Annual Review of a Missionary from a Sending Church

This resource is a simple, annual assessment tool for church missions leaders to help their missionaries reflect on both personal well-being and ministry alignment. It includes guided questions across three key areas—personal life, ministry, and the sending church relationship—designed to encourage honest dialogue, celebrate fruitfulness, and identify areas for growth. Church leaders can customize and share the questions with their missionaries, then follow up through meaningful conversation to strengthen care, clarify strategy, and plan actionable next steps in partnership.

This resource is designed as a simple, annual self-assessment tool that missions leaders can use to help their missionaries reflect and recalibrate. It offers space for honest evaluation of both personal well-being and ministry alignment, encouraging transparency in a spirit of care, not critique.

While this guide can be used in a formal review setting, it is intentionally written in a conversational tone to invite openness. The goal is not primarily to evaluate missions funding, but to create a safe environment for missionaries to reflect on how they are really doing—and for the church to better understand how to support them. This kind of review is most effective when it complements ongoing communication, such as regular emails, video calls, and field visits—not replaces them.

You may choose to send the questions to your missionary ahead of time for written responses or use them as a guide during a video conversation. Either way, this tool is meant to be a starting point for relationship-based, two-way conversations, not a one-way report. Healthy evaluation is more about celebrating successes, finding gaps, and planning ahead—not catching shortcomings.

Use the insights gained here to help shape prayer, care, and partnership for the next year of ministry. Let it be a springboard for deeper connection and renewed vision, both for your missionary and for your church’s role in the work God is doing through them.

We recommend the following best practices:

1. Customize the questions to best fit your church’s voice and your missionary’s context. You’ll find both personal and ministry reflection questions throughout the resource.

2. Share the assessment with your missionary and invite them to complete it on their own, or walk them through it in a conversation. Let them know this is a tool for their benefit—not a test—and that honest responses are welcomed and appreciated.

3. Once you receive their reflections, schedule a time to follow up—preferably over a video call or in-person visit if possible. Be ready to listen well, ask thoughtful questions, and celebrate what God is doing in and through them.

4. Afterward, take time to reflect individually and/or with your missions team. Identify some key things you can do better to help this missionary feel cared for and become more fruitful on mission.

   
   

Section 1 - Personal Reflection

This section is designed to create space for honest reflection on your life beyond ministry work. It invites you to name where you’ve seen God’s faithfulness, where you’ve experienced difficulty or loss, and how you hope to grow in the coming season. The goal is not to produce polished answers, but to help you process your journey and look forward with hope and intentionality.

• As you reflect on this past year, what were your personal or family hopes?

• Where did you see God at work in your life or your family’s life?

• What areas felt disappointing, stagnant, or particularly difficult? Were there places where you longed for growth but didn’t see it?

• Looking ahead, what are some personal or family goals you’re prayerfully setting for the coming year?

Section 2 - Ministry Reflection

This section offers space to thoughtfully consider how God has been at work through your ministry over the past year. It’s a chance to celebrate what has gone well, acknowledge areas of challenge or disappointment, and look ahead with intention. Your reflections here can serve as a foundation for prayer, planning, and deeper conversations with your church and team.

• What ministry goals did you set for this past year? How did they go?

• Where did you see God move through your ministry? What can you celebrate?

• What felt difficult or disappointing in your ministry this year? Were there areas where you hoped for more progress, clarity, or fruit?

• As you look to the year ahead, what new goals do you want to set? What’s guiding those priorities?

Section 3 - Sending Church Relationship

This section creates space for honest feedback about your relationship with your sending church. A healthy partnership includes listening in both directions—this is your opportunity to help your church understand how they’ve supported you well and how they might grow in their role as a sending body. These questions may feel vulnerable, but it’s a key part of deepening trust and strengthening the long-term connection between you and your sending church.

• In what ways did your sending church support you personally and/or in ministry this past year? 

• In what ways did they fall short? 

• What challenges do you anticipate in the coming year—personally, financially, educationally, or culturally?

• How can your sending church better care for, empower, and walk alongside you in the coming year? Are there specific ways we can help you navigate anticipated challenges?

Next Steps

The journey toward sending well happens one step at a time. As a church leader, here are three next steps you might consider as part of (and in addition to) utilizing this resource:

1. Before sending the review, ask your missionaries for their perspective on annual reviews. What do they feel would be most helpful? Take this into consideration as you set a precedent for this vital rhythm. 

2. Following the review and your reflections on it, set a time over the next month to follow up with your missionary and communicate any next steps you plan to take to support them more effectively.

3. For a more thorough review, which is often appropriate at the end of terms or during major transitions, consider sharing the Upstream resource, “Personal and Strategic Self-Assessment for Missionaries.”