ACTS ACADEMY OF HIGHER EDUCATION, BENGALURU

A POSITION PAPER ON:

ARE ALL CHRISTIANS MISSIONARIES? WHY/WHY NOT?

COURSE: MATHER IN THEOLOGY

DEPARTMENT: MISSION

SUBJECT:
MTMN005: BIBLICAL FOUNDATION FOR MISSION

SUBMITTED BY:

SEBASTIN J K – MTMN/2023/1022

SUBMITTED TO:

REV. JOJI ABRAHAM

SUBMITTED DTAE:

25TH FEBRUARY 2023

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1

1. APOSTOLOS IN ROMANS 10:15-16 1

2. VIEW ON ALL CHRISTION IS MISSIONARIES: WHY AND WHY NOT

1-5
2.1. ALL CHRISTIANS ARE MISSIONARIES 1-3
2.2. WHY EVERY CHRISTIAN IS NOT A MISSIONARY 3-5
A. Missionary is “sent one” 3
B. Missionary should be 3-4
C. Missionary and Bible 4-5

CONCLUSION AND RESPONSE 5

BIBLIOGRAPHY 6
INTRODUCTION

Is it true that every Christian is a missionary, the term “missionary” is one heard and used
frequently. There is a little chorus that “Be a missionary every day”.1 As a position paper, I would
say every Christian is not a missionary, the reasons are followed. There are assumptions the great
commission was given to all (Matt. 28:18-20), so every Christian is a missionary. But this paper
will provide both views of why and why not every Christian are missionary. And concluded with a
response. In the English dictionary, a missionary is “a person sent by a church into an area to carry
on evangelism. He or she can also do other activities such as educational or hospital work.” Another
definition given is that a missionary is “a person who is sent on a mission. They are sent to preach
God’s message and truth no matter how hard or unpopular it may be.” Word missionary interpreted
based on the Apostolos this paper will gives conclusion for this is the very Christians are
missionaries.

3. APOSTOLOS IN ROMANS 10:15-16

“…how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of
those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord,
who has believed what he has heard from us?”

In the Biblical context, we can find the definition in Romans 10:14-16, which means “One who
is sent”. The Apostle Paul tells us that preaching the word happens when one is sent to do it. The
word missionary is derived from the Latin word Apostolos, which means to send. It conveys the
centrality of God’s authority and action. Missionaries themselves are not the authority, they simply
represent God, who is greater. With God’s fortified authority, they are to make disciples through
teaching the gospel. In simple terms, a missionary is a messenger or envoy who is sent out on a
special mission. The authority of a missionary comes from God himself.2

4. VIEW ON ALL CHRISTION IS MISSIONARIES: WHY AND WHY NOT

4.1.ALL CHRISTIANS ARE MISSIONARIES

Some say everyone is a missionary, while others will say No. Ken Caruthers's views say the
term missionary” is an extra-biblical term that has been coined to help label biblical concepts. Some
scholars claim that every Christian is are missionary, let’s look at their views.

1
“Missionary” https://childrensbiblesongs.us/2011/09/be-a-missionary/, accessed on 26th February 2024.
2
Harold E. Dollar, “Apostle, Apostles,” in Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions, ed. A. Scott Moreau (Grand Rapids:
Baker, 2000), 73.
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 Alan Hirsch:3 “Christians who earn a living as teachers, accountants, store clerks, mechanics,
plumbers, doctors, whatever—you are a missionary!”4

Charles Spurgeon:5 “Every Christian here is either a missionary or an impostor.”6

David Harley: said that all Christians are missionaries and biblically that is true. The word
missionary means “one who is sent” and all Christians are sent into the world to witness to Jesus
Christ. But the term has been more specifically used Missionaries are “those who leave their home
areas to take the gospel cross-culturally.”7

Winkie Pratney: “Every Christian a missionary; every non-Christian a mission-field.”8 He urging

every Christian to take responsibility for living and speaking the gospel through evangelism to
unbelievers, or something more?

Each statement expresses a passionate motivation for every follower of Christ to be encouraged
to express their faith through both their words and actions. It is the responsibility of every Christian
to share their faith with others. Charles Spurgeon once declared, “Every Christian is either a
missionary or an impostor,” this concept is considered to be the norm today by many church
leaders. One person expressed the following:

If you preached to believers, you were called a “pastor.” If you

preached to non-Christians in your own culture, you were an “evangelist.”
If you needed a passport to get there, you were a “missionary.” If those
distinctions were ever helpful, they certainly aren’t today.9 Not when “the
nations” are moving in next door and going to school with your kids. Not
when there is yet to be an expression of Christianity that is truly free from

