Please login to continue
Having Trouble Logging In?
Reset your password
Don't have an account?
Sign Up Now!
Register for a Free Account
Name
Email
Choose Password
Confirm Password

Your account has been created!

Breaking Down the Sacred/Secular Divide

Breaking Down the Sacred/Secular Divide

Many of us buy into the stereotype—the lie—that only doctors, preachers, or teachers are or can be missionaries. Although it took 10 years from the time Heidi Buell was called to missions to the time she moved to Honduras to serve as a missionary disciple, she learned early on in that decade that her passion for accounting did and does line up with God’s heart for the world.

“I was called as a missionary right after high school,” Heidi shared. “A big part of my journey was realizing that, as an accountant, I could still serve on the mission field. I had only heard about missionary doctors and preachers and didn’t feel called to either of those directions. It was really a big moment when I realized that God uses the entire body of Christ to advance His kingdom and that there is no sacred/secular divide in that way.”

Heidi knew she had been called to missions and wondered how God was going to use her particular skills. She served as a Volunteers In Action participant while in college and was so excited to see firsthand how accountants can integrate into the ministries on the field. She wanted to return to Honduras right after college. Instead, God led her to work as an auditor at an accounting firm that specialized in nonprofit accounting. This work helped prepare her for what was to come three years later when God opened the door for her to serve full time in missions.

She was appointed as a two-year missionary disciple to Honduras, working with missionary treasurer DeeAnn Rich in the field office and teaching personal finance classes to Honduran nationals.

WGM Honduras partners in ministry with Disciple Nations Alliance. Heidi explained that she’s excited about how God is using the DNA training in Honduras as it focuses on “ministering from a biblical worldview and bringing God back into the whole of life, breaking down that sacred/secular divide. It focuses on discipling the nations not just converting the nations.”

As part of its training, DNA strives to impress God’s kingdom model on these sectors of society: government, economics, science and technology, church, family, education, communications, and arts and entertainment. A specific part of the DNA Network working toward that end is Work 4 A Living…a perfect ministry fit for business-minded individuals wanting to minister in a wholistic way!

“[Work 4 A Living] runs job training centers that teach basic and very practical skills needed to help the unemployed find and keep jobs by working to a standard of excellence,” Heidi explained. “The program also empowers individuals to break the cycle of poverty in their own lives on their own by addressing mindsets—the poverty mindset, the entitlement mindset—and replacing them with the gospel truth. So, it’s not just about finding jobs; it’s about discipleship.”

“It takes the entire body of Christ,” Heidi said about reaching the world for Christ. “Regardless of our skills and personalities, God can and does use us in the unique ways He has created us to spread the good news of the gospel around the earth. God can and wants to use each of us to make missions happen.”

Action Steps

PRAY: Pray that the biblical truths of whole-person, whole-community transformation will permeate throughout the nation of Honduras.

GO: Are you a business, finance, or accounting minded person? Find out how you can use your skills and background.

Olivia Lauritzen, Writing Intern
The Call (March 2018)

More Stories

Support a Missionary
Global Impact Fund
Advancing the Great Commission through your partnership.