Missionary biography movies youtube

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” – Hebrews 12:1

God has called us to share our Christian faith. Sometimes we can have a hard time finding the courage to share our faith. We can find the courage to share the love of Jesus when we hear the real-life story of men and women who showed the love of Jesus through the power of faith. My own personal spiritual journey has been guided by the stories of missionaries.

My parents bought me books to tell the compelling story of Christian missionaries. These men and women became my heroes. As a children’s pastor, I have made sure to teach the stories of missionaries. As an adult, I am still looking for these stories. Here are 10 Christian movies about missionaries that I recommend.

Silence

When I was a little girl, I would often spend time at the church where my father was the pastor. I got to know his secretary very well, she became like an aunt to me. She came to the United States as a refugee to escape communism in China. I heard many stories of the church in China.

The movie Silence is one of the first movies I have seen that is able to accurately portray the suffering and grief of early missionaries to Asia. Instead of being a cheery, joyful, popcorn-eating Christian film, this one takes a strong, unvarnished, and extremely realistic look at the frailty of people spreading the gospel in other countries.

This movie tells the true events of missionaries in Asia.

Warning.  This is not a film to show young children. I will give you an option for younger children at the end of this list.

End of the Spear 2006

This is the first story of martyrs that I learned as a child. This story impacted my life in a profound way. Later in life in college, I came across a book of letters by Elizabeth Elliot and her faith also impacted my life. This is a movie that I plan on showing to our small group.

This great Christian movie is the story of a group of missionaries who met as college students and then traveled deep into the Amazon jungle with their family members to find the Waodani, a tribe of warriors wholly cut off from civilization. After tragedy, the remaining missionaries have to choose if they will go back to the United States, or stay and continue the mission. This is a powerful message about forgiveness, grace, and compassion.

The End of The Spear, a true story, recounts the lives of five young men who devoted their lives to the gospel: Jim Elliot, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, Peter Fleming, and their pilot, Nate Saint.

These are young missionaries you need to know about. I would think if I was in the possession of the young widows, I would have a crisis of faith. But the widows understand the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ and show amazing grace to the tribe.

This movie was also a reminder of the hope we have in knowing that Heaven is real. And our eternal reward will be found there.

Beyond the Chariots of Fire at the Singapore expo

I have a daughter who is a track star. She competes at the state level. At the beginning of her athletic career, we made the choice that sports would never come before church. That meant missing some practices and even some track meets. Some might find this moral dilemma difficult. I did not.

The reason I found it easy to make this choice is that I grew up hearing the story of Eric Liddell. But what many people don’t know is that after the Olympics Eric became a missionary.

Eric Liddell, the hero from Chariots of Fire, ran his greatest race in war-torn China. He dropped a race he was favored to win because it was at the same time as the church. He went on to compete in a race he was not favored to win and broke a world record.

This movie is a one-man play Beyond the Chariots was filmed live at the Singapore Expo for 5,600 people. The film follows Liddell’s journey as a missionary in China, eventually serving the nation during World War II.

This is a great movie to help the young people in your life learn of the importance of standing firm and defending their faith, even to the point of death.

Freetown

I have a good friend who started missionary work in West Africa. It is not the type of missionary work we first think of. He takes university professors and studies to Africa to train the pastors there and give them a university degree from an American university, without them having to set foot outside of Africa.

The stories I hear from him about the pastors in Liberia have reminded me of the need to train the locals instead of sending missionaries.

This powerful movie, Freetown shares the story of a group of men, missionaries from Liberia, who travel across their war-torn nation in a desperate attempt to save a young man.

The Cross and The Switchblade

When I was in grade seven the book The Cross and the Switchblade was on my list of books to read for a book report. The story of Pastor David Wilkerson and gang member Nicky Cruz impacted my life in a powerful way. The movie was released in the 80s.

This was long before faith-based movies were common.

