1. The Making of a Missionary
Dr. Robert Patton
Missionary to Suriname,
South America

2. What is a missionary?
 He is called by God to a full-time
ministry of the Word and prayer,
who has crossed cultural barriers,
to preach the gospel in an area
where Christ is largely unknown

3. What is a missionary?
 He is an ambassador for Christ
 He is a herald of TRUTH - Jesus is
Lord
 He is the bearer of culture –
inevitably he brings his culture
with him

4. What is a missionary?
 He is an ambassador of love for
the whole man - body, soul and spirit
 He is the envoy of peace

5. Myths about a missionary
 Crossing salt water makes you a
missionary – or, unless you cross
salt water, you are not a “real”
missionary
 Living is always difficult – a hut in
the bush…
 The heathen are flocking to get
saved

6. Myths about missions
 Missions is over just as
colonialism is over
 Full time missionaries are no
longer needed
 We just need specialists – not
true; flexibility and adaptability
are most useful on the field

7. Why become a missionary?
 God created us to have a
passion to love and enjoy Him
and to give Him glory
 All of life is to be lived for the
glory of God
 We are to reflect what God is
really like

8. Why become a missionary?
 The universe is great to reflect
the greatness of God
 Love - showing the dying soul the
glory of the grace of God
 God seeks worshippers from
every tongue, nation and race

9. Jesus and the GREATEST
commandment
 Mt. 22:[37] Jesus said unto him,
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, and with all thy
soul, and with all thy mind.[38]
This is the first and great
commandment

10. God rejects lukewarm
affection – Laodicea
 Rev. 3: [16] So then because
thou art lukewarm, and neither
cold nor hot, I will spue thee out
of my mouth.

11. God wants us to be
passionate for Him
 To have an impact, know that ONE
THING - like Paul did:
 Acts 20:24 But none of these things
move me, neither count I my life dear
unto myself, so that I might finish my
course with joy, and the ministry,
which I have received of the Lord
Jesus, to testify of the grace of God

12. God wants us to be
passionate for Him: One
thing…
 To have an impact, know that ONE THING - like
Paul did:
 Phil. 3:7-9 But what things were gain to
me, those I count loss for Christ. 8. Yea,
doubtless, and I count all things but loss
for the excellency of the knowledge of
Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have
suffered the loss of all things, and do count
them but dung, that I might win Christ,

13. God wants us to be
passionate for Him:
 To have an impact, know that ONE THING -
like Paul did: Phil. 3:9. And be found in
him, not having mine own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that which is
through the faith of Christ, the
righteousness which is of God by faith,
10. That I might know him, and the
power of His resurrection, and the
fellowship of his suffering, being made
conformable unto his death.

14. Paul’s one thing…
 [13] Brethren, I count not myself
to have apprehended: but this
one thing I do, forgetting those
things which are behind, and
reaching forth unto those things
which are before,[14] I press
toward the mark for the prize of
the high calling of God in Christ
Jesus

15. God wants us to be
passionate for Him
 Boast only in the cross of Christ where
every good thing was obtained for
sinners:
 Gal. 6:14 But God forbid that I should
glory save in the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ, by whom the world is
crucified unto me, and I unto the
world.

16. God wants us to be
passionate for Him
 We only boast in the cross when we are on
the cross - Gal. 2:19-20 - the old self died
and the new self lives by faith of God in
Christ Jesus: 19 For I through the law am
dead to the law, that I might live unto God.
20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I
live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the
life which I now live in the flesh I live by the
faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and
gave himself for me.

17. His life is treasured most when it is
above health, money, and life itself
 We boast in the cross when we
bear the cross: Lk. 14:27 And
whosoever doth not bear his
cross, and come after me, cannot
be my disciple.

18. His life is treasured most when it is
above health, money, and life itself
 Christ is all in life or death; Phil. 1:20-
21 He will be honored! 20. According
to my earnest expectation, and my
hope, that in nothing I shall be
ashamed, but that with all boldness, as
always, so now also Christ shall be
magnified in my body, whether it be by
life or by death. 21. For to me to live
is Christ, and to die is gain

19. His life is treasured most when it is
above health, money, and life itself
 Death makes visible where our treasure
really is: Mt. 10:37 He that loveth father
or mother more than me is not worthy of
me: and he that loveth son or daughter
more than me is not worthy of me. 38.
And he that taketh not his cross, and
followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
39. He that findeth his life shall lose it,
and he that loseth his life for my sake
shall find it.