3
Alan Hirsch (born 24 October 1959) is an Australian author, serial entrepreneur, thought leader in the missional
church movement, key missions strategist for churches around the world, and founder of numerous global
organizations.
4
Alan Hirsch and Lance Ford, Right Here Right Now: Everyday Mission for Everyday People (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Books, 2011), 63.
5
Charles Haddon Spurgeon (19 June 1834[1] – 31 January 1892) was an English Particular Baptist preacher. Spurgeon
remains highly influential among Christians of various denominations, to some of whom he is known as the "Prince of
Preachers". He was a strong figure in the Reformed Baptist tradition,
6
Charles Spurgeon, “Missionary,” accessed on 21st Feb. 2024. http://christian-quotes.ochristian.com/christian-
quotes_ochristian.cgi?find=Christian-quotes-by-Charles+Spurgeon-on-Missions
7
David, Harley. Preparing to Serve: Training for cross-cultural mission (USA: Willam Carey Library, 1995), 27.
8
Winkie Pratney, “Missionary,” accessed on 21st Feb. 2024. Winkie Pratney Quotes (ochristian.com), http://christian-
quotes.ochristian.com/christian-quotes_ochristian.cgi?find=Christian-quotes-by-winkie%20pratney.
9
Kosuke Koyama, “What Makes a Missionary?” in Mission Trends No. 1: Critical Issues in Mission Today, ed. Gerald H.
Anderson and Thomas F. Stransky (NY: Paulist Press, 1974), 28
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 modern rational humanism. We’re all missionaries because there is no
“home.” . . . The new paradigm is simple: all Christians are missionaries.10

Some people are called and gifted by God for cross-cultural missions. In the book, When
Everything is Missions, a missionary is defined as someone who is sent out to plant the gospel
within a target culture. Missionaries do it until it expands throughout the culture and beyond.11

Some only participate in missions for social causes, while others combine preaching the gospel
with social works. Being a missionary is a unique and special calling from God that distinguishes us
from others. However, everyone is a missionary, and our ultimate aim is to do everything for God's
glory. Our calling is to go and make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:18-20). Based on the
assumption that great commission was given to all believers.

4.2.WHY EVERY CHRISTIAN IS NOT A MISSIONARY:

A. Missionary is “sent one”

The English word “missionary” is derived from the Latin “Missio,” which means sending, and
the Greek word “apostello”, both describe a person who’s sent with a specific task or mission. To
be a missionary, and to be an apostle should be “sent one.”

B. Missionary should be

Missiologist George W. Peters identified a missionary as follows: “In the technical and
traditional sense of the word, a missionary is a Christian missionary of the gospel of Jesus Christ,
sent forth by the authority of the Lord and the church to cross national borders and/or cultural and
religious lines to occupy new frontiers for Christ, to preach the gospel of redemption in Christ Jesus
unto the salvation of people, to make disciples and to establishing and evangelizing Christian
churches according to the command of Christ and the example of the apostles.”12

William David Taylor says that missionaries “are cross-cultural workers who serve within or
without their national boundaries,” who “cross some kind of linguistic, cultural, or geographic
barriers as authorized sent ones.”13

Missionaries are not self-senders and are self-appointed. As Christians, we will have a desire to
let the world know about God. And it is our responsibility to carry out the great commission

10
E. Goodman, “Everyone a Missionary?” posted May 19, 2009, accessed on February 20, 2024.
http://missionsmisunderstood.com/2009/05/19/everyone-a-missionary/.
11
Denny Spitters and Mathew Ellison, When Everything is Missions (USA: Bottomline Media, 2017), 81.
12
George W. Peters, A Biblical Theology of Missions (Chicago: Moody Press, 1972), 248–249.
13
William David Taylor, “Missionary,” Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions, ed. Scott Moreau (Grand Rapids: Baker,
2000), 644.
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 whenever or wherever we are. We can use all our talents and abilities for God’s kingdom and reach
out to more people. As we go on in our daily lives, each Christian has the responsibility to share the
gospel to the next one. but all Christians are not missionaries, missionaries are sent one for specific
missions of God. missionaries who fulfill this calling along the way.

C. Missionary and Bible

What does the bible say about missionaries and who is a missionary? Knowing the places
where to conduct a mission is an important part of being a missionary. God often calls missionaries
to different parts of the world with the primary purpose of evangelizing to largely unreached
nations. Missionaries journey to places where most people have never heard the name of Jesus. In
the Book of Acts, Jesus tells his disciples to go to Jerusalem, to all Judea, and Samaria, and to the
end of the earth to preach God’s word.

Acts 1:8 - But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will
be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.14 The three
mission fields described in Acts can be seen in three categories today. The Jerusalem ministry is for
those who live nearby and have a common culture and socioeconomic status. Judea is those people
who seem similar in culture, but live far away. On the other hand, Samaria is identified as those
people who are very different in culture or socioeconomic status but live nearby. And the end of the
earth is for those who live far away and have nothing in common.

Missionaries are called to journey into dark, hostile places of the world. They leave the
comforts of their homes behind for the sake of bringing salvation to people who have never heard
the gospel. With only their faith and assurance in Christ, they step out of their comfort zones with
the hope that God will touch the hearts of these people. A missionary is a light in the darkness, for
when they preach, they light a small flame in the hearts of those who hear the Gospel. And over
time, this small flame will grow and the good news will spread like wildfire in that nation.

