Career Research Paper

by Kristen, Dec 2, 2006

This is my freshman career research paper on missionaries!

Description

A missionary is a person who is sent out on a mission, this mission is usually to convert people to the missionary’s religion or to help people.

Historical Background

Missionaries have been around ever since Christ’s resurrection. The first missionaries were those who say Jesus descend into Heaven, he commanded them, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit…(NIV Bible Matthew 28:19, printed in 2005, written in 1st century).

Demand/ Job Outlook

The job of a missionary has basically always been in “demand,” and it always will be for as long as the missionaries believe people need to be saved.

Physical Demand

Missionary work can be very physically demanding, depending on what type of missionary you are. As a medical missionary, you need to be ready whenever a patient is sick or hurt. As a missionary running an orphanage or some sort of child care, you need to be ready to watch the kids and make sure none escape, and if they do you need to bring them back.

Stress

Emotional Demand

Being a missionary is very emotionally demanding. As a missionary you take on the hardships and emotional stress of the people you help. In putting this burden on yourself, you relieve them of stress, making it easier to tell them about Jesus.

Skills, Training, and/or Education

Costs

There are many costs associated with mission work. First you will need to pay tuition to get the training needed for evangelism. There will also be the tuition costs of other courses needed depending on what type of missionary you plan to become. If you will be working in another country, you would have to pay for a plane or boat ticket, which would be quite expensive. Setting up a children’s care center or church would take a lot of money, not just for the building, but also food or care. On top of all of these expenses, would be the cost in taking care of yourself, as a human, you need food, a house, if you plan to start a family, and any other personal costs. All of these expenses would add up to a large amount, and very quickly, especially if you have no steady income from another job.

Education Costs

Education costs for missionary college courses, which are available at Christian colleges, is much higher than community college tuition. The tuition for a 12-18 hour class at Puget Sound Christian College for a full year is $9,750 (http://pscc.edu/, 2006), while a full year’s tuition at Everett Community College on average is a mere $64.60 (http://www.evcc.ctc.edu/, 2006). This cost difference is mainly because community colleges get state funding, while Christian colleges do not. If you plan on becoming a medical missionary, or a missionary with some other sort of training, you will need to plan on taking missions courses, as well as medical or other courses.

Salary

Unless they have another job, missionaries do not usually get a salary. They are supported with money and a lot of prayers from churches. Like a Pastor, people pay a tithe, or ten percent of their earnings, towards the church. The church then divides that money among different things, the Pastor’s salary being one, and supported missionaries being another.

Future Predictions

Missionaries will always have a job to do, because the needs of the people will never go away. Needs will always be met through different methods or different ways, so missionary training will always be adapting to the new methods. For instance the internet has greatly improved communication between missionaries and their supporters.

Likes

Missionary work can be very fun and rewarding, such as seeing people come to accept Christ into their heart, or getting to watch young children grow into faithful Christians. As a missionary, you can have the satisfaction of knowing you helped people go to heaven, you can also learn other cultures, maybe a new language, and meet interesting people.

Dislikes

Trying to minister to other people can be difficult, because of a language barrier, or simply because they will choose not to believe you, or follow the path you are showing them. If you end up traveling to another country, you may live far from friends and family, rarely seeing them, and when you do, the plane flights are long.

College Degree

Ideally, a trained missionary would have gone to a bible college, getting a four year degree. If you wish to become a medical missionary, you would need a four year medical degree as well. Missionaries working with children should probably expect to get a degree in some sort of children’s services. A bible translator or language translator would need to take at least two or more language courses.

Types of Missionaries

The list of types of missionaries can go on forever, and includes, but is not limited to, medical missionary, Bible translator, evangelism, encouragement, and outreach to children. A medical missionary is one that would get a medical degree and mission’s degrees, and administer healthcare, either in a health center, or travel to different villages. They help the people physically, and at the same time minister to them. A Bible translator would learn the language of the tribe they are working with, and translate the bible into that language. An evangelist goes to a group of people who do not know about Jesus and tells them the gospel message. A missionary in encouragement is one who would train and teach the elders or leaders in a tribe or group how to lead or teach their own tribe or group. A missionary who works with children would either set up an orphanage or soup kitchen, and feed them, both physically, as well as spiritually.