Demanding, beautiful, crazy, reflective, affirming … all these words describe our 804 km walk across the top of Spain on El Camino de Santiago (The Way of St James).
Now with 40 years in intercultural ministry with SIM and planning to formally conclude this season of ministry at the end of 2026, we set off on El Camino as a “change in pace” to ask God if we heading in the direction He wants for our next season of ministry. Along the way, God gently gave us some lessons in cross-cultural ministry.
“ Serving together in mission is not a sprint … it is a pilgrimage.”
To start well requires preparation
Most who walk The Camino prepare extensively, for months – training their bodies, choosing the right gear, mapping the route. We did, and we’re glad we did it together. Yet every pilgrim will tell you: no amount of preparation can fully prepare you for walking 20 to 30 km each day, with 6-7kg back packs and using walking poles. Ministry is much the same. Preparation matters but there will always be surprises. Paul’s call to put on the full armour of God (Ephesians 6) reminds us that we need the right spiritual equipment for whatever lies ahead. We are so grateful for our time of preparation in New Zealand at BCNZ (Laidlaw College).
Finishing well requires endurance
El Camino brought constant change: new terrain, steep climbs, rocky descents, long flat stretches, hard bitumen, rain-soaked days, a new bed every night, and new companions along the way. Heb 12:1 urges us to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Ministry is not sustained by a strong beginning alone. It requires daily dependence on God and endurance that is renewed day by day.
Pain is part of the journey
Pilgrims finish the Camino with stories of blisters, wrong turns, aching muscles, and deep fatigue. These disappointments are not signs of failure … they are evidence that the journey is real. Stress, sacrifice, difficult decisions and opposition take their toll. Paul wrote, “I bear on my body the marks of Jesus” (Gal 6:17). While some wounds in ministry signal the need for care and healing, others remind us that faithful service is costly. The question is not whether we will experience pain, but whether it will shape us more into the likeness of Christ.
The Camino helps us learn our limits
There are days when our strength simply runs out – too steep or too far – and even the best plans unravel. Rest, sleep and good food are essential to moving forward. As leaders in ministry, we are often driven to operate beyond our limits for too long. Yet Jesus invites us into a different rhythm, one where we recognise God keeps working even when we are resting.
The burden we carry is real, but it is light
Another lesson came from our backpacks. Pilgrims carefully weigh every item in their pack because every gram matters! Ministry carries expectations and burdens too. Yet Jesus reframes this in his words, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matt 11:28-30). The difference is that we were never meant to carry these alone. Christ invites us to walk with Him in a way that is sustainable and life-giving.
We walk a real path, following the real signs
Much of The Camino is well marked: a white-on-blue painted shell, bright yellow arrow or ancient stone pillar. In cities, however, the abundance of signs often makes navigation difficult. Ministry is similar. We live with many voices, traditions and influences. Jesus repeatedly warned his followers to “keep watch” … “be watchful” … “watch out” (Matt 7:15). Not every expression of the gospel we receive or observe is clear or pure, just like the murals of the Crusaders painted on cathedral walls with a cross in one hand and a sword in the other, or the images plated with gold stolen from the Americas. We are to return continually to the true gospel of grace.
We walk a path shaped by a greater story
Finally, the Camino reminds us that we are part of a much bigger story. Over more than a thousand years, millions of pilgrims have walked this path before us. We sense the weight of history and spirituality all around us, be it a massive stone church from the Middle Ages in a tiny village, or meeting with Latin American evangelicals who have emigrated to Spain for work, bringing the gospel with them.
We too, belong to a long story stretching through Abraham and David to Christ, the apostles and generations of believers who have gone before us, including in SIM.
Hebrews 11-12 speaks of this “great cloud of witnesses” cheering us on as we run our race.
Serving together in mission is not a sprint … it is a pilgrimage. There is a saying on the Camino: “Everyone must walk their own Camino.” As followers of Jesus, we are walking a greater way, the way of Christ. The goal is not simply to arrive, but to be transformed along the journey and to help others along their path. And the good news is this: we never walk alone. Christ walks with us every step of the way.
Phill and Diane Marshall
Is God taking you on a journey towards overseas mission? Contact us here to talk to one of our mission coaches.
