Description
12 Essential Traits in Developing Healthy Missionaries
By Nathan Sloan
This resource provides a framework for assessing and developing potential missionaries by outlining essential traits for cross-cultural ministry. Drawing from historical missionary leaders, biblical qualifications, and contemporary insights, it presents a comprehensive set of characteristics to evaluate spiritual, emotional, and practical readiness. Churches and mission leaders can use this guide for an initial assessment of missionary candidates or for those candidates to use as a self-evaluation before undergoing a more formal review.
As church leaders, our goal is not just to send those who are willing to go but those who are truly equipped—spiritually, emotionally, and practically—for the challenges of life and ministry cross-culturally. To send well, we must be committed to preparing and sending holistically healthy missionaries, ensuring they are both tested in their readiness and resilient for long-term impact.
For much of modern missions history, there have been lists of traits and clear expectations of what cross-cultural missionaries should be and do. Missionaries like Hudson Taylor, Adoniram Judson, and Thomas Hale, among others, have all shared what they desired to see in people coming to the mission field.
For example, as Hudson Taylor was mobilizing hundreds of people to come to join his work in China, he wrote the following list of what he thought were essential traits of effective missionaries:
A life yielded to God and controlled by the Spirit
A restful trust in God for the supply of all needs
A sympathetic spirit and a willingness to take a lowly place
Tact in dealing with people and adaptability toward circumstances
Zeal in service and steadfastness in discouragements
Love for communion with God and for the study of the Word
Some experience and blessing in the Lord’s work at home
A healthy body and vigorous mind
Keep in mind that no one ever arrives. Our calling is to maturity, not perfection. The most important thing is to be growing in these areas. Let’s talk about a few other lists of traits that prospective missionaries can use as they seek to grow in maturity.
Qualifications of an Elder and Deacon
While there is no biblical mandate that cross-cultural missionaries need to be elder or deacon qualified, it seems fitting to use these lists as ways to measure the lives of missionaries sent from churches. After all, the model we are given in Acts 13 is of a local church sending out two of their best leaders for missionary service.
Paul’s writing in 1 Timothy 3:1-12 and Titus 1:5-9 provides a detailed list of the qualifications of an elder and deacon in a local church. Three lists of qualifications, two for elders and one for deacons, are provided in these two passages.
In addition, Galatians 5:22-24 provides a list of the fruits of the Spirit, traits that are progressively true of those who follow Christ and are being transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit. This list is also helpful because it gives a picture into what the life of a growing believer should exhibit.
John Piper’s Marks of a Spiritual Leader
Another helpful list comes from John Piper’s small book, The Marks of a Spiritual Leader. Although Piper’s list is not specifically written for the missionary context, his insights are among some of the most helpful when assessing and developing people for cross-cultural ministry. Piper breaks his marks of a spiritual leader down into two categories: the inner circle of spiritual leadership and the outer circle of spiritual leadership.
The inner circle of spiritual leadership includes the following marks:
Helps others experience the glory of God
Loves both friend and foe by trusting in God and hoping in his promises
Meditates on and prays over God’s word
Acknowledges his helplessness and need for Christ
The outer circle of spiritual leadership includes being:
Restless | A holy discontent with the status quo
Optimistic | Confident based on the goodness of God
Intense | A zeal for life and what it holds
Self-controlled | Someone who masters their drives through the power of the Spirit
Thick-skinned | Able to handle criticism well
Energetic | One who has a work drive and is able to live under pressure
Hard thinker | Thinks deeply and carefully about things
Articulate | Can state their thoughts clearly and with force
Able to teach | Can rightly communicate the word of God
Good judge of character | Can detect the difference between those who have potential and those who are untrustworthy
Tactful | A quality of grace when interacting with people
Theologically oriented | Has a strong grasp of foundational theological principles
Dreamer | Has a vision of what the future could be
Organized and efficient | Effectively orders life for personal productivity and to lead others to effectively execute their role
Decisive | Is willing to take risks rather than do nothing
Perseveres | Commits to a task and finishes it even when it would be easier to quit
Lover | Loves their spouse deeply and sacrificially
Restful | Is able to put down work and rest
Traits of a Healthy Missionary
The final list we’ll explore is designed to help leaders determine both who to send and how to prepare them for the field. These twelve traits were developed during my time as a local church missions pastor and are now a core part of our approach at Upstream Sending.
