Missionary

The pith helmet is gone. The pocket watch is broken. What remains is the quiet, terrifying, glorious call to simply show up and love.

At its absolute core, a missionary is simply someone who is sent . Specifically, someone sent to love people who are not like them. Missionary

For many of us, it’s a specific, grainy snapshot from a history book: a stoic figure in a starched collar, standing awkwardly next to a thatched hut, holding a leather-bound Bible in one hand and perhaps a pocket watch in the other. There’s often a pith helmet involved. The vibe is colonialism, conversion, and cultural superiority. The pith helmet is gone

We have to let go of the idea that being a missionary is about changing people, and embrace the idea that it is about accompanying people. It is not a title of honor; it is a posture of humility. At its absolute core, a missionary is simply

And that, I think, is a mission worth keeping.

Yes. But only if we let it be broken.

If we are going to use the term today, we have to check that backpack at the door. Strip away the colonialism. Strip away the judgement. What’s left?