Our mission field didn’t allow us to take a job there, so, if we were honest about what we “did” and why we were there, people on first meeting us generally viewed us as someone who had a big agenda–and 100% free time to push that. If we had met people that we worked alongside in a regular job, our beliefs would have most definitely come through, but our field is a culture that you can’t press a tract in their hand and demand a decision on first meeting (or second, or third, for that matter). The support model was very foreign there, so there was much apprehension about “who” was supporting us, both in the “church/denomination” area and the “individual” people. That gave them the fear that there was some faceless crowd in the States that had taken a strange interest in them (and in them essentially changing); we were the figurehead of that. Time was removing that fear, but then circumstances made us reluctantly leave.

That is not to say that everyone is a missionary, which I consider a job title, those devoted full-time to seeing the Word of God taken to the ends of the earth.

I like your question, and I see that you are ahead of the times as this post if from early last year and yet this is still a fresh topic. I’ve had to wrestle with this question lately as we find ourselves home from the mission field, uncertain when we’ll return and constantly facing this paradigm shift that the fully supported missionary is no longer needed as a job and if you want to go to [insert place name], then how will you support yourself?

I believe this stems from the fact that this paradigm is coming from “reached” nations, and I would even venture to call them “over-saturated” nations. They have a hard time believing that there might actually be someone else in the world who’s not heard the Gospel. To the missionary, this comes across as stingy, but the other side calls it “good stewardship”.

@James: “Religious Education Class”, as it’s called, is still expected here in public schools for now. It is a limited window that allows for general instruction and tends to include a smorgasbord sampler of “all faiths”. But it has been an opportunity for pastors and parachurch (like the Gideons) to get to share about God.

this makes me think. because, in general, the chinese are about as xenophobic as is possible. i may have experienced even more mistrust, if i had been working primarily with older people. but, serving as a university professor, most of the relationships i made were with either university students, or a few teachers (some of them rather open-minded). i only helped with one church plant that consisted of couples (old enough to be) with children. and i came into that process late — helped to train leaders and facilitate a withdrawal of leadership more than the initial evangelism bit.
.-= JamesBrett´s last blog ..finding purpose in resurrection =-.

Non-Christians are reluctant to continue developing a relationship of any kind once they ask why we’re here, no matter how I phrase it or even if I haven’t brought up anything spiritual with them. Their culture has taught them to be wary of any outsider, that especially religious ones have an agenda to be feared. Were I able to take a “regular” job here, my Christian beliefs eventually being evident wouldn’t put them off as much because there wouldn’t be the fear of “you’re being paid to convert me”.

The impediment to Christians here are several: due to the fundraising model they mistakenly view American missionaries as hyper-rich so they’re reluctant to contribute financially to any ministry despite being very well-off themselves, they misinterpret that if we weren’t being “paid” to do this we’d not volunteer in ministry, and they do use the “you’re paid–I’m just a regular person” to justify their avoidance of participating in any ministry work, Bible study, etc.

The last one is toughest as they feel we’ve made scripture memorisation, Bible study, etc. part of our lives only because we’re paid; they tell us “normal” people with “regular” jobs can’t be expected to do those extras. One hour a week at church is too hard a sacrifice for them now! Were we working a secular job alongside them and still able to read the Bible, etc. it would be a more helpful example.