In this ‘Foundations’ section, we talk about the spiritual life skills needed for longevity in missions - a strong walk with God, knowing how to lay hold of His Word personally and understanding spiritual warfare. We need many other skills besides these, and that is what cross-cultural training is all about. But without knowing how to lean into God’s wonderful Master Care, which undergirds everything, we still can easily founder on the rocks of many kinds of testing.
What are the fundamentals that need to be in place for missionaries to thrive in the call of God to serve Him in a culture other than their own? There has been much debate on this issue and reasons given for why ‘missionary attrition’ (defined as ‘leaving the field earlier than intended for preventable reasons’) takes place.