20. The Lord promises to provide
what we need for a godly life
 2 Pet. 1:[3] According as his divine power
hath given unto us all things that
pertain unto life and godliness, through
the knowledge of him that hath called us to
glory and virtue:[4] Whereby are given unto us
exceeding great and precious promises: that
by these ye might be partakers of the
divine nature, having escaped the
corruption that is in the world through lust.

21. His life is treasured most when it is
above health, money, and life itself
 When we trust Jesus, we trust Him to
give us what we most need - Himself!
 Paul wanted to magnify Christ in life -
and that meant to joy in the progress of
their faith
 Dying to self daily is living for Christ
daily
 We are perfected through trials and pain

22. Risk is OK if the cause is big
enough
 Risk may occur because we are
igno-rant, but God never risks
because He knows the end from the
beginning.
 God wants us to stay dependent on
Himself
 We may cling to a security which, in
fact, never exists

23. Why risk all for Christ?
 We must not take risks for heroism,
lust for adventure, self-reliance,
etc.
 We take risks for the sake of Jesus
Christ, reflecting His value to us.
He is worthy!

24. Some killed, but not a hair
perish…
 Luke 16: [16] And ye shall be
betrayed both by parents, and
brethren, and kinsfolks, and
friends; and some of you shall
they cause to be put to death.[17]
And ye shall be hated of all men
for my name's sake.[18] But there
shall not an hair of your head
perish

25. Why risk all for Christ
 Romans 8:35-39, where nothing
separates us from the love of God in
Christ Jesus. [35] Who shall separate
us from the love of Christ? shall
tribulation, or distress, or persecution,
or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or
sword?[36] As it is written, For thy
sake we are killed all the day long; we
are accounted as sheep for the
slaughter.

26. Why risk all for Christ
 Romans 8:[37] Nay, in all these things we
are more than conquerors through him
that loved us.[38] For I am persuaded,
that neither death, nor life, nor angels,
nor principalities, nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come,[39] Nor
height, nor depth, nor any other creature,
shall be able to separate us from the love
of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

27. Why risk all for Christ?
 We are more than conquerors in all
our afflictions, not avoiding them.
 You will have all you need to be
eternally happy in Him.
 God promises us enough to do His
will
 You are more than conqueror if you
do not allow anyone to separate you
from God

28. We must live to prove that He
is worth more than life:
 Jesus loves faith-filled risk for the
glory of God: Lk. 21:2-3 speaks of
the widow’s mite – she gave all her
living
 Jesus speaks a great deal about
money - 15% of the parables
 We must use our possessions to
make others rejoice in God -
especially the most needy

29. We must live to prove that He
is worth more than life:
 We must have a warfare mentality -
using the gospel, prayer, & self-
sacrificing love:
 Mt. 25:46 And these shall go away into
everlasting punishment, but the
righteous into life eternal
 Wasting our life is to lose it while
trying to save it

30. Give to get to give more…
 Luke 6:[38] Give, and it shall be
given unto you; good measure,
pressed down, and shaken
together, and running over, shall
men give into your bosom. For
with the same measure that ye
mete withal it shall be measured
to you again.

31. God rewards
 Mk. 10:[29] And Jesus answered and
said, Verily I say unto you, There is no
man that hath left house, or brethren, or
sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or
children, or lands, for my sake, and the
gospel's,[30] But he shall receive an
hundredfold now in this time, houses,
and brethren, and sisters, and mothers,
and children, and lands, with
persecutions; and in the world to come

32. God often tests with material
goods
 Example of Hudson Taylor
 Learned to give and trust God in his
training
 Later learned to trust God for 1000
missionaries support
 Example of George Mueller

33. We are at war – with ourselves
 The lines of warfare are being fought in the
hearts of individuals - to defeat satan
and the sinfulness in our own hearts
 We need to be in the world but not of
the world
 Jn. 17:16 They are not of the world,
even as I am not of the world. Can we
say that?

