bivocational missions
Urgent Priorities for the Universal Church in the 21st Century
In 1995, David and his wife went to Muslim countries in Central Asia to preach with enthusiasm. No matter how hard they tried, in a mountainous area without running water, when the local villagers saw two white men who neither farmed nor herded sheep, they all knew that they were missionaries and even suspected that they were spies sent by the United States. No one wanted to talk to them. Coming and going.
After a while, they developed a small business and finally had the opportunity to contact the locals. After years of hard work, the business gradually grew, and their ministry finally saw results, and a church was established.
David shared with emotion that in Central Asia, the biggest stumbling block to the gospel is that Muslims see that local preachers do not have to work but live a good life, and think that they are hired by foreigners to promote foreign religions.
Today, the 10-40 window contains two-thirds of the world's population and is the area with the largest number of poor people and people who have not been reached by the gospel. However, due to political and religious factors, missionaries cannot enter in traditional capacities. Therefore, bivocational mission is a top priority for the universal church in the 21st century.
Not only are bivocational missionaries needed in the 21st century, but local evangelists also need to play dual vocational roles in the gospel frontline field.
Looking at dual-vocational missions from the Bible and church history
Bivocational missions has a long history. The Acts of the Apostles records Paul’s missionary journey. In Thessalonica, Corinth, and Ephesus, he made a living by making tents. It was an out-and-out dual-vocation missionary work.
In the 18th century, Zinzendorf led the Moravian Brotherhood and sent out the earliest missionaries in the history of Protestantism in a dual-vocational missionary manner. Through professional skills and trade, reach out to local residents, improve their lives and spread the gospel.
William Carey, the father of modern missions, is a model of dual-vocational missions. He has been in India for 40 years, and for more than 30 years, he relied on his income from teaching local languages to British officials. He also supported Bible translation, church planting and education, making significant contributions to Indian society.
However, for the past 200 years, missionary work has been mainly performed by full-time workers. Christians may ask: Is bivocational missions “real” missions? Do you work just to get a passport into a country where the gospel is restricted? After working 40-50 hours a week, do you still have time and energy to preach the gospel? If they do not preach the gospel "full time", are they "second-class missionaries"? If a business does not make much profit to pay taxes and does not provide employment opportunities for local people, is there an integrity issue?
Before answering the above question, let us first consider a more basic question: Is work a calling from God? How is the gospel good news? What constitutes effective gospel witness? Can work be missionary?
Transient and eternal value, intrinsic and functional value
The concept of the sacred pyramid and the dichotomy between sacred and secular is a misunderstanding in the lives of believers (Figure 1). At the bottom of the pyramid are the laity, above that are the workers and missionaries, and above that are the martyrs. It seems that how much you love the Lord is measured by how much you sacrifice.
The dichotomous worldview of sacred and secular holds that work outside the four walls of the church is secular and of little significance. Only the work done by pastors and missionaries is of eternal value.
The key is: what is transient value? What is eternal value? Indeed, work on products and technology may have only a short-lived intrinsic value and become obsolete over time. And work involving people and interpersonal relationships usually has eternal intrinsic value, such as leading people to know God, cultivating spiritual growth, improving family relationships, etc. However, it is impossible for everyone to join full-time ministry, psychological counseling, education, social work and other industries.
In fact, the work of dealing with things can also have eternal value. Any relationship at work is an opportunity to witness; facing work challenges can make us more like Christ.
Joseph and Daniel worked in a government and "worldliness" that did not know God, but their exemplary lives made God's name manifest in the two ancient civilizations. Work involving people and relationships, as well as work involving products and technology, may have different intrinsic values, but they all have eternal value. From this we can see that it is not what you do, but how you do it and why you do it, that determines whether what you do has eternal value.
The value and mission of work
The intrinsic value of work is related to creating a mission. In Genesis 1-2, God commanded man to subdue the earth and become stewards, and gave man the mission of creation as part of the perfect order for the world. The intrinsic value of work also lies in providing people with opportunities for self-discovery and expression of creativity, reflecting that people are created in the image of God.
The satisfaction that comes from toiling under the sun is a gift from God (see Ecclesiastes 5:18-19). The virtuous woman described in Proverbs 31 is recognized for her work in housework, business, agriculture, and manufacturing. Calvin and Luther also taught that all work is God’s divine calling, not only to manage God’s creation, but also to establish a culture that glorifies God and benefits people.
The functional value of work is related to the redemptive mission. The Great Commission is about discipleship; the Great Commandment is to love God and love your neighbor as yourself. Love must be shown in action. To teach disciples to love God and love others, they must lead by example.
Bi-vocational missionaries serve unreached people through their work. Whether it is education, medical care, technology, or economic construction, they can become witnesses of love and convey the message of love.
The Great Commission and the Great Commandment must go hand in hand and complement each other; work is closely related to the mission of redemption and creation.
Bivocational missions and the incarnation
The gospel must be connected to life, and family and work are life situations. Today, the vast majority of people are troubled by family relationships or work situations, especially in many developing countries in the 10-40 window.
The gospel shows different ways of life: under the same pressure and environment, because of God, the mentality can be positive; because of faith, life can be lived with hope. Missionaries integrate into the local culture, not only in terms of food, clothing, housing and transportation, but also through work, walking with local people, living in the local social system, and manifesting the gospel under the same life pressure. This is a testimony of the incarnation of the Word.
In many countries, dual-vocational missions are the only avenue available for workers, but they may not completely replace full-time missionaries. Wouldn’t it be nice if dual-career workers and full-time workers (who could be brothers and sisters who retired early) could work together as a team, just like elders, deacons, and pastors serve together in a local church? In more than 20 years of experience in sending dual-career workers, we have also seen that when full-time workers and dual-career workers can work together as a team, ministry can be carried out more effectively.
Bivocational missions and the holistic gospel
From another perspective, systemic poverty and institutionalized corruption are the main causes of suffering for the people in many 10-40 window countries today. In many mission fields, such as some African countries, although millions of people have accepted the gospel, the society is still rife with corruption, oppression, sin, and disease, and believers and non-believers alike live in dire straits. Christianity is like a river "a mile wide and an inch deep." This well-known phenomenon is not just a matter of evangelism requiring discipleship follow-up.
Ralph Winter, the originator of the term "unreached peoples" (in recent years, missiology has increasingly used the translation of "unreached peoples"), in the three missionary eras of 1800-2000─ The article "The Loss and Restoration of the Kingdom Mission" explains the problem of "shallow Christianity": the gospel should not only be about the change of individual lives, but also the transformation of the entire society. The "Lausanne Covenant" also points out that the comprehensive gospel of the whole person and the whole society not only saves souls; Christians must contribute to the development and welfare of human society and demonstrate the glory of God.
Mission in the 21st century must be a deep integration of the Great Commandments and the Great Commission. Professionals with missions or dual-career missionaries need to engage in the "seven mountains" of business, government, media, arts and entertainment, family, education, and religion to transform these areas with the gospel. And dual-vocational missions can become a missionary model for developing the gospel of the whole person.
▲Dual-career missionaries walk with local people through work, demonstrate the gospel under the same life pressure, and become witnesses of the incarnation of the Word.
Advantages and Challenges of Bivocational Mission
If bivocational missionaries work 40-50 hours a week, do they still have time and energy for “real” ministry?
Yes, bivocational workers may not spend much time in “direct” ministry, but their work can provide advantages that full-time missionaries do not have. Foreigners are always the target of local attention. The life of a dual-career worker is an open book. Every word and deed can become a living testimony to the glory of God. The work itself is the mission.
Strategic Placement - During working hours, dual-career workers are exposed to different social strata and even local influential people. Opportunities like this can be the key that opens the door to the gospel.
Social Impact - Dual-career workers in management can influence workplace culture, improve the working environment, and even challenge injustices in the culture, as William Carey did, and have a subversive positive impact on society.
Sharing resources - By fully or partially supporting themselves financially, dual-career workers can reduce the cost of missionary work, allowing churches to send more missionaries.
No matter where they live, Christians face the challenge of balancing work, family, and ministry. Bivocational missions are coupled with dealing with the people and events of life in cross-cultural situations. Working in developing countries may also encounter unexpected difficulties, but although the challenges are great, the rewards are also great. When local people see that your work and lifestyle are different from others, they will be more willing to listen to your sharing of life.
