Education Quote by Richard G. Scott

Scott’s line lands like a gentle rebuke wrapped in pastoral pragmatism: stop mistaking spiritual intensity for competence, and stop dismissing competence as somehow less holy. Calling some missionaries “giants in the Spirit and pygmies in skills” is deliberately unsettling. It punctures a common religious vanity - that sincerity alone can substitute for preparation - while also warning the opposite trap, the polished performer with a thin inner life. The zoological contrast (giant/pygmy) is blunt on purpose; it creates an image you can’t unsee, a disproportion that feels irresponsible.

The intent is managerial as much as devotional. Scott, speaking from within a highly organized missionary culture, is arguing for a feedback loop: sanctity without technique wastes opportunities; technique without sanctity curdles into salesmanship. “Work hard” is the key phrase. Spiritual gifts are often talked about as bestowed; skills are trained. He’s reclassifying “missionary work” from purely charismatic calling to disciplined craft.

The subtext is also about power and humility. “Your leaders, and you, should teach the skills to each other” quietly democratizes expertise. It implies leaders don’t automatically have the best methods, and novices may carry practical insight worth spreading. That’s a cultural intervention in a hierarchical setting: authority is preserved, but learning is made reciprocal.

Contextually, it fits late-20th-century institutional religion facing modern expectations: measurable effectiveness, communication savvy, and cross-cultural competence. Scott isn’t secularizing faith; he’s insisting the sacred deserves professionalism.