Forged for the Frontlines: More than Brains and Talent

Missionary Criteria #6: Culture and Language Acquisition (CLA) 

A missionary must be intentional in language learning (planning, language sessions, active review, and community participation). A missionary must pursue local friendships and embrace local culture. In all this, the missionary must exhibit five core characteristics: Discipline, Organization, Courage, Humility, and Curiosity.

When it comes to Lane Four missions, few topics stir up as much conversation as language learning. In the missions world, we call it Culture and Language Acquisition (CLA) — the intentional process missionaries go through to learn the language and culture of their target language group.

On the surface, CLA can sound like fun: making new friends, visiting homes, trying new foods, and attending cultural events — all in the name of “work.” But beneath the excitement lies the reality of thousands of hours listening to recorded sessions, hundreds of hours preparing lessons to complete with language helpers, and an untold number of conversations that end with “I have no clue what they are saying” and then, eventually, “I think I understood about half.”

It can be grueling. Whether it’s exciting or blisteringly painful, the reality is that without successful and comprehensive CLA, there is no ministry, no gospel witness, and no church.

Many missionaries joke (sometimes seriously) about praying for the “gift of tongues” or wishing the Lord would upload the language into their brain Matrix-style. But I’ve never met a missionary who learned a language that way. Every single one did it the old fashioned way: intentional study and thousands of hours of practice.

This explains why some attempt ministry before reaching worldview-level fluency — and why many quit before they ever get there.

Aptitude

Every year, we see new students enter our CLA program at Radius International. They’re excited at first, but soon frustration sets in as progress slows. Some begin to wonder if they simply lack the aptitude for languages.

Research shows that’s almost never the case. Decades of studies on the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) prove that even those who score lowest can still learn another language. They just need more time. Aptitude predicts the rate of learning, not whether learning is possible.

The U.S. Defense Language Institute (DLI) and Foreign Service Institute (FSI) confirm this: while high-aptitude learners may reach proficiency in 500–600 hours for an easier language, lower scorers might need double the time. But with enough discipline and hours, nearly everyone can achieve proficiency.

The Five Character Traits of a Successful Language Learner

At Radius, we emphasize that character matters as much as aptitude. We train our students to cultivate five traits that sustain language learning when enthusiasm runs dry.

1. Discipline

Worldview-level fluency takes time — often 3,000 to 4,000 hours for a Category IV language like Arabic, Chinese, or Japanese. Missionaries need to account for that on top of life in a foreign context: navigating new systems, raising kids, maybe even running a business. Missionaries need daily discipline, “training for the race to come” (1 Corinthians 9:25).

2. Organization

There are many different categories involved in the CLA process, and it takes more than discipline to do the actual learning. It also requires a strong level of organization to keep everything on track and make the best use of your time. Staying ahead of your lesson schedule, preparing materials for your language helpers, and not to mention finding, hiring, and keeping track of paying those helpers, all of it demands careful organization. (In the next article, I'll address the different capacity levels of individuals and why the skill of prioritizing well is absolutely essential.)

3. Courage

We emphasize courage in CLA because field workers constantly face situations where they have no idea what’s happening around them, or what the next step should be. Courage means trusting the Lord to provide what is needed, whether that’s a friend, the right taxi, or a suitable living situation and going after it. Workers cannot live in fear of the unknown or remain paralyzed because they don’t know what will come next or how they will accomplish it. Instead, they must keep moving forward with the confidence that the Lord is with them and will provide exactly what they need (Ephesians 6:10).

4. Humility

Humility is the companion of every good language learner. Without it, progress stops.

Missionaries need to try new things. Understanding why people act as they do often requires learning how they act. A missionary who refuses to see a local doctor because they prefer “better” doctors back home may miss valuable opportunities to learn language, observe cultural practices, and gain worldview insights.

Missionaries must be willing to make mistakes. Early on in my time in Mexico, I proudly told a taxi driver, “Estoy embarazado,” thinking I was saying “I’m embarrassed.” In reality, I had just announced, “I’m pregnant.” As a man in my 30s, I learned the word for “pregnant” that day — and never forgot it.

Stories like this remind us that mistakes are essential for growth. If we refuse to speak for fear of embarrassment, we will never learn. Scripture assures us that God gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5) — and that includes the humility required in language learning.

5. Curiosity

Finally, good language learners are marked by curiosity. They’re not satisfied with knowing what something is — they want to know the why behind it, the how that makes it work, and the unseen variables that shape it.

Curiosity drives learners deeper, making them more well-rounded, more insightful, and ultimately more effective. A child may be able to explain single-digit addition simply and correctly, but imagine hearing Einstein teach the same concept. The difference isn’t accuracy — it’s depth.

In the same way, a curious learner doesn’t settle for surface-level communication. They pursue depth until they can truly understand and truly connect.

Conclusion

Becoming a faithful pioneer church planter requires becoming a faithful language learner. And becoming a faithful language learner requires more than brains or talent. It demands discipline, organization, courage, humility, and curiosity.

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This is part 6 of "Forged for the Frontlines"