April 15, 2007: Missionaries Are Nice

Time Magazine correspondent James Wilde was surprised to discover how much he liked missionaries. After spending time with them while doing field research for the December 27, 1982 cover story, "The New Missionary," he said, "their sense of fulfillment [was] contagious. I have never met a group I liked more."

Wilde's words came back to me when I had lunch recently with some missionaries at Wycliffe Bible Translators' West Chicago office. The graciousness of their interaction with me and with one another left me thinking, "I like these people." I get a similar feeling meeting with fellow pastors. I know that there are some pastors out there who are pompous frauds and showboating egotists, but somehow I have been spared their company. The ministers I have known have all been decent, kind, laughter-loving men.

I hope you get the chance to share fellowship with people who, however imperfect, at least have it in their hearts to serve God. Many of my friends have no choice but to work side-by-side with "the greedy, the immoral, the slanderers, the swindlers" (1 Corinthians 6:9-10) every day, and I know it wearies their souls. I was a guest preacher once at a church where a wealthy executive confided to me that all week long he had to swim with sharks, but that church was a refuge for him where he found people of good will. I could relate because years ago I had a similar experience working in a warehouse. At lunch and break time I'd have to listen to bored, foul-mouthed people talk about their efforts to score drug deals or sleep with their sister-in-law or get filthy drunk. I was happy to get out of there.

The entertainment industry would have you believe that there is joy to be found at the bar, the strip club, the casino, the frat party and Spring Break - but as for the company of grim-faced, pith-helmeted, machete-and-Bible-wielding fundamentalists, run away! Those hyper religious people have no idea how to have a good time. Consider the Eurhythmics' hit song, "Missionary Man":

Don't mess with a missionary man...He's got God on his side
He's got the saints and apostles backing up from behind
Black-eyed looks from those Bible books,
He's a man with a mission, got a serious mind...
The missionary man, he was following me; He said,
"Stop what you're doing, Get down upon your knees,
I've a message for you that you'd better believe, believe, believe..."

All in good fun, of course, but I think those lyrics prove that the Eurhythmics never actually met a missionary man. In reality, missionaries are the nicest people you'll ever meet, and you'd be hard-pressed to find more refreshing company. I agree with James Wilde that (with pastors running a close second!) I never met a group I liked more.