--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The primary qualification for a…" description: "\"The primary qualification for a missionary is not love for souls, as we so often hear, but love for Christ.\" — Vance Havner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/926/vance-havner-1699_christ_the-primary-qualification-for-a-missiona_204086.jpg" --- # The primary qualification for a missionary is not love for… ![“The primary qualification for a missionary is not love for souls, as we so often hear, but love for Christ.” quote by Vance Havner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/926/vance-havner-1699_christ_the-primary-qualification-for-a-missiona_204086.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/926/vance-havner-1699_christ_the-primary-qualification-for-a-missiona_204086.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/926/vance-havner-1699_christ_the-primary-qualification-for-a-missiona_204086.jpg) > “The primary qualification for a missionary is not love for souls, as we so often hear, but love for Christ.” [Vance Havner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-havner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True missionary work is driven by devotion to Christ rather than merely a desire to save souls, emphasizing spiritual focus over humanistic motives. **In simple terms:** Missionaries should love Christ first, not just people. Key Takeaway Prioritize spiritual devotion in service. Themes faith mission motivation spirituality service Mood inspirational thoughtful Type theological motivational When to use this quote - church outreach - personal prayer - training missionaries - evaluating motives Key Concepts theology missionary work personal devotion Questions to Reflect On - What motivates your service? - How do you balance love for Christ with love for people? A Different Perspective It may downplay the importance of compassion for people. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christ/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-christ/) [Missionary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missionary/) [Missions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missions/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) ## Related quotes > [“When two souls are one, they hear each other, even in silence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/when-two-souls-are-one-they-hear-each-other-even-in-silence/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [A head full of biblical knowledge without a heart passionately in love with Christ is terribly dangerous - a stronghold waiting to happen. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/a-head-full-of-biblical-knowledge-without-a-heart-passionately-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [Being in Hollywood and having a love for Christ, is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-harper/being-in-hollywood-and-having-a-love-for-christ-is-hard/) [Shane Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-harper/) > [If there is no passionate love for Christ at the center of everything, we will only jingle and jangle our way across the world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wilberforce/if-there-is-no-passionate-love-for-christ-at-the-center-of-everything/) [William Wilberforce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wilberforce/) > [“The love of Christ presses us. The source of the love of Jesus Christ for men is his love for God. Hence he said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfonso-maria-de-liguori/the-love-of-christ-presses-us-the-source-of-the-love-of-jesus-christ/) [Alfonso Maria de Liguori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfonso-maria-de-liguori/) > [Life is perfect for none of us. Rather than being judgmental and critical of each other, may we have the pure love of Christ…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-monson/life-is-perfect-for-none-of-us-rather-than-being-judgmental-and/) [Thomas S. Monson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-s-monson/) > [The primary purpose of a home is to reflect and to distribute the love of Christ. Anything that usurps that is idolatrous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/the-primary-purpose-of-a-home-is-to-reflect-and-to-distribute-the/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [There is but one love of Jesus, as there is but one person in the poor - Jesus. 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So it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/mother-theresa-said-it-is-not-how-much-we-give-that-is-important-but/) [Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/) > [ “The Love of Christ in us never fails". ~R. Alan Woods \[2013\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-alan-woods/the-love-of-christ-in-us-never-fails-r-alan-woods-2013/) [R. Alan Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-alan-woods/) > [Art is not necessary at all. All that is necessary to make this world a better place to live in is to love -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/art-is-not-necessary-at-all-all-that-is-necessary-to-make-this-world/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [When we look at the love of Christ, we make a wonderful discovery. Love is more a decision than an emotion! Christ-like love applauds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/when-we-look-at-the-love-of-christ-we-make-a-wonderful-discovery-love/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [A love to Christ which is so cowardly and selfish that it is unwilling to proclaim by a public confession its faith in Him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbott-eliot-kittredge/a-love-to-christ-which-is-so-cowardly-and-selfish-that-it-is/) [Abbott Eliot Kittredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbott-eliot-kittredge/) ## More by Vance Havner > [Plenty of church members are shaky about what they believe, while not many are shaken by what they believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-havner/plenty-of-church-members-are-shaky-about-what-they-believe-while-not/) [Vance Havner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-havner/) > [It is one thing to say Jesus is all you want; until He is all you have and you discover He is all you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-havner/it-is-one-thing-to-say-jesus-is-all-you-want-until-he-is-all-you-have/) [Vance Havner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-havner/) > [There are many who say they want to be victorious Christians, but few are willing to endure the discipline necessary to make one a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-havner/there-are-many-who-say-they-want-to-be-victorious-christians-but-few/) [Vance Havner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-havner/) > [The only way to meet the modern demon-stration of the powers of darkness is by a demonstration of the power of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-havner/the-only-way-to-meet-the-modern-demon-stration-of-the-powers-of/) [Vance Havner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-havner/) > [God is on the lookout today for a man who will be quiet enough to get a message from Him, brave enough to preach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-havner/god-is-on-the-lookout-today-for-a-man-who-will-be-quiet-enough-to-get/) [Vance Havner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-havner/) > [The last word of our Lord to the church was not the Great Commission. 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The difference is, He has a right to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-havner/jesus-christ-demands-more-complete-allegiance-than-any-dictator-who/) [Vance Havner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-havner/) > [In other days people chose a church on the basis of their doctrinal convictions. Now, lacking doctrinal convictions, they choose for social reasons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-havner/in-other-days-people-chose-a-church-on-the-basis-of-their-doctrinal/) [Vance Havner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-havner/) > [We honor God by asking for great things when they are a part of His promise. We dishonor Him and cheat ourselves when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-havner/we-honor-god-by-asking-for-great-things-when-they-are-a-part-of-his/) [Vance Havner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-havner/) > [To some Christianity is an argument. To many it is a performance. To a few, it is experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-havner/to-some-christianity-is-an-argument-to-many-it-is-a-performance-to-a/) [Vance Havner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-havner/) > [Doing leads more surely to talking than talking to doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-havner/doing-leads-more-surely-to-talking-than-talking-to-doing/) [Vance Havner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-havner/) [Explore all 214 Vance Havner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-havner/) ## More Christ quotes > [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/) [Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/) > [“I would even go so far as to say that the mythical character of a life is just what expresses its universal human validity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-g-jung/i-would-even-go-so-far-as-to-say-that-the-mythical-character-of-a/) [C.G. 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It was the Lord speaking to us all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-rivers/it-was-no-accident-no-coincidence-that-the-seasons-came-round-and/) [Francine Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-rivers/) > [Christ never preached any funeral sermons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-l-moody/christ-never-preached-any-funeral-sermons/) [Dwight L. Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-l-moody/) > [The emerging church movement has come to believe that the ultimate context of the spiritual aspirations of a follower of Jesus Christ is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samir-selmanovic/the-emerging-church-movement-has-come-to-believe-that-the-ultimate/) [Samir Selmanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samir-selmanovic/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. 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Visit Your church; restore sound doctrine and holy, earnest living. 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