Missionaries are people “who have been called by God to full-time ministry of the Word and
prayer (Ac 6:4), and who have crossed geographical and/or cultural boundaries (Ac 22:21) to
preach the gospel in those areas of the world where Jesus Christ is large, if not entirely, unknown
(Ro 15:20).”15

Scripture shows that God selects and calls out of the church specific individuals that we would
call missionaries. These are unique and different from the average Christian in the church. For
example, the church at Antioch was called by the Holy Spirit to specifically set apart two
14
Holy Bible, New International Version (China: Biblica, 1984).
15
Holy Bible, New International Version (China: Biblica, 1984).
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 individuals, Paul and Barnabas, for mission work (Ac 13:1–4) (Referring to Paul and Barnabas (Ac

13:4), the verb “sent out”). The others in the church did not go anywhere. In the Old Testament,
there are numerous cases where God specifically called people to accomplish His mission: Abram
(Ge 12:1–3), Moses (Ex 3:10, Isa 6:8–13), and Jonah (1:1–2; 3:1). Thus, the missionary role is
“unique, essential, and divinely appointed.”16

CONCLUSION AND RESPONSE

In summary, is every Christian are missionary? The response is No. To equate apostle and
missionary is misleading for two main reasons. First, it is misleading to consider an apostle and a
missionary as the same thing for two major reasons. apostles were unique in that they were called
personally by Jesus himself (as mentioned in Luke 6:13) and were able to travel with him during his
ministry on earth (as mentioned in Luke 24:36ff and Acts 1:3). One of the key factors that set
apostles apart was the fact that they had personally witnessed Jesus' resurrection (as mentioned in
Acts 1:22). These apostles were known as "the apostles of the Lamb" (as mentioned in Revelation
21:14). Second, In the New Testament, apostles had an authority similar to that of prophets in the
Old Testament. The prophets of the Old Testament spoke and wrote in the name of God, conveying
His very words. Similarly, the apostles of the New Testament carried divine authority like the
prophets of the Old Testament. For example, the apostle Peter calls on believers to remember “the
command of the Lord and Savior through your apostles” (2Pe 3:2). In lying to the apostles, Ananias
was doing so to the Holy Spirit (Ac 5:3). The words of the apostles were seen as divinely
authoritative, and were considered as divine Scripture through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
The apostolic authority was demonstrated when they appointed the seven "deacons" in the
Jerusalem church and confirmed the breakthrough decision related to the salvation of the Gentiles in
Acts 15. However, it's inappropriate and unhelpful to equate any modern-day missionary with an
apostle of the New Testament era, except possibly as an "apostle of the church." Every Christian has
the responsibility to share the good news of the gospel, but God has specifically chosen certain
individuals for specific purposes in His mission. These individuals must be obedient to the mission
that God has called them to, as they are sent out by God Himself rather than by men. The mission
field is not a choice for anyone; it is only through obedience to God's will that one can fulfill their
purpose in His mission.

16
Holy Bible, New International Version (China: Biblica, 1984).
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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

“Missionary”. Accessed on 26th February 2024. https://childrensbiblesongs.us/2011/09/be-a-

missionary/.
David, Harley. Preparing to Serve: Training for cross-cultural mission. USA: Willam Carey Library,
1995.
Dollar, Harold E. “Apostle, Apostles,” in Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions. Ed. A. Scott
Moreau. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2000.
Goodman, E. “Everyone a Missionary?” posted May 19, 2009. Accessed on February 20, 2024.
http://missionsmisunderstood.com/2009/05/19/everyone-a-missionary/.
Hirsch, Alan, and Lance Ford. Right Here Right Now: Everyday Mission for Everyday People. Grand
Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011.
Holy Bible, New International Version (China: Biblica, 1984).
Koyama, Kosuke. “What Makes a Missionary?” in Mission Trends No. 1: Critical Issues in Mission
Today. Ed. Gerald H. Anderson and Thomas F. Stransky. New York: Paulist Press, 1974.
Peters, George W. A Biblical Theology of Missions. Chicago: Moody Press, 1972.
Pratney, Winkie. “Missionary.” Accessed on 21st Feb. 2024. Winkie Pratney Quotes
(ochristian.com),http://christian-quotes.ochristian.com/christian
quotes_ochristian.cgi?find=Christian-quotes-by-winkie%20pratney.
Spitters, Denny and Mathew Ellison. When Everything is Missions. USA: Bottomline Media, 2017.
Spurgeon, Charles, “Missionary.” Accessed on 21st Feb. 2024. http://christian-
quotes.ochristian.com/christian-quotes_ochristian.cgi?find=Christian-quotes-by-
Charles+Spurgeon-on-Missions.
Taylor, William David. “Missionary,” Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions. Ed. Scott Moreau.
Grand Rapids: Baker, 2000.

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