7 Missionary Myths Debunked
Tiffany Cobb
The Vision Online Staff Writer
Network of International Christian Schools representative, Craig Petrovich, juggles a busy life as a recruiter.
1. “Being a missionary can’t be that expensive, why are they always asking for money?”
How much does it cost to support a missionary?
• $49,800 a year (average)
• $4,150 a month
• $958 a week
• $136 a day
Reported by IMB May 2012. Support includes housing, salary, children’s education, medical expenses, retirement and more.
Jed and Savannah Stevens, alumni of North Greenville University, love being able to represent TWR (formally known as Trans World Radio) at their alma mater.
2. “I could never be a missionary. I don’t want to get sent to the jungles of Africa!”
God isn’t going to send you somewhere that you can’t handle. If He wants you in the posh environment or Vienna, Austria – that’s where you should go, but if God wants you living in a mud hut in the Amazon, don’t be a Jonah!
3. “I would love to be a missionary in a foreign country, it looks like so much fun!”
According to ReachingBeyondBorders.org, 43 percent of missionaries never complete deputation (a decided time committed to the mission field) because of the stress it puts on the family. Missionaries struggle with loneliness, depression and homesickness, and often supporters back home don’t understand how tough the mission field truly is.
4. “I’m not a pastor/I’ve never been to seminary so I can’t be a missionary. “
Missions organizations, such as TWR (formally known as Trans World Radio), cannot survive with just pastors. Every organization needs accountants, doctors, writers, graphic designers and so many more professions. If you have every employee preaching and no one budgeting or getting information out, your organization is going to fail.
Sue Post, South American Missions, models a “typical” costume piece.
5. “I’m too old to be a missionary. I should have gone right after college, but it’s too late now.”
Being a missionary has no age requirements. Kent Griggs of 13forHaiti didn’t feel called to the mission field until he was 55 years old. Darina Plett in Bratislava, Slovakia is 5 years old but has brought five of her classmates to know the Lord in the past year.
6. “I don’t know any other languages except English so I can’t go to a foreign country.”
Speaking fluent English is actually beneficial in the foreign mission field. English is taught as a second language in most school systems now and foreign countries and constantly looking for English-speaking teachers.
Thomas and Ginger Phelps and Brandon Wimpey stated, “Missionaries fight and disagree with each other and shocker…we have tattoos.”
7. “I don’t want to move to another country for the rest of my life and never see my family again.”
Missionaries usually stay on the field for two or three years and then have a three-to-six- month furlough (a time spent at home resting and raising more support). Many missions’ organizations send missionaries out on regular short-term trips throughout the world. 13forHaiti has two weeks trips planned throughout the year, but a regular dedicated team.
