evangelistic work.
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Active missionaries are continuously engaged in their ministry work full-time as their life’s calling. Missionaries should devote substantially all of their vocational labor to ministry, and in no event less than 40 hours/week. Missionaries are generally supported by donations rather than paid work or business ventures.
A tenured missionary or evangelist is one who has completed at least 25 years of full-time service. Missionaries qualifying for tenure are not required to be serving full-time to receive an invitation. -
A missionary with substantial experience is able to effectively do the work of missions with competence, understanding, and insights which are typically acquired after 5+ years of dedicated service to one people group.
Though we use 5+ years tenure as a guideline, this is not a hard rule; indeed, everyone grows into their calling at a different pace. Typically, missionaries who take extended sabbaticals or split their time with other pursuits or ministries will not be a good fit for Missions Week, even with more than 5 years tenure.
We expect the following as indicators of substantial experience:
Deep fluency in the language(s) of the target people group.
Understanding the culture and history of their target people group, with broad awareness of the opportunities and challenges of ministry.
Numerous personal ties and genuine relationships with the target people.
Notable personal sacrifices made for the sake of serving the target people, including for instance extended periods of separation from family and friends, financial challenges, isolation, and physical risks.
Regularly overcoming personal and ministry setbacks with emotional and spiritual endurance.
Authentic passion to reach individual people at a personal level.
What We Don’t Consider
Our Guest Relations Team applies an underwriting methodology which emphasizes the attributes that we prize. Below, we provide examples of common metrics which are not relevant to us. We hope by clarifying our target audience, applicants may better focus their responses help us gather the information we need.
Influence - We do not consider how much influence an applicant has, as measured by media produced, invitations for itinerant ministry, awards won, or association with a network.
Fundraising - Most invitees live by faith continuously, even after decades in ministry, and do not operate on large budgets.
Head Count - The size of a ministry is immaterial. We prioritize depth of impact over breadth of reach.
Giftedness - We deemphasize personal gifting, including spiritual gifts, but prefer to focus on “salt of the earth” qualities.
Fruitfulness - Many men of God we consider great lived and died with little to show for their labor, yet after their death the Lord built great works upon the foundations they laid. Therefore, we are not overly concerned with visible fruitfulness.
We evaluate each applicant based on their own circumstances. In general, our invitees demonstrate humility, conscientiousness, extraordinary work ethic, problem-solving creativity, focus on evangelism, and devotion to their target people in all seasons.
Invited Family Members
The missionary’s core family is included in every Missions Week invitation, provided language qualifications are met. Core family members include:
The minister’s wife or husband.
Biological children up to age 18 (up to age 23 if enrolled full-time at an accredited university).
Adopted children, if the adoption is legally final and permanent and the child was adopted prior to age 13. Children adopted at age 13 or later are considered on a case-by-case basis.
Additional family members, such as elderly parents, who reside with the missionary on the field 6+ months/year.
Additional Criteria
The following additional criteria will apply to all families.
The missionary and every invited family member must be fluent in English.
For non-native English speakers, we measure English proficiency on the CEFR scale. If you are unsure of any member’s English fluency, please use a free online test to measure it before you apply.
We have very limited capacity to make exceptions for English fluency. In future programs, we may extend our base language set if space permits.
The missionary and included family members must be permitted to legally enter the United States.
For United States citizens and permanent residents, please provide a passport or proof of permanent residency.
For citizens of countries qualifying for an ESTA under the Visa Waiver Program, please provide a passport and proof that an ESTA has been obtained.
For guests already holding a United States visa, please provide both the passport and visa.
For guests needing to obtain a United States visa, please submit both your Request for Invitation and application for a US visa as soon as possible. We will not issue an invitation without a confirmed visa appointment.
FAQs
I believe I fulfill all the invitation criteria. Am I guaranteed an invitation?
Each applicant’s ministry context and circumstances will be evaluated by Guest Relations. In addition to meeting the criteria, our Guest Relations team considers subjective elements such as mission, values, alignment, and whether our operational limits would allow us to issue an invitation.
There are many reasons our Guest Relations team may decline to issue an invitation, including logistical constraints. Invitation decisions should not be interpreted as an evaluation of the applicant or their work.
How does HMW’s definition for missions differ from others?
While many use broader definitions of “missions”, we focus exclusively on those personally reaching the lost and loving the poor on a full-time basis. We understand that evangelism is hard and especially so among unreached people groups. It is often discouraging, often lonely, rarely garners public recognition, and usually offers little proof of success or fruitfulness. Furthermore, evangelistic efforts may lead to persecution, harassment, and even physical harm. The vast majority of those who attempt this ministry give up, get distracted, or change the objective. Yet those who remain engaged in this ministry are the target audience for Missions Week.
Other Homeward programs have different qualifications.
How many guests attend HMW?
Based on current availability, we expect to host 100-150 qualified ministers and their core family members.
How long does the application take to complete?
The Request for Invitation is intended to be completed over several sittings, as questions will require the applicant to gather supporting documentation and provide long-form thoughtful responses. On average, we expect it will take at least 2-4 hours to complete the Request with all proper documentation in hand.
I don’t have a visa yet to enter the United States. What should I do?
We will not confirm your registration until you have met the requirements to enter the United States. Any guest who requires a visa to enter the United States must have a confirmed visa interview to be considered for an invitation.
How is HMW free?
Many families invited to Missions Week initially believed it to be a scam because we do not charge for our programs. All Homeward programs are funded through our staff and church community, by God’s grace.
We believe it to be the Lord’s will for us to offer our programs freely. We hope that this will feel familiar to our guests because it aligns with their own ministry practices.
For new guests who require further reassurance, you may visit the Facebook community which includes a number of prior Homeward program guests - and feel free to ask questions about their Homeward experience.