How do I become a missionary? How do I know I am called? What do I need to do to prepare for missionary service if I feel called and am encouraged to by my church? What are the opportunities?

Gone (or fictitious?) are the days when young men and women, challenged by a visiting missionary speaker, would stand up and offer to serve 'wherever the Lord might send me.' Most, if not all such people tend rather to come with a defi­nite sense of calling and commitment to a very specific field or area of ministry.

Bill Oppelaar was called to a very specific opening in Taiwan. Willem Berends came to the churches with a very definite sense of calling to Nigeria. Frank van Dalen believed himself called to mission work among Muslims and saw openings in Pakistan. Janice Reid be­lieved herself called to radio ministry in Romania. Martin Minnee made himself known as a medical doctor.

See what I mean? Few folks feel that they are called to be 'a missionary' with­out any further leading. A call tends to be specific: to a particular place or group of people; utilising a particular skill, qualifi­cation or gift which the Lord has given. It is a response to a special need to which your eyes have been opened.

What is 'A Missionary'?⤒🔗

During the nineteenth century and the first half of this one, a 'missionary' was usually understood to be a man who, after theological training (and preferably some practical experience of ministry) was called and ordained to be a worker in a foreign field. He 'brought the gospel' to heathen nations in the name of Christ and his (sending) church. His work was that of managing the 'mission' by ruling over, running, administering the 'local' Christians and their churches. He admin­istered the funds, appointed and super­vised the teachers, evangelists, local pastors.

Such a 'missionary' no longer exists – and hasn't for a long, long time. Modern mission work and workers enter into a partnership with local churches who in­vite them to come over and help. The task is that of assisting and supporting the indigenous church by providing skills and resources which are otherwise una­vailable locally. In other instances or­ganisations with a specialised focus such as medicine, diaconal and agricultural aid, broadcasting, 'employ' volunteers to fill very specific positions which their ministry needs.

The result is that requests from the mission field today are for Christians with specific skills to fit very specific vacancies.

• Pakistan is requesting medical work­ers (nurses and especially doctors). It asks for administrators who can help running the business of the local churches and the mission itself. Pakistan needs people skilled as Bible teachers, or as supporters/trainers of local pastors.

• The Middle-East Reformed Fellowship asks for pastors who can conduct study programmes – a long-term position such as 'Dean of Studies'.

• Overseas Mission Fellowship recently advertised for a computer programmer and analyst which could bring very spe­cific technical skills to the mission in order to establish and enhance its com­munication system.

• A doctor is urgently needed in Kenya. There is also an opening for someone who can set up, administer and teach in a Bible school to train local pastors.

• FEBC wants people skilled in areas of broadcasting – technical, as well as in programming.

• Teachers, teachers, teachers – whether teaching English as a second language in China, teach­ing missionary children in Murree (Paki­stan) or Manila (Philippines).

Clearly, a call to be a missionary will almost invariably be in response to a specific need or opening which is revealed to you and for which the Lord has already or will provide the special skill or gifting necessary.

Am I Called?←⤒🔗

Being called to do a task for the Lord has at least two sides. There is an 'internal' call as you find yourself being confronted, challenged and deeply moved by a particular need which you see or hear about. You might be watching a news item on TV and see what is happen­ing in some place. A missionary on home leave will challenge you by pointing to openings. God will certainly 'speak' to you via one of many ways. Friends, family or spouse may point to you and hit you hard with the words, 'Hey, that opening is tailormade for you!'

You will find yourself being tested or measured. Did the Lord give you the necessary gifting and/or training to fill a need? Or is he opening doors that would make such training possible for you? Things become very real when you find yourself saying, 'Lord, I know that I could fill that position.'

• I'm thinking of a trained nurse who hears about openings in a mission hos­pital.

• There is the young man who has a real gift in sharing the Gospel, of getting along with people, especially those dif­ferent from him. His temperament and gifting challenge him to become a church planter in the Philippines.

• The teacher who hears about and feels deeply challenged about a school that needs the kind of person she is.

Along with that internal call there will be an external one to confirm what you are feeling. 'External' is when the people of God – the church – confirm and commit themselves to your sense of calling by officially setting you apart and sending you. If you feel that inner call and know yourself to be gifted and equipped, tell the church and ask God's people what they think. Get guidance and seek confir­mation. If this isn't forthcoming - rethink everything. God is speaking to you!

Preparation?←⤒🔗

There is no preparation more funda­mental and necessary than involvement in the life of the home church. All too often men and women who sense a 'higher' calling to overseas mission have not really demonstrated let alone tested this in their local fellowship.

Teaching in the Sunday School, Ca­dets, Calvinettes, taking a responsible role in the youth group, practical help and active participation in church life is at least as important as a degree in theol­ogy. Anyone who does not accept and get stuck into such work at home will be of little use anywhere else!

Other areas of preparation will be in personal study – the area where the Lord has given you special gifting and open­ings/opportunities. To be sure, a di­ploma or degree in missions (such as that currently offered at the RTC) is in­valuable provided that it is utilised in connection with another skill.

Preparing yourself financially is also a vital consideration.

Long Term on the Field(s).←⤒🔗

For those who see themselves called to work alongside Christians in other cultures, language training, the honing of special skills and cultural adaption usu­ally start on the field itself.

For example, if you were considering Pakistan – and there are several real openings there at present in pastoral, administrative (clerical), life-training skills and medical – your first two years on the field would be spent in the study of Urdu.

In a personal communication from Frank van Dalen about a possible open­ing for someone trained as a minister of the Gospel (that is, with a degree in theology and, preferably with some experience) the first emphasis was on lan­guage study. If this succeeds, there could be a position in the Punjab. Writes Frank:

This is a long-term assignment re­quiring a commitment for a minimum of two 31/2 year terms. He could work in a pastoral role with the pastors in the Punjab. The job 'involves encouraging village pastors and congregations and being the visible face of the Mission in the Punjabi Christian community. It would involve long trips to villages and working in conjunction with the Christian Disci­pleship teaching program that we have established over the past year...'

I think you get the gist. Language training would take place on the field and in this case would have to meet a govern­ment requirement of two years study in Urdu – but then comes the realisation that villagers in the Punjab speak Punjabi – another language!

Similar language requirements are expected of those who go to Pakistan as long term medical missionaries.

Anyone looking at working with and ministering to an indigenous non-English speaking population must think long-term and realise that the first term at least is going to be all language study.

A very recent example of a couple involved in precisely this stage is the Munros. Now based in Odessa, they spent six months in intensive language training in the USA, but now, 'on the field' are still needing to make this their number one priority.

Exceptions?←⤒🔗

Indeed – FEBC has a ministry to Asia in English. Many missionaries go to the field simply to minister to other mission­aries and their families. The best exam­ple of this is a long-termer who goes to say, Faith Academy in Manila and teaches mainly missionary kids.

Openings?←⤒🔗

Plenty. If you want to know of specific openings in line with special skills or gifts, write to our missionaries or the Overseas Mission Board. It has always been true that the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few and far between!

Next year the Overseas Mission Board of our churches will be present at the meeting of the International Council of Reformed Churches in Seoul in Korea. It is hoped that there can be an exchange of information between churches from the various 'worlds'.

Here in New Zealand we can and must become a sending church. But who to send?

Could it be YOU?