What's new?
Want more out of life?
10/40 Window
Searching for God's will?
An African martyr's statement on commitment
Mission trip fund raising
10 ways to ruin a short-term mission trip
Youth in Mission
Nazarene Missions International resource pages
Linking to me
Adoniram Judson's son wrote that his dad -- pioneer missionary to Burma -- was an ideal missionary because of his "scholarly tastes, affectionate disposition, and fervent piety." That's a good combination. Here's a longer listing:
- The ideal graduate of SNU's mission program would be an individual of deep spirituality. Key word: "Faithfulness"
- The person would be both curious and humble in his or her approach to cultures as well possessing as a desire to interact with people very different from him or her. Key thought: "Willingness to study and adapt"
- There would be an understanding of and an eagerness to work with contextualization issues. Key word: "Discernment"
- The person would be passionate about achieving long-term Kingdom goals rather than being content with short-term successes.
- The person would be committed to the church as an organism and as an institution. Key word: "Dedication"
- The person would have a drive to speak well the language of the people to whom he or she will go.
- The person could effectively communicate with home constituency about their ministry vision, activities and needs. Key word: "Mobilizer"
- The person would feel at ease being in company with and in making friends with educated people of other cultures
- The person would have a "clear missionary vision," i.e. a sense of what God has called the Church to do and where we are in terms of fulfilling that call. Key thought: "On fire with love"
- The person would be, as was said of William Borden, a "striking example of Christian stewardship." He or she would know how to husband resources as well as being both strategic and creative in using what is available. Key word: "Versatile"
What should I read?
- In terms of raising support: People Raising: A Practical Guide to Raising Support by William P. Dillon
- For a book on how missions should be empowering local people, read: The Great Omission by Steve Saint
- For a book with some missions history and biblical background and just general passion: Passion for the Heart of God by John Zumwalt
- For a look at how God prepares the hearts of people: Eternity in Their Hearts by Don Richardson
- One that Youth in Mission has promoted for its participants is: Compassion by Henri Nouwen
| ||||||||||||||
Howard Culbertson, Southern Nazarene University, 6729 NW 39th, Bethany, OK 73008 | Phone: 405-491-6693 - Fax: 405-491-6658
Copyright © 2002 - Last Updated: March 19, 2006 | URL: http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/ideal.htm
You have permission to reprint what you just read. Use it in your ezine, at your web site or in your newsletter. Please include the following footer:
Article by Howard Culbertson. For more original content like this, visit: http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert