How to avoid becoming a missionary
- A tongue-in-cheek, humorous list of sure-fire ways to avoid
becoming a cross-cultural Christian missionary
- Stay away from missionaries. They will distract you from
tightly embracing a materialistic lifestyle.
- Focus on how bad a missionary you would be based on your
shortcomings. Don't think about Moses, David, Jonah, Peter, or
Mark, all of whom had to overcome failures.
- If you do not want to be called to be a missionary, listen to
people who say you are indispensable right where you are.
"My wife and I are considering church-planting on a foreign field. Your 10 ways to
avoid becoming a missionary are very challenging." — John C., Indiana
How not to become a missionary
Stay away! Steer clear! Weasel out of it!
To avoid winding up as a foreign missionary . . .
- Ignore Jesus' request in John 4:35 that we take a long, hard look at the
fields. Seeing people's needs can be depressing and very unsettling. It could lead to
genuine missionary concern.
John 4:35 "Do you not say, `Four months more and then the
harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest." (More
on John 4:35
Other Bible passages on
missions)
- Focus your energies on socially legitimate targets. Go after a bigger salary. Focus
on getting a job promotion, a bigger home, a more luxurious car, or future financial security.
Along the way, run up some big credit card debts.
- Get married to somebody who thinks the "Great
Commission" is what your employer gives you after you make a big sale. After
marriage, embrace the socially accepted norms of settling down, establishing a respectable
career trajectory, and raising a picture-perfect family.
- Stay away from missionaries. Their testimonies can be disturbing. The situations
they describe will distract you from embracing wholeheartedly the materialistic lifestyle of your
home country.
- If you happen to think about a mission calling, restrict your attention to countries where
it's impossible to openly do Christian missionary work. Think only about North Korea,
Saudi Arabia, China, and other similar countries that seem to be walled off from any Gospel
witness. Forget the vast areas of our globe open to missionaries. Never, never listen to talk about
creative access countries.
- Think how bad a missionary you would be based on your own past failures. It is
unreasonable to expect you will ever be any better. Don't even think about Moses, David, Jonah, Peter, or Mark, all of
whom had to overcome serious failures. [
more on Jonah | e-book on
Jonah ]
- Always imagine missionaries as talented, super-spiritual people who stand on lofty
pedestals. Maintaining this image of missionaries will heighten your own sense of
inadequacy. Convincing yourself that God does not use ordinary people as missionaries
will smother any guilt you may feel about refusing to even listen for a missionary call from God.
- Agree with the people who tell you that you are indispensable where you are. Listen
when they tell you that your local church or home country can't do without you. [ Apple pickers parable ]
- Worry incessantly about money. [ simple lifestyle ]
- If you still feel you must go, go out right away without any preparation or training.
You'll soon be home again, and no one will ever blame you for not trying!
Inspired by Stewart Dinnen's list in How are you doing?
(Bromley: STL Books)
"I must put God and His vision ahead
of my personal checklist" — Fred
Fullerton, former director, Nazarene Youth International
|
Pledge to work toward Great Commission fulfillment
Count me in, Lord
Would you sign this?
"I believe that God's command to take the Gospel message to all peoples
applies to every Christian.
"Therefore, I pledge myself to do whatever God asks of me to fulfill the
Great Commission articulated in
Matthew 28:19-20.
- "I understand this will likely mean praying regularly for people groups who have not yet
heard.
- "I understand this will likely mean sacrificially giving money to support missions.
- "I understand it may mean going myself as a missionary.
"Whatever it means, I am saying 'yes' to all of it."
" It is fine to be aware of the need for global evangelization and to have statistics at
the ready to discuss the millions of people across the globe who are as yet unreached by the
gospel. However, God does not call the church to be a fount of information. God calls the church
to be an agent for global evangelization and the redemption of the world." -- LeAnn T.,
Northwest Nazarene University student
Challenges Missionaries Face
Missionary life is not always "a Bed of Roses." Being a foreign missionary can be a deeply
rewarding experience. However, missionaries may also face challenges and be impacted
negatively by things that include:
- Cultural Differences: Adapting to a new culture can
be difficult. Missionaries may struggle to connect with local people as misunderstandings and
miscommunications occur.
- Feeling Disconnected: Being far from family,
friends, and familiar surroundings can lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation. This can be
especially hard during holidays and special days like birthdays and anniversaries.
- Health Risks: Many missionaries work where there
is limited access to medical care. They can also be exposed to diseases that are not common in
their home countries and for which they are familiar with the remedies.
- Security Concerns: In some world areas,
missionaries are surrounded by political instability, crime, and violence. They may also be targets
of hostility or persecution simply because they are Christian missionaries.
- Emotional and Psychological Stress: The challenges
of cross-cultural living and ministry can lead to high levels of stress. The time it takes to results
in their ministry or living amidst suffering or extreme poverty can take a toll on missionaries'
mental health.
- Financial Strain: Many missionaries rely on
donations from their home churches or organizations. When that support is unstable, the sense
of financial insecurity can be stressful. That can impact the missionaries' ability to effectively
carry on their miniostry.
- Ethical Dilemmas: Missionaries may encounter
ethical challenges in trying to balance respect for local customs and traditions with the desire to
promote Christian choices and values.
- Impact on Family: The missionary lifestyle can
sometimes be hard on children, who also must adapt to new cultures and face some of the same
challenges as their parents and then go through reverse culture shock upon returning to their
"home country."
- Bureaucratic and Legal Challenges: Navigating
foreign legal and bureaucratic systems can be confusing and frustrating. That is especially true in
areas where there are restrictions on religious activities.
- Questioning Impact: Missionaries ministering among unresponsive populations may
question whether their ministry is having any long-term impact. That can create feelings of doubt
and inadequacy.
-- Howard Culbertson,
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