34. We are at war – with ourselves
 Most will display the glory of God in
continuing their secular jobs
 Enjoy fellowship with God in your job - I
Cor. 7:[24] Brethren, let every man,
wherein he is called, therein abide with
God.
 .Be thankful in your work
 .Take God’s promises to you with you at
work

35. We are at war – with ourselves
 We must do so in conscious reliance on
God’s power to give excellence and
reflect His glory.
 Retired people will also want to give
God glory. Idleness is bad at any age
and does not reflect the glory of God
 How we do our work may open or close
doors to the gospel
 Adorn the gospel with our work

36. How to give God glory in work
 Conform to what God is doing in this
age
 Remove stumbling blocks to the
gospel
 Seek to help others with our work -
not money, but service

37. How to give God glory in work
 Work with an eye toward
usefulness, and not money
 Don’t work to have but work to
give
 Let your work create redemptive
relationships

38. Missions and Mercy
 Have pity for the lost and a passion
for exalting Christ
 Love people - lay down your life to
bring them to an eternal relationship
with God
 Love wants the best for people -
which is that they will rejoice in
heaven forever with God

39. Missions & church planting
 Foreign missions is a validation of
the entire ministry of the sending
church
 Don’t forget to meet the needs
around you at home - so that we
can plant churches reaching the
lost abroad also

40. Missions & church planting
 There is still a great need to plant
churches where there are none - as
well as develop national leadership
in places where churches are
already
 Pray for laborers - it will change
you
 Pray that the Lord will use you in
the skills which He has given you

41. Is there a “missionary call?”
 Yes – there is a call to full-time
cross-cultural ministry that is
different from other ministries.
 This is different from saying
“every member is a missionary.”

42. How to prepare for a call
 Acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus
Christ - in all areas of life
 We cannot know God’s specific will
until our lives are in conformity to
His general will
 Understand the will of God -
continually consecrate yourself:

43. Rom. 12:1-2
 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by
the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your
reasonable service. 2. And be not
conformed to this world, but be ye
transformed by the re-newing of your
mind, that ye may prove what is that
good, and acceptable, and perfect, will
of God

44. God does promise to guide
 Psalm 32:8-9 I will instruct thee
and teach thee in the way which
thou shalt go; I will guide thee
with mine eye. Be ye not as the
horse, or as the mule, which have
no understanding: whose mouth
must be held in with bit and
bridle, lest they come near to
thee.

45. How to prepare for a call
 Be open to the leading of the Holy
Spirit - who deals with each individual
uniquely
 Confirmation via the local church.
Remember that the church is the
ground and pillar of the truth to whom
the task of evangelism is given.

46. How to prepare for a call
 There is a difference between call
and guidance - which is for
specific service
 Paul’s call came on the
Damascus road. He had
guidance in Acts 13, 16, etc.

47. How to prepare for a call
 Have an open mind - be careful
with your preconceptions and
limitations
 An open ear - are we open to the
Holy Spirit’s voice?
 A pure heart - prepared not only
to know the will of God, but to do
it.

48. How to prepare for a call
 Busy hands - be at work for God
 Ready feet - to walk by faith.
 God’s guidance is 100%, but not
after it is filtered by mankind.
 But walk in faith. Get moving
when you have information. It’s
hard to steer a ship tied to the
dock

49. Recruitment issues
 Missions lose about 5-10% per
year between drop-outs and
attrition from sickness and
retirement
 Many are afraid of total surrender,
but God is a good God, and
surrender is the way to self-
fulfillment
 There is usually quite a bit of
flexibility in the sort of work you

50. Recruitment issues
 The key to missions is the
missionary
 4-10% attrition per year
 Reasons for difficulty – one survey
 .I am not spiritually prepared -35%
 .I don’t want to go raise support 32%
 .I am afraid to learn a foreign language
20%
 .I don’t want to make a life-time
commitment 13%

51. Answers to recruitment
problems
 Truth - most missionaries are no
more spiritual than others - they
have hang-ups too
 Truth - support is not begging - it
is an opportunity to grow spirit-
ually, challenge churches to mis-
sions, give them an opportunity to
get involved, and get prayer
support

52. Answers to recruitment
problems
 Language learning is different
from what we had in school
 We must be open to do God’s will
our entire lives, but be flexible as
He directs
 If God calls, He will enable us to
do His will – like the master has
responsibility for his slave

53. Problems getting on the field
 Areas of problems to getting on
the field
 .Marriage to an unsympathetic
spouse
 A large family
 .Parental opposition
 .Debt

54. Recruitment issues
 Separation from children can be a
big problem
 Single women have some
advantages - more free time, no
tie to family, but also some
disadvan-tages

55. Obstacles to missionary
service
 Advanced education - the farther
you go, the more likely you are to
stay in the USA – teaching, offers
of a big church, etc.
 Accumulation of debts – plan to
stay debt-free
 Love and marriage – you need to
make some decisions about your
call before you start a
relationship

56. Obstacles to missionary
service
 Parental opposition
 Health problems – usually not
as big an issue as previously
 Lack of direction – this seems
to be a major problem today!

57. Obstacles to missionary
service
 Lack of Bible training – some may
have adequate secular training in
some task (like medicine) but be
inadequate in Bible knowledge
 Lack of practical experience –
especially soulwinning. Crossing
the sea does not transform you into
a soulwinner
 Attractive offers at home

58. Single missionaries face
unique challenges
 Most are women
 When working with a couple of the
same age, sometimes nationals
assume that the man has two wives
 Remember that the nationals will look at
the situation from the framework of their
own culture.

59. Qualifications for missionary
service
 Physical qualifications – you don’t
need to be a great athlete, but do
what you can to discipline yourself,
especially in the area of weight
 Academic - most prefer a college
graduate, but it is important to keep
growing intellectually
 Vocational qualifications vary with
the type of work

60. Education is important to help
fill in the gaps…
 Bridge the language gap -
grammar & linguistics
 Bridge the culture gap – cultural
anthropology, etc
 Bridge the religious gap - know
the thought patterns, worldview,
and religious beliefs of others

61. Personality qualifications for
missionary service
 Emotional stability – character-
driven, not emotionally driven
 Adaptability – especially in terms
of time, work ethic, importance of
interpersonal relationships, etc
 Sense of humor – sometimes this
can be a lifesaver!

62. Personality qualifications for
missionary service
 Teamwork – we are in this together
 Willingness to take orders – we are
servants of Christ, and servants of
those to whom we minister. We are
not there to play “big boss”
 Be prepared to endure hardness -
not expect all the American luxuries

63. Personality qualifications for
missionary service
 Be prepared to wait – the time
frame of the third world is
different - event oriented rather
than time-oriented
 No superiority complex –
especially concerning Western
cultural values
 No racial prejudice

64. Spiritual qualifications
 Genuine conversion – this goes
without saying
 Knowledge of the scriptures – this
must be practical as well as
theoretical
 Assurance of divine guidance – it is
vital to know that you are in the will of
the Lord when the trials come – and
they will come!

65. Spiritual qualifications
 Self discipline – body, soul, spirit
 Strong devotional life – you must be
able to feed yourself, and not coast
on the spirituality of the school,
chapel, etc
 A heart of love – true agape love for
your people
 Some success in Christian service
before going to the field

66. God dealing with the
missionary:
 God chooses a man: Jn. 15:16 Ye
have not chosen me, but I have
chosen you, and ordained you, that
ye should go and bring forth fruit…
 God called Moses & Jeremiah
 Jesus called the disciples
 Paul was an apostle by the will of God
 God calls the man; he is not just a
volunteer

67. God dealing with the
missionary:
 God chooses his ministry & the gifts of
the Holy Spirit which he receives
 God chooses the sphere or location of
the ministry
 God determines the length of the
ministry
 God determines the “success” of the
ministry - is it good in His sight?

68. God orders world events
 The times and seasons are under
His control
 God opens and closes doors -
Rev. 3:7; Romans 11:33-36
 God commands evangelism
whether in good times or bad
 Open doors are our
responsibility; closed doors are
His to open

69. God’s work and Man’s Work
 God is prodigal dispensing His
grace; but frugal using His power.
 If man can do the job, God expects
him to do so
 .Jesus provided redemption; we must
preach it
 .The disciples showed this dramatic
change when Jesus left the earth
 .God uses human agents for salvation

70. God’s work and man’s work
 Lazarus
 The men moved the stone
 The men removed the graveclothes so that he could
walk
 But Jesus raised him from the dead
 Feeding 5000
 The boy gave the lunch
 The disciples distributed it
 But Jesus multiplied it

71. God’s work and Man’s Work
 When the church ceases to be a
missionary church, it denies its
faith and betrays its trust
 God works through the church
 We have been given the ministry of
reconciliation

