A few years ago, one of my daughters was working as a caregiver for a Jewish family. This family treated her very well. But when they found out that her parents were "missionaries" their response was immediate and perhaps best described as "distaste." They gave a verbal response that I don't remember now, but it …
Continue reading If We Don’t Use the Term “Missionary,” What Should We Replace It With?
Gailyn Van Rheenen lists fen common roles or activites of long-term missionaries in one of his books on missions <Gailyn Van Rheenen, Missions: Biblical Foundations and Contemporary Strategies, 2nd ed. (Zondervan, 2014), Chapter 6>: (1) Traditional church planting in unreached areas (Pioneering) (2) Training local church leaders in order for a church planting movement to …
Now, I have to admit that I don't like terms that deny people of their proper place. Back when I was a mechanical engineer, I had a friend who did mechanical engineering, but was quick to say that he wasn't a "real engineer" since he did not have the college degree to support it. He …
Continue reading What is a Missionary? Part 4… the Conundrum