Aspects of work mission
From local workplace missions to overseas dual-career missions, there are three models:
Work and mission, work for mission, work as mission. Each pattern has its place (Figure 3).
1. Work and mission
For many Christians, work is primarily about making a living and serving God after get off work and on weekends. Work and mission are two parallel but unrelated areas of life.
Christians work hard and have a good testimony in the workplace. You will not be ambitious about a "secular" career, but rather give priority to investing time and energy in things of eternal significance, such as prayer, Bible study, fellowship, and evangelism.
When your children grow up and you have savings, you may consider retiring early so that you can have more time to serve in churches and gospel organizations, attend seminary courses or go on short-term missions, or even consider participating in medium- and long-term missions overseas.
David and Lily retired in their early fifties. As a church deacon, David tutors teenagers in their studies and also serves as a basketball coach. Lily serves as the chairperson of the mission team, often leads short-term mission teams, and mentors youth groups.
The couple would likely consider full-time ministry if they served overseas. If they had to get a work visa from the Initiate Region, they would most likely choose a job with the minimum hours so that they could devote more time and energy to directly serving people.
Paul and Helen gave up their management positions in banks and social workers and retired early to work as employee counselors and minister to workers in a Christian-run factory in Asia. They are also willing to fundraise because local wages are not enough to cover health insurance and other ministry expenses.
▲No matter what work you do, it has eternal value; in any work, you can bear witness to Christ.
2. Work for mission
View work as a platform for evangelism or service, and intentionally choose to enter a certain industry or region to reach specific ethnic groups.
A few years ago, a church in California decided to plant a church in Texas. The team of 20 young people includes couples and singles, teachers, engineers and IT professionals. They moved their family to Texas, found new jobs, and planted a church together. Today, the church with more than 200 people is still growing.
Years ago, God led Tom to East Asia. He has extensive experience in corporate finance and has no shortage of job opportunities. But the working hours were long, so he eventually chose to join a headhunting company. The salary is not high, but the working hours are more flexible, and you also have the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life and share the gospel with them.
3. Combining work with mission
A few years ago, God gave Mary a burden to minister to the new immigrant youth in Chinatown. Most of them are from China, are not fluent in English, do not do well in school, and can easily go astray. Mary quit her high-paying IT job and became a computer teacher at Chinatown High School. She worked hard to secure government funding to build new computer classrooms for students.
Since learning computers does not require good English skills, these young people learn well, develop healthy self-images, and stay away from street gang activity. Mary's outstanding teaching and concern for young people earned her the respect of students and parents, and she also had the opportunity to share her faith. Her work is not just about evangelism, it is equally important that young people gain job skills and build self-esteem.
As an energy and environmental resource management consultant, Mike’s long-standing dream is to contribute to the energy infrastructure of Country C and serve the church there. He works for a US company, but can only work in country C part of the year. Finally, Mike decided to set up his own consulting company, move to country C, support himself with his pension, and slowly develop his career. He wanted to use his professional knowledge to help the country develop and also bring the gospel there.
Same calling, different roles
Judging from Figure 4, on the left side of the circle are believers who are called to participate in local service, and on the right side are believers who are called to serve overseas. The top is dual-vocational missions, and the bottom is full-time service locally or overseas. From the perspective of missionary work, the left side is the sender and the right side is the sent one (Figure 4).
There is no superiority or inferiority between these four characters. It does not mean that you will love the Lord more if you give up your job as an engineer and become a pastor; it does not mean that you will become more spiritual if you leave home and go overseas. The important thing is that at different stages of life, we can say to the Lord: "Here I am, please send me."
Since being a disciple of the Lord is the same calling, and there is no spiritual hierarchy among different roles, and there are so many unfinished services locally, why consider overseas missionary work?
When we look at the needs of the entire world, 90%’s unreached people are concentrated in the 10-40 window, and in this area there are only global 10% missionary workers, we can understand the urgent need for overseas gospel.
Bivocational mission is the gospel of the whole person and a way to transform society. It is also a top priority for the universal church in the 21st century.
Paul Chen, co-worker at Go Live Serve International. Living Mission International, headquartered in Silicon Valley, California, is a regional missionary mission that pioneers dual-vocational and business missionary services.