2021 Missions Staffing Numbers
Home office, short-term field and long-term field staffing data for 367 organizations.
367 organizations have reported 71,267 great commission focused team members who serve in home offices, and in long and short-term field roles. Fourteen percent of the staff (10,291) serve in the home office helping to support, train, mobilize and lead the ongoing work of their organizations. Fifty-one percent of the staff (36,323) serve in long-term field positions. Of the long-term field staff 14% (5,103) of long-term field staff have a designated service period of 2-4 years and 85% have a designated service period of more than four years.
Most field staff are married, yet there is still a significant number of single women and men serving. Eight perscent of the long-term field workers are single women and three percent single men. With women comprising nearly 10% of field workers, their unique care needs are a priority. There is a need for new ministries to help singles who are serving in mission, and to grow opportunities for advancing women in leadership.
Short-term staff members serving less than two years and primarily two weeks or less have decreased significantly in 2020 because of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Most organizations cancelled short-term trips and eliminated related programs. Some churches and organizations begun virtual short-term trips, or sent teams to domestic cities with large refugee and immigrant populations. Most organizations hope to slowly rerturn short-term options in 2021 and 2022 back to previous sending levels.
Sending organization remain the largest group of staffing group among our four organization types. Seventy-seven percent of staff in our study are part of the 54,798 reported members of sending organizations. Sending organization remain strong amidst changes generationally and within culture. Many have reported upticks in giving and mobilizing during 2020. The needs of the world have never been more visible than they are now. A hurting world needs hope and there are many willing to extend the hope of Christ to them.
Yet the world is changing. As we continue to provide structures for those called by God to go out to the unreached, we also need to consider obstacles to more going from North America. As our diversity statistics show, only a relatively small number of people of color are sent by North American agencies. We need to face this challenge together to ensure all people have access to take the gospel to all nations. We many need to discover new models for discipleship, training and financially supporting workers.
We also need to seek deeper partnerships with the rising global church and global missions movement. While large groups of of unreached remain, groups of workers are rising up to be sent by the global church. New churches and agencies are starting worldwide. It is foolish to send workers from North American without also engaging with the global body of Christ to partner strategically and unify our efforts for even greater impact among the lost.
Lastly, with the growing reflection of the nations in our own communities we need to see North America not only as a sending source but also as a cross-cultural ministry field. Through partnerships with local churches and diaspora focused ministries there are great opportunities to train and equip workers to engage with the nations here at home. This will provoke deeper partnership with local churches, provide cross-cultural training for workers seeking to move overseas, and engage the nations amidst growing global security and increased risk environments which keep workers from traveling globally.
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