Category: Helpful Resources

Missionary Mistakes #9 is a common problem seen amongst many missionaries. I both want to say thank the Lord for what He has taught me, along with a caution to all to not make this mistake. This Missionary Mistake concerns Preparation.

To be a missionary, there are many important steps to take. Without going into depth, I would like to mention some of those areas where we cannot afford to take the step without preparation.

Language

If you go to a non-speaking English country, it is of upmost importance to learn the language of the people. A missionary that can not speak the language of the people will have many disadvantages as well as hindrances in his ministry. We all want to jump in and begin preaching, but if we do not take the discipline of going to language school, we may never be accepted by the people or possibly never be used as greatly for our Lord. We must not be fooled by the idea that everyone knows “some” English. Continue reading “Missionary Mistakes – Part IX”

The next Missionary Mistake I would like to share is the mistake of forgetting the Transition Rule. I am a missionary, and it is my belief that if I say I am a church planter, than I must …. start churches. I personally have churches in the US that support me as a missionary, not just a pastor. If I stay content with one church all my ministerial life, am I being fare to churches in the states? Would I even be being fare to the people on my field?

I was taught by my spiritual father a principle that is very important in the missionary life – the Transition Rule. I begin as the soul winner, pastor, door-opener, song leader, floor cleaner, etc, but my goal is to move out of those positions so that other leaders can be raised up. The goal is that the people of Argentina can take the lead and one day have an Argentine pastor. But how can they unless I practice the Transition Rule. Continue reading “Missionary Mistakes – Part VIII”

More than once have we seen God do a miraculous work on a Sunday morning service and then come back on Sunday night only to feel that the message was a “flop”. It hurts to say, but I have bombed my share of messages. Not only do I believe it is a sin to take the worlds most wonderful Book and make it dry, but I also believe it is the messenger’s poor giving of the message that is the problem.

As a missionary, God has placed many good people under my care to feed spiritually until the next man takes over. If I give a lousy delivery, I am not only telling the people that I did not study, but I am showing with my actions that God’s Word is NOT interesting. Shame on me, shame on us if we do not prepare well enough! Continue reading “Missionary Mistakes – Part VII”

As a missionary, it is a humbling thing many times for me to realize that I may be a spiritual leader to many people, but I do not have every answer. In many circumstances I would be wise to heed to advice from men and others in the church.

I work in Argentina and love Argentina as well as the people, but I have not learned everything about the culture. It almost is hard for me to say, but I am not Argentine. In those words, I believe it means that I should ask for simple advice before I make little decisions in the church. Of course I will make the decisions about what to preach, who leads, etc, but on cultural items, I should ask for opinions. Continue reading “Missionary Mistakes – Part VI”

The 5th of many Missionary Mistakes I have made, is that of believing Hiring is easier than Raising.

I used to think, with the American dollar having more value than the peso, I could hire someone to help me do much more of the work and get twice as much done. Although this could be very true and used correctly, it has both its pros and cons. The simple thought that I can hire someone and avoid having to spend time raising and maturing new Christians, many times is easier than, but ends up costing much more in the end.

God has been very gracious to us, and compared to many horror stories, we have not faced as great of difficulties. But I do want to say that we have had more problems with outsiders that have come from other ministries than we have had in the people that come from our own ministry that the Lord has given us. Continue reading “Missionary Mistakes – Part V”

The fourth Missionary Mistake I have made and would like to present is concerning Self Discipline.

It did not take me long to realize that when I arrived on the mission field, I was my own boss. No one was there to tell me what time I had to wake up, no one told me I had to work a certain amount of hours, check in or check out, visit, study, etc. The truth is, I could really live it up and make up stories in my prayer letters …. or I could practice some simple steps in self discipline.

As being my own boss, I must realize a few things. I personally have family members, friends and churches that support my family and I here on the field. I could get away with many things, … but is it really right of me to “live it up” and not do my job. Of course we have people praying for us, churches sacrificing for us, Argentines depending on us, etc, but the biggest reality point for me is Proverbs 15:3 – “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” I can look at what I want on the internet, spend my time how I want during the day, be lazy, etc, … but the eyes of the Lord are watching me. Continue reading “Missionary Mistakes – Part IV”

The third Missionary Mistake I have made and would like to present is that of “Culture Shock”.

Some may ask, is culture shock real or is it just in your head. I am not sure I could tell you how valid it is, but allow me to tell you some of our experiences. When we left the United States, we began with language school in Peru. Since it was only my wife and I in the class, it should not have been too hard, … but when my language school teacher only spoke Spanish and could not understand when I asked him a question, I got pretty frustrated. Ok, I will be honest, I said a few words here and there in his face knowing that he didn’t understand in Spanish (I have since confessed those things ). When arriving to Argentina, I on accident said words that were cuss words in Argentina that were not cuss words in Peru. I walked into stores and wanted to buy something simple and had to tell them what I wanted at one counter, pay at another counter, give the receipt at another counter, and pick it up at the last counter. I was now having culture shock!!

Continue reading “Missionary Mistakes – Part III”