While Australian archaeologists are almost universally critical of Christian missions deeming them to be destructive colonial enterprises, Aboriginal people are more ambivalent and have views ranging from affection to aversion. Archaeological analysis often involves the application of secular European models. This paper argues that the missionary endeavour was multi-dimensional and cannot be understood using materialist and dialectical frameworks. The widely variant principles behind missionary activities in Australia are explored and alternative ways to study the archaeological remains of missions are suggested. Contextual and environmental approaches are considered and, where possible, interpretation of archaeological evidence is encouraged to be less doctrinaire and to follow Murray’s paradigm of shared histories and identities for the writing of post-contact Aboriginal histories.