But you and I know different. And there are some recent trends that make it seem more so. Here are just a few. The missionary is different. Most of today's missionaries do not spend their whole career overseas.
Missionaries serve an average of seven years.
And they are not just young people any more. At the Mission Society, our present missionaries range in age from 21 to 78. More than one-third of them were at least 40 years old when they began as missionaries. More than one-fourth were at least 45. For many congregations, giving to a missions budget line item isn't enough anymore.