Few people are called to everything at once. They are called to a next step. The journey below breaks the road into stages so that no single moment feels overwhelming. The first two stages are shared by everyone; then the path forks into your track.
The shared beginning
Discern - Is God calling you — and to what? Test the call honestly, with your church and trusted leaders. Here the road forks toward planting in the U.S. or serving overseas.
Where - Understand the need. Which regions are underserved? Where does your language and story open doors? This shapes everything that follows.
Then your track — the same four stages, two destinations
Track A - Plant in the U.S. (NAMB) · Track B - Serve overseas (IMB)
Prepare - Track A: confirm your gifting, complete the Send Network assessment, find a sponsoring church (or do this while serving in your current church), build a core team. Track B: confirm you qualify (citizenship, church endorsement, doctrine, family and financial readiness) and choose your pathway.
Train - Track A: residencies, internships, coaching, and theological training. Track B: the IMB candidate process, Field Personnel Orientation, and cross-cultural and language training.
Launch - Track A: choose a location, set up legally (EIN, 501(c)(3), bylaws), build a budget, and launch the church. Track B: deploy to the field — term lengths, family, security, and honest expectations.
Sustain - Track A: discipleship, leadership development, healthy governance and finances, member care. Track B: care on the field, re-entry, and coming home well.
About timelines — be patient
From first conversation to launch or deployment usually takes one to three years, not months. The assessment, training, and team-building stages are not delays — they are the very things that keep churches and missionaries from failing later. A call that is real will season well. Treat the wait as preparation, not as a closed door.
Remember
You do not have to see the whole road to take the next step. Discern faithfully, learn where the need is, and start walking. God tends to reveal stage two once you have been obedient in stage one.