Why That Phrase Needs a Closer Look
You’ve probably heard some version of it before: “Every Christian is a missionary.”
It’s a well-meaning phrase intended to remind us that being a Christian isn’t about sitting on the sidelines—it’s about living with purpose, sharing the gospel, and representing Jesus wherever we go. That message is absolutely true.
However, while the heart behind the statement is good, the wording can be misleading. It can unintentionally create confusion about the global mission of God—and the role each of us plays in it.
What People Mean When They Say It
When people say, “All Christians are missionaries,” they’re usually pushing back against the sacred/secular divide. They’re reminding us that being a witness for Christ doesn’t just happen in churches or on overseas trips—it happens in classrooms, offices, living rooms, and soccer fields. Evangelism isn’t just for the “professionals.” It’s the everyday call of every believer.
That’s a good and necessary reminder, but here’s where it gets tricky.
⚠️ Why the Phrase Is Problematic
While “missionary” has become a catch-all term for any kind of Christian witness, this statement can blur important distinctions. It risks doing more harm than good in at least three key ways:
1. It May Discourage People from Going or Sending
Ironically, calling everyone a missionary can lead some people to assume they’re already fulfilling the Great Commission simply by living faithfully at home. It can unintentionally remove the urgency to consider going to the unreached or sending others. If I’m already a missionary in my familiar culture, why would I need to think about relocating to a place where Jesus has not been named or supporting those who do?
If we give the impression that living faithfully at home is the same as fulfilling the Great Commission, we risk people disengaging from the global mission altogether—neither going nor sending.
2. It Downplays the Uniqueness and Cost of Cross-Cultural Missions
Leaving behind jobs, family, and community to move to another country, adapt to a foreign culture, and proclaim Christ where He is not known is a distinct and sacrificial calling. Not every Christian is called to this, but for those who are, it requires thorough preparation, long-term support, and often comes at great personal cost. This kind of missionary work shouldn’t be grouped with general Christian witness; it deserves specific recognition and intentional support from the Church. Sacrificing for Christ brings great glory to God and should be acknowledged—not minimized.
Jesus Himself affirmed the weight and worth of this kind of obedience. In Mark 10:29–30, He says,
“Truly I tell you…no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age…—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.”
The promise is clear: God sees the sacrifice, and He rewards it—both now and eternally. A similar reward is described in 1 Timothy 6:17-19 for those who steward their resources to participate in the advance of the kingdom among the nations as senders.
We do the Church no service by softening what it means to be a missionary or to send them.
3. It Confuses Biblical Language
All Christians are called to be ambassadors, but not all ambassadors are called to be missionaries.
The term “missionary” carries a specific meaning when we consider the Bible and church history. While Scripture doesn’t use the word directly, it clearly describes the role of missionaries—those who are sent out by the Church to proclaim the gospel, especially across cultures or to people who have never heard. This calling is rooted in passages like the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19–20), the sending of Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:2–3), and Paul’s description of the missionary task in Romans: going, preaching, and being sent out to other places so that people might believe (Romans 10:13–15).
This is different than being an ambassador wherever you are.
Scripture never calls every believer a missionary, but it does call every believer an ambassador for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). Ambassadors live sent. They represent the King wherever they are—whether in their neighborhood, workplace, or home. This doesn’t necessarily mean a calling to go cross-culturally to preach the gospel to those who have not heard it.
Why It Matters
This distinction isn’t just semantics. It’s missional clarity.
When we blur the line between being an ambassador for Christ and being a missionary, we risk shrinking the global vision Jesus gave us in Matthew 28:19–20. Jesus didn’t only call us to be faithful where we already live; He commissioned His Church to go and make disciples of all nations. If we confuse these roles, we can unintentionally turn a global mission into a local one—missing the heart of the Great Commission.
The Church needs both:
- Believers who live missionally right where they are, and
- Believers who courageously go where the gospel has not yet reached.
If we give the impression that living faithfully at home is the same as fulfilling the Great Commission, we risk people disengaging from the global mission altogether—neither going nor sending.
At a minimum, we don’t need to add more confusion or barriers to an already challenging task.
A 2018 Barna study found that 51% of U.S. churchgoers had never even heard of the Great Commission, and another 25% couldn’t recall what it means. That means nearly 3 out of 4 Christians may not understand how to obey Jesus’ final words to “Go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19–20).
Disciples of Jesus must hear the truth that even if you’re faithfully living for Jesus in your neighborhood, you’re still called to engage in the Great Commission.
Not everyone is called to go overseas, but everyone is called to participate. In God’s mission, there are goers and senders—and both are vital. Missionaries never go alone; they are sent by faithful communities who pray, give, encourage, and sustain them—just like the church in Antioch did for Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:2–3).
Sending is not secondary—it’s essential. Without senders, there can be no goers. Christians who stay are not bystanders; they are co-laborers in the gospel. By stewarding their resources, hospitality, and influence, senders participate in the advance of the kingdom among the nations. Whether you cross oceans or strengthen the hands of those who do, we each have a part to play.
A Better Way to Say It
Instead of saying, “All Christians are missionaries,” a more helpful exhortation might be:
“All believers are ambassadors of Christ, called to represent Jesus wherever they go. Missionaries live this out cross-culturally, often among the unreached where the gospel is not yet known.”
This affirms that every believer has a place in the global story, while also preserving the unique and vital role of those who are sent to the unreached. Regardless of how we say it, we must not minimize that for followers of Jesus, the question isn’t if you’re called to the Great Commission—it’s how.
Whether you go, give, pray, or send—everyone has a role in global missions. The Great Commission is for the whole Church.
Final Thought: You Are Sent
If you belong to Jesus, then you are sent—right where you are, and maybe someday far beyond. You are His ambassador everywhere you go.
Remember, however, that your calling doesn’t end there.
As an ambassador, you are still called to be a part of the Great Commission, God’s global plan to bring the nations to himself. Whether you go, give, pray, or receive, every Christian has an important role. Make sure that if you are not going that you are sending.
Ask Jesus if there is a part of his mission that He is asking you to step into more deeply.
Ask yourself:
- Am I praying regularly for the nations?
- Am I giving —sacrificially, joyfully—to support missionaries.
- Am I welcoming internationals in my city with hospitality and friendship?
- Am I open to the idea that God might one day send me?
Because the question isn’t if you’re called to the Great Commission—it’s how.
Missions is a team effort.
Some go. Some send. All are called.
So what’s your role?
Discussion Question:
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