spiritual factors

The mission field is a place of tremendous opportunities for spiritual growth. We can learn depend on the Lord so much more when we have our normal comforts and culture stripped away. We can see God doing amazing things in the lives of others, even miracles, that strengthen our faith. We can see Him working in our lives to make Himself more real than ever to us.
 
The mission field can also be a place of tremendous spiritual challenge. Traumatic things can happen, leaving us wondering about God’s goodness and presence with us. We often see pain and suffering on a new scale that can give us doubts about God’s sovereign plan. Unusual isolation, stressors, and temptations may present themselves, and a lack of accountability can lead to moral failure. Satan desires to take advantage of our vulnerability to destroy not only our work and our families, but even our faith itself. 
 
The spiritual highs and lows of life on the mission field can take its toll over time, eventually leading to turnover. We measured the frequency and strength of influence on the return decision for the following statements considered to be spiritual factors:
 

• I no longer felt called to my host country.
• I felt that I had a new call to something back in my home country.
• I felt a disconnection in my relationship with the Lord.
• I was unable to connect with a local church.
• I felt that the pastors and/or church body back home had forgotten about me.
• I was no longer sure that our methods of sharing the Gospel were effective.
• I was no longer sure of my faith (or my spouse was no longer sure of his/her faith).
• I was no longer sure of my calling (or my spouse was no longer sure of his/her calling).
• The area where I served was declared evangelized by my missions agency.
• I worked myself out of a job (either by training local leaders or deciding that service was no longer needed).
• I (or my spouse or child) experienced a moral failure that damaged our witness.
• I was overwhelmed by spiritual oppression.

 
Results
 
The following table summarizes the results for each question by providing: 

1. The percentage of respondents who said that they experienced this factor on the mission field,
2. The percentage of respondents who experienced the factor that said that this factor did (to some degree) affect their return decision, be it a slight, moderate, or strong effect, and
3. The “strength index” of each factor, weighted for the size of the effect on their return decision.