Is the term ‘missionary’ helpful in our generation?

I attended the Graduate seminar ‘Pioneering Urban Missions’ led superbly by Dr Varghese Philip at the EMFI National Conference 2012 and thought I would share a few reflections after the interesting discussions that we had.

The focus of the seminar was to hear from a variety of people who had found themselves practicing medicine in the urban setting and for us as a group to open our minds to the possibilities of serving God in India, not just in the traditional ‘mission setting’ in remote rural areas but to be a blessing wherever God has placed us.

"Does God only care for those people in rural areas?"  The answer: "Of course not", but have we as a medical profession in the past concentrated more exclusively on rural areas, because the needs are so great, and perhaps become somewhat closed to the needs in urban areas? Have we in our own hearts, thought or decided that the rural areas were more important to God than the urban areas? I confess that at times, having a strong call to seeing access to health come to rural areas, I have been guilty of wondering why we as doctors were not all so concerned and rushing out to serve the poor in rural India... God has challenged me sharply on this!

Those speaking had a wealth of experience to share with us, from working in urban slums through church community development programs to working in their own private practices, and as they spoke it was amazing to see the influence they were having in seeing God’s Kingdom extended through being the hands and feet of Jesus.

It struck me afresh that God is working right now, in all areas and all sectors of society in India, and we will be called and placed exactly in the right position by God, ‘for such a time as this’. Some will be called to the huge medical needs in rural areas where health care access is woefully absent, but at the same time, some will be called to the urban areas. In urban areas there are vast pockets of material poverty and marginalisation, but at the same time imagine the influence and impact that ethical medical private or government practice in urban areas could bring as influencers of our cities, maybe people in high positions, visit for medical care and find something more, finding Jesus’ values in that place. What a light in the city that could have far-reaching effects for the nation of India. 

I qualified as a doctor 11 years ago [not sure if that classifies me into a young or middle aged doctor - perhaps depends on the reader?!], but as we delved into ‘missions issues’ in this seminar then it seemed to be that the new generation of doctors, either working now or coming up as students will bring with them a new wave of practicing medicine in a contemporary way for their own generation. New innovative ideas, understanding the differing cultural issues coming with a more modern and changing India, and it excited me to see God at work through different types of practice.

In the discussion time, different people were bringing up issues that I felt were relevant to us all as doctors in India today. I will just paraphrase a couple of the main issues discussed here: 

“Did working in private practice in an urban area mean we were less devoted to God or not seen as ‘extreme’ a christian as someone who has served on the rural mission field sacrificially for the past 40 years?” 

“Can you be a ‘missionary’ outside of a mission hospital setting?”

These were genuine concerns of those in the room, some poeple felt guilty that they were not able to serve in rural areas, and how refreshing to hear the honesty of those asking and answering the questions.

As I personally reflected on these important points I began thinking about the term ‘missionary’ and whether this is still a helpful term in our generation?” Perhaps I am making a controversial point here, but somehow I felt that using the term ‘missionary’, as well as having great meaning behind it, can potentially generate some negative connotations to the listener. If you are not a follower of Jesus, does ‘missionary’ generate unwelcome thoughts that the missionary doctor is here to forcibly convert or impose views onto them rather than genuinely deliver compassionate health care? Does the word ‘missionary’ strike fear into some of the hearts of those christian doctors who are not called to work in remote rural areas and therefore feel somehow that they have failed for God?

So as I summarise, the challenge for us all is to to simply be the ‘hands and feet of Jesus’, wherever He has placed us to be. Let us have flexible, creative minds to be open to how God can use each one of us, whether in rural or urban areas, and lets shine a light into every sector of society. Rather than being known as a ‘missionary’...  perhaps we could simply be known as doctors in India who love the Lord and want to see the gospel demonstrated through our actions, with integrity, love and compassion to all we meet.  

Dr Mary Cusack - paediatrics