Forged for the Frontlines: A Business of People

Missionary Criteria # 5: Relational Skills and Teamwork

A missionary must possess the relational skills that make teamwork possible. They must be able to interact appropriately, listen well and engage in healthy conflict with both ongoing relationships and short-term ones. Furthermore, they must be dedicated to overcoming obstacles and accomplishing a unified goal while staying invested in the wellbeing of teammates.

One of the great blessings of living in the United States is the sheer diversity of everything around us. Outside of the most rural pockets, anyone can carve out a niche community around their personal tastes—food, shows, hobbies, music, books, or social groups. In my own city there are badminton leagues, ping-pong associations, poetry societies, support groups on nearly any topic, religious gatherings, and clubs centered around the most obscure interests. I even stumbled on a support group for people who struggle to make friends. So, if all else fails, there’s that.

But this buffet of options doesn’t stop with hobbies and lifestyle choices. It has crept into the church as well. Pickleball players can now find Christian pickleball players. Moms of toddlers can find other Christian moms of toddlers. Board game lovers can connect with other board-game-loving Christians. Whatever your thing is, you can find “your people” within the church, and voilà—instant Christian community with minimal friction.

More could be said about the impact this has on the Church. But let’s focus especially on those we send overseas. When Christian community is defined by shared hobbies instead of Christ, we risk weakening both the relationships missionaries build with the people they minister to and the unity of the teams they minister with.

Relational Skills

A missionary must be able to build and sustain healthy relationships across a broad spectrum of people. Personality and strengths aside, cross-cultural ministry demands the ability to engage everyone: respected leaders, everyday neighbors, children, and even society’s outliers. The gospel is adorned when a missionary’s words and actions communicate that Christ is for all.

Jesus modeled this perfectly. He spent time with priests, politicians, demon-possessed outcasts, commoners, and children. The Church should take note: before we send someone overseas, we must ask if they can actually engage with people beyond their own narrow circles. Someone who can’t—or won’t—make friends outside of their hobby group will struggle to communicate the gospel for the simple reason that they won’t have anyone to communicate it to.

This is about more than just loneliness. If someone only knows how to relate to those who share their interests, that reveals a deeper issue: a fear of man and a lack of humility to step outside their comfort zone. Instead of finding identity in Christ, they’re anchoring it in activities. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2:13–16 that Christ Himself is our peace and the Holy Spirit is the great unifier.

The danger is practical, too. A missionary who lives only on the social fringes risks failing to gain a full understanding of the culture and worldview, thereby weakening the gospel witness.They also risk sending an unintended message that the gospel itself is only for those who identify with the missionary in some way outside of Christ. Don’t just tell them the gospel is for all. Show them.

Teamwork

This niche mentality wreaks havoc on missionary teams. A quick internet search of “missionary conflict” or “missionary attrition” shows just how pervasive this problem is. Teams fracture. Missionaries burn out. Years of faithful service sometimes bear no fruit—not because the soil was hard, but because the team couldn’t hold together. The tragedy reaches far beyond the fracturing of those relationships. The result is that unreached people remain unreached, and Christ’s glory is dimmed by division.

Back home, church members can dodge conflict by sticking to groups they click with. But on the mission field there’s nowhere to hide. You are stuck with your team. You are constantly exposed to their personalities, their habits, their quirks. Constant exposure will cause friction. That’s how it often goes. But a Christian and a missionary must overcome that. If you lack the maturity and humility to put others’ needs ahead of your own, self will always win. You might not be able to select who you go on the field with, and they might not be the type of people you’re naturally drawn to. That doesn’t matter. They might be the only other Christians you regularly interact with on the field. You need each others’ support. Furthermore, how you treat your teammates bears witness to Christ and His work. Overcome those personal obstacles for the sake of the gospel.  

Church leaders need to identify and cultivate the mindset of Timothy in their missionary candidates. I can think of no higher compliment given by the Apostle Paul than the one he gave his teammate, “I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 2:20–21)

This is the spirit the Church must look for. Not flawless people, but humble ones—people who can forgive, encourage, and lift up teammates even when it’s costly. Missionaries must be people who are genuinely more concerned with the interests of Christ than their own.

A People Business

My coworker Brad Buser often says, “The business of being a missionary is a business of people.” He’s right. Missionaries must be “people people.”

Whether they are shy or outgoing, stoic, or enthusiastic, the gospel worker must be willing to sacrifice comfort, step into the interests and lives of others, and engage in healthy conflict when needed. Their ability to preach Christ hinges on two things: having someone to preach to, and having a team to live the Christian life alongside.

In the end, missions is not about finding the “right kind of people” to live with or minister to. It’s about being the right kind of person—one who can live with and minister to all kinds of people for the sake of Christ.

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