A Support Missionary is a specialized member of the mission team who uses professional expertise, such as HR, organizational psychology, or logistics, to build the infrastructure and systems that sustain front-line church planters in the field.
Mia’s journey to To Every Tribe is a testament to the interconnectedness of scripture and the sovereignty of God’s timing. Her path illustrates that the call to missions isn’t just for those who stand in pulpits, but also for those who stand in the gap of organizational health and missionary care.
My name is Mia K and I’ve been working with To Every Tribe as a Support Missionary since November of 2024. Here is my testimony.
God saved me when I was 6 years old. An altar call, a short walk down an aisle, and a prayer with my dad. While I didn’t truly understand the full extent of the decision I was making, I have to say that over 20 years later, my faith has never been truly shaken. I was baptized at 8 years old and I can remember the weight that was off my shoulders when God called me to obedience and I followed through for the first time.
Fast forward to 11 years old. I wake up in the middle of the night with a feeling that I am guilty of this awful weight of sin and that I need to beg the Lord for forgiveness. I ran to my father for help, for guidance, and he prayed with me and I went to bed at peace once again.
A few years later, at 15, I found myself boycrazy, filled with temptations of gossip, lust, and people-pleasing. I knew the thoughts I was having were wrong. I knew that I needed God to save me. At summer camp, God called me to rededicate my life to Him and this time, I finally saw a change in my life. Suddenly, He had awakened a hunger in me for His word, for Theology, for deep Bible study. The concepts of the Trinity, understanding of the persecution of the early church, and more were so satisfying to my soul. I began having more conviction over sin and more immediately. The guilt I seemed to feel so constantly was quelled by 1 John 1:9. The doubts I seemed to feel so constantly were satisfied by 1 John as a whole. That’s why it’s now my favorite book.
After pursuing God and after moving halfway across the country, God called me to missions, high up in the mountains of Central California. Each year at Fuge Camps, they have a special emphasis on a region or people group. I had felt my heart being pulled to missions at a missions conference for leaders in the youth group that spring, but God was pulling me and it was a yes or no question. Will you be obedient? Prayers and Fasting. Walking and Counseling from my Pastor. Somewhere between “Revelation Song” and “It is Well,” I surrendered fully, but since I was 18 and already enrolled for college in the fall, I prayed for guidance. While I was anxious, unsure, and seeking to honor Him, He brought me opportunities to go to school at California State University, study psychology, and eventually start a master’s degree in industrial organizational psychology at Grand Canyon University.
While in my master’s program, I married the love of my life. We attended a reformed baptist church and they had foundational classes about the 5 solas, the creeds, and more that I had never heard of. These were pieces of church history, proof-texts and philosophies, and more that strengthened my faith. I had always believed what the Bible said, accepted it wholly, but I had never known the why of things like why Jesus had to be sinless to atone for us and why it mattered how Jesus died. The interconnectedness of the whole of scripture became obvious and the Goodness and Omniscience.
Two years later, we found out we were pregnant with our first child. While I was pregnant with our first child, I heard a Support Missionary at To Every Tribe speak, who had been sent by my own church! He mentioned that there was a need for some HR and organizational work. God had rewarded my faithfulness by giving me what he called me to 6 years earlier, missions! I applied and heard back from my now-colleagues, who helped me graft into To Every Tribe. I was afforded the opportunity to work from home, to be with my children as they grow up, and to be obedient to Christ’s call.
Today, as Global Resources Coordinator, I get to apply my education and training directly by having revamped our onboarding processes, digitizing personnel systems to better serve our staff, and developing assessment roadmaps that help our missionary candidates move from initial passion to long-term readiness. My studies gave me a unique lens to view missionary care: not just as an abstract idea, but as a strategic necessity that involves gap analysis, resiliency training, and healthy organizational rhythms. I’m no longer just studying human behavior, I’m using those insights to help our team stay healthy and effective in the hardest places on earth.
Now, doesn’t that sound like something you could get behind? Take our assessment and see where you can fit!
FAQs
What is Industrial-Organizational (I/O) Psychology?
It is the scientific study of human behavior in organizations and the workplace. In a mission context, this means looking at how teams function, how leaders are developed, and how to create systems that prevent burnout and promote long-term effectiveness.
Why does a mission agency need HR or Resource Coordinators?
Front-line missionaries often face extreme stress. Without a Platform Community (Tier 1) of support staff providing legal, administrative, and emotional support, many missionaries would be forced to return home due to preventable organizational failures.
How can I know if my professional degree fits into missions?
Like Mia, you can use the Missionary Competency Assessment. It helps you see how your specific training, whether in psychology, business, medicine, or tech, aligns with the infrastructure gaps currently present in global missions.
