ABIDE. EQUIP. SEND.
A Way of Life, Not a Three-Step Process
Send.
Discipleship is not a three-step process. Abide, Equip, and Send are three interconnected expressions of a life surrendered to Jesus.
We abide in God as we equip one another and go where He sends us. As we go, we continue to abide. As we abide, we are continually equipped. And as we are equipped, we are sent again.
It is not a line. It is a cycle.
“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You...” — John 17:20–21
Everything begins and continues with relationship—with God and with His people.
We believe intimacy with God is our life source. We seek to live from His presence, hear His voice, and follow His leadership. We don't want to build something for God that isn't being built with God.
To abide is to remain connected to Jesus—to continually receive from Him, be transformed by Him, and walk with Him in every part of life and ministry.
How does this look at Evergreen?
We primarily live this out through missional communities—an organic approach to discipleship built around relationship, shared life, and following Jesus together.
We cultivate missional communities both in the United States and among the nations where Evergreen Missions serves. We believe discipleship happens best when people walk together, learn together, pray together, and grow together in relationship with Jesus.
We don't simply gather people; we prepare people to live and serve.
We believe every follower of Jesus has a vital place in the Body of Christ. Scripture reminds us that the body is made up of many parts, and every part is necessary.
We equip one another through Scripture, discipleship, relationship, practical training, creativity, and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
Equipping isn't something that happens only before we go. We are continually equipped as we abide and as we go.
How does this look at Evergreen?
In our missional communities, we recognize and value the unique calling and gifting God has placed in each person. We encourage one another to discover, develop, and walk in those callings.
We believe that no one is simply a spectator in the Kingdom. Everyone has a part to play. As we serve one another, we become better equipped to serve the world around us.
We are called to go.
Jesus commissioned His followers to make disciples among every nation, tribe, people, and language. We believe that commission is still ours today.
We go to the unreached and the untouched. We go across cultures and across borders. We go not in our own strength, but from the overflow of our relationship with God and in partnership with what He is already doing.
And when we go, we don't stop abiding or equipping.
We go while abiding.
We equip while going.
We are equipped as we go.
How does this look at Evergreen?
We primarily focus on reaching unreached peoples—going to places and communities where the Gospel has had little or no opportunity to take root.
We seek to follow the pattern Jesus gave us by looking for persons of peace and building genuine relationships within communities. Rather than simply bringing something to people, we seek to come alongside what God is already doing and work with those He has prepared.
Relationship opens doors for the Kingdom.
Abide. Equip. Send.
These are not three steps to complete. They are a continuous rhythm of discipleship and mission.
We abide in His presence.
We equip one another.
We go where He sends us.
And as we go, we return again and again to His presence.
The cycle continues—from relationship, into equipping, into mission, and back into deeper relationship.
How does this look at Evergreen?
Evergreen Missions grows and moves at the pace of relationship.
Sometimes that means leaning back into the arms of the Father—resting, listening, receiving, and simply being with Him. At other times, it means leaning forward into the work of ministry—serving, going, creating, equipping, and reaching the lost, the broken, and those in need.
Both are necessary.
We seek to remain sensitive to God's voice and leadership rather than being driven by the anxieties and pressures of the world. We believe in teamwork, shared life, and serving one another as we serve others.
For us, Abide. Equip. Send. is not merely a ministry strategy.
It is a way of life.