What would you think if you sat down at a job interview and the interviewer told you that 40% of people in the career you are wanting to enter do not last more than a few years? Of those who do make it past the initial stage, most people average around 12 years total in the field. The job could potentially be quite difficult for your children leading to a confused identity or even mental struggles. The interviewer concludes by sharing about the isolation and perpetual transition you will be in for the next 30 years of your life. What would keep you from walking out? Doesn’t it all sound incredibly difficult?

All of these are real challenges that missionaries face and the stats of attrition are overwhelming. Now more than ever before, mission organizations such as Global Frontier Missions are realizing the crucial need of taking care of their missionaries. Member care, coaching, and counseling are being focused on as important tools for missionary resiliency.

As missionaries, we get the divine privilege of announcing the Kingdom of God, living among those who have been shielded from the Gospel, and learning a new way of life. Years invested in this have the potential to be life-changing and God-glorifying.

God invites us to join in His mission to take the Gospel to the world.

What will set you apart and allow you to thrive on the field?  Will you and your teammates have the spiritual, mental, and physical toughness to stay the course. GFM’s Missionary Training School devotes a week to studying missionary resiliency and provides tools for future missionaries and their families to flourish in their ministries. Family issues, leaving parents behind, dealing with emotional baggage, raising children who will grow up in several different cultures – these issues and more are tackled head-on from a biblical perspective to equip missionaries to launch out in faith. 

Maybe you or a missionary you know is stuck in some of these difficult waters. Perhaps you are counting the cost this week and want to do all you can to pursue the missions journey well. We would love to talk with you! Our missions mentors are ready to answer your questions or assist in any way we can.