The Myth of the Super-Spiritual Missionary

Christians tend to put missionaries on a pedestal because the task seems so overwhelming to most people. Reading about the exploits of the great pioneer missionaries makes many think they could never qualify to be missionaries themselves. Reading the list of qualifications required of missionaries leaves the impression that one must become a super-spiritual giant to be capable. Somehow, people come to see the great missionaries as superheroes.

Many of the great pioneers were highly spiritual people, and even today some missionaries are remarkable Christians. Yet most missionaries are ordinary Christians who honestly faced the challenge of world evangelization out of personal commitment. Most would not consider themselves especially spiritual. They struggle with the same problems of life that other Christians struggle with. Anyone involved in mission administration can testify that missionaries wrestle with discouragement, marital problems, personality and relational issues, and all the other weaknesses of the flesh that other Christians are subject to. In fact, they sometimes struggle more, because of the added difficulties of living in another culture.

If missionary candidates waited until they reached some super-spiritual ideal, very few missionaries would ever go to a lost world! In fact, the "pre-field ministry" (formerly called deputation) of appointed missionaries can itself be an opportunity for spiritual growth. And it isn't only new missionaries who face the challenge of personal growth during their first years in the field — missionaries, like all Christians, should see the whole of the Christian life as an ongoing opportunity for growth and development.

Yes, God needs more spiritual missionaries. But all of us, even the most spiritual among us, are still in the process of growing toward spiritual maturity. Missionaries need to be taken down from the pedestal, so that other committed Christians can join their ranks!