Resources for Missionary Recruits Online by Marty Andry, Doug Lucas, and Chris Bushnell

Chapter 2

Scoping Out Your Path

Preparing yourself

In the past, missionaries have been regarded as superhuman spiritual giants able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Indeed, as we look back at the history of missions, we do find many great men and women of God who truly made an impact on their world. Yet those same people would be the first to say that they were by no means superhuman. Nor would they claim to have an extra special claim on spirituality. They were people like you and I who made themselves totally available to God for His purposes.

The history of these successful missionaries has been recorded for us in volume after volume of biographies and journals. Yet we hear little about those who were not a success and precious little about first-termers dropping out. Of course there are dozens of valid reasons for missionaries to come home. But, sadly enough, a major cause of missionary failure has been lack of proper preparation.

Stephen Neil has said,"Christian missionary work is the most difficult thing in the world. It is surprising that it should ever have been attempted." (Call to Mission, (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1970)). Missionary work could well be the most difficult occupation in the world and is certainly one of the most important.

Many recruits face the field with naive expectations, and thus minimize the importance of preparation. In every professional occupation in the world intense preparation is required whether it be doctors, lawyers or engineers. Yet why do "professional soul–winners" all too often bow out of adequate preparation.

Medical doctors spend years in preparation before they see their first patient. How much more do we "spiritual doctors" need to be prepared to minister to those who are lost. Your smartest first step, after affirming that missions is for you (see Chapter One, of course), is to scope out your path carefully. In You Can So Get There From Here, the authors help the reader plot out a strategy. According to their plan, you will need to take the following.

Personal Spiritual Discipleship

Are you learning to pray and are you growing in your prayer life? Prayer, communication with the Father, is central to a steadily growing spiritual life. All of the great revivals were results of prayer. You need to begin to pray specifically for the lost and for those missionaries who are out there serving. A good resource to help you pray specifically and to educate you on the world's great need is Operation World by Patrick Johnstone.

Personal Bible Study

Are you studying God's word on your own on a daily basis? Knowing God's Word is vital for any Christian and especially for one who will be teaching the Bible to others. But mere knowledge is not enough. Are you heeding what you're reading? Are you trying to follow what the Word calls you to do? Are you involved with others who are doing the same to whom you can be accountable?

Part of the Body

Are you a part of a body of believers? When you became a Christian you became a part of the body of Christ, the church. You are a vital part of that body and each other part is vital for your well being.

Furthermore, are you a part of a group that shares your same interest in missions. Find such a group to give you encouragement and strength carry out your goals.

God gave the task of evangelizing the world to the church, identified as the local congregation of believers in Christ. The church is the primary means by which God plans to reconcile the world to Himself.

God uses other means also, such as Bible colleges and mission organizations but He instituted the local church as the institution to send out workers.

There are many opportunities for cross–cultural exposure within the local church itself. Naturally, this crossroads is a crucial one in regard to support–raising. You need to be involved in many ways in a local congregation to gain experience in working in the church, learning from experienced workers and finding out how the church functions. Also the local church is the groundwork for the whole enterprise of world evangelization. From the local church come not only the people for the task, but the spiritual support and resources as well.

Some mission organizations now require that a missionary be linked to a church, sometimes called a sending church. The "sending church" is usually a primary financial backer of the missionary and agrees to oversee the moral, ethical and spiritual realms of the missionaries life. When Paul and Barnabas set out from Antioch on that first missionary journey, they did not go on their own. They were not lone rangers. They went as a result of having been a part of a local congregation that in turn gave them the counsel, support and resources for the task.

Make your commitment known to your local church. Ask the leaders of the church to guide you in the process and to be your spiritual overseers. Use your enthusiasm for the task to ignite interest in others in the church so that the local church becomes a vital part of the task of winning the world.

Actively Witnessing

Finally, are you active in witnessing the reality of Christ in your life here and now? Sharing Christ effectively takes practice and if you are not doing it here, what makes you think you will do it there when the obstacles are even greater? But also, sharing your faith is vital in your spiritual growth. In Philemon, verse 6, Paul writes,

"I pray that you may be active in sharing you faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ." Begin to share your faith now with those around you.

Education

Not all missionaries have the same kind of education. Some have a broad, liberal arts education and then add in depth biblical, theological, and cross–cultural communication on a graduate level.

