PREVENTABLE ATTRITION: how is your ministry partnership combating it?

Several major missionary studies over the past 30 years have stated that 71% of returning missionaries annually do so for PREVENTABLE reasons. This is called preventable attrition for career missionaries. Those reasons include lack of financial support, lack of organizational support, personal concerns, inadequate pre-field training, poor cultural adaptation, loss of vision/drive, team conflict and disagreement with the agency. (source: Mission Frontiers, Nations Outreach)

I began researching missionary attrition after a conversation with a potential financial partner who was unsure about supporting someone who is not "boots on the ground". As one of those "boots on the ground" for 20 years, I admit I needed to remind myself of the importance of my current role. The rhetorical question in my mind was, "If the need is boots on the ground, what is the biggest need for those boots on the ground to not return prematurely?" Do we just send more people into the field, or can we also provide support that helps keep those missionaries on the front lines for longer, healthier, and, hopefully, fruitful ministries?

When I was developing Season 3 of the Campus Outreach StaffCast, I asked a CO Network Director what he thought the staff needed to hear the most. His answer was immediate: "They need encouragement that is specific to what they are doing. They need encouragement from those who have been through what they are facing and who encourage them to rely on God, to persevere when it's tough, and rejoice when it's fruitful."

I am glad to say that the goal of our staff-focused podcast series is exactly that—"a podcast produced by CO Staff for CO Staff."

Beyond that, I enjoy the direct and indirect ways that I work alongside staff on campuses around the globe on projects like publishing a Home Ministry Assignment Guide, developing Latin American resource staff on the field, and highlighting impact each year through our CO SERVE Annual Report. 

I am confident that your ministry partnership is impacting staff across the CO regions so they can impact the next generation of leