Operation Mobilization (OM) is one of the world's largest evangelical Christian mission organizations, founded in 1957 by George Verwer in Mexico. What began as a small team distributing Spanish-language literature grew into a global movement with workers in over 100 countries.
Core focus areas
- Evangelism and church planting, especially in countries where the gospel is limited
- Discipleship training through short-term and long-term mission programs
- Holistic ministry — disaster relief, literacy work, anti-trafficking, aid to the poor, and care for children at risk
- Mobilizing new missionaries — especially young people — through training ships, discipleship courses, and cross-cultural outreach teams
The ships
OM became famous for its bookshop ships:
- Logos and Doulos sailed to hundreds of ports carrying books, medical supplies, and Christian literature
- The 100-year-old Doulos was for decades considered the world's oldest active ocean-going passenger ship
- The ships are now retired, but OM continues land- and sea-based ministry in coastal communities
How it's organized
- Interdenominational — it partners with many evangelical churches and networks rather than being tied to one denomination
- Each country typically has its own national OM that recruits and sends workers
- Funding comes primarily from donations; mission workers often raise their own support
Notable legacy
Perhaps OM's biggest impact has been its role in mobilizing an entire generation of young evangelical Christians for missions since the 1960s — Verwer is widely credited as a pioneer of the short-term mission movement.
The official site is om.org.
Would you like to know about its work in a specific region, its history with the ships, or how someone might get involved?