This year, the major mapmaker for missionaries will be shutting down after 33 years in operation. Global Mapping International is losing donors and seeing more people utilize Google Maps and will thus be closing their doors on June 30. Besides the Google Maps factor, millennial donors are more interested in giving toward ministries that provide practical needs such as food, water, and shelter, which makes it difficult for a ministry like this to continue.

While this simply speaks to the changing nature of technology and donations, it also represents a deeper groundswell of change in today’s mission field. 33 is a number that often represents the death of Christ. Jesus was 33 years old when He was crucified, which brought about a monumental shift for His disciples. Now they were the ones who would go out to the world with the message of grace.

This year marks a “death” to some old ways of doing missions. This was a word already brewing in our hearts, but this article about a 33 year old missions company coming to an end just sealed the deal on sharing these thoughts:

There will be a fresh release of grace and a new emphasis on family when it comes to missions in the days ahead. Instead of the goal being conversion and empire-building, the goal of missions in this season will be on spreading the love of the Trinity and inviting people into the divine family–of which they are already welcomed and included. Expect to see more practical needs met with this vision, even as people are still radically called to change their minds and put their trust in Jesus.