On Being a Missionary (Abridged)

An Introduction to Cross-Cultural Life and Ministry

Thomas Hale and Gene Daniels

Summary

This book is written not as a theoretical textbook nor as a ground-breaking book that puts forward new approaches to mission but as a practical book that aims to “absorb and clearly present the ideas, experiences, and insights of over a hundred missionary writers” (page ix). Since Hale wrote this book in 1995, there has been a need to update and abridge it (which Daniels undertook). Dale describes Hale’s original book as a “defining book in the genre of practical yet spiritual missionary books” (page 1). The book describes the life of being a missionary, with its challenges, heartaches, and joys—addressing the problems, struggles, and failures that they experience. The authors posit that from these difficult experiences the missionaries learn the most.

Best Illustration

“In 1950, there were no Christians in Nepal. By 1970, there were about one thousand. By 1980, the figure has jumped to five thousand. By 1990, the number had gone to fifty thousand. In 2020, it estimates that the church had grown to as many as 3 million! All this incredible growth has taken place under some degree of persecution.” Page 137

“A beautiful example of… partnership is the formation of the United Mission to Nepal. Back in the early 1950’s, eight denominations and independent mission societies joined together to establish a united work in the newly opened country of Nepal…. The result was a large, energetic, diverse, yet truly united mission, comprising almost forty different denominations and agencies from eighteen countries.” Page 185

Best Idea

“Missionary life is two parts joy and fulfillment and one part frustration and defeat.” Page 12

Our Recommendation

We recommend this book to missionaries (both those who currently serve and those who seek to serve in the future), missions pastors, and missions agency leaders. This classic and practical missions book has been updated, revised, and abridged for better readability for and resonance with 21st-century readers.

Best Quotes

“Missions is the province of every Christian, not just specialists.” Page 13

“Every Christian is a witness, but not every Christian is a missionary (by our definition).” Page 15

“A special calling is a much more profound and life-changing event than ordinary guidance.” Page 21

“For every person who runs ahead of God, there are ten people who don’t get off the starting line.” Page 24

“Training and preparation is more crucial for those who take a less traditional route to the field, because they will have less of the ongoing field support that other missionaries enjoy.” Page 33

“Raising funds for mission is not a sales pitch for God—nothing could be more demeaning to the missionary call.” Page 55

“In reality, it’s not how the missionary reacts that is so important, but rather how the host people react to the missionary.” Page 64

“The less people have to break with their own culture, the more attractive Christ will be to them.” Page 71

“We must play by the rules of the culture we are working in. We deal with people on their terms, not ours.” Page 78

“Instead, we must strive to present Christ on the grounds of great relevance to that culture. No one should be refusing Christ on the grounds that ‘he is fine with you foreigners, but not for us.’” Page 90

“It’s appropriate to talk about balance in a chapter on stress. Think of the tightrope walker—when do you suppose her stress level goes up? When she is starting to lose her balance. The same is true for missionaries.” Page 106

“Let’s not call unexpected departures a defeat, but simply a redeployment.” Page 111

“The gospel must speak to the heart for it to stir a person’s soul.” Page 114

“I cannot emphasize too strongly that an excess of material goods and comforts will do lasting damage to one’s ministry, particularly among the poor.” Page 140

“Generally speaking, missionaries need to learn to adapt to living with much less privacy and personal space than they knew before coming to the field.” Page 146

“You can’t drink grapes; they need to first be squeezed. What comes out when we are squeezed? Bitterness, or the sweet juice of the Holy Spirit?” (Oswald Chambers) Page 161

“A story is told of a medieval monk who was being unjustly accused of various offenses. One day the month looked out of the window and saw a dog biting and tearing a rug hanging out to dry. God said to the monk, ‘That is what is happening to your reputation. But if you can trust me, I will take care of you—reputation and all.’” (Richard Foster) Page 174

“Missions is now the whole world to the whole world.” Page 187

“It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular; it is why he does it.” (A. W. Tozer) Page 198

“Technology will never do away with missionaries.” Page 212

“The favored approach to development ministry in the twenty-first century is the empty-hands approach: the worker goes in, not with a handout (which creates dependency), but with empty hands.” Page 224

“We must remember that we do not ‘use’ the Spirit; the Spirit uses us. The Spirit’s power is not something under our control; rather we seek to be under his control.” Page 229

“Four types of roles are generally available to a missionary wife: homemaker, assistant or supporter, full colleague in the work, and parallel worker doing her own ministry.” (Peter Bromberg) Page 248

“For example, a child in a public or private school will indiscriminately absorb the cultural values of the host country.” Page 263

“Let me end with a few short pictures of what it means to be a missionary: (1) missionary life is an expression of the multicultural richness of the human race; (2) missionary life is army life; (3) missionary life is an adventure and challenge; and (4) missionary life is a treasure chest of riches.” Page 287