Why Training in Missions is Necessary
The rate of attrition in missions, especially from the West, is appalling. Most sending agencies and churches estimate that somewhere between 60-70% of all missionaries sent overseas do not last longer than two years. The one caveat that bucks this trend are those who get rigorous pre-field training. A couple or individual who has received further training, particularly in language acquisition, parenting overseas, and teamwork, tends to do much better. Why is this, and is extensive training needed for every missionary heading overseas?
To better understand this issue, it is good for us to better define the word missions. From Scripture we see two clear paths for “sent ones.” First, there are those who are involved in starting or strengthening churches, often crossing cultural, geographic, and linguistic barriers. Most people think of “Pauline” missions when they think of the topic of missions. Going to places and tongues where “no foundation has been laid”. And this is entirely good and true. The second lane often called “Timothaine” missions is also good and true. Timothy and Titus were sent to Ephesus and Crete to strengthen the churches there. Neither Timothy nor Titus were native to those cities, and those cities did have “foundations” in the gospel sense. Yet Paul sends them there to strengthen those churches. Pauline and Timothaine missions are different, and both are valid and helpful.
With that distinction in mind, we can say that the further someone goes down the Pauline path, especially towards unreached language groups, the higher the level of training they should receive. The reasoning is straightforward. Timothaine missions are usually to established works, or languages, and are usually easier to get up to speed on. Pauline missions are usually much further out, literally and metaphorically. Quite often languages will have to be learned that have never been written down, alphabets must be created, and Bible translations will need to be done. There are a host of tasks that will be quite unique to that type of “pioneer” missions.
This concept is not novel to missions. Everyone instinctively knows that for those in the military going into particularly dangerous and demanding scenarios, further training is needed. Those who fly bigger airplanes, with more souls in their hands, need further training than those who fly small Cessnas. We all know that the harder the job, the more specialized and the higher-level of training is needed. Missions is no exception.
- Radius International’s training program is quite comprehensive and boasts an attrition rate of only 8%.
- I credit this definition to a new 9Marks series coming out on the topic of Missions.
- Unreached Language Groups is a much better label than Unreached People Groups. There are good Biblical reasons for this, and other reasons that push us towards a better strategy for reaching the “nations”. This article speaks to this issue to some degree.
If we want our church members, especially those who are going to harder places and languages in this world, to have a better chance of seeing the finish line, good pre-field training is a necessity.
Author: Brooks Buser is the president of Radius International. Brooks and his wife served among the YembiYembi people of Papua New Guinea for thirteen years. In 2016, they returned to the United States, and Brooks assumed the leadership of Radius International, a school that trains missionaries going to the last unreached language groups of the world.
