Many church members and even pastors or missions elders may not fully understand what missionaries face on the field. Because of this, missionaries’ real needs are often ignored or neglected by even well-meaning churches. What are the real-life needs of missionaries and how can a church better support them?

Real-Life Needs on the Mission Field

In this first half, we will discuss the needs a missionary (family) has on the field.

Just as for we who live in our home country all the time, real life needs on the mission field are practical and financial as well as spiritual and emotional.

Financial and Practical Support for Missionaries

• Financial Support: One of the hardest things for most missionaries is the matter of financial support. While some missionaries are well supported by a number of churches, loss of support, fluctuating donations, and the uncertainties of life can all create big problems. For example, unexpected changes in support levels can make it difficult for missionaries to plan long-term projects. Medical emergencies can add un-planned-for demands on even faithful levels of support. Political upheaval or natural disasters in the place of service can change a family’s needs pretty quickly.
• Healthcare: Access to good healthcare is often difficult, especially in rural or remote areas. Health issues, ranging from minor to serious, can be exacerbated by a lack of proper medical facilities. Uncertainties, especially when there are children involved, can eat away at self-confidence (i.e. “Are we doing the best we can for our family?”)
• Housing & Living Conditions: In some places, living conditions are far from ideal. Substandard housing or limited access to basic utilities like clean water or unreliable internet can complicate daily life.

Spiritual and Emotional Needs of Missionaries

• Spiritual Isolation: Missionaries often feel distant from the familiar worship and fellowship of their home church. They may have a lack of consistent fellowship or the challenge of finding spiritually nourishing environments where they are stationed.
• Emotional Strain: The loneliness and emotional toll of living in a foreign culture can be draining. Misunderstanding or feeling disconnected from home culture can make missionaries feel isolated. Actual physical hardships and danger exist that those in the home country seldom experience. These emotions can distort a missionary’s view of reality, even of herself or her calling.
• Burnout: Many missionaries struggle with the weight of ministry demands and the exhaustion that comes with adapting to new environments. These stresses, without attention or solution, can eventually deplete a missionary’s spiritual energy and ability to cope.

Encouraging Your Church’s Missionaries

All of us need encouragement. A good family encourages its members with positive reinforcement and special support in times of need. A church family should remember that regular prayers and spiritual encouragement aimed at its missionaries can help meet their needs, even from a distance. This is truly Body ministry at its best.

A Call to Action for Churches

Missionaries need more than just financial support—they need prayer, emotional support, and regular communication. Encourage your congregation to step up and get involved, in whatever ways they can think of, to both encourage your missionaries in their calling and to support them practically.

Looking Ahead: Practical Missionary Support Strategies

Next time (Part 2), we will look at specific ways that you as a sending church can support your missionaries well.

Let’s remember that our missionaries are not just serving ‘out there’—they are part of our church family. They represent us in fulfilling the commandment that is dearest to God’s own heart: global evangelism (see Dan. 7:14, Matt. 28:19). When we truly know the needs of our missionaries, we can be a source of strength and encouragement, just as God calls us to be (see Acts 15:1, Rom. 15:5, Col. 4:11).