Missionaries do not all look the same. Some serve through business, others through teaching, medical work, hospitality, leadership, church planting, or pastoral ministry. Some enter closed countries as tentmakers or using business as mission (BAM), while others are sent openly for vocational ministry. The shape of the work may differ, and each context may require its own skills, strengths, and experience. Yet beneath all those differences lies a more important question: what should be true of every person who is sent in the name of Christ? Before we consider what a missionary does, we must first consider who a missionary must be.
We are All Held to Godly Standards
To answer this question, we must begin with the understanding that as believers and followers of Jesus, we are all held to the same godly standards. Our goal should be to bring glory to God no matter what it is we do (Colossians 3:17;) and also have the understanding that as humans, we will all fall short (Romans 3:23.) However, there are specific qualifications presented in Scripture for those that teach, preach, lead and minister to the body of Christ that must be observed as we evaluate who is to be “sent out” by the church into mission work. In addition to that, as a mission agency, we look for certain qualifications in knowledge and ability that further set a missionary up for success.
What are the Qualifications to be a Missionary?
Missionaries who apply to Biblical Ministries South Africa are assessed in three broad areas: Character, Academics and Ministry Skills. We anticipate that by the time a person applies to the mission agency, he or she will have met certain standards in each of these areas.
Character
This is simply godliness. The qualifications for ministerial leadership are carefully outlined in passages such as I Timothy 3, 2 Peter 1:5-7, I Peter 3:1-13, Titus 1:5-9; 2:1-10, Galatians 5:22-23, and 2 Timothy 2. You may be able to drive a truck or be a doctor without character (though it’s not advised,) but you cannot go into ministry without being godly. Therefore, the first and most important thing to look at is a person’s walk with God. We rely heavily on the local church’s assessment and recommendation to determine whether a person is godly and should be a missionary. The church sees that person in real-time situations on a daily or weekly basis and can determine whether a prospective missionary is walking with the Lord.
Academics
Missionaries teach objective truth, so it is imperative that they know the Word of God. As part of this, our expectation is that they will have a firm grasp of hermeneutics (how to study the Bible) and homiletics (how to teach the Bible) so that they can effectively teach and train others in truth. Through written and oral exams, we help local churches determine the academic preparedness of future missionaries. How you learned your theology – whether in seminary or through less formal training – is not as important as how well you know your theology, but a missionary must know the Word of God.
Ministry Skills
A missionary must have certain ministry skills to be effective in service. As a mission agency, we have identified 15 skillsets we believe today’s missionary should have. They are:
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- Evangelism
- Discipleship
- Exegetical skills
- Interpersonal skills
- Conflict resolution
- Counseling
- Administration
- Strategic planning
- Time-management
- Personal and church finances
- Writing
- Communication
- Language aptitude
- Cultural awareness and sensitivity
- Computer skills
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Don’t let that list overwhelm you! These skills are not likely to be developed in the classroom. Typically, a mentor must go shoulder-to-shoulder in real-time ministry with a trainee to build these skills—and it takes time to build them. For example, the missionary with inadequate pulpit skills could be helped if a mentor would listen to him speak 50 times and critique each message. This is time-consuming, but it will produce a more effective public speaker.
The Local Church is Key
Much of the character, academics and skills will be learned and developed while serving in the local church. That’s why as a mission agency we’re committed to working alongside the local church as they identify and train future missionaries. Without the required foundation of character and academics, we may be sending missionaries to the field who will fail morally or teach something other than the truth (even unintentionally.) And without building up the critical skills needed to be effective, we may be sending missionaries to the field who are destined to a life of frustration and possibly failure.
While these aren’t the only areas of qualification, they are the ones we begin with as a foundation for moving forward. If you’re looking to learn more about how to become a missionary, contact us! We’d love to talk with you about the next steps.
If you’re a church seeking a mission agency that will walk alongside you and support you practically as you train and raise up future missionaries, let us show you all the ways Biblical Ministries South Africa can help. Contact us to start the conversation or to learn more about the free workshops we offer.
