Want to Be a Missionary? Ask Yourself This
Posted by C. Holland on Apr 23, 2009A good friend here in my mission field (a fellow American Christian who’s here for a secular job) recently had a great dialogue with me about why people find ministry so difficult in missions work. While our interaction was specific to our area, it did make me wonder if some of the following questions were posed to potential missionaries, either through their mission agency or their sending church.
No matter where your particular mission field may be, if you’re considering missions ministry (in the full-time sense), you might want to ask yourself the following questions.
In relationships, what if…
- you’re close to your family, but over the time being in the mission field, you realise that life “back home” is going on without you?
- you’re unable financially to return “back home” for every single family life event (weddings, funerals, graduations, etc.)?
- (for married couples) your spouse just does not want to do this?
- (for parents) your kid(s) just do not want to do this?
- (for parents) your extended family feel that, by moving internationally (or considerably further away), you’re keeping them from seeing your kids grow up?
- your Christian family members or friends suddenly become cold, distant or dismissive of your ministry when you’ve been on mission for a time?
If you’re fundraising, can you handle…
- the uncertainty of how much may come monthly?
- the fluctuation in exchange rates?
- when people (sometimes Christians) misinterpret it as “begging”?
- having to do your presentation at multiple churches, perhaps for years, all of whom do things slightly differently?
- if a complete stranger, after seeing your fundraising presentation, tells you that you’re wrong to go?
- maintaining a level of communication back to your supporters?
When in the mission field, what would you do if…
- difficulties or homesickness happens (and it will)?
- all the adoration from home fades or people gradually stop interacting with you?
- someone (even a fellow Christian) challenges the point of missions, or the point of you being there?
- you receive prejudice from the nationals because to them you may be: an immigrant, a foreigner, an American, a minority, or a missionary?
- your best options would be to work with other Christian denominations who are like-minded but not your exact denomination?
- it becomes apparent a year or so into your mission that what you do there must change slightly (perhaps working with troubled teens instead of building churches)? Would your supporters feel misled?
- things aren’t “moving” (attendance, conversions, etc.) as fast as you (or your supporters) originally thought?
- the culture or situation wasn’t what you trained for (i.e., outdated information prior to going)?
And finally, do you have a confidant/accountability partner, one each in your mission field and from your home country, that you can go to for Christian counsel when you do have a problem or issue?
Please know that I’m not trying to be negative or a downer about missions. Your answers to the questions may be in the negative but you may still feel incredibly led by God to go. It just seems to me that, if people have already considered some of the potential difficulties they might encounter in missions work, when some of these issues do come up you won’t be so surprised or scared out of the ministry so quickly. And missionaries, feel free to add to this list as I’m sure there are other questions that could be asked.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!Related posts:
- Missionary Presentation Training
I’m Not There: Why the Missionary Can’t Have It Both Ways
The Best of Intentions: Missionary Superhero
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