As church members begin their pursuit of becoming missionaries, it is important for the church to join them in the journey. A key component in this process is a formal assessment that invites prospective missionaries to answer thoughtful questions across key areas of health and readiness—specifically in the categories of Knowledge, Character, and Skills. This resource provides church leaders with structured assessment questions they can use with missionary candidates, which then can serve as a guide in assessment interviews. Utilizing the answers given, leaders can then identify areas of growth for candidates and set specific benchmarks they will need to reach prior to being sent cross-culturally.

As potential missionaries are identified, it is important for the church to have a way to assess their readiness and to help them grow towards greater maturity and holistic health. A great tool for this endeavor is to have the missionary candidate complete a written assessment, or application. While observation is the most vital aspect of assessment, a written assessment provides a holistic, one-time opportunity to identify strengths and areas of growth. Through thoughtful questions and giving the missionary candidate the space to give thoughtful answers, the assessment provides the church a tool to gauge readiness and to write effective personal development plans.

You might ask, “Why should a prospective missionary complete an assessment with the church if they’ll eventually apply with a missions organization?” It is essential because the church is the sender, not the organization. Thus, sending churches not only have the opportunity but the responsibility to assess and equip their people for the field. 

A thoughtful assessment process, including a written application and face-to-face interview, allows the church to engage more deeply with the individual, identify strengths and weaknesses, and guide them toward meaningful growth. By stepping in early, the church helps set the prospective missionary on a clear, intentional path of development—even before they reach the organization’s application stage.

Assessing a Prospective Missionary

In the Upstream resource “12 Essential Traits in Developing Healthy Missionaries” we identify key traits often found in healthy and effective missionaries. The following graphic shows each of those essential traits divided up into the three overarching categories of Knowledge, Character, and Skills (also known as Head, Heart, and Hands). 

Below you’ll find a sample set of assessment questions. You can use these questions “as is” or adjust them to fit your church and context. You might consider using the assessment question in the following way: 

1. Give a copy of the assessment questions for the prospective missionary to fill out. Have them send it to you when they are finished. 

2. Read through it and make notes of key observations, recurring themes, areas of growth, things to celebrate, and further questions you would like to ask in an interview.

3. Conduct a face-to-face interview with the prospective missionary, using these questions and any notes you've prepared. Remember, this isn’t a pass-fail test—it’s an opportunity to challenge, encourage, shepherd, and guide them toward greater growth. Consider involving another church leader in the process, as assessments are most effective when done in community.

4. After the interview, or within a few days of the interview, you will want to summarize your thoughts into a Personal Development Plan to be shared with the prospective missionary and anyone involved in mentoring them.

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To learn more about personal development plans, become an Upstream member and check out the following resources:

• “How to Write a Personal Development Plan”

• “Template for Writing a Personal Development Plan”

Character (Heart)

Character must be the foundation for anyone in church leadership or ministry—and even more so for missionaries who will navigate the constant challenges of cross-cultural life and ministry. While knowledge and skills are valuable, they can only go so far without the support of deep, tested, and proven character.

There are a few things to consider when having a person fill out these assessment questions: 

1. Ask prospective missionaries to be honest and vulnerable in their answers. Remind them that you, as their church leader, are there to help them on their journey cross-culturally. Encouraging them toward being authentic about their strengths, weaknesses, barriers, and sin struggles is vital for their cross-cultural readiness.

2. Don’t be afraid to ask further questions or say hard things. You should also be honest and transparent about the areas of growth and struggle you see. Remember, clarity is kindness.

The traits of a healthy missionary related to character are:

1. Spiritual Vitality

2. Strong Marriage and Family

3. Emotional Health

4. Clarity of Strength and Call

5. Commitment to the Local Church

1) Spiritual Vitality

Spiritual vitality is a growing, Christ-centered relationship with God, expressed through spiritual disciplines, transformed character, and sustained by His presence.

1. What are your rhythms for feeding yourself spiritually? How are you proactively growing in the Lord?

2. What is God currently doing in your life?

3. What do you do when your relationship with God is stagnant, when your walk with him feels dry?

4. What are your current sin struggles? For each of those would you consider those: 1) Close to freedom; 2) On a repentant trajectory; 3) Stagnant or regressing; or 4) In bondage?

