Mission

Origin

New Latin, Medieval Latin, & Latin; New Latin mission-, missio religious mission, from Medieval Latin, task assigned, from Latin, act of sending, from mittere to send

• 1530

Definitions

• 1obsolete : the act or an instance of sending
• 2a : a ministry commissioned by a religious organization to propagate its faith or carry on humanitarian work

b : assignment to or work in a field of missionary enterprise

c (1) : a mission establishment (2) : a local church or parish dependent on a larger religious organization for direction or financial support

d plural : organized missionary work

e : a course of sermons and services given to convert the unchurched or quicken Christian faith

• 3: a body of persons sent to perform a service or carry on an activity: as a : a group sent to a foreign country to conduct diplomatic or political negotiations

b : a permanent embassy or legation

c : a team of specialists or cultural leaders sent to a foreign country

• 4a : a specific task with which a person or a group is charged

b (1) : a definite military, naval, or aerospace task <a bombing mission> <a space mission> (2) : a flight operation of an aircraft or spacecraft in the performance of a mission <a mission to Mars>

c : a preestablished and often self-imposed objective or purpose <statement of the company's mission>

• 5: calling, vocation

Description

A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one state or an international inter-governmental organisation (such as the United Nations) present in another state to represent the sending state/organisation in the receiving state. In practice, a diplomatic mission usually denotes the permanent mission, namely the office of a country's diplomatic representatives in the capital city of another country.

Religious missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups (called "missionaries"), to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization, but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged. Missionaries have the authority to preach their respective faith, and provide humanitarian work to improve economic development, literacy, education, health care, and orphanages.