Interestingly, the word missionary does not appear in the Bible (NIV).
Though we today understand a missionary as someone who goes out to tell others the good news about Jesus, the Bible uses the word minister for that context.
Also see pastor.
Key verse about missionary: “Paul wanted Timothy to go with him [as a missionary]; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, since they all knew that his father was a Greek” (Acts 16:3, AMP).
A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.