How I Became a Missionary, Part 3: Learning the Ropes
Posted by C. Holland on Jan 30, 2009This week I’ve been posting a series on how I became a full-time missionary to Western Europe. Click for “Part 1: My Backstory” and “Part 2: Ashes in My Mouth”.
So the scary word “missionary” was before us. God had made it clear that this was what He wanted for us, and it was rather daunting. Unlike some Christians I have met, this had not been a goal for either of us at any point in our lives, before or during our marriage. We were not PKs (Pastor’s Kids) or MKs (Missionaries’ Kids), nor were we hyper-religious. We did not grow up reading stories of famous missionaries. While I believed in the Great Commission and had much respect for those in the mission field, it didn’t seem like it was for me. It seemed weird. And difficult.
The questions started swirling around: what will this look like, how will we live, what about funds and, most importantly, where will we go? Some of our lack of comprehension about missions was further complicated by the fact that the large denomination that we were raised in (they are not responsible for sending us here, by the way) sent and paid missionaries at the administration level, discouraging the fundraising process or individual churches sending missionaries. We had a missionary or two speak at our respective churches, but because the need to appeal for funds was absent it seemed that few were willing to talk to churches about what they did in the field.
In hindsight, we tried to push the process too fast. Part because of our youthfulness, more because of the American go-go mentality. We knew it was somewhere in Western Europe and started doing research. My spouse started filling in all the blanks ahead of God, and we focused on one country. Kind of like, “Thanks God, we’ll take it from here.” In short, that wasn’t it. Meanwhile, God was quietly, repeatedly telling us where, and we finally started researching where we are today.
Once we had the country locked in, establishing the need and our potential roles there, the F-word loomed large: fundraising. Ugh. Talk about something that seemed so insurmountable. Our first reaction was to avoid it entirely. We still owned a business that could be managed from any location, so we originally thought we’d fund ourselves. Until we realised the cost of living plus the unfavourable exchange rate meant we’d have to spend decades building the business up to a reasonable support level. Again, the “Thanks God, but we’ll get there ourselves” mentality.
It was on this point that God seriously began to convict us about our individualistic nature. Society had taught us that missionary fundraising was tantamount to begging, and I’m sorry to say that some Christian friends and family still see it that way. Of course, this had a lot to do with the denominational attitude of removing the individual churches from the process. I’m not saying that the denomination has it completely wrong; it just made it difficult for us in our sphere of potential supporters.
We investigated numerous mission boards or sending agencies, and there were benefits and negatives with each. But the biggest negative that they all shared? No one wanted to send missionaries to the country in Western Europe that God had very specifically indicated. This was confusing to us, especially as it is not a highly dangerous country and some of the agencies sent to other parts of Europe (some didn’t see Europe as a mission field at all). The answer the agencies kept giving was: it’s not financially worth it due to the slow rate of conversions. Ouch.
I’m so glad there are missionaries all over this great big world, especially where there is a great harvest happening. And I’ll admit that our part of Western Europe does not require large amounts of helpers in the harvest—at the moment. I respect the agencies’ stance and appreciate that they are trying to be the best stewards of God’s resources. However, if God is specifically calling a small number to prepare the way for a harvest that may be decades off, I just don’t think that is a bad thing, either.
After much prayer, we decided that God wanted us to raise support. God had to break us of our independence and bad attitudes about the “begging” missionaries that we were about to become. Without a mission board to send or train us (we are sent by our home church who do not typically send missionaries), we relied on a book by Scott Morton called “Funding Your Ministry: Whether You’re Gifted or Not”. We certainly would have made several missteps without it, and it was a huge help. But nothing could prepare us for the emotional roller coaster we would experience when we went public with our plans.
Nest post: Part 4, You’re Nuts
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!Related posts:
- How I Became a Missionary, Part 4: You’re Nuts
How I Became a Missionary, Part 5: “No Plan B” and Conquering By Continuing
How I Became a Missionary, Part 2: Ashes in My Mouth
Missionary Confidential by Email
January 31st, 2009 at 5:28 am
Thanks, this series is proving very interesting. i cant seem to find the book you mentiom apart from a few expensive used copies online, any ideas?
January 31st, 2009 at 11:14 am
Hi Liam, I’m glad you’re following the series. “Funding Your Ministry” was published by NavPress. If you visit their site at http://www.NavPress.com, they might be able to help you out. Best of luck and God Bless!
February 9th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
Great series! I imagine it’s hard to “sell yourself” as a missionary to Western Europe but thank God there are people obeying God’s call to go into ALL the nations. I’m sure you guys have it much more difficult working in a truly post-Christian society than, say, in the Developing World where the faith is flourishing.
Your blog is everything a good mission blog should be – interesting, informative and HONEST!
God bless you guys!
Greg
February 9th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Hi Greg,
Thanks so much for the feedback. I wouldn’t say we have a more difficult time over here as I feel all missionaries have a challenge on their hands no matter where they are placed by God. God Bless your work in Mexico!