Today’s missionaries are often overworked and underfunded.
Their time and energy is divided between running local churches, reaching out to their communities, and discipling new believers.
Sadly, being so fully engrossed in ministry work can leave little time for missionaries to get the word out about everything God is doing through their work.
But now, a new ministry called The Good Story is stepping in to fill that gap!
The Good Story is a Christian organization focused on serving “missionaries and small under-resourced international ministries” in the realm of communication.
The organization’s founders, Ryan and Kelly Portnoy, realized that “missionaries often feel overwhelmed and underequipped to properly communicate what is happening in the field.”
Missionaries are often simply too busy actually ministering to communicate regularly with their supporters.
This causes their supporters “to feel incredibly disconnected in their prayer and giving.”
The Portnoys are both creative professionals. Ryan is a photographer and web designer, and Kelly is a writer. Both have offered their time and gifts to help their missionary friends raise support and advance the kingdom of God.
They realized that as much as they wanted to help all the missionaries they knew, they didn’t have all the skills or the capacity to do it alone. That’s when The Good Story was born.
The Portnoys drew their inspiration from 1 John 3:16-18:
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”
Ryan and Kelly wanted The Good Story to fill a need by helping bridge the communication gap between missionaries and supporters.
To that end, they created a network of other creative and technical professionals who want to be “highly missional with their gifts.”
These professionals donate their time and talent to “relieve the communication burden” placed on ministries and missionaries by “equipping and supplying them with visual communication, technology training, and on-field storytelling.”
“It’s a match made in heaven!” wrote Ryan and Kelly.
The creative and technical experts who work for The Good Story are called Ambassadors. The name is a nod to their commitment to spreading the Gospel.
Ambassadors “have the opportunity… to live, create, and give missionally of their skills and talents back to the Lord as an act of worship and a fulfillment of the Great Commission.”
Over thirty Ambassadors have joined The Good Story since its founding.
These Ambassadors are photographers, social media experts, videographers, writers, copyeditors, graphic designers, web developers, and even internet security specialists! Their gifts help support and protect missionaries around the world.
The Good Story is constantly on the lookout for more talented and driven individuals to share their gifts with missionaries around the world.
“We can’t emphasize enough how important it is that we find individuals who are proficient in their craft, humble leaders, strong communicators, [and] team players,” wrote Ryan and Kelly.
Ambassadors need to “see their talents and abilities as Kingdom tools.”
The Good Story’s most ambitious project to date is a documentary called “We Are Here”. This film tells the story of the Roma, a marginalized people in Eastern Europe whose lives are being changed by encountering Christ.
The documentary has been translated into three languages (English, Mandarin Chinese, and Serbian), with several other translations in progress, and it’s been viewed in forty-six countries around the world!
The Good Story isn’t resting on its laurels, however. The Portnoys and their creative team are constantly working on new projects for missionaries and other ministry organizations.
Ambassadors work with over 250 missionaries and ministries to spread the Gospel throughout the world, and they need your help!
If you’re interested in applying to be an Ambassador yourself, fill out the application on The Good Story’s website. It’s an incredible opportunity to use your creative gifts for God’s kingdom!
The Good Story also needs financial support and, above all, prayer.
Visit the organization’s blog to find out what’s going on right now.
Your support can help tell the good story of God’s love!