Does the Mid-South Still Have a Heart for Global Missions?

Internal Audience Label: Tier 2 – Missional Believers & Global-Minded Christians

Quick Answer: Yes. The Mid-South still has a strong heart for global missions. From Memphis and the 901, local churches continue to pray, give, go, and send—taking the gospel to neighborhoods and nations through Spirit-empowered obedience to the Great Commission.

---

FA Memphis Series:so we can make sure we know that these are being posted to Boundless Online Church (www.boundlessonlinechurch.org) Boundless Online Church is an online outreach ministry of FA Memphis Church, here in Cordova, TN.

---

A Legacy Written in Sacrifice

Let me take you back for a moment. Picture Memphis in the early 20th century, a river city bustling with commerce, music spilling out of Beale Street, and a small but fiery group of believers who caught a vision that wouldn't let go. Among them was Sidney Goodwin, a name that may not be instantly recognizable to everyone today, but one that echoes in the halls of Assemblies of God missions history.

Goodwin wasn't content with comfortable church life. He looked beyond the Mississippi River, beyond the cotton fields and city limits, and saw a world desperate for the gospel. His passion ignited a missions movement in the Mid-South that sent waves of ordinary people to extraordinary places, Africa, Asia, Latin America, carrying nothing but a Bible, faith, and the fire of Pentecost.

That wasn't just missions. That was Memphis DNA.

From Then to Now: Has the Fire Dimmed?

Here's the honest question we have to wrestle with: Does that same fire still burn? Or have we gotten too comfortable in our climate-controlled sanctuaries, too distracted by streaming services (the Netflix kind, not the church kind), too convinced that missions is something "other people" do?

I think the answer is more encouraging than the pessimists would have you believe.

The Mid-South, Memphis, the 901, our corner of Tennessee, still sends. We still give. We still pray over missionaries at altars and support them through monthly commitments. But the landscape has shifted. Missions today doesn't always look like a one-way ticket to a jungle village (though sometimes it still does). It looks like supporting church planters in unreached cities. It looks like providing clean water wells through Kingdom partnerships. It looks like funding Bible translation projects. It looks like mobilizing college students for summer mission trips that change their lives forever.

The heart is still beating. But maybe we need to check the pulse and ask ourselves: Is it beating as strong as it could be?

What Does a "Local Church with a Global Heartbeat" Actually Mean?

I love this phrase. A local church with a global heartbeat. It's not just catchy, it's biblical.

Think about the book of Acts. The early church gathered locally in Jerusalem, broke bread in homes, prayed together, served one another. But they didn't stay there. The same Spirit who filled them in the upper room drove them outward, to Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. Local roots. Global reach.

That's what we're called to. Not either/or, but both/and.

You love your neighborhood? Great. Serve it well. Invite your co-workers to church. Be the hands and feet of Jesus at the grocery store on Walnut Grove. But don't stop there. Let your heart expand to include the refugee family resettling in Memphis from the Middle East. Let it stretch to the unreached people groups in South Asia. Let it break for the kids in Central America who've never heard the name of Jesus.

We are a Memphis church. But our heartbeat echoes across continents.

The Scriptural Foundation

Scripture is clear: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation" (Mark 16:15). Jesus didn't say, "Go if it's convenient," or "Go when you feel called." He said go. The Great Commission isn't a suggestion for super-spiritual Christians, it's a mandate for every believer.

The Assemblies of God has always understood this. From our earliest days, we've been a movement of the Spirit that refuses to be contained. We believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and that power isn't just for personal edification, it's for witness. "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

Jerusalem = your home. Judea = your region. Samaria = the places and people you're uncomfortable with. The ends of the earth = everywhere else.

That's not a linear progression. It's simultaneous. We reach all of them at once, together, as the body of Christ.

How Memphis Can Lead the Charge Again

Let's get practical. If you're reading this from the Mid-South and you feel that tug in your spirit, that whisper that says, "There's more", here's how you can respond:

1. Pray with Intentionality

Missions begins on your knees. Commit to praying for unreached people groups. Pick a nation. Learn its name. Pray for gospel breakthrough there. Ask God to raise up laborers. Intercede for the persecuted church.

Prayer isn't passive. It's the frontline of spiritual warfare.

2. Give Generously

Faith promise offerings, monthly missions commitments, special projects, these aren't just line items in a budget. They're lifelines. Your $50 a month supports a missionary family. Your one-time gift funds a Bible translation. Your generosity plants churches in places where the name of Jesus has never been spoken.

Every dollar is a seed. Sow it into Kingdom soil.

3. Go Personally

Not everyone is called to be a career missionary. But everyone can go for a season. A summer missions trip. A two-week vision trip. A year of service. God uses short-term experiences to open eyes, break hearts, and sometimes redirect entire lives.

Maybe your "go" is across the ocean. Maybe it's across the street to the immigrant family who just moved in. Either way, go.

4. Send Strategically

Support doesn't always mean going yourself. Sometimes it means championing those who do. Adopt a missionary. Write them letters. Send care packages. Pray over them by name. Celebrate their victories and weep with them in their trials.

Senders and goers are partners. Both are essential.

How FA Memphis Can Keep the Missions Fire Burning

Here's where it gets exciting. In 2026, missions still isn’t limited by geography—but it’s also not dependent on a perfect moment. It’s built on consistent obedience: praying, giving, going, and sending from right here in Memphis and the 901.

At First Assembly Memphis, we’re not just preserving a legacy—we’re building on it. We stand on the shoulders of pioneers like Sidney Goodwin, but we’re not stuck in the past. We’re asking, “What does missions look like now?” and then we’re doing the next faithful step.

Our mission and vision is rooted in reaching people, building disciples, and sending laborers. When you join the FA Memphis family, you’re stepping into a community that believes the best days of missions are still ahead.

The Mid-South still has a heart for global missions. But that heart beats strongest when it beats together.

So, Does the Mid-South Still Have a Heart for Global Missions?

Yes. Emphatically, yes.

But the real question isn't whether the region has a heart for missions. It's whether you do. Whether I do. Whether we're willing to let the Holy Spirit stir us out of comfort and into obedience.

The legacy is real. The call is urgent. The harvest is plentiful. And Memphis, our Mid-South, our 901, is still a launching pad for the gospel.

Let's not just remember what was. Let's step into what can be.

---

Need prayers? Text us day or night at 1-901-213-7341.

(Note: This line is for prayer and pastoral support, not emergency services. If you are in immediate danger or need urgent help, please call 911.)

FA Memphis: If you’re in Memphis or the 901, join us in person at First Assembly Memphis, 8650 Walnut Grove Road, Cordova, TN. Let’s reach the world together, starting right here. Learn more about our mission or get connected.