Forged for the Frontlines: An Introduction to Essential Qualities for Pioneer Missionaries

As part of my job with Radius International (RI), I travel to promote the training center in Mexico, seeking prospective missionary candidates. I find myself frequently asked, “what characteristics are you looking for in a missionary candidate?” This is a significant question, and I hope to address it, at least in part, through a series of articles.

The Need for Character Training

The task of pioneer church planting should be approached with seriousness and diligence. Although no one can predict whether a person will successfully plant a church in an unreached language group—because ultimately, that is up to the Lord (Ephesians 1:11)—both churches and individuals should thoughtfully consider what is required to be a faithful pioneer church planter. Those who go are real people with real lives, sent to some of the most challenging places in the world to share the glory of Christ and His church. This is not a matter to be taken lightly. Those who send must ensure that candidates are equipped with the necessary tools and resources for a successful mission.

The very existence of Radius International is at least in part due to many who have gone to the mission field without doing their due diligence in either going, sending, or both. The founders of RI noticed that they were meeting people all over the U.S. who had “gone to the field.” These workers told stories of quitting jobs, selling houses, pulling kids out of school, and saying difficult goodbyes to friends and family, often with a palpable sense of regret and shame. They gave accounts of being ill-prepared for the stress that cross-cultural service had on their marriages, parenting, and spiritual life. They spoke of the frustration of trying to share the gospel without learning the language of their people. They expressed shock that there would be so much suffering involved in such a noble endeavor. The founders of RI quickly learned that there is an army of “former” workers that are back in the U.S. picking up the pieces of their lives after what was, sometimes, years on the field with little to nothing to show for it. They just weren’t prepared. They didn’t know what they didn’t know.

I mentioned previously that I aim to address this question “in part,” because RI training emphasizes specific characteristics that have been identified as essential for pioneer church planters. While every member of the church would benefit from these characteristics, we are discussing sending individuals where the church does not yet exist. These are places that look very different from what we are used to, these are places where small groups of mothers or older women do not gather for coffee and discipleship, and where men’s studies do not take place on Friday mornings. Pioneer church planters will be sent to the frontlines of mission work, often without regular encouragement from fellow believers or accountability that directs them back to the Word of God.

Equipping for “Special Missions”

The characteristics that we have identified go beyond those outlined in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. I can already anticipate some objections to that. Rest assured, we are not attempting to modify the biblical qualifications for ministers and church officers, like elders and deacons. We believe that these qualifications are essential for anyone intending to pursue pastoral ministry or hold a church office, including the pioneer church planter. However, RI is not the local church, and these foundational characteristics should be cultivated and apparent before individuals are sent out, even for training. 

It may help to consider our military. There are skills and qualifications that every soldier should have. You get those in basic training. But for “special missions” we call upon a special type of soldier. We call upon the Special Forces. Having spent a number of years in the Special Forces of the United States Army, I can attest that what makes soldiers “special” is the degree to which they have mastered the common skills of every soldier, as well as having been trained in additional skills specific to missions that are further removed from their command and support. Before these Special Forces soldiers are sent out, they prove themselves to be both proficient in both their basic and special skills and have demonstrated the character necessary to be sent out on their own.

Our list, set out at the end of this article, highlights characteristics that have proven to be vital for individuals wishing to join a church planting team in an unreached language context. While some of them may overlap with the biblical qualifications of an overseer or elder, our experience has taught us that these areas hold particular significance in the environments faced by pioneers. 

The List

First and foremost, it is important not to view the list superficially. Developing each characteristic requires someone to spend intentional time engaging deeply in life. At RI, trainees are assigned training advisors who live in close proximity to them. And when I say close, I mean very close. Both staff and students share their daily routines—waking up, working out, attending classes, eating meals—all within earshot and eyesight of one another. This constant proximity allows advisors to provide real-time, firsthand feedback on the trainee’s life and their family’s well-being. This feedback can take many forms, but at least twice a year it culminates in an official student evaluation, which is made available to the candidate’s sending church.

Keep in mind that the items described below relate specifically to individuals who will move thousands of miles away from their local church, with their team members as the only fellow believers in their daily lives. Paul admonished Timothy, “do not be hasty in the laying on of hands…” (1 Timothy 5:22). We would do well to do the same and consider the dangers of sending missionaries before they have been developed in the following ways. 

We will be addressing each of the following topics in subsequent articles.

• Relationship with the Lord — Prioritizes time in the word and prayer, growing in intimacy and affection with the Lord.
• Learners’ Attitude — Hunger and thirst for learning and growing in wisdom in all areas of life. Able to humbly learn from teachers, peers, people in the community, and books.
• Biblical Skills — Able to interpret the Scriptures accurately, teach clearly in group settings and apply the scriptures 1 on 1 to individual situations.
• Relationships — This includes marriage (unified with good communication – able to work through difficulties together), dating (listening to other trusted voices, appropriately transparent, faithful to other friends and responsibilities, and caring for one another), singleness (content and aware of personal desires while trusting the Lord and not others for satisfaction), parenting (training children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord while modeling godliness and not anger, cherishing children and not idolizing them or seeing them as a burden and involving them in ministry), and living with others' children (aware of children and interested in their lives, spending time, resources, and energy on them).
• Relational Skills — Able to interact appropriately, listen well and engage in conflict with both on-going relationships and short-term ones.
• Teamwork — Dedicated to overcoming obstacles and accomplishing a unified goal while staying invested in the wellbeing of teammates.
• Culture and Language Acquisition (CLA) — Being intentional in language learning (planning, language sessions, active review, and community participation) and in pursuing local friends. Embracing local culture. Exhibiting the 5 core characteristics of CLA, which are discipline, organization, courage, humility, and curiosity.
• Capacity — Being productive with all responsibilities while maintaining a reasonable level of quality within all responsibilities. At the same time, having the motivation and attitude to do one’s best for the glory of God.
• Prioritization — Maintains good priorities, flexing appropriately with changing demands and circumstances.

Local churches, networks, and denominations all have tools for assessing individuals and their families who desire to plant a church. These assessments are meant to care for and protect the would-be church planter, their families, and future congregations. Locally, it has become understood that there are characteristics and skills that are beneficial to the success of a church plant. The same is true in foreign lands, with foreign people of different cultures and languages. Pastors, elders, and missions committees will be served well and will serve their people well by learning what to look for and how to develop missionary candidates for the long term. All this is for a life of fruitful ministry, with lives that adorn the gospel of Jesus Christ.