That was what the subject line in the email said. I didn’t know who had sent it, but as I read the contents, I could see why he was so excited about his doctoral dissertation. (This might be the first time I’ve ever used the terms “excitement” and “doctoral dissertation” in the same sentence.)

The sender shared a single chapter titled “Blessers versus Converters” that cited research based on two teams of missionaries who went to Thailand. While both teams went with similar goals, they carried two distinctly different strategies.

The “Converters” group went with the sole intention of converting people and evangelizing. Their goal was to “save souls.”

The “Blessers” group explained their intention like this: “We are here to bless whoever God sends our way.”

The study followed both the “Converters” and the “Blessers” for two years. At the end of that time, the researchers discovered two key findings:

First, the presence of the “Blessers” in the community resulted in tremendous amounts of “social good.” It appeared, according to the study, that this group contributed to the betterment of society, community life, and the creation of social capital. The presence of the “Converters,” however, seemed to make no difference.