72. Why missionaries leave the
field
 Personal problems
 Lack of spirituality
 Lack of commitment
 Problems with drugs, alcohol
 Immorality
 Sickness

73. Family problems
 Problems with his wife
 Does she agree with the call? I
believe that if the man is called, the
wife is called too
 The wife often has many more
adjustment problems. The man
may have his work set, but the wife
must function as a wife without all
the help she is used to having

74. Family problems
 Adjustments of the children
 Schooling is a major hurdle.
 Some sent their children away to
boarding school – most adapt well, but
not all
 Some home school – this is a big load
on the wife, but many helps are
currently available which were not in
years past
 Some send the children to the local
school

75. Family problems
 Children adapting to a new culture –
especially a problem with the teenage
years
 On the other hand, many teenagers are
far more mature and have a broader
vantage point than their peers by
traveling and living in another culture,
speaking another language, etc
 Care of elderly parents

76. Problems with other
missionaries
 Personality clashes – remember, you
often don’t choose your fellow workers
 Differences in standards, theology, and
approach to ministry
 Difficult situations – especially in the
bush with a single woman missionary and
a couple. Many nationals assume the
man has two wives

77. Health and cultural issues
 Health issues are less common
than formerly with advances in
health, but still present
 Culture shock
 Inability to adjust to and appreciate
the new culture and people

78. Problems with nationals
 The day of the “white bwana” is
basically gone with colonialization
 There is much resentment of the
missionary coming to play “big boss”
 We must be able to work together –
the goal of the missionary must be
national churches which are
independent

79. What can we do to prevent
burnout or fall-out
 Do not underestimate the need of a
strong spiritual life.
 Many students cruise on the spirituality
of their school – chapels, prayer times,
study-ing the Bible, etc. – but do not
know how to feed themselves from the
Bible, and do not have a vital prayer life.
 We must walk in the Spirit! The Holy
Spirit does not experience burnout.

80. Practical experience before
going overseas
 Particularly evangelism –
crossing salt water does not
make you an evangelist
 Practical experience working in a
church is a big help, and allows
you to find and develop your
spiritual gifts

81. Be as certain as you can over
your call
 When you know that God has
called you to a particular
field/work, that knowledge keeps
you going when the tests come –
and they will come.
 Again, have a close relationship
with the Lord and go to Him in
prayer

82. Learn about your country
 As much as you can learn from
your country before arrival can
help with your understanding, and
reduce culture shock
 The same is true of language if it
is possible to learn ahead of time

83. Work hard on language
learning
 Some languages are difficult.
 Resist the temptation to work
permanently through an interpreter,
or you will be permanently limited in
your effectiveness
 Take enough time to learn the
basics of the language, and keep
learning throughout your lifetime

84. Set reasonable goals
 We often set unrealistic goals for
ourselves
 We may try to please our
supporters more than the Lord.

85. Develop a support team
 First – your family must be together
 Secondly, have a strong support team
of prayer warriors in the USA. This is
a big benefit of faith promise system
 Take time on deputation to develop
not only adequate financial support,
but prayer support.
 E-mail is great!

86. Deputation advice
 Do not be afraid of deputation.
You are not “begging” but
seeking partners to work together
to reach the world for Christ.
 You need the support of the
churches, but they cannot do the
work of worldwide evangelization
without you

87. Deputation advice
 Quality!
 Your presentation
 Your preaching if you preach
 Your prayer card

88. Be faithful in contacts
 Make every effort to get into
churches!
 I always try to schedule heavily –
usually a minimum of 3 speaking
engagements per week.
 If possible, I made the farther
place Sunday morning and nearer
Sunday night

89. Deputation – remember
 Your support on the mission field is
important. Take the necessary time
to get adequate support
 Ask God for a time to depart, and tell
everyone when you know
 Be constantly scheduling; ask
pastors where you have good
meetings to help

90. Pray
 Pray for your meetings
 Pray for the churches
 Pray for your support
 Pray to be a blessing
 Pray to be able to communicate
your burden for the ministry

91. Furlough meetings
 It is easier to get into your supporting
churches, as you are not seeking support.
However, it is important to let them see you
and know what is going on.
 I like to start scheduling nearly one year in
advance. Larger churches work on that sort
of schedule.
 Prepare to show how the work is
progressing.