The Missionary Needed Today
Profile of a Critical Roleby Steve Hoke
Before you get started on your journey, it may be helpful to take a look at the kind of missionary who’s needed today. In the past, many missionaries were often sent out by agencies after training at colleges or seminaries. Knowledge was emphasized - the accumulation of facts and methods a student was expected to need in missionary ministry. It was assumed that once on the field, a graduate would be able to draw on this reserve of information.
The trouble with this approach is that much more is required of a missionary than knowing the right stuff. Cross-cultural service is a crucible that tests one’s character and stretches one’s ministry skills, while still demanding a wide range of background knowledge. The best way to develop a sound missionary training curriculum is to determine the desired outcomes - what a missionary needs to be, and be able to know and do, and then build backwards to develop all the resources needed to reach those goals. This description of qualities and competencies creates a verbal picture - a profile - which defines outcome goals in a holistic manner, specifically focusing on the character qualities, ministry skills, and knowledge goals needed for effectiveness in ministry. It is an important shift from concern only with what individuals need to know, to who they are and what they can do as a result of training.
In the past several years, a fresh consensus has emerged among “stakeholders” in the missionary training task. Effective missionaries have been recognized as the people best able to identify the qualifications necessary for mis-sionary service. So quality and competency profiles have been designed based on the input from these missionaries. A forum of missionaries, trainers, mission agency leaders, sending pastors, and leaders of receiving churches has prayerfully described what a missionary profile should look like. This consensus approach is critical in creating commitment to change in training programs. The single profile generalizes (for the sake of space) the most critical elements for parallel roles, including the cross-cultural mentor/coach and tentmaker.
The Cross-Cultural Church Planter is only one of a variety of important missionary roles needed today, including the tentmaker, the mentor/coach, the Bible translator, and the provider of technical services. Yes, the new North American cross-cultural servant-leaders of the future will carry out differing roles. Some of the new emerging force will be facilitators, along-side trainers; others will be leadership developers; yet others will be specialists. Most will work side by side with colleagues from other nations. Some will work under non-Western leadership.
But we have chosen this as a baseline profile which can be adapted to other roles. Also, many of you will serve on teams, and this is good news. That means you don’t have to have in maximum totality all the qualities desired in the church planting profile. But you must major on the character issues, as well as those critical skills and knowledge components that you don’t want to serve without. So as we evaluate these profiles, remember what role we are profiling in each one.
Personalize the Profile
Spend time reading through the basic profile. It is designed as a self-assessment
tool. As you read across each row from left to right, check off the competencies
you think you have developed, and record your total score in the far right column.
For example, for “Spiritual Maturity” you may have checked off four of the six
for a score of 4.
Do this for the entire chart; then total your scores in the last box. That numeric score is an objective indication of your level of competency for that role at the present time - before any further training.
You can reassess yourself periodically during your preparation to evaluate what progress you are making in each of the categories. Each time you reassess your progress, note your total score and the stage in your preparation.
Unless otherwise noted, all materials on the urbana.org web site are Copyright InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA. All rights reserved.
Print
Email
Comments
Be the first one to add a comment.
To post a comment, please login or register