Missionary attrition study

Hudson Deane* has recently published a study of the reasons New Zealander have returned home from the mission field.  He gave his respondents a list of 45 possible reasons and asked them to rank the top 7 factors causing them to return.  The top reasons (weighted ranking) are as follows:

All missionaries:

1. Children’s education
2. Completion of task
3. Emotional stress
4. Physical health
5. Job satisfaction

Singles only:

1. Work overload
2. Emotional stress
3. Cultural fatigue
4. Lack of pastoral support

Emotional stress ranks highly, and is probably a problem for everyone involved in ministry.  Unfortunately, the study does not probe what particular stresses people experienced.  Clearly support and member care is necessary to help sustain missionaries.  A second area of importance to me is the correct placement and assignment of responsibilities so that workers are being fulfilled and challenged but not overwhelmed.

* Deane, Hudson.  2008.  Good and Faithful: New Zealand Missionaries and their Experience of Attrition.  Mairangi Bay, NZ: Daystar Books.