In a departure from most missionary-based ministries of the early 20th century, OMS, from its inception in 1901, has emphasized the training of nationals as church leaders and workers—believing that they, the sons and daughters of a nation, could best win that nation for Christ.

OMS International began ministry in Japan in 1901 as the Oriental Missionary Society. In the 1970s, we changed our name from the Oriental Missionary Society to OMS International to reflect our global ministry.

Today, OMS ministers in more than 40 countries throughout Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe and Africa. OMS-related churches now number more than 7,000, with a combined membership in excess of one million people.

When Charles and Lettie (the author of the best-selling devotional, Streams in the Desert) Cowman, Ernest and Julia Kilbourne and Juji and Katsuko Nakada began the work of OMS, they believed the best way to reach a nation for Christ was through its own sons and daughters. So, they opened a Bible training school and trained the Japanese to serve as church planters and pastors.

OMS, an evangelical, interdenominational faith-based mission supported by the gifts and prayers of churches, family and friends, focuses on intentional evangelism and planting indigenous churches, led by Every Community for Christ, the worldwide evangelistic church planting ministry of OMS; training national leadership in Bible colleges and seminaries around the world; and joining national workers and churches and other ministries in partnership to reach the nations for Christ.

OMS strives to be holistic. Because of this, we also serve in several other areas of interest, including: camping ministry; ministry to children and youth; construction; teaching English; medical missions; Men for Missions International, the laymen’s voice of OMS, specializing in short-term mission trips (work teams, ministry teams, prayer teams and evangelism teams); radio ministry; sports ministries; support ministry (administration, computers, finance, communications, etc.); and teaching.

For more information about OMS International—how to get involved by giving, going or praying―please look through our website or contact one of our International Sending Countries through our contact form.