A National in Mission grant opened an opportunity for a Colombian church worker to focus on human rights work with Centro Ecuménico Popular para América Latina de Comunicación (CEPALC). (Photo: Hannah Reasoner)

ATLANTA – Did you know that The United Methodist Church (UMC) empowers local leaders worldwide to deepen mission engagement through Global Ministries’ Nationals in Mission (NIM) program?

NIM grants enable Global Ministries’ mission partners to identify leadership roles they deem critical for the church to flourish and then employ skilled, local leaders to fill those roles. Because NIMs are native to the country where they serve, they bring a deep cultural and contextual understanding to the ways they build relationships, address needs, and implement and lead sustainable ministries.

Recognizing the vital role that NIMs play in deepening the impact of mission in today’s global context, Global Ministries awarded grants totaling nearly $1.25 million to the program in 2024.

“By investing in indigenous leaders through the Nationals in Mission program, The United Methodist Church honors the importance of agency for our mission partners worldwide to provide sustainable leadership for critical ministries,” said the Rev. Dee Stickley-Miner, executive director for mission engagement for Global Ministries.

Currently, more than 300 NIMs are serving around the world, working in various areas including education, health care, community development, pastoral leadership, evangelism and social justice. Many also partner with UMC conferences, ecumenical organizations, or Methodist-affiliated institutions to expand their reach.

A NIM grant opened an opportunity for a church worker to focus on human rights with partner organization Centro Ecuménico Popular para América Latina de Comunicación (CEPALC) in Colombia. And in Pakistan, a NIM grant enabled a student to return to his home country to answer a call to ministry: counseling survivors with the kind of trauma and terror his own family experienced in a deadly bombing.

You can support the NIM program through a gift to Advance #12122L.

Sara Logeman is the senior manager of content and marketing for Global Ministries.

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