Information for New Missionaries is just some insights or views from a veteran missionary for July 2024!
If you are a new missionary, wow! I am sorry for you in a way. I do not think missions has been this hard (getting to the field) in many a long time. Transportation seems distressing to me, and when times were good, many churches didn’t want missionaries “driving too long” to come present their work. That was in good days. Today? If you are so unfortunate as to have an electric car, it would seem you will get to read your Bible and witness a lot waiting for your car to charge!
I want to give you some of my insights of having been about 40 years a missionary. I am on the field, and I don’t get back to the US much these days. So I am over 65, so I doubt I could travel around the US.
The first thing I need to communicate to you is that our Lord is still on the throne, and although there are many discouragements along the way, you better learn from the beginning to just “grin and bear it”. Those discouragements will be with us until we enter heaven, no matter what we do here on earth.
At one point in my ministry, I had about 30% of my churches supporting me, that I had never darkened the door of their building. I do not know how that happened, but desperate missionaries with no money that pray a lot seem to make such a thing a reality. God can move the hearts of his people that have never met you to support you.
God can also take away some of your expenses to help you. Do not discount that. We have a throat doctor that is a Christian, and pastors a small church. When we see him, he never charges us. At one point I was having some physical problems, and they were probably caused by stress. Instead of me paying him for the doctor’s visit, he ended up helping us out with a donation. Our God is good, so good!
My General Outlook of the Mission Field
It is extremely hard for me to say this, but I really think the Lord is returning very soon. I have never seen things like this in my lifetime. People are so apathetic. After Covid, people just got out of the habit of going to church. Forget things like Sunday night services, Wednesday prayer meetings, and tithing. You had better get a place to meet that you basically from your own tithes can pay for things for the first years. In most churches for as long as I can remember, Wednesday prayer services are like a third to a fourth of Sunday mornings. Sunday evenings are like half or less of Sunday mornings.
The cell phone is now the new Hollywood, and don’t be surprised if some in your services are looking at it during the services.
Our attendance fell off about half after Covid. Satan has to like that, and plan on things like that happening more and more. People get freaky about diseases. We use masks and hand sanitizer, but in general, unsaved people who are “being polite” or pretending to be saved will always find some kind of excuse for not coming, not coming regularly, not participating, and for not being interested in church. When they don’t come but once every two or three months, then the excuse is “that I cannot keep up with what is happening in church, so I just better not come.” Preach the gospel to these people.
Success, what does it look like? Warm bodies are not success. Money is not success. Popularity is not success. Success can only be defined as being faithful to God and God’s mission to you.
In my 40 some years of being a missionary, I have seen numerous missionaries come and leave the field shortly after. At one point in the beginning, I wanted to meet every new missionary that arrived anywhere around us. No more. It is discouraging to see people come, pack it up and leave. So, I ask myself, why am I still here?
What makes a missionary complete his mission?
The simplest answer is that I am saved. From what I see (and I don’t want to get into particulars) is that there are many missionaries that come to the mission field for whatever reason, but they really don’t have a good, strong saving relationship with Christ. Without that, why are they even here? (Short answer, is so that they soak up missions funds, making it harder for missionaries who are serious to get funded. They also serve Satan when they get discouraged, fall into sin, etc. and discourage other missionaries and nationals.)
But the calling of God before you begin missions has to be so real that you are willing to go broke in accomplishing the mission that God has called you to do. Nothing can stop you. Health problems will not go away because you return to the USA. They will only cost more there, most likely.
Unrealistic goals often discourage people. For a new missionary, I would suggest that your goals for your first term is to get to the field, learn the language and culture of the people, and witness. No work is built correctly for God if it is not founded on a lot of evangelism. This is “a game” of sorts where it is like the Fuller Brush vendor. You just have to get the word to 1000 people to get 1. So go through hundreds of people who brush you off, and even some who “think about” what you are offering, and never do anything, go through them without letting them discourage you. That has to be. In the Lord’s parable of the Sower (an evangelistic church planting ministry), the Sower spreads a lot of seed for just one seed to sprout and give fruit. That one is success, that is what counts, but don’t worry about the 999 that don’t work out. We live and rejoice on that .1 percent.
Please consider my next words carefully, and meditate on them long and hard. Do not “aim” for numbers. Do not “aim” for confessions, baptisms, etc. Salvation isn’t when a person raises his hand, comes forward in an invitation, nor just because the person says they received Christ. Salvation is always linked with faith, and not with actions we like to link with salvation. God wants to see spiritual fruit in that person’s life. When people’s lives change because they believe God’s moral character and are following that, that is what counts.
I could list numerous people in our ministry over the years that were “perfect Christians, church members, excellent helpers”, etc. These people like cozying up to Americans, and they will serve you some. But they are after something, and often times, they will betray you, sometimes carrying away your possessions and money (even church money if they can get their hands on it). It goes without saying to be careful who you trust, and don’t risk things on people who want to be your helper. But this causes discouragement many times. It happens more than you think.
We (missionaries) are not supposed to be rich, popular, living luxury lifestyles. We are supposed to accomplish a mission. To the degree that we are faithful to that holy calling, we are successful. Many or maybe even most of our work will not be recognized this side of death. That doesn’t deter us at all.
Spend everything you are given so that you accomplish your mission. God gives you your support for that purpose. God will always take care of us. The confidence that others have in a large nest egg for retirement can be taken away in a heartbeat, or with the stroke of a pen by some politician somewhere. What God does in taking care of us will never be “undone” by man.
Information for New Missionaries