2) Strong Marriage and Family

A strong marriage and family prioritizes healthy, loving relationships with one’s spouse and children and/or close friends, maintaining balance and resilience amid life’s responsibilities and challenges.

1. How would you describe your marriage? How would you describe your spouse?

2. What areas of your marriage are strong and what need work? (if applicable)

3. What areas of parenting are strong and what need work? (if applicable)

4. What do your close friendships look like? Are you able to be open and honest with these friends?

5. How are your relationships with extended family? Are there any actions you would need to take to leave those relationships in a healthy place prior to launching as a missionary?

3) Emotional Health

Emotional health involves assessing and addressing a prospective missionary’s mental well-being before deployment, ensuring they have the self-awareness, support, and resilience needed to handle the stress that comes with living cross-culturally.

1. What symptoms of lacking emotional health are you experiencing currently, if any (for example, a lack of self-awareness, unrighteous anger toward others, defensiveness, distrust, insecurity, anxiety, depression, stress, bitterness, etc.)?

2. Have you experienced any traumatic events or seasons in your life? If you have, please detail them below and how you have responded to these events. 

3. In what situations do you tend to encounter lacking emotional health? This is often exhibited by stress. How do you cope with stress (for example, control, security, people-pleasing, and/or comfort)?

4. What are some of the defining moments of your life?

5. Do you have any diagnosed mental health challenges that would be helpful for us to know about? Have you taken any formal steps to work through these challenges (for example, counseling, medication, etc.)?

4) Clarity and Strength of Call

Clarity and strength of call involve a deep conviction, affirmed by the local church, that a person is set apart for cross-cultural ministry, demonstrated through faithfulness, resilience, and commitment to God’s mission.

1. Articulate your call to serve in cross-cultural missions. 

2. Who has affirmed your calling to cross-cultural ministry (for example, church leaders, friends, mentors, etc.)?

5) Commitment to the Local Church

Local church commitment is a prospective missionary’s dedication to active participation, accountability, and service within their local sending church and the local church in their future field of service.

1. Are you an active member of this local church? How are you serving right now?

2. How are you authentically living and growing in community with others?

3. How is the local church an important part of your life with God and ministry? How do you envision the local church playing a role in your life overseas?

Skills (Hands)

When assessing prospective missionaries, it is essential to evaluate not only their theological and missiological knowledge, but also the practical, interpersonal, and intrapersonal skills that enable them to thrive in cross-cultural ministry. Skills like emotional resilience, cultural adaptability, effective communication, and self-awareness are critical for navigating daily challenges, building healthy relationships, and remaining faithful in the face of adversity. Without these competencies, even the most theologically sound individuals will struggle. 

Practical abilities—such as language learning, budgeting, and problem-solving—further equip missionaries to live and serve well in unfamiliar environments. By assessing these areas, church leaders can better discern a prospective missionary’s readiness to adapt, serve, and lead effectively in the field.

The traits of a healthy missionary dealing with skills are:

6. Intrapersonal Skills

7. Interpersonal Skills

8. Missional Lifestyle

9. Practical Skills

10. Leadership Ability

6) Intrapersonal Skills

Intrapersonal skills are the internal abilities, such as self-awareness, resilience, adaptability, and emotional stability, that enable a missionary to navigate cross-cultural challenges with health, humility, and dependence on Christ.

1. Describe your personality. If you have taken spiritual gifts, or personality tests, please share these results with us. 

2. Would you say you have a healthy level of self-awareness? What would others say? 

3. How do you structure your life to manage personal, school, and/or work tasks and keep priorities in the right order? 

4. Do you currently have any debt (for example, consumer, medical, student loans)? If so, please provide details, including the type and approximate amount.

7) Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills are the abilities that enable missionaries to communicate, collaborate, and build relationships effectively across cultures, demonstrating humility, empathy, conflict resolution, and teamwork.

1. Where have you had to show flexibility in work, school, church, or life? Was that difficult for you, and if so, how so?

2. Give an example of where it has been a challenge to follow authority? Why was that difficult? How did you ultimately handle it?

3. When you work in a group or team context, where do you excel? Where do you tend to struggle?

4. How aware are you of your own cultural biases or tendencies toward ethnocentrism (the belief that one’s own culture is superior to others)?

5. How do you deal with conflict with others? Are you a conflict avoider, a fighter, or would you describe yourself differently?

8) Missional Lifestyle

A missional lifestyle is a commitment to evangelism and discipleship in everyday life, demonstrating faithfulness in sharing the gospel and making disciples both locally and cross-culturally.

1. Tell us about one of the last times you shared your faith. Have you cultivated any regular rhythms of sharing your faith? 

2. Tell us about a current or recent discipleship relationship.

3. Do you tend to prefer sharing your faith with unbelievers, discipling believers, or similar preference to both?

9) Practical Skills

Practical skills are the essential abilities, such as language learning, cultural navigation, budgeting, and context-specific competencies, that enable missionaries to adapt, thrive, and serve effectively in a new environment.

1. What strengths do you bring to a team because of your personality, gifting, and skill set?

2. What areas do you foresee you would need help from teammates due to your personality, gifting, and skill set?

3. What are some areas of practical skill you would like to grow in during this time of preparation (for example, budgeting, cooking, auto repair, teaching, etc.)?

10) Leadership Ability

Leadership ability is the capacity to lead oneself and others, which can be developed through experience, mentorship, and opportunities for growth both inside and outside of the local church.

1. What are leadership opportunities you’ve had in the past or currently? 

2. In your work or ministry experience, what have you created and/or maintained? Please detail.

3. Give us some examples of those who have followed your leadership and the outcome in their lives.

4. Are you a self-starter? Please explain why or why not. 

Knowledge (Head)

When assessing prospective missionaries, a key area to consider is their knowledge—specifically their understanding of theology and missiology. A strong grasp of Scripture, sound theology, and missions theory not only shapes their personal faith but also enables them to teach, lead, and adapt effectively in diverse cultural settings. This knowledge isn’t just academic; it must be lived out in practical ways that inform everyday decisions and ministry practices. Theological clarity helps missionaries respond to challenges with biblical wisdom, while missiological insight provides the tools to engage meaningfully across cultures. Both should be cultivated through intentional training and experience well before a missionary is sent.

The traits of a healthy missionary dealing with knowledge are:

11. Theological Foundation and Clarity

12. Missiological Foundation and Clarity

11) Theological Foundation and Clarity

Theological foundation and clarity involve a deep, practical understanding of the Bible and theology, developed through training in the local church and, when appropriate, formal training—all to prepare missionaries for effective ministry.

1. Tell us about a period in which you went through some level of suffering. How did you experience God in these moments? What did you learn about suffering and the role it plays in the Christian life?

2. How have you pursued biblical and theological understanding formally or informally?

3. Do you feel like you know God’s word well and can articulate what you believe to others? 

4. What areas of biblical and theological understanding and practice would you like to grow in?

12) Missiological Foundation and Clarity

Missiological foundation and clarity involve a thorough understanding of missions theology, history, strategy, culture, and world religions, which can be cultivated through local church-led training, cross-cultural experiences, and further formal training. 

1. What cross-cultural experiences have you had at home and abroad?

2. How have you pursued missiological training formally or informally?

3. How have you cultivated a deeper understanding of the world (for example, geography, current events, cultures, and missiological issues)?

4. What are some current “hot button” missiological issues?

Next Steps

The journey toward sending well happens one step at a time. Here are three ways you can continue growing in your ability to effectively assess and develop missionary candidates from your church:

1. Consider taking a prospective missionary in your local church through this assessment process. Go over the results with them. From their feedback and your experience add, edit, or delete questions to fit your context.

2. Reach out to another church to see how they do an assessment. Compare and contrast. Share ideas and experiences.

3. Want to learn more about how Upstream Sending collaborates with churches to provide holistic assessment and development? Contact us at info@theupstreamcollective.org.