In the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ many missionaries have completed undergraduate degrees at Bible colleges and then gone to the mission field. Others have added graduate training in a seminary. A few have stepped out with little formal education. Your plans for the mission field will have a great deal of influence here.

For example, if you are planning to enter the field of Bible translation you will need specialized training. Fortunately, missionaries with Pioneer Bible Translators have developed important contacts with Wycliffe's Summer Institute of Linguistics, based in the Dallas, Texas, area. By the way, this is a good example of the kind of learning opportunities that can result from networking.

Some missionary organizations have certain educational prerequisites. Finally, some missionaries prefer to visit the field, or stay for a term, and then determine educational needs.

We would recommend that all potential missionaries have a basic understanding of the Bible and missions, including history, theology, philosophy, methodology, and cross-cultural communications. Beyond these a missionary recruit should think about the kinds of skills he will need in his field. Missionaries already on the field can advise as to what is needed in their area.

In summary, too many cross-cultural workers have neglected to properly scope out their education. Perhaps they inevitably received an education nonetheless, but, if so, it probably had to come through the school of hard knocks. Many of them have become a sad statistic of the astounding missionary dropout rate. Be adequately prepared academically and professionally.

Exposure to Other Cultures

Since cross–cultural experience cannot be obtained through books (though these will help prepare you for the "jump"), you could plan on an internship, a trip during spring break, a semester of study abroad or even a vacation overseas. Many missions offer short–term opportunities.

How do you find cross-cultural experiences? One of the best ways is to visit a missions conference such as the National Missionary Convention. For more information, contact the NMC office by emailing Walter Birney. There, you'll find hundreds of exhibits, side by side, many of which will offer mission opportunities to young and old alike.

Perhaps the best advice is to study the question thoroughly with concerned elders and friends, especially among those who will be supporting you. Don't forget to pray together directly to the Lord for his guidance. Naturally family members should be made a part of the final decision. If there is strong opposition from family members, take the time to listen to the reasons before making a final decision.

Often no one knows you quite like your family does. If you have relatives who are not Christians, this can be a good time for you to share you faith in a deep way with your non-Christian family. Even if they do not fully understand or are not supportive of what you are doing, they need to know of your commitment to your Lord. If they oppose your going, they need to see how deep your commitment to Christ is. You can also explain that this will be an excellent opportunity to demonstrate how well you can handle cross-cultural situations.

In some cases you may be offered the chance to participate in an internship" prior to actual long–term commitment. In addition, on–the–job experience here in the USA is an absolute necessity. If you aren't able to win people to Christ in your own culture, what makes you think you'll be able to do it overseas, where barriers are multiplied? But as Kane says, "There is no substitute for personal, practical experience on the mission field. It is one thing to read about missionary work; it is quite another to engage in it, even for a short time." (See J. Herbert Kane, Life and Work on the Mission Field (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1980), p. 75.)

Unfortunately some interns head into their experience with unrealistic expectations. They are out to change their chosen country for Christ, and they only have one summer to do it! This is not to say that interns can't accomplish solid results while they are overseas.

In 1986 during an internship program in Caracas, Venezuela, a group of 13 apprentices actually baptized three new believers in less than three weeks time. These were brand new contacts in a city where the Christian Churches had never carried out mission work and where the percentage of evangelicals in general is under 2%! By the fourth week, they had helped to kick off what became a new congregation. Within two years, the church was already averaging well over 50 in weekly attendance. In that particular case, it is not an exaggeration to say that a group of interns helped plant a new church! Obviously, this is not always the case. Kane offers a more realistic set of objectives for a short–term overseas:

• "It affords an opportunity to discover what makes the missionary tick.
• It gives first–hand exposure to life and work in a completely different culture.
• It helps him understand how Christians, who are often a tiny minority, manage to live and witness in a predominantly non–Christian society."

Few would disagree with Kane when he points out that these are "no mean achievements." But many are surprised to read that 25% of all short–termers eventually sign up as career missionaries. Some missions, including the one with which I am privileged to labor, have at times experienced percentages of over 50%. As a result, the PATHWAYS Internship Program has become the greatest source of personnel growth for our mission.

