One of the most common doubts I hear from young men considering missions, especially missions in difficult places, is this: “I am not good enough to be a missionary.”
In one sense, their fear is founded. They are not good enough. When I began serving in ministry, neither was I.
God Uses Unfinished Men
When I was first asked to fill a role in my church, there was no way I was ready. I was arrogant, selfish, and grossly immature. And it showed up in more ways than I knew at the time.
I still remember planning a junior high event and deciding that squirt guns were overdone and Nerf guns were too tame. So I came up with what I thought was a brilliant idea: an oatmeal fight. On a hot summer day, it sounded perfect. In reality, the oatmeal hardened into something like concrete on the kids, our equipment, and the outside of the church building. It was a ridiculous idea, and it reflected exactly where I was as a man: immature, unwise, untested, and honestly quite foolish.
That was me. And yet older, godlier men did not write me off. They saw potential. They were willing to address areas of my life issue by issue, weakness by weakness, sin by sin. Was I ready? No way. But they did not wait for me to become a finished product before they began investing in me. That is how God often works. If you are considering that same path, take time to think through what it means to pursue missions wisely and under the care of your church.
The problem is that many young men picture missionary service as belonging to the polished, the proven, the naturally bold, or the spiritually elite. They think there is some class of men out there who are already strong enough, mature enough, clean enough, and righteous enough to take the gospel to hard places. That is a fantasy. Our righteousness is not based on our own work. It is based on Christ’s work. Our acceptance before God is not built on our efforts but on the obedience, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Christ Is Enough
This truth matters because the nations do not need a message about how your efforts are good enough. They do not need your self-improvement story. They do not need a cleaned-up version of your strengths. They need the mercy and forgiveness of a crucified Savior. They need Jesus. The issue is not whether you are enough. You are not. The issue is whether Christ is enough. And he always has been. The same gospel that saves is the gospel that sends, shaping both our message and our mission.
This does not mean character does not matter. It matters deeply. Holiness matters. Discipline matters. Repentance matters. A missionary should be teachable, tested, and serious about obedience. But do not confuse qualification with perfection. Do not confuse maturity with self-sufficiency. And do not wait until you feel impressive enough to obey God. As others have written, desire alone is not enough; it must be joined with faithfulness and preparation.
If you wait until you feel good enough, you will never go. The Lord does not use flawless men. He uses weak men who know they need grace. He uses proud men he has broken. He uses immature men he is shaping. He uses unfinished men who are willing to repent, submit, grow, and be sharpened by older men.
The Lord does not use flawless men. . . . He uses unfinished men who are willing to repent, submit, grow, and be sharpened by older men.
If the Lord is stirring your heart for difficult places, do not let “I am not good enough” become your excuse for disobedience. Let it become the place where your self-reliance dies. The need is real. Even now, new missionaries are being sent to places where Christ is not yet known.
Take the Next Step
Bring your weaknesses to Christ. Bring your arrogance, your fear, your rough edges, your lack of clarity, your unfinished self. Bring it into the light. Bring it under the Word of God. Bring it to the kind of older men who will tell you the truth and help form you.
Then go where Christ sends you.
If you are ready to take a step, do not wait for clarity on everything. Start with what is clear. Learn more about your next step toward missions. Attend a 24-Hour Demo to see how missionaries are trained and sent. Explore current missionary opportunities, including roles in church planting, pastoral training, medical missions, media, and support services in hard places.
You can also begin serving now. Strengthen your involvement in your local church. Pursue discipleship and evangelism where you are. Consider a short-term trip through Launch Point. Use your skills in areas like teaching, healthcare, technology, or administration to support gospel work globally. And commit to prayer through the 9:38 initiative, asking the Lord to raise up laborers for his harvest.
You do not need to have it all figured out. You do need to take the next step in obedience.