The movie and book tell the true story of David Wilkerson, a pastor from a small New York City village who becomes caught up in the shadows of a dangerous area. He finds hope in a gang leader Nicky Cruz, and the change God makes in the life of the gang leader.

Adoniram and Ann Judson: Spent for God

Adoniram Judson was one of the first missionaries that I learned about. I remember hearing their story as a little girl in Sunday School. I was very excited to hear their life story had been made in a great Christian movie. I was inspired by the lives of Adoniram and Ann Judson to share the great messages of the new life we can have in Christ.

Adoniram and Ann Judson, one of the first missionaries from America, dedicated decades to bringing the gospel to Burma. Despite facing resistance, persecution, imprisonment, personal loss, and illness, their faithfulness led to the establishment of a flourishing church in Myanmar, now home to the third-largest Baptist population globally.

If you don’t know the stories of the Judson’s I would say this is a film worth watching. Every Christian should know this story. The message of marriage, and standing together in the middle of a crisis will inspire you!

Free Burma Rangers

I first heard the incredible true story of the Free Burman Rangers when I was listening to a podcast. I had restored hope in the church when I heard the story of the dedication of these incredible fighters. When I heard that there was a documentary about missionaries Dave and Karen Eubank, I knew I had to see it.

This is the story of dedication. 20 years to bring the world of God, love, and hope to war zones.

Former U.S. Special Forces soldier Dave Eubank, leads the fight for freedom, justice, and peace in Burma. In this documentary, you will see firefights, heroic rescues, and life-changing ministry. The Free Burma Rangers, founded 20 years ago, offer help, hope, and love to internally displaced people worldwide.

Andrew Murray Africa for Christ

Visiting South Africa is on my bucket list. I want to see this great land. There are many stories of missionaries in Africa, and I grew up hearing all of them. It was not until recently that I learned the story of Andrew Murray, a South African minister, writer, and revivalist, who served with the Dutch Reformed Church for over six decades.

I was surprised to learn he had written the devotional classics Abide in Christ and Absolute Surrender. Murray believed in total surrender to God and mission as the church’s chief end. He established The Missionary Institute, training missionaries in Africa.

His life is a reminder to us all to tell the story of Christ and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. The word of God is our sword, and we are to go to the end of the world. The life of Andrew Murray is a great example of this.

Invisible: The Story and Hope of Mexico’s Street Kids

I have done mission work in the projects of Chicago, Detroit, and Toronto. These areas where children are killed in gang wars and turned into sex workers, and drug dealers before their sweet 16^th birthday. It is heartbreaking.

Mexico is one of the worst places for a child who is living below the poverty level. The movie, Invisible: The Story and Hope of Mexico’s Street Kids tells the story of Ree Boado, a singer-songwriter from Nashville, who is surrounded by street kids in a city filled with 22 million people.

These orphaned kids are filthy and on drugs. Ree wants to bring the Christian messages of hope and love for these kids, and she leaves her comfort zone to be with them.

Many people don’t know that Mexico City is the world’s second-largest city, and people flock from small towns to the city believing in hope. However, their hopes are dashed when they arrive, leading families to resort to the unthinkable.

In some cases, parents leave their children in tourist parks, leaving them in a life of emptiness and desperation. Ree and a team of missionaries aim to help these children find hope that is only found in Jesus Christ.

Community service in the name of Jesus is one of the best ways we can share God’s love. This is a great movie you show your youth group and remind them of a world that needs hope.

Torchlighters

If you want to introduce your children to missionaries, and their stories in a way that is age appropriate I recommend the Torchlighters series. I would buy the whole set as a great gift for Christmas. This series is a wonderful way to help your children learn about the lives of Samuel Morris, Jim Elliot, Amy Carmichael, William Booth, Richard Allen, St. Patrick, and many more.

This series is in my opinion the best Christian movie for children. The lives of the greatest missionaries are told in a creative way that will captivate your children and teach them Christian themes such as love, grace, and hope.

The movies are so well made that as a parent you will enjoy watching them as well.