Nathan Sloan recently posted an article on The Gospel Coalition website entitled, The Kind of Missionaries the Global Church Wants. He identifies five personal characteristics that are likely to lead to long-term fruitfulness in a cross-cultural context. Below you will find a summary of these characteristics.
- Proven and Well-Equipped—These people are faithful followers of Jesus, well-trained in theology and missiology, and proven in their local churches before they arrive on the field.
- Socially and Relationally Adept–They don’t just love the idea of missions. They love the people they serve and are willing to regularly spend generous time with them.
- Gritty and Persevering—They understand that the missionary life will be full of challenges, and they are willing to persevere when difficulties arise.
- Moderate and Frugal—They are willing to live on the material level of the people to which they are called..
- Humble and Teachable—They remain teachable and are always learning.
These are good points, and I applaud Mr. Sloan for asking these questions of local leaders. It is all too common for expatriate missionaries to glean their cultural knowledge from other expats. After spending 25+ years on the ground in the Arab World as a field missionary, I am more convinced than ever that our local friends are the key to our longevity and cultural integration. Both of these are elements the Holy Spirit uses to help us bear much fruit in difficult places.
I have taken a few moments to add to Mr. Sloan’s five assertions. While they ideas are based on my personal field experience, they seem to be transferable, as I have seen many new missionaries successfully apply these principles in their lives and ministries.
Proven and Well-Equipped
A tension exists between sending workers out early in their lives on short-term assignments and waiting until they have acquired life experience and maturity. The reality is that the older potential workers are , the less likely they are to move overseas. Generally speaking, this is because people get settled in a life that is hard to leave. While it is easier to mobilize younger people, there are some challenges to this approach.
One of my close friends serves as the leader of a national church in the Middle East. He recently told me that he was surprised by not only the lack of life experience of some of those who come out but also their corresponding lack of spiritual maturity. This leader is not anti-missionary. His response to the above-mentioned article was very gracious. He even commented about the unnecessary, self-flagellatory nature of Mr. Sloan’s post. This brother sees himself and his family as the result of missionary efforts and would consider himself “pro-missionary.” Nevertheless, he sees challenges in the current “younger is better” approach.
Some organizations have developed what are commonly referred to as training or launch teams. These teams are generally located in the region where the new missionary hopes to continue his or her work. The idea is that the training received on the field is more effective than that received in a home-based environment where the information received would be more generic. There is some validity to this; however, it is not a panacea for all that is wrong with not being “well-equipped.” Many of the challenges that young people face when arriving on the field are not related as much to missional engagement as to the lack of life skills. These new missionaries are coming straight from university—many having never worked a full-time job. It is rare to find younger missionaries with cross-generational relational skills.
I do not mean to pick on any age group or demographic. We simply don’t know what we don’t know, and the younger one is, the more that falls into this category. It seems to me that 25-27 is the ideal age for a single coming to the field. I would push that back 3-5 years for a couple. This gives them time to develop a strong foundation for their marriage and family without the added stresses of cross-cultural living. This delayed approach also gives all of those interested in missionary service the opportunity to grow in life skills, spiritual development, and gift assessment and application.
Relational and Socially Adept
I think there are potentially three factors working against missionaries as it relates to relational soft skills. First, the global connectivity of these digital natives works against forming close personal connections on the field. We all have social needs, but when all or most of those needs are being met through digital connectivity with friends and family back home, we are less likely to connect locally. Likewise, we all have limited social energy (and that tends to shrink in cross-cultural contexts where relationships require more work), and if we aren’t careful, we can spend all our energy on pre-existing relationships back home.
Next, many younger ministers have grown up with the idea of digital platforms from which they “do ministry” rather than the “people-focused” ministry of the N.T. While I don’t believe it is necessary for all new personnel to have pastored, they do need to have the heart of a shepherd. After all, what real ministry is there that isn’t people-focused?
Finally, if we aren’t careful, missionary teams can become the new missionary compounds. Many teams have schedules that are so structured that they have little or no time for local people. Some teams measure the number of times a worker shares the gospel during a given week, but they don’t ask how many hours were spent in simply conversation. We discovered through the years that meaningful conversations often happened only after many visits during which countless cups of tea were drank and trust was built. Those relationships that developed the most were ones in which we were able to celebrate together in times of joy and mourn together during times of loss. These are events that don’t work well with rigid schedules. I am not discouraging spontaneous, Spirit-led conversations, but these will be more fruitful if we have gone deep with a handful of local friends.
Gritty and Persevering
There are two parts to this issue. The first relates to life experience and grittiness. I remember hearing Rick Warren say that he always asked potential ministers wanting to join the Saddleback staff a common question: “What’s been your biggest failure in life?” Most missions organizations ask potential missionaries during their application process to share about particularly tough times in their life or ministry. This is beneficial, but it’s different than asking about one’s own failings. If there was one personal trait I could magically (or spiritually) bestow on every new worker, it would be the understanding that “the buck stops here.” Yes, we need to be willing to work together, but we need to take personal responsibility (with no excuses) for our part of ministry effectiveness. It is countercultural today to own one’s mistakes when it is easier to blame others, but this practice facilitates growth and fosters healthy relationships.
Secondly, and simpler, is the understanding that crossing a body of water won’t make you something you weren’t at home. If you weren’t a disciple-maker in your home culture, you’re not likely to become one when the relational challenges are greater. For this reason, I believe a history of spiritual fruitfulness should be an absolute litmus test for missionary approval. An absence of this fruit doesn’t permanently prevent one from cross-cultural service, but it should postpone it.
Moderate and Frugal
Interestingly, none of the indigenous church leaders I talked to put much emphasis on this point. They said it wasn’t necessarily the size or niceness of the home people lived in (within reason) that made the difference. It was the degree of hospitality that was demonstrated in that home. Some people treat their home like a castle to which they retreat after a busy day. Others (though not many westerners) operate with a total “open door policy.” Some say there is no right or wrong approach. I think that statement is phrased incorrectly. There is no “one size fits all” approach, but there are wrong approaches. Any way of living that keeps local people at arm’s length will lead to long-term ineffectiveness, and any approach that refuses to set acceptable boundaries will lead to burnout. I have found one good way to find your sweet spot is to figure out where you are most comfortable, and then stretch yourself a little beyond that. If you do this enough times, you’ll be able to connect well with your new neighbors while not completely sacrificing who you are.
One last note, when making large decisions that might send unintended messages (i.e., the location, size, or style of a home to rent, a car to purchase, or where to send children to school), it is wise to bring local friends into the process. I can think of many times when local friends protected us from making decisions that could have had negative consequences.
Humble and Teachable
I have come to the realization that it is much easier to “discern” pride in others than to spot it in the mirror. I’ve known workers who constantly asked questions, but it seemed to be purely for the acquisition of information. They were students rather than learners. I’ve also seen many missionaries who chose to humbly posture themselves as servants, constantly learning and being ready to own and learn from their mistakes. If the Great Commission is our marching order, then Philippians 2 ought to be our methodology. We need to ask ourselves regularly what it looks like to refrain from selfish ambition while acknowledging that no field of Christian service protects one from this vice. Likewise, we need to position ourselves daily as learners, understanding that we can learn from anyone and everyone.
Importantly, when seeking out partnerships with national partners, it is important that they are also humble and teachable. After all, pride is a universal human flaw and is present in every culture.
Finally, managing the tensions between organizational needs and field effectiveness can be challenging. I believe this tension is a good thing. It keeps us tethered to God while keeping us open to the wisdom that should be found in godly counselors–especially a multitude of cross-cultural counselors. May the Lord give each of you wisdom as you walk this long and arduous path.
