--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The missionary question is not, 'Where…" description: "\"The missionary question is not, 'Where are there unbelievers?' and then send a missionary there. There are unbelievers everywhere! The missionary quest..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d03/john-piper-255_can-do_the-missionary-question-is-not-where-are_1913704.png" --- # The missionary question is not, 'Where are there… ![“The missionary question is not, 'Where are there unbelievers?' and then send a missionary there. There are unbelievers everywhere! The missionary question is, 'Where are there people's who don't have any Christians in them or don't have a church strong enough to do the neighbor evangelism that we…” quote by John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d03/john-piper-255_can-do_the-missionary-question-is-not-where-are_1913704.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d03/john-piper-255_can-do_the-missionary-question-is-not-where-are_1913704.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d03/john-piper-255_can-do_the-missionary-question-is-not-where-are_1913704.png) > “The missionary question is not, 'Where are there unbelievers?' and then send a missionary there. There are unbelievers everywhere! The missionary question is, 'Where are there people's who don't have any Christians in them or don't have a church strong enough to do the neighbor evangelism that we can do if we just want to do it?' That's the missionary question.” [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The true missionary focus is identifying places lacking strong Christian community, not merely counting non‑believers, to foster local evangelism. **In simple terms:** Find areas without strong Christian community for outreach. Key Takeaway Prioritize strengthening local churches. Themes mission evangelism community strategy faith Mood hopeful determined Type strategic inspirational When to use this quote - urban neighborhoods - rural towns - online communities Key Concepts church planting local outreach Questions to Reflect On - How can you support existing believers? - What resources are needed for local evangelism? A Different Perspective Resources may be limited in some regions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Evangelism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evangelism/) [Missionary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missionary/) [Neighbor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbor/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Strong enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-enough/) [Unbelievers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unbelievers/) ## Related quotes > [“An atheist is someone who is disappointed in his search of god. He is a man who strongly needed god but couldn't find him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/an-atheist-is-someone-who-is-disappointed-in-his-search-of-god-he-is/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [The fundamentalist believer is mostly a weird intellectual who often lacks real faith altogether. As a self-appointed attorney for God, who is in no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-allen/the-fundamentalist-believer-is-mostly-a-weird-intellectual-who-often/) [Steve Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-allen/) > [The believer is sensible of his infirmities, for it is supposed that he is wrestling under them. He sees, he feels, that he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boston/the-believer-is-sensible-of-his-infirmities-for-it-is-supposed-that/) [Thomas Boston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boston/) > [For him who is perfect in love and has reached the summit of dispassion there is no difference between his own or another's, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maximus-the-confessor/for-him-who-is-perfect-in-love-and-has-reached-the-summit-of/) [Maximus the Confessor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maximus-the-confessor/) > [A man should remind himself that an object of faith is not scientifically demonstrable, lest presuming to demonstrate what is of faith, he should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/a-man-should-remind-himself-that-an-object-of-faith-is-not/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [We the Christians may not save the souls of unbelievers because only Jesus Christ does that but we are the bridge by which they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-kang/we-the-christians-may-not-save-the-souls-of-unbelievers-because-only/) [Albert Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-kang/) > [Unbelief is actually perverted faith, for it puts its trust, not in the living God but in dying men. The unbeliever denies the selfsufficiency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/unbelief-is-actually-perverted-faith-for-it-puts-its-trust-not-in-the/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [Dogma demands authority, rather than intelligent thought, as the source of opinion; it requires persecution of heretics and hostility to unbelievers; it asks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/dogma-demands-authority-rather-than-intelligent-thought-as-the-source/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Probably no one of us has the True Religion. But all of us together - if we are allowed to be free - are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-boorstin/probably-no-one-of-us-has-the-true-religion-but-all-of-us-together-if/) [Daniel J. Boorstin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-boorstin/) > [In my life, the only certainty is to be uncertain. 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Without unbelief, we might well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-stein/many-of-the-innovations-in-science-and-philosophy-have-come-from/) [Gordon Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-stein/) > [“If you are a pastor there is no way you can lose faith without losing face, you are considered the devil incarnate by your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/if-you-are-a-pastor-there-is-no-way-you-can-lose-faith-without-losing/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [Few things are more important at this time in history than for religious people to listen to the New Atheists as if these unbelievers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dowd/few-things-are-more-important-at-this-time-in-history-than-for/) [Michael Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dowd/) > [ \[T\]he politically correct are above the rules of ordinary civility, once they have identified you as an unbeliever in their religion. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/t-he-politically-correct-are-above-the-rules-of-ordinary-civility/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [People are eternally divided into two classes, the believer, builder, and praiser...and the unbeliever, destroyer and critic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/people-are-eternally-divided-into-two-classes-the-believer-builder/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) ## More by John Piper > [“Even in the miserable guilt we feel over our beastlike insensitivity, the glory of God shines. If God were not gloriously desirable, why would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/even-in-the-miserable-guilt-we-feel-over-our-beastlike-insensitivity/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [The absence of God in most spheres of life is perceived to be normal, and even Christians feel it as normal - which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/the-absence-of-god-in-most-spheres-of-life-is-perceived-to-be-normal/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [“The Spirit inspired the Word and therefore He goes where the Word goes. 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The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/what-is-sin-it-is-the-glory-of-god-not-honored-the-holiness-of-god/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [Love is doing what will enthrall the beloved with the greatest and longest joy. What will enthrall the beloved this way is the glory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/love-is-doing-what-will-enthrall-the-beloved-with-the-greatest-and/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [“If you hold a grudge, you doubt the Judge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/if-you-hold-a-grudge-you-doubt-the-judge/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [Evangelicals are distraught over the state of America because they have not been taught that we're aliens here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/evangelicals-are-distraught-over-the-state-of-america-because-they/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [“Worship is the highest moral act a human can perform, so the only basis and motivation for it that many people can conceive is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/worship-is-the-highest-moral-act-a-human-can-perform-so-the-only/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [Do you love the cross because it makes much of you? Or do you love it because it enables you to enjoy and eternity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/do-you-love-the-cross-because-it-makes-much-of-you-or-do-you-love-it/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [“job 14:1 man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of troubles "If that isn't your experience now it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/job-14-1-man-who-is-born-of-a-woman-is-few-of-days-and-full-of/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [“Not to aim to show God is not to love, bc God is what we need the most deeply. 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My attitude is always let it keep rolling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-malick/changes-before-your-eyes-things-you-can-do-and-things-you-can-t-my/) [Terrence Malick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrence-malick/) > [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/) [Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/) > [If I had a million dollars, I just wouldn't just completely set back. I'd have to get out there and show my face to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muddy-waters/if-i-had-a-million-dollars-i-just-wouldn-t-just-completely-set-back-i/) [Muddy Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muddy-waters/) > [Anybody can be Prince Charming one day a year, with the dinner and the flowers and all that. But you know what impresses me?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-howard/anybody-can-be-prince-charming-one-day-a-year-with-the-dinner-and-the/) [Ryan Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-howard/) > [And if the mind thinks with a believing attitude one can do amazing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/and-if-the-mind-thinks-with-a-believing-attitude-one-can-do-amazing/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The amount of things you can do with a kettlebell is unsurpassed by any other training equipment - dumbbells, resistance machines, free weights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-hamilton/the-amount-of-things-you-can-do-with-a-kettlebell-is-unsurpassed-by/) [Laird Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-hamilton/) > [It's nice when you've done enough movies that you can do your own anthology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/it-s-nice-when-you-ve-done-enough-movies-that-you-can-do-your-own/) [John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/) > [If people don't have their own vision, all they can do is 'sign-up' for someone else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/if-people-don-t-have-their-own-vision-all-they-can-do-is-sign-up-for/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [The one thing that flies in the face of all human history and experience, is that the government can do a superior job than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/the-one-thing-that-flies-in-the-face-of-all-human-history-and/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) > [...what I can do is offer myself, wholehearted and present, to walk with the people I love through the fear and the mess. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/what-i-can-do-is-offer-myself-wholehearted-and-present-to-walk-with/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [Whether that's speaking up in your job or asking for a promotion or saying, 'I think I can do that.' Using your voice in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-shriver/whether-that-s-speaking-up-in-your-job-or-asking-for-a-promotion-or/) [Maria Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-shriver/) > [The average ordinary citizen can do a lot of different things when it comes to the climate crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/the-average-ordinary-citizen-can-do-a-lot-of-different-things-when-it/) [Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/) > [A professional is a man who can do his job when he doesn't feel like it. 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