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U.S. missionaries with Church Mobilization Wilma and Chuck Lormis believe that, regardless of occupational calling, being missions minded should be central to Christians’ lives. “Everyone’s part in missions is different. God calls us to equal sacrifice, not equal giving,” say the Lormises, “If everyone did what God asked them to do, there would be no lack of anything.”
When Wilma became a Christian at age 14, she did not know what being a missionary meant; however, she did know that she felt an intense call to missions. After attending Bible college and spending a few years in ministry with churches, Wilma became a missionary in 1990, arriving in Madagascar in 1992.
While Wilma and Chuck had known each other for years, it was not until a year and a half after Chuck’s first wife passed away that the two were brought together. “We call ourselves the odd couple of missionaries,” he jokes. When they married, Chuck left the pastorate, after 36 years of pastoral ministry, to pursue missions. The two began seeking God’s will and how they would serve Him together.
The couple knew that God was calling them into missions, but they were not sure where or what ministry would look like. “We were willing to go anywhere in the world but after much prayer, we felt called to help strengthen the DNA of missions within the local church in the United States,” Wilma says. Chuck completed the process and became a U.S. missionary in 2016 and the two began their ministry together. While they are located in the Midwest, they are willing to go anywhere to help strengthen missions and lift up the cause of Christ.
Expanding Missions Through the Church
One of the main facets of Wilma and Chuck’s ministry is working with local churches to strengthen missions. This can include teaching churches how to increase their support and giving for missions, raising missions awareness, establishing a missions team, and developing prayer for missionaries. For churches who are not sure what they need, they offer an assessment on their website that asks basic questions about missions in the church. The couple can then review the answers and work with the pastor to devise an individualized plan based on the identified areas of strengths and weaknesses in the church. “One of the greatest moments is when you see a church start to get it,” says Chuck.
Many times, struggling churches do not want to ask for help because they do not think they can afford it. Wilma explains that, because they are missionaries, they can help and serve in-need churches without asking for their money. “There is no dollar sign attached to our ministry,” she says. “We will go into any church. No door is too small.”
The Lormises help pastors and congregations understand the need for laying the groundwork of missions before attempting temporary fixes, such as solely raising money. “We just want to walk through the doors that God is opening, not try to push any doors open that He has not opened yet,” Chuck says. “We have pastors who we started building relationships with seven years ago who are just now ready to move forward.”
Expanding Missions Through the Trips
Beyond going into individual congregations, Wilma and Chuck serve as missions trip networkers across the Midwest and beyond. This allows them to connect churches who want to do something with a church or ministry in need. Together, they have led teams to work in rural locations, cross-cultural areas, inner cities, and more. “One of the greatest parts of our ministry is when you take someone on a missions trip for the first time and get to see their hearts expand,” Wilma enthuses.
Wilma and Chuck are specifically passionate about taking missions teams to serve pastors and missionaries who work on Native American reservations in the United States. She explains, “Some of the pastors on the reservations have served for many difficult years. When you see the light in their eyes when they realize that they have not been forgotten, it feels like we are bringing water to the troops.”
One reservation in New Mexico had never had a missions team travel to help them. While some teams had planned to come, no one had ever followed through for one reason or another. Wilma and Chuck were supposed to take a team to help the church on the reservation in 2020 but due to COVID-19, they could not make it. The determined couple rescheduled and headed to New Mexico the next year. Once they arrived, the Lormises and their team helped the Native American pastor and their congregation with many projects. By the time they left, Wilma and Chuck said the men and women were extremely encouraged. “When we are able to help the unsung heroes who are working relentlessly in spiritually difficult places, that is a joy,” says Chuck.
Expanding Missions Through Missionaries
Fully committed to helping expand missions in any way possible, the Lormises also mentor missions associate candidates through the fundraising process as they prepare to enter the mission field. They invite the candidates to their home every four to six weeks to build relationships over a meal, conversation, fundraising mentorship, and prayer.
“One of the most powerful things we do is spend time in prayer for each future missions associate and invite the Holy Spirit to speak into their lives,” they say. “We have seen incredible life-changing moments happen for people when the Holy Spirit speaks.”
Once the candidates finish their fundraising and itineration process, Wilma and Chuck get to watch them launch into missions across the United States and the world. The Lormises enthuse, “We just want to see the gospel moving forward, see more missionaries on the field, and get them there as quickly as we can.”
The Future of Expanding Missions
Moving forward, Wilma and Chuck want to expand their ministry to other places across the nation. “For us to try and do what we do in multiple districts on our own would be difficult at best,” Wilma says. The two hope to partner with seasoned or retired missionaries across the country who are willing to encourage and mentor new missionaries as well as churches.
The biggest key moving forward is staying sensitive to the Holy Spirit and being available to go wherever He leads. “We constantly ask the Lord to help us decipher the best from the good,” Chuck explains. “There are so many good opportunities, but we want to spend our time doing what is best.”
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