Missions-Expanding Missionaries

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 an AG world missionary in 1990.

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 in the United States — or the world — 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, the Lormises 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.

The Lormises are specifically passionate about taking missions teams to serve pastors and missionaries who work on Native American reservations in the United States. Wilma 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. Wilma and Chuck took a team to help the church on the reservation in 2021, helping the Native American pastor and their congregation with many projects. By the time they left, the couple reported that 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 missionary associate candidates through the itineration process as they prepare to enter the mission field. They invite candidate missionary associates 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 missionary 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 . . . 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 see their ministry expand to more districts and ministry networks. However, doing what they do in multiple districts would be difficult at best. To expand the ministry, they are now looking to partner with seasoned or retired missionaries across the country who are willing to encourage and mentor new missionaries as well as churches.

But the biggest key for the couple 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.”