When mission organisations used to be about their missionaries

Since the advent of global mission work, mission organisations have been primarily focused on supporting their missionaries - those individuals who answered the call to leave their homes and families to go to faraway lands, often in remote or challenging locations. In those days, mission organisations were built on a foundation of partnership, care, and sacrificial support, ensuring their missionaries had the spiritual, emotional, and practical resources they needed to thrive in their calling.

Missionary-Centred focus

Historically, mission organisations operated with a clear and unwavering priority: their missionaries. The missionaries were seen as the frontline workers, carrying the message of the gospel to those who had not heard it yet. The organisations behind them served as a strong backbone, offering critical assistance in funding, pastoral care, logistics, and prayer support.

During this time, the relationship between the organisation and the missionary was deeply personal. Leaders of organisations often knew their missionaries by name, understood their struggles, and actively sought to advocate for their needs. Letters, visits, and regular communication provided encouragement and reassurance, affirming them that they were not alone.

A shift in focus

Over time, as mission organisations grew and became more institutionalised, their priorities began to shift. While growth brought greater resources, it also introduced complexities and many distractions. Mission organisations began to focus on projects instead of their missionaries. Fundraising pressures and organisational branding began to take precedence, pushing the focus away from the workers on the field. Missionaries once the heart of organisations, sometimes found themselves sidelined in favour of large-scale projects. Marketing strategies began to become the emphasis. The emphasis moved from personal relationships to metrics, outcomes, and visibility. One mission leader even remarked to me, “We are raising funds for all these projects, but who is there on the ground to carry out the projects?”

The cost to missionaries

As mission organisations shifted toward institutional priorities, many missionaries began to feel unsupported or unseen. I was with a certain mission organisation for 10 years, and I felt like I had to do more and more myself without any support from the organisation. Any pleas for help were quietly dismissed. Stories of burnout, isolation, and inadequate care are common. We who are on the field face many challenges, from cultural barriers to health crises, with fewer safety nets than in earlier generations. The relational nature of mission work has eroded. Missionaries need more than nice words, they need pastoral care, and a sense of belonging, and they often need help with funding.

Sometimes, we can feel as though we are being used by the organisation in a way that prioritises the organisation's goals over the well-being and dignity of those of us who are actually doing the work.

The future of mission organisations

If mission organisations are going to survive in the future, they need to take better care of their missionaries. I am not talking about a pat on the back but a heartfelt desire to champion them. If you hear the same theme coming from a missionary, then that issue needs to be taken seriously rather than pretending to care but not doing anything to help. Gen Z are increasingly wary of mission organisations for good reason. There also needs to be more transparency in terms of the way organisations use funds that are given to missionaries. Mission organisations need to be serving their missionaries, rather than thinking what might benefit them the most. It will only be organisations that prioritise their missionaries that will survive. Those who provide support in the areas of funding, holistic care, and pastoral support, will likely retain workers. Thankfully, God’s kingdom is bigger than any one mission organisation, and he will build his church regardless (Matthew 16:18).