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Stephen: One of the most stunning statistics in missions is the rate of missionary attrition. Within four years on the field, 50% of missionaries will leave. By year seven, that number rises to 75%. There are all kinds of reasons for missionary attrition, and not all of them are bad. But when a missionary returns home claiming they no longer believe, it can be catastrophic—not just for the mission abroad, but for senders at home as well. Partners are left reeling, wondering what they could have done differently to prevent this shipwreck of faith. Chad, our question this week comes from Kenneth. He asks, "How would you advise a missionary who has had a crisis of faith while overseas, feeling a faltering faith and trust in God's character and existence? What does one do in such a position?"
Chad: We appreciate your question, Kenneth. I think the difficulty with answering questions like this is, it depends. What is it to feel a faltering of faith and trust in God's character and existence? When I ask that, I'm wondering about the context. I'd want to answer any number of questions. Let me just give you eight examples.
First, has this struggle come about due to some significant suffering, like the death of a spouse or a child? Secondly, how long has this struggle been going? Third, is there any other sin accompanying the struggle? Fourth, has the missionary approached his team, his sending organization, his church about this struggle? Fifth, what steps has he taken so far? Sixth, is the missionary fighting for the faith by remaining in the Word, prayer, meditation, and worship? Seventh, is this missionary openly entertaining his doubts, teaching them to others, or avoiding spiritual disciplines and mutual accountability? Eighth, is this missionary given to melancholy, depression, and anxiety?
I could go on and on. The reason is that pastoral wisdom requires a lot of contextual information. I apply the Word of God to the people of God in regard to the providence of God in their own lives. If this missionary is given to depression, we might need to seek help that spans from medical attention to a furlough, to encouraging him to endure it for a season, or to calling him home permanently, depending on the situation. If this missionary just lost a child and is struggling, we may need to follow a similar protocol. If this missionary is caught up in secret sin or is just entertaining false doctrine or atheism, then we likely need to seek his immediate removal from the field. In every one of these cases, the elders of the church need to make the call.
As a pastor, I have had dark nights of the soul while in the ministry due to really difficult life circumstances. By the grace of God, I was able to stay fixed on Him. We see this of men in the Bible. Elijah wonders if he's the only man still around who trusts the Lord. Jesus has a dark night of the soul. The question is not, "Are you struggling?" The question is, "How are you struggling? Are you staying fixed on Him in the midst of that?"
My family, my friends, my co-workers, my elders were all such a great help to me. I struggled with where the Lord was in those days. I did, every day. But I kept believing that if I draw near to Him, He will draw near to me. And sometimes I only knew His presence through the presence of other Christians who held me up.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:14, Paul commands the church, "And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all." We may need to rebuke an idle missionary, even removing him from his work. We may need to encourage a fainthearted missionary or carry a weak one. We may need to do a little or all of this depending on the situation. But in every case, even the missionary we are rebuking and removing, we need to be patient with them all.
So, let me make a few suggestions for doing this well as a church for foreign missionaries.
First, have a liaison at your church that stays in monthly contact with your missionaries, who prays for them and encourages them and reports to the elders. Second, have your elders stay in contact with your missionaries at least a couple of times a year. We do that with our own missionaries via Zoom. Make sure that your elders know them, that they ask them hard questions, that they encourage them, and that they pray for them. In our case—and I would suggest it in others—send a pastor or elder, or a couple of men and maybe a wife who is godly and wise, to go to the field annually and visit your missionaries and care for them and check in on them. Third, make sure you know your missionaries well and that you have vetted them well, and their teammates well, before you send them to the field. And keep this going while they're on the field and when they're home on furlough.
These steps will help you have a good context for pastoring them well through these dark nights of the soul. They will have them. And it will provide a good context, especially when it means making the difficult call of potentially removing them from the field.
Stephen: To learn how your church can prevent missionary attrition, visit missionary.com/training and prepare the missionaries your church sends for long-term faithfulness on the field. And if you have a question you'd like Chad or Brooks to answer, email or comment wherever you stream your podcasts. Make sure to subscribe and stream our next episode on technology and the mission field next week. Thanks for listening.