Can a professional also be a missionary? New Antioch21 primer challenges churches to say yes

A software engineer who moved to Tokyo, Japan, for work.

A couple who relocated to Central Asia to teach at a university.

An entrepreneur building a startup ecosystem platform in West Asia.

At first glance, they may not seem like typical missionaries who devote themselves to full-time ministry. Yet each is intentional about building relationships and sharing Christ through their everyday work.

Their stories are featured in Antioch21’s newly released Bi-Vocational Missions Primer, which seeks to broaden the Church’s understanding of missions and equip churches to better recognise and support those called to serve through their professions.

Aimed at church leaders, missions committees and individuals discerning a call to cross-cultural missions, the primer defines a bi-vocational missions worker as “one who goes overseas with a missional call and a dual vocation”.

For these workers, their profession is more than a means of earning a living overseas. It is also a way through which they can bear witness to Christ, as they help sow the seeds of faith and nurture communities of believers.

As Timothy Wong, Co-Convener of the SG500 Asia Cities Forum, put it in his endorsement of the primer: “The Great Commission will not be fulfilled by a professional class of missionaries alone.

“It will require the whole Body of Christ – ordinary believers living out their calling in the marketplace, in business, in families and in communities, and carrying the presence and witness of Jesus wherever God sends them.”

The four pathways

By identifying four archetypes of bi-vocational missions workers, the primer offers churches a framework to recognise, prepare and support people who may be called to serve through their profession.

These are not stages to progress through, neither are some more important than others. Instead, they demonstrate different ways that Christians can integrate their vocation with their witness for Christ.

Archetype 1: The vocational witness

Vocational witnesses might move overseas primarily for work or study.

Over time, they recognise opportunities to share the Gospel through their workplaces and relationships, even if they did not initially leave through a formal missions-sending arrangement.

For example, YT moved to Tokyo to work as a software engineer. Through his relationships with colleagues, he found opportunities to share about a Heavenly Father who loves them.

His experience of witnessing in the workplace was not fundamentally different from what he might have experienced back home. Yet, in Japan, where Christians make up less than 1% of the population, living out his faith and sharing the Gospel carried particular significance.

With support from his home church and the Overseas Missionary Fellowship (OMF), YT was encouraged to continue building genuine relationships with the people around him and living out his faith through his work.

Archetype 2: The bi-vocational witness

Unlike vocational witnesses, bi-vocational witnesses enter the field with a clear calling to missions. They take up employment overseas, seeing their profession as an integral part of their witness for Christ.

For example, JN and his wife, TT, discerned an unexpected opportunity to teach at a university in Central Asia as God’s mission call for their young family.

Through teaching a storytelling module, JN creates opportunities for students to reflect on their identities and purpose. These conversations have also opened doors to discuss spiritual questions and faith.

Their story illustrates how professional work can provide both a meaningful contribution to the local community, as well as a natural context for building relationships and sharing the Gospel.

Archetype 3: The bi-vocational entrepreneur

For some, a missional calling takes the form of establishing a sustainable business overseas. In this archetype, the business itself and the relationships it creates are integral to the worker’s mission.

In one example, V, a young entrepreneur, began building a startup ecosystem platform in West Asia after working in a major technology company. With the help of angel investors, she works alongside local partners while responding to practical needs in the business community and building relationships that lead to evangelism and discipleship.

With the support of her church and a missions sending agency, V is able to pursue a long-term commitment to the region. Her story demonstrates how entrepreneurship can become a platform for both serving a community and living out a missional calling.

Archetype 4: The bi-vocational missionary

Bi-vocational missionaries primarily identify as missionaries. Their professions help sustain or enable their ministry, which may focus on church planting, evangelism and discipleship.

For instance, S and Y served an unreached people group in a country where traditional missionary work is restricted. Their professions as a doctor and teacher enabled them to enter and remain in the country, providing a context for their ministry.

In such settings, professional qualifications can open doors that might otherwise be difficult to access. Their work also places them in everyday contact with the people whom they seek to serve.

Their story illustrates how a vocation can make long-term missions possible, while also supporting the work of evangelism and discipleship.

Supporting the local church in missions-sending

For Daniel Loh, missions Pastor at Church of Our Saviour, this primer offers local churches an opportunity to rethink how they send and support missionaries.

At his church, several members have taken up jobs overseas, with some even expressing a desire to serve as bi-vocational missionaries. Though the church sought to encourage them, Daniel found that it often lacked the experience and capacity to support them effectively in their calling.

“Now, we’re rethinking how we can do better … With the identification of different types of bi-vocational missionaries, we can start to look at what kind of support they need,” he said.

While questions of accountability and support will require further thought and wisdom, Daniel believes the primer provides a useful starting point and a shared language for understanding bi-vocational missions.

“It will help us to plan, prepare and train bi-vocational missionaries as they go out with different skills and gifts. It also will help us to support different mission workers in the field,” he said.

“We are all in a learning process … But I am encouraged by it. It is much needed.”

The Bi-Vocational Missions Primer by Antioch21 can be accessed here.

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