HEALTH ON THE FIELD: The Silent Factor Driving 1 in 2 Missionaries Home
- ministrymedicine
- Nov 7
- 3 min read
Please keep in mind that this data focuses on one research study. When you survey the broader research literature, you discover that health issues usually rank among the top five causes of missionary attrition.
Pastors, missionaries, and sending churches,
Health is not a side issue—it is a frontline issue.
Andrea Sears’ landmark 2017 Missionary Attrition Survey reveals that 52% of returning missionaries experienced significant health problems, and 58% of those said it influenced their decision to leave the field. That’s not a footnote. That’s a crisis.
Let that sink in:
More than half of the missionaries you prayed over, commissioned, and financially supported came home—at least in part—because their bodies broke down.
Here are the hard numbers every pastor and mission leader needs to know:
Health Factor | % Experienced | % Said It Affected Return | Strength Index* |
My own significant health problems | 52% | 58% | 1.12 |
Spouse's significant health problems | 38% | 56% | 1.04 |
Children's significant health problems | 33% | 53% | 1.03 |
Inadequate healthcare | 60% | 52% | 0.93 |
Stress affected my health | 68% | 70% | 1.29 |
Stress affected the family's health | 50% |
*The strength index is a weighted impact on the decision to return (higher = stronger influence.
The #1 Health Threat? STRESS
Not malaria. Not parasites. Stress.
68% felt stress damaged their health.
70% of those said it pushed them toward repatriation—with the highest influence score in the entire survey (1.29–1.30).
52 open-ended comments explicitly linked physical illness (migraines, autoimmune flare-ups, adrenal fatigue, high BP) to chronic stress.
Mental Health: The Unspoken Epidemic
Even without being asked, 120 respondents reported mental health issues—more than any physical category.
Depression: 45 cases
Anxiety: 29 cases
PTSD, panic attacks, insomnia: widespread
One missionary wrote:
"The psychological/emotional/spiritual price… was maybe more significant than just the physical."
Environment & Infrastructure
47% said pollution hurt their health.
42% cited climate/geography.
60% reported inadequate local healthcare—yet only 27% lacked insurance. Translation: Even insured missionaries often can’t access quality care where they serve.
Children Suffer Too
1 in 3 families saw a child with serious health issues.
Parents repeatedly said: “Watching my child suffer overseas was unbearable.”
7 ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS (for Pastors, Agencies & Missionaries)
Secure Bulletproof Health Coverage - Finances must never delay treatment. Plan for evacuations, specialists, and mental health.
Pre-Field Health Training - Teach: common regional illnesses, local clinic navigation, key medical phrases, stress-red-flag symptoms.
Teach Stress Resilience - Sabbath. Boundaries. Counseling. Chronic stress is a physical pathogen.
Self-Care is Stewardship - Diet, sleep, exercise, weight management, and regular check-ups are non-negotiable.
Ask the Body Question - During care calls: “How are you feeling physically?” Don’t wait for collapse.
Team = Family in Crisis - When a teammate is sick, rally. Cover duties. Visit hospitals. Fight compassion fatigue with intentional empathy.
Spiritual Armor Includes the Body - Prayer, Scripture, and community are health interventions. Spiritual warfare targets health—arm accordingly.
Ministry Medicine International: Your Partner in Field Health
We exist to equip, train, and support missionaries and their senders with evidence-based, Christ-centered health strategies.
Pre-field medical risk assessments
Stress & resilience workshops
Telemedicine network
Mental health first-aid training
Emergency evacuation protocols
Let’s stop treating health as an afterthought.
Let’s start treating it as a frontline mission priority.
📩 DM us or visit www.ministrymedicine.com to:
Schedule a free health-risk consult - https://wix.to/8UonbUH
Download our Missionary Health Checklist -
Join our website, Ministry Medicine International, for ongoing support
Because healthy missionaries finish the race.
Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; (I Peter 4:1)
In His strength—and with wise stewardship of the bodies He gave us,
Brent Madaris, FNP-C, DMin
Ministry Medicine International
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Sources: Sears, Andrea. Missionary Attrition Survey 2017 – Health Factors. Used with gratitude. Full report available upon request.
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