Each trait serves as both a marker—helping individuals assess their growth—and a signpost, indicating readiness for cross-cultural ministry. We encourage you to use these twelve categories to evaluate prospective missionaries or adapt them to fit the unique needs of your local church.
Think of these traits as a map—a guide to help individuals understand where they are on their journey to the nations and what steps they need to take to be holistically prepared.
Below, you’ll find each of the twelve traits of a healthy missionary, along with a set of starter questions. These can be used by church leaders for an initial assessment or provided to prospective missionaries for self-evaluation before undergoing a more formal review.
1) Spiritual Vitality
Spiritual vitality is a growing, Christ-centered relationship with God, expressed through spiritual disciplines, transformed character, and being sustained by his presence.
Are they actively cultivating a life with God?
Do they practice an active devotional life?
Are they able to spiritually feed themselves?
Do they demonstrate a life of godliness that is evident to others?
Do they know how to rest/sabbath?
2) Strong Marriage and Family
A strong marriage and family prioritizes healthy, loving relationships with one’s spouse and children, maintaining balance and resilience amid life’s responsibilities and challenges.
Do they have a healthy and growing marriage?
Do they practically serve and love their spouse and children?
Do they have a healthy and growing relationship with extended family and friends?
3) Emotional Health
Emotional health involves assessing and addressing a missionary’s mental well-being before deployment, ensuring they have the support, self-awareness, and resilience needed to handle stress and challenges in the field.
Do they have past sin issues and wounds from life that have not been dealt with?
What current sins do they struggle with?
What are the potential emotional, relational, and internal difficulties they will face on the field?
Do they have known mental health issues and are they caring for them in a healthy way?
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.
Can they articulate a call and a desire to serve cross-culturally?
Has their call been affirmed by others including local church leadership?
5) Commitment to the Local Church
Local church commitment is a missionary’s dedication to active participation, accountability, and service within both their sending church and the local church in their mission field.
Are they faithfully serving in the context of the local church right now?
Do they see the local church as a vital part of their everyday life?
Are they living in community with other members of their church?
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.
Do they have a realistic understanding of themselves?
Do they have a proper understanding of suffering?
Do they have a record of perseverance under suffering?
Do they show resilience in life and ministry?
Have they shown the ability to be adaptable?
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.
Do they show flexibility, teachability, and servant-heartedness when working with others?
Are they submissive to the authorities in their life and do they receive correction well?
What is their level and understanding of personal ethnocentrism?
Are they team-oriented and does their desire for individuality pose a potential issue when teaming?
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.
Do they regularly share their faith and disciple others?
What does their understanding and experience in evangelism and discipleship look like?
Do they open their home and show hospitality to others?
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.
What assets, abilities, and practical skills do they bring to the field?
Do they possess the general life skills needed to thrive in a cross-cultural environment?
10) Leadership Ability
Leadership ability is the capacity to lead oneself and others, which can be developed through experience, mentorship, and opportunities for responsibility within the local church.
Are they a self-starter and have they ever created and maintained something?
Do they have a strong work ethic?
Is anyone following them and do they have a proven track record of leading?
Have they multiplied themselves and empowered others to serve and lead?
11) Theological Foundation and Clarity
Prospective missionaries need a strong understanding of the Bible and theology, cultivated through proactive study and training to prepare them for effective and biblically faithful ministry.
Are they a person of Scripture and prayer?
Do they have a healthy understanding of the Bible and theological truth?
Do they know what they believe, why they believe it, and are they able to articulate it to others?
12) Missiological Foundation and Clarity
Prospective missionaries need a strong foundation in missiology (study of missions), including a theology of missions, strategy, and cultural understanding. Local churches can actively equip them through courses, book studies, mentorship, and hands-on training.
Do they have a broad understanding of the world?
How much cross-cultural experience do they have?
Do they have appropriate missiological training and knowledge? (theology, history, strategy, etc.)
Are they aware of 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:
Make a list of potential missionary candidates at your church. Do a quick evaluation of them based on the essential traits listed in this resource.
Become an Upstream member and get access to our entire content library (theupstreamcollective.org/join). Once in the members area, click on the Developing Missionaries tag to explore all our resources on this topic.
Consider joining an Upstream cohort, such as our Assessment and Development Cohort, to learn more about healthy identification, assessment, and development of missionary candidates (theupstreamcollective.org/cohorts).