# Can one do missionary work and not be religious?



## Freya (Dec 3, 2005)

A question that came up tonight. I was browsing some old threads in the Vault over in S&P and we (kids and I) looked at one of the old Chuck threads about Kenya.

Well ofcourse anyone being a missionary I have ever heard of had a religious affiliation. 

So what do non church aligned people who want to go and help others do? Maybe the Peace Corps? They don't appear to be easy to get into. Is there anything else?



Sorry... one of those "what if's" that has been driving me nuts all night... figured I would ask here and see if anyone else has heard of anything? :shrug:


----------



## Honduras Trish (Nov 30, 2007)

Sure, there are non-religious groups that do humanitarian, charitable works in foreign lands. They're usually not referred to as "missionaries" however.

Peace Corps is one, as you mentioned, but there are others. In my area we have "Amigos de las Americas" (http://www.amigoslink.org/) which is not affiliated with a religious group (although I believe it was at the time it started up), and also a group called Plan (http://www.planusa.org/). I imagine there are lots of similar groups working all over the world.


----------



## sheepish (Dec 9, 2006)

My daughter worked for a couple of years with YWAM, Youth with a Mission, which is not denominationally aligned. http://www.ywam.org/

There is also World Vision www.worldvision.org/ which is Christian but not denominational.


----------



## Honduras Trish (Nov 30, 2007)

sheepish said:


> My daughter worked for a couple of years with YWAM, Youth with a Mission, which is not denominationally aligned. http://www.ywam.org/
> 
> There is also World Vision www.worldvision.org/ which is Christian but not denominational.


Hmmmm - I guess I read "no religious affiliation" as her wanting to know about totally secular organizations. Freya, if you're religious (Christian), but just not affiliated with a denomination, then there are TONS of groups like that. We are with a non-denominational missionary organization ourselves.


----------



## VA Shepherd (Dec 26, 2010)

It's difficult to find these opportunities. Peace Corps is great, but you're right it's hard to get into. They take less than a third of those who apply, and the application process is pretty grueling and can take years. Totally worth it, though.

Most other organizations that are easily googled are really expensive; in fact they often market themselves as 'humanitarian vacations' or some such nonsense. Lacking the financial resources of religious institutions, they turn to capitalism, which makes it inaccessible for those without disposable income. 

I have worked with one group that I love, http://hands.org/ But they have a strictly post-disaster mission, which means most projects are pretty short term, and transportation costs for international projects are still prohibitive for many people.

For those of us who eschew 'organized religion,' it's not the organization part we're trying to avoid-- a little of that would be very welcome!


----------



## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

I believe there may be one or more groups of veteran's organizations (VFW? or?) that organized/sponsored something like this. Has to be more than 20 years ago, but seems to me when I was working at the VA Hospital I talked to someone that belonged to a group, previous military people, that were doing work similar to the 'missionary' groups.

As I recall, the one this person was affiliated with was working to help the Native American people living on the reservations in the area but it seems to me that she mentioned they did organize and sponsor groups that went to foreign countries as well.

Sorry I don't remember the specific group or more details, it was a long time ago and wasn't something I followed up on at the time, but a search might turn something up.


----------



## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

My mother's work in Romania was through the Women's Institute, is there something similar here?


----------



## Honduras Trish (Nov 30, 2007)

Another possibility is teaching in bilingual or international schools. Here in Honduras, US college graduates can get jobs which pay a tiny amount (so they are basically volunteers getting living expenses, like the Peace Corps) to teach American English, as well as other subjects, also taught in English, at these schools. Some of these schools are affiliated with churches, while others are not. By Honduran standards, these schools are pretty expensive for the students' families, so you're not working with the poorest of the poor, but you are helping raise the level of education in the society as a whole, which is desperately needed here. Also, some schools take in a few charity cases with scholarships. I'd encourage my own kids to do a year of this kind of work, if any of them had the interest.


----------



## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

Why go elsewhere to help others? Look around your own community - what can you do? Can you wrangle a piece of ground for a community garden and organize and manage that? Can you offer classes for kids to give them something to do in the summer? Is there a house that could use some paint? Someone that needs trash hauled off? Sometimes, community organizers aren't a bad thing. 

You really don't need an organization around you. But if you think you do- then there are Lion's clubs, Kiwanas, Shriners - ALL KINDS of groups that do service work already there waiting for you to join them.


----------



## Chixarecute (Nov 19, 2004)

Red Cross


----------



## Nicole Irene (Jun 12, 2011)

Doctors without Borders and Engineers without Borders
Habitat for Humanity (is that only local, though?)


----------



## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

Freya said:


> So what do non church aligned people who want to go and help others do? Maybe the Peace Corps? They don't appear to be easy to get into. Is there anything else?


I think that it is a human emotion of empathy or compassion that makes people want to help others. You know when you send a cake to your neighbor because they aren't feeling well that is a type of missionary work. It's just not called "missionary", but it is the same work. People don't have to be part of an organized group or church to be doing missionary work. When you walk out the door of your home into the world, that is your missionary field.
So yes, it may not be called missionary work, but anyone can do it. And you don't need to travel to the remote regions of the world to do it.


----------



## Linkovich (Apr 17, 2009)

(Taking the term missionary to mean someone who goes out to share the gospel)

In my opinion the best missionary IS one who isn't religious. People don't need to switch one religion for another. One who goes in the power of God, not under man's ideas and boundaries is the one who will be effective.


----------



## Ruby (May 10, 2002)

Callieslamb said:


> Why go elsewhere to help others? Look around your own community - what can you do? Can you wrangle a piece of ground for a community garden and organize and manage that? Can you offer classes for kids to give them something to do in the summer? Is there a house that could use some paint? Someone that needs trash hauled off? Sometimes, community organizers aren't a bad thing.
> 
> You really don't need an organization around you. But if you think you do- then there are Lion's clubs, Kiwanas, Shriners - ALL KINDS of groups that do service work already there waiting for you to join them.


This is what I was thinking too. There are soooo many kids right here in the US that needs help. The ones that are falling through the cracks. People who would love to learn how to garden or can. 

My daddy use to have a saying that I believe is so true. Charity begins at home.


----------

