Have you ever made the same mistake in two different ways? I’ve been that guy before; don’t be like me!

Twice, my wife and I had the privilege of living in Italy. The first time was for six months in the early 1990s while I worked for a multinational company as a software developer. The second was for two months in 2002, when I helped pastor a church while the regular pastor was on sabbatical. They were two different trips with two different purposes, but on both, I made the same error of living out a “secular-sacred” dualism.

During the stint as a software developer (what I came to call my “secular” trip), I was a businessman and a tourist first, and I was involved in the local church second. My wife and I intended to help out some missionaries while we were there, so maybe we’d get to be called “missionaries,” too. We came back with lifelong friends and memories, we loved the church we were a part of, and we’ve stayed in touch and visited a few times over the years.

During the church trip (which I referred to as my “sacred” trip), I was involved in the church first and was a tourist second ... and I thought I was really a missionary this time. This trip, however, was much more difficult and much less effective, at least in my experience. Why?

On the first trip, we had lots of non-Christian friends from several nations. Our reason for being there (work) sparked questions and conversations. On our second trip, we had no non-Christian friends, and when people found out why we were there (church), our conversations halted instantly.

To my regret, on both trips, I maintained a secular-sacred dualism — the lie that part of my life is sacred and the rest is secular. It’s a lie that says church-related work is inherently more noble and valuable, more “missionary,” than other kinds of work. It’s a lie that says my skills for church work are more important than my skills for writing software. Yet, somehow, my secular trip ended up being more missional than my sacred trip.

Read Part 2 of this series, where we’ll explore why this was true.

Dr. Colby E Kinser serves his wife of 27 years, serves as pastor of Grace Fellowship Church in Overland Park, KS, and serves on the board of Hungry 4 Him, Inc., which partners with those who cultivate fruitful environments for vulnerable children. He admires people who are the avid cyclists he'd like to be. He loved studying at the University of Missouri - Rolla (BS), Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.), and Dallas Theological Seminary (D.Min.).