TL;DR:
This collection links to brief essays explaining how missionaries can reflect Jesus Christ in cross-cultural ministry. The essays describe how missionaries reflect Christ through incarnational ministry—living among those they serve and embodying His compassion, humility, mercy, forgiveness, discernment, and servant leadership. This aligns with Paul's call for believers to "have the same mindset" as Jesus (Philippians 2:5).
"Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ" — The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:1
Proverbs 27:19 — “As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.”
These mini-essays were originally published in Engage, an online missions magazine.
Incarnational missionary ministry is an approach to engaging with people of another culture in ways that reflect the Incarnation—the Christian belief that God became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ.
A missionary ministering incarnationally should seek to embody the example and teachings of Christ in cross-cultural interactions. Incarnational ministry means that missionaries immerse themselves in the lives of those they serve, sharing in their joys and struggles, and actively participating in the realities of the human experience. This approach prioritizes relational, compassionate, and hands-on involvement, seeking to bring the transformative love and message of Christ into the very fabric of people's daily lives. Being a Christian missionary means going beyond verbally proclaiming beliefs to embodying them in daily life. Incarnational ministry can foster genuine relationships and a deeper understanding of people in other cultures—connections that transcend words.
Gina Pottenger, editor of Engage magazine, asked me to write a series of mini-essays on the characteristics of Christ's earthly ministry that should be reflected in the way we do world evangelism. Some would say, "We can never be like Jesus. He was perfect in every way; we are not." Nonetheless, there is the apostle Paul's exhortation in Philippians 2:5, "Have the same mindset as Christ Jesus." Colossians 1:27 also contains the wonderful phrase, "Christ in you."
My wife Barbara, who is a mental health counselor, likes to talk to her clients about God's declaration in Genesis 1:26, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness." Paul uses this thought in 2 Corinthians 3:18, where he says we "are being transformed into his image." It was this concept that led John Allan Knight in 1976 to write a book titled In His Likeness: God's Plan for a Holy People.
So, the question is, which aspects of God's character should be clearly reflected in cross-cultural missionary activity? What image of God should people see in a missionary from another country who has come to serve them? How should a missionary called by God to proclaim the gospel be described? Shouldn't the qualities of that person include compassion, humility, mercy, forgiveness, discernment, servanthood, intentionality, vision casting, holistic ministry, empowerment of others, and a primary focus on transformation?
— Howard Culbertson, hculbert@snu.edu
“God made humans in his image reflecting God’s very nature.” — Genesis 9:6, The Message
With thanks to my friend Brendon Weaver, whose questioning led me to come up with the list of characteristics that developed into this series of mini-essays.
In proclaiming the Kingdom, Jesus established the pattern: Go, proclaiming the Kingdom. That's what Matthew said that Jesus Himself did (Matthew 4:23 and 9:35). It's also what Jesus said in Matthew 10:7: "As you go, proclaim this message: 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.'"
When Christians talk about being Christlike, they are referring to emulating the qualities and characteristics of Jesus Christ in their own lives. This concept is rooted in the teachings of Christianity, particularly in the belief that Jesus is the Son of God and the perfect example of how humans should try to live.
Being Christlike involves embodying virtues such as love, compassion, forgiveness, humility, selflessness, and service to others. It also involves following the moral and ethical teachings of Jesus as found in the Bible, such as the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7) and the parables He used in His teaching and preaching.
For Christians, being Christlike is not just about imitating Jesus' actions. It is also about deepening their spiritual connection with God and allowing the teachings of Jesus to transform their hearts and minds. It is about living a life that reflects the values and principles that Jesus taught.
C — Carrying love to those in need,
H — Humbly walking where mercy leads,
R — Radiating grace in every deed,
I — Illuminating darkness with truth's light,
S — Serving with compassion, gentle and bright,
T — Trusting God with unwavering sight.
The word "missions" as an acrostic
Like acrostics? Here are more of them.
Want to see these principles lived out? Check out "Doing Missions Well" for examples of real missionaries.
Ten Bible passages that were either referred to frequently by well-known missionaries or at least call to mind their lives and convictions:
