Why missionaries should be good communicators

Dear Missionary,

I am not trained as a storyteller. My whole life I’ve pretty much been a technical person, and was focused on aviation for more than 25 years. So I want to encourage you that you do not need an arts degree to be an effective communicator. But it does take effort. When I taught communication workshops for our missionaries in Africa, that’s often where I would start. Why is the effort justified? Aren’t we better stewards to pour our time into the ministry we trained for?

My answer: What you communicate about your ministry is part of the ministry you are called to.

It’s an important element of your offering and obedience to God as you serve in missions. It is an act of service just like your primary role, only different in that it’s focused outward toward your supporters, fellow missionaries, future missionaries, the Church, and probably others. As the ones God has called to the field - to the front lines of the Great Commission - we have a certain responsibility to bring that work home. I have often heard people tell me: "I have been truly moved by your writings. They have brought me to Africa with you."

Part of the justification for this point of view comes from the NT account of Paul sending Tychicus back to the churches to "tell" and "encourage". These passages of scripture were part of the inspiration for the formation of the field-based media team I work with now (col 4:7-9, Eph 6:21-22). Why would Paul send his co-laborer home unless it were extremely valuable and necessary to send the stories home.

So, telling the stories of missions is a ministry. And since missionaries are the ones in the midst of these stories, it is partly their responsibility and privilege. This can be done visually - through photography and video - but I think it’s accurate to say that writing will likely be the primary medium in our communications. Prayer letters, blogs, and status update, however delivered, are going to be written. Well produced videos are written first. So, some effort to learn to write well is required of all of us.

As a new missionary, I already had this perspective - that our family newsletter was a "ministry." So, I set out to make our letters compelling and encouraging.

Missionaries will more effectively communicate their ministry and needs through "story" than through news updates and lists of prayer requests. We don’t need to give a summary of all our activities each time a newsletter goes out, as if to justify the fact that we are indeed busy people. We simply need to tell a story that encapsulates the heart of what God is doing in and around us. Readers understand that this one story is just a snapshot of all that’s going on. But the lessons and prayer needs hit home way better through story than they would through news blurbs.

But to do this, we have to see what God is doing in and around us. As missionaries, we too often fail to see the basic drama around us. What is truly extraordinary becomes ordinary over time. We have to train ourselves to "see" better. Become better observers. Meditate on what’s happening and what God is teaching us. One of the world’s greatest aviation writers once said that the best writing, and the best stories, come from a combination of "adventure and reflection."

I would also suggest that "essay" is the best medium for this kind of writing/ storytelling. Here’s what it means: "The word essay comes from a French word meaning "to try or attempt." In other words, I often revert to the essay when I am trying to figure out something that is happening to me or to the world. I don’t wait until an idea arrives fully formed. Instead, I sit down, get my hands moving, and see where they lead me." --Roy Clark

This means the writing is most often first person, which is typically the easiest kind of writing to do. But, even though I’m taking you along on a journey of my own discovery, the writing is not about me. It’s about God at work, and in the end the reader should walk away with that. The stories we share do not necessarily need to have a premeditated spiritual lesson, as if they are a devotional journal. But they shouldn’t be simply tales of our exploits as missionaries either.

Here’s four basic principles I teach missionaries about writing:

For missionaries who desire to become better writers (and editors of their writing), I often suggest the timeless book On Writing Well by William Zinsser. I would make this required reading for our organization if I could. Anyone who reads it will come away a better writer.

Also, nearly everyone considers good writing to be difficult to achieve. You’d be surprised how many famous authors despise the act of writing. It is simply hard work sometimes. It’s been said, what makes someone a "writer" is not that they write, but that they love the satisfaction of "having written". The process is hard for almost everyone. I might spend hours on a single essay, but I count the time well spent - both for me, and for the ministry of "telling the story." It is quite normal to learn as you go. Writing is a craft. We can’t really use "I’m not a naturally gifted writer" as an excuse.

Lastly, as technology advances at a rapid rate, I would encourage you to make use of any appropriate mediums to get you message out. Blogs, Facebook and other social media, E-mail campaigns, etc. As technology explodes and communication in our world becomes increasingly more personal, shallow, and short, it becomes increasingly difficult for missionaries to get their prayer letter or other updates read. You will have to find ways to rise above all this "noise". Part of that resides in our attention to crafting stories worth reading. Benjamin Franklin once said, "Either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing." Missionaries, I think, have the unique opportunity to do both. We live unusual lives, and we have a compelling tale to tell. If we do it well, it will rise above the assault of mass media people deal with every day, and maybe make for God’s glory.

Well, this is long. So I’ll stop here and summarize: