What Missionaries are Lacking Most?
In 1865, famed British missionary and explorer Dr. David Livingstone embarked on his third journey to the African interior. For six long years, the world asked, “What happened to Dr. Livingstone?"
With no way to confirm his location or activities, most presumed he was dead.
Finally, in 1871, American journalist Henry Morton Stanley “found” Livingstone after an arduous eight-month, 700-mile search through dense African jungles. Livingstone had been living among various African tribes near modern day Lake Tanganyika unaware of the concern for his well-being.
The Christian world rejoiced!
Communications Today: The world has changed!
As of early 2024, nearly 70% of the global population has regular internet access.* The primary reason the remaining 30% lack connectivity is poverty—not the absence of infrastructure.
Given this universal connectivity, it’s surprising that some people still believe that a missionary's struggle to communicate today might be due to technological barriers.
This perception is outdated.
While it’s true that a small fraction of missionaries operate in closed countries where open communication is restricted or dangerous, the majority have access to modern communication tools.
So, what is holding many modern missionaries back from effective communication?
Training and Accountability: The Missing Pieces
Two critical factors limit communication for most missionaries today:
- Lack of training in how to use modern tools to connect with churches, sending agencies, and individual supporters.
- Lack of accountability to ensure they consistently use these tools.
Training to Connect: Training to connect means training missionaries to meet people where they are today instead of where they were yesterday.
It means leveraging evolving technology like blogs, messaging, and social media to create transparency, trust, credibility, and engagement with their supporters.
Without this training, missionaries struggle with poor visibility, poor transparency, diminishing trust, reduced credibility, and a lack of meaningful engagement. Stakeholders are often left in the dark about a missionary’s activities and impact.
Facebook and newsletters aren't bad, but they cannot be the focus of an impactful communications strategy.
Accountability to Connect: Missionaries are extraordinarily busy, immersed in vital work. Often, this focus causes them to overlook the importance of ministering to the very people who make their work possible—their supporters.
Without a system of accountability, communication with sending agencies, churches, and individual supporters often becomes an afterthought—or doesn’t happen at all. Little surprise when these missionaries lose support and must leave the field.
The Way Forward
Missionaries need both proper training and accountability to thrive in today’s interconnected world. These tools will empower them to maintain transparency, foster trust, instill confidence, and ensure their missions remain impactful and well-supported.
At One Village, we specialize in equipping missionaries with the training and tools they need to succeed in this era of global connectivity. Together, with Churches and Sending Agencies, we can help missionaries communicate effectively, strengthen their relationships with supporters, and sustain their mission for years to come.
For more on the Story of Dr. David Livingston: Stanley Finds Livingston
