I remember growing up in a church that always supported a few missionaries. We acted as a type of sending church- sending support monetarily, in prayer, and encouragement. About once or twice a year, a Sunday morning would be devoted to the missionary's 'presentation.' These presentations became pretty formulaic...pictures of a foreign land, stories of a different culture, an account of the gospel in the foreign land, and the missionary's call that we too are missionaries in our place and neighborhood. I have been thinking a little bit about this last statement. "Every Christian is a Missionary."
On one hand, if the mission of the church is to make disciples and embody the kingdom of God, then a missionary can rightly be understood as anyone who works toward this end. We teach that part of discipleship is for each disciple to then go and make disciples. Built within the fabric of the church's mission is to be sent, just as Jesus was sent to save the world. Our posture is always outwardly focused to reach the lost, heal the sick, mend the broken hearted, alleviate suffering, and bring freedom to the captives. Every Christian is a witness to God's redemptive movement in history, in our community, in our neighbors, and in our families by way of actively engaging those places that need redemption.
Furthermore, Western culture in general and America in particular are beginning to resemble what has normally been understood as a "mission zone." Cultural norms associated with the Christian tradition have begun to erode, the steady rise of migration throughout the 20th century has led to an ethnically diverse population, scripture is no longer the common mode of storytelling, and active attendance on any given Sunday is dwindling with each new generation. Ministering within the United States now requires a type of missionary posture, a posture that understands that Christianity is no longer the dominant force in culture and society. Missionaries are culturally adept at working within this mentality. To say that "Everyone is a missionary," may imply the need for Christians to actively seek the Kingdom of God in their place, and learn to move in and between cultures different from one's own for the sake of the gospel.
Perhaps the above analysis speaks to the necessity of the community called church to be missionary. If the Kingdom of God is a communal practice (as the church proclaims it is), perhaps the moniker "Everyone is a Missionary" is one way missionary individuals try to speak to the communal nature of the missionary activity of God and the church. But what about individual missionaries? Could it be that a particular vocational call of an individual to be a "Missionary" is an intricate part in leading God's people into a communal missional character? I believe so (I know, you're all surprised that a missionary would come out with this conclusion!). Just as each person is not called to vocationally be a pastor, I do not believe that every person is vocationally called to be a missionary. Though, we are called to assess our context, learn to see where God is calling us, and obey that call. But that's just called discipleship.
The challenges of individual missionaries are widespread. In "Encountering a Theology of Mission," the authors share just a few, "The challenges of communicating the gospel across cultural and linguistic barriers, of making disciples and establishing healthy kingdom communities in unfamiliar contexts, and of appropriately contextualizing the message and expressions of Christianity demand long-term commitments and exceptional gifts that not every Christian possesses" (224). I read this quote and I immediately feel a bit overwhelmed and humbled by the task, but I also sense the full confidence that comes from being set apart- through past experience, by the laying on of hands, through prayer, and communal affirmation- by God to live into this missionary vocation.
So is there a way to mediate between the individual vocational call as missionary and the overarching missionary enterprise of the church without confusing them? Can we hold onto both without losing the particular? Does calling every christian a missionary indeed help orient the church toward God's mission in this world? And if so, what does that mean for the creative work of missionaries commissioned by the church? All comments and thoughts are indeed welcomed.
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