Kirralee Nicolle
31 January 2023
Spiritual fitness takes precedence over physical ability when it comes to engaging new mission workers, mission leaders say.
While missionaries have traditionally worked in very remote and challenging areas of the world, some prominent voices are advocating for greater inclusivity for those experiencing chronic illness or disability. In fact, they say such conditions can be an asset.
Author of Disability in Mission: The Church’s Hidden Treasure Nathan John said while some physical or mental health conditions may be prohibitive of certain locations or types of work, they are not a disqualification but rather a point of discussion.
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“If you have a disability [which restricts] mobility, then you might end up in a place like Tokyo or a place with very good accessibility and good services to provide for your disability,” he said.
Mr John said the first step to serving God was to know your own inadequacies and trust that God would fill any gaps.
“That humility that our vulnerability or disability brings us is a really important starting point,” he said. “It makes us aware that we’re interdependent, and ultimately we’re dependent on God.”
Melbourne Church Missionary Society candidate Lauren Raiter said while having chronic illnesses did determine in which areas of the world she would be best suited to work, her faith helped her to avoid worrying about her wellbeing.
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Ms Raiter said doctors had advised her that overseas work was entirely possible with her conditions.
“I’m a coeliac and I have diabetes, so medical things just make some areas of the world much harder to do well in,” she said.
“The biggest part is just trust in God and understanding that I don’t need to worry about a lot of big things because worrying about them isn’t going to necessarily gain any greater control over them.”
CMS Victoria executive director Wei-Han Kuan said the biggest misconception about applying to a mission agency was that it was the same as applying for a job. He said that instead, the CMS process was one of discerning both character and competence. Mr Kuan said a person’s spiritual qualities – godliness, prayerfulness, humble dependence on God and capacity to suffer for the gospel were key. He said CMS also sought those with a proven track record of suitability in ministry.
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“We send missionaries as humble learners, and we hold to ‘vulnerable mission’ as our basic missiological stance,” Mr Kuan said. “That is, we expect to be weak, unable and needing to learn and depend on others on location. That will certainly be true of our need to learn language and culture but also in other areas where we may lack ability.”
He said that when prospective candidates fit the spiritual requirements of CMS, they then proceeded with seeking a placement which provided enough care and support for their individual needs.
“We know that all disabilities require some level of support,” Mr Kuan said. “Therefore, that places limitations on where we can place such a person. We cannot place them somewhere where they don’t have access to the medication, the ongoing therapy or maintenance they need.”
But he said these limitations did not exclude those experiencing disability or chronic illness.
“We’re pretty creative, and the fields are ripe unto harvest,” Mr Kuan said.
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