Not surprisingly, internships seem especially appropriate for those who are evaluating a future career in missions. While abroad, they not only can learn their strengths, but they are also made painfully aware of weaknesses. As a result, they are then able to custom–tailor a preparation track that will help them maximize their eventual full–time work overseas.

On the other hand, many have argued that internships are least effective for the "eternal interns." They are characterized by a supreme longing to buy as much air fare as possible in the shortest amount of time!

They can often be recognized by means of the number of mission fields stamped on the side of their suitcases. Their life is made up of a host of shallow acquaintances but little staying power for the long haul, where their new foreign friends will come face to face with the challenges of Christian living. Although becoming a tourist is perhaps one of the only ways to appropriately enter some creative–access countries, it would appear inadvisable in areas where career missionaries are the prime need. After all, stewardship of Kingdom resources must eventually be considered.(Note: It is the authors' opinion that returning short–termers should only be sought when they can fill a special need that national Christians cannot accomplish on their own.)

Although such voyages might help us feel better about our service on behalf of the less fortunate, it would seem that some "work trips" might need to be re-evaluated in this light. In the face of jobless national believers, it could be ill–advised to spend Kingdom dollars on air fare when locals might be able to perform a task equally well for less financial reimbursement.

What is the ideal length for an internship? Many argue that a summer isn't long enough. Their reasoning stems from the fact that upon arrival in a foreign culture, most people experience a certain amount of fascination with the new sights and sounds. According to their way of thinking, this initial euphoria can masquerade as an overly bright beacon, calling the intern back to an unrealistic world of cross–cultural ministry. Once he or she returns for a longer term, the real world suddenly becomes painfully obvious.

Not all would agree, however. In a study completed for the Peace Corps, L. Robert Kohl examined "culture shock," which he defined as "the more pronounced reactions to the psychological disorientation most people experience when they move for an extended period of time into a culture markedly different than their own." (See Survival Kit for Overseas Living, 2nd Ed. (Yarmouth, Maine: Intercultural Press, Inc. ), p. 62.) He found that there were routinely "not one but two low points, and, even more interestingly, they will accommodate themselves to the amount of time you intend to spend in the host country! That is to say, they will spread themselves out if you're going to stay for a longer period or contract if your initial assignment is for a shorter time." Perhaps a longer internship (e. g., six months) can affect the degree of "reality". But if this research is true, one is at least justified in saying that a summer internship stands a good chance of giving one a true taste of cross–cultural challenges.

Keep in mind, however, that certain regional restrictions may limit the variety of experiences you can enjoy. For example, summer internships to the Southern cone of South America can, in fact, give an unrealistic impression since the short–termer sees only the coldest part of the year. As a result, such outreaches as backyard VBS, puppet shows in the park and other outdoor activities are extremely difficult to perform. In other areas, such as southern France, the intern may arrive in the chosen field just as the majority of the population have departed for their month–long vacation!

What's the bottom line? There are no bottom lines! Each prospective intern must study the field carefully and obtain as much information as possible before deciding on a set length. The truth is, until colleges change their tradition of "summer break," many student interns are going to be forced into considering a summer internship, if for no other reason than convenience and/or degree requirements. Kohl's comments show that they will certainly face their fair share of challenges!

On–the–Job Experience at Home

The authors assert that any job, no matter how unrelated it may seem to the missionary task, can provide a wealth of experiences to help prepare a candidate for the future. Serving as an apprentice in a local church, especially under the wing of a qualified church planter or evangelist, just might be the best way to become equipped in general skills, such as personal evangelism, church administration, or the training of leadership.

Advanced Training

On the heels of all the above experiences, you will now be in the position to decide what further refining you may need. This advanced preparation will deal with the specific type work you'll be doing, or maybe with the particular region or people group. Once again, theological training should be thoroughly evaluated, especially for those who will be asked to assist in leadership training. Obviously, those who need other specific skills, such as medical and relief workers, would have special tracks to consider as well.

Questions to consider...

• It has been said that one of the best preparations for mission is to take the Perspectives course. Where might you be able to link up with one in your area?
• With whom could you start a discipleship group or accountability Bible study?
• What could you do to become actively involved in evangelism now, while you're still in preparation?
• With whom could you begin gleaning cross-cultural experience while still living in your homeland?

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