Training missionaries is the key to keeping cross cultural workers on the field long term. A comprehensive missionary training program gives you practical experience and prepares you for life as a Christian missionary.
If you’re considering missions, understanding the importance of training missionaries can make the difference between struggling and thriving on the mission field.
In this blog, you’ll get a sneak peak into:
- What training missionaries entails
- How training missionaries helps them succeed
- What to look for in a program that’s training missionaries
Let’s see why investing in training now can make all the difference for your mission journey in the future.
Why Training Missionaries Matters
Training missionaries is essential because there is still a need for people to hear the Gospel! It’s critical to prepare cross cultural missionaries, especially to the least reached with the message of Jesus.
Did you know that over 3 billion people in the world today have yet to hear about Jesus?¹
These people belong to Unreached People Groups (UPGs). We consider a people group unreached when there is no indigenous community of Jesus’ followers able to engage this people group with church planting.
Technically speaking, in an Unreached People Group (UPG), less than 2 percent of the population actively follows Jesus.
UPGs can only hear the Gospel if someone shares it with them.
However, cross cultural ministry is rigorous and challenging. It’s hard to leave your own people group and support systems, even if you are living out your calling.
While God calls every believer to evangelism, He gives some a special call as a cross cultural worker.
It is a common misconception that any Christian can easily translate evangelism into cross cultural ministry.
Preaching the Gospel to the unreached requires:
- Cultural intelligence to understand new worldviews
- Resilience to persevere through challenges
- Practical tools to share the message of Jesus in culturally appropriate ways
This is why training missionaries is essential!
What Is Involved in Training Missionaries?
No matter where they are going—Uruguay or Ukraine, Venezuela or Zimbabwe—training missionaries means giving them foundational preparation before they leave.
Missionaries need Biblical training and ministry skills to help them live missionally while immersed in UPG neighborhoods or countries.
In addition to basic theological training, pre field training for missionaries typically includes:
- Language acquisition training
- Security training
- Cross cultural skills training
Effective methods for training missionaries include classroom seminars, as well as hands on experience engaging in spiritual conversations with UPGs. Both types of training are valuable for training missionaries.
Maybe you’re still not sure what benefits come from training missionaries. Read on to learn why preparation for the mission field is key to long term success.
The Importance of Training Missionaries
Why is training missionaries crucial? Long term missionaries need specific, in depth training to prepare them for their unique calling to share the Gospel.
Training long term missionaries effectively is vital to:
- Increasing missionary retention
- Reducing missionary attrition
- Stewarding well the resources of local churches and ministry partners
Here’s a breakdown of what each of those things is and why they are necessary.
Increasing Missionary Retention
Missionary retention means keeping missionaries on the field long term.
When missionaries receive solid training, they feel more confident and equipped to face the challenges of cross cultural ministry. This preparation can help them make a greater impact over time.
Reducing Missionary Attrition
In contrast to retention, missionary attrition measures how many missionaries leave the mission field for any reason.
A MissioNexus study found that the average rate of missionary attrition is 5%.² This means that 5 out of every 100 missionaries will leave the mission field each year.
According to another major study, mission agencies have lost more missionaries over the past 20 years due to issues that better training and support may have prevented.³
Stewarding Resources
Jesus encouraged His followers to be good stewards of their resources. Stories like the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) show how using money, talents, and possessions wisely honors God.
Similarly, missions researchers recommend comprehensive training for missionaries to adequately prepare them for long term service.⁴ Investing in training missionaries helps them serve effectively for many years, which ultimately costs less than sending new missionaries to replace them.
In other words, supporting long term missionaries is not only strategic—it’s an act of good financial stewardship!
Now that you’ve seen the reasons why training missionaries is important, let’s explore the most common topics covered in programs designed for training missionaries.
Key Elements of Training Missionaries
Considering becoming a missionary? It’s important to research what your potential missions agency offers for training missionaries.
The essential curriculums for training missionaries you should look for include:
- Biblical and theological foundations
- Cross cultural awareness
- Emotional resilience
- Spiritual formation
- Learning language
- Teamwork and conflict management
- Fundraising and support raising strategies
These skills are key to serving faithfully on the mission field for years to come!
As a missionary, you will need to learn the practicalities of cross cultural living, as well as how to keep your faith strong in the midst of challenges.
Skills for Training Missionaries
At International Project, we have a strategic skill set you’ll cover over 10 months while serving with a team that includes both skills and spiritual preparation. Here is a summary of the topics:
- Living Out Loud – You’ll learn how to share your faith boldly and authentically through everyday conversations and intentional witness.
- Dialogue Sets – You’ll focus on using structured conversation tools to guide spiritual discussions and build bridges across worldviews.
- Qur’anic Bridging – You’ll discover how to connect biblical truths to familiar Qur’anic themes in a respectful and culturally sensitive way.
- Bible Storytelling – You’ll practice sharing Scripture through memorized or paraphrased stories that resonate with oral learners and spark curiosity.
- Personal Testimony – You’ll learn how to craft and share your own faith journey in a way that invites others into deeper conversation.
- Prophetic Evangelism – You’ll explore how to listen to the Holy Spirit and share timely insights that open hearts to the Gospel.
- Gospel Presentation – You’ll be equipped to clearly and contextually communicate the message of salvation through Jesus.
- Discovery Bible Studies – You’ll learn a reproducible method for guiding seekers through Scripture so they can encounter God for themselves.
- Ethnography – You’ll study how to observe and understand cultures deeply so your ministry strategies are informed and effective.
- Biblical Depth – You’ll strengthen your theological foundation and grow in scriptural fluency for confident, rooted ministry.
- Language Proficiency – You’ll focus on acquiring local language skills to build trust and communicate the Gospel with clarity and care.
When you learn these valuable cross cultural skills, you strengthen your missionary service and persevere in your Great Commission calling!
It’s the core curriculum of our Equip Missionary Training Program!
Check out this final section to discover a great program for training missionaries!
Equip Training for Missionaries
Whether God is calling you to South Africa, Samoa, or somewhere in between, you can receive valuable training to empower you to serve effectively for the long haul!
Equip is a 10 month program strategically focused on training missionaries in New York City.
NYC is home to over 50 UPGs⁵ and offers countless opportunities to share the Gospel with people who have never heard about Jesus.
Through the Equip Missionary Training Program, you will:
- Learn church planting and leadership strategies
- Receive mentoring from seasoned missionaries
- Build sustainable rhythms of faith and rest
- Grow in spiritual formation while living on mission
Equip is the perfect place for training missionaries who make disciples and plant churches among the nations.
Fill out the form below to get more information and apply. Your future in missions starts now!
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Sources
¹https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/dashboard
²https://missionexus.org/2022-missions-staffing-attrition/
³https://www.worldevangelicals.org/resources/rfiles/res3_96_link_1292358945.pdf
⁴https://abjournals.org/ajsshr/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/journal/published_paper/volume-6/issue-5/AJSSHR_6H2KWZ0E.pdf
⁵UPG North America. (2024). Unreached Peoples by Population: New York. Tableau Public. https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/bud.houston/viz/PriorityScorebyPeopleGroup/PeoplesandPlaceswordcloud. “New York > Choose a format to download > data > show fields > people groups > download.” Accessed September 23, 2024.
