The 9 Stages of the Missionary Experience

Dr. Steve Leston

A chart illustrating the emotional highs and lows of the missionary experience from the initial call to long-term ministry.

Oftentimes, when we first awaken to God’s missionary call, a world of angst and opportunity lies before us. We envision ourselves in the thrawls of Revelation 5:9-10. And we begin taking steps to enact some reality of this picture.

But reality soon sets in.

For many new missionary newborns, our motivation outweighs our skills. In this frame, I’d like to set forth a specific pathway for you as you consider the call to the nations. I call it the 9 Stages of the Missionary Experience.

Stage 1: Ministry & Personal Call

In this first phase, we see God placing a desire in the heart. It feels like it’s been set aflame to His work! He even begins to open doors during this initial phase. Your life in the marketplace begins to feel dissatisfying. You might find yourself bucking up against church leaders in this phase also. Not intentionally, but you do find yourself beginning to push at the edges of the church, seeing gaps in whichever church you are a part of. Lastly, you start to feel a subtle anxiousness that your life is meant for more than what you perceive as the “Status quo.”

You decide the missionary life is FOR YOU. This merges now into the second stage.

Stage 2: A Call Confirmed By Church Leaders

The next stage of this journey is meant to be a collaborative experience with your local church. You’re ready to go NOW! You have a sense of being all in for the mission. Your passion overflows into persuading as many people as possible to join the journey with you.

While being swept off your feet with incredible joy at the prospect of going to the nations, you realize this journey needs to be worked out in and through your local church.

Stage 3: Character, Ministry, & Academics

While you ride the wave of vision and excitement, you might feel tempered a little bit by the idea of allowing the Lord to work this journey out in and through the local church. You are so excited to jump onto an airplane, soaking in the joy of obeying this call, that you even begin speaking to others as if you’ve already had this experience. One read through of Let the Nations Be Glad and you’re channeling your own inner John Piper to others! You begin dreaming of what location you’d best fit.

Though the excitement is there, you realize this season is critical for your maturity, character development and skills to be tested and confirmed by others, especially elders in the church. These are relationships that will help you navigate this path wisely.

Stage 4: Fundraising

As you prepare to go, you must fundraise and develop mission partners. Your first round of anxiety sets in along with the first set of trials as you experience rejection. Stress can form in the marriage. Discouragement and worry become ever present realities. You might even feel frustrations with your sending church as miscommunication often occurs between missionary and church.

Stage 5: Commissioned/Sent

Now that the fundraising season has concluded, the level of excitement is back in full swing. But it’s mixed with a new range of emotions: sadness because you are leaving “home” and doubts can set in about leaving. You’ve counted the cost, now you must pay up. You realize you’re saying goodbye to parts of Western culture that you love.

Still, you anticipate all that God will do and dream of reporting back on your first furlough.

Stage 6: The Cost: Reality Sets In

You’ve arrived, you’ve prepared. Now your multi-year dreams and expectations come face to face with reality. A whole range of experiences occur:

Relational conflict with team members
Learning how to make cultural adjustments
You experience what it is like to have to think all the time, living is no longer instinctive
You begin to question the call
You can become frustrated with the people
You feel the pressure of being the minority
Success is not immediate (like it was on short term trips)
You make mistakes and discover there’s no safety net to catch you
You deal with sickness and physical adjustments
If that’s all not hard enough, all kinds of family issues emerge

These, along with so many others, make you feel inadequate for this work. This is the sixth stage. Thankfully, not the last.

Stage 7: Vision Regained

Stage six is the often hardest one in this journey. It’s when many missionaries leave the field. We often tell new missionaries to stick it out through this season (which can last for several years). The reason? Because it will eventually end!

At some point, you will get a second wind and you’ll find your vision becoming refined. You’re able to articulate the vision much more clearly. During stage 7, you will experience transitions and see changes occur in life and work.

Stage 8: Reentry to Church

Somewhere after stage seven, there will be a reentry stage. You’ll head back to what you once called “home.”

You feel excitement about reentering. You’ve endured this journey thus far! But as you transition here, you struggle because not only has your passport culture changed, but so has the church that sent you. You deal with reverse culture shock. You struggle with disillusionment with the comfort level of the lifestyle given where you just came from. You either fall in love with the culture or push against it.

All in all though, you are excited to share all things you’ve learned from this journey.

Stage 9: Ministry to the Body

In this final stage, you find yourself eager to serve, not just teach, the body. You’ve grown and matured. And now you feel the joy of multiplying yourself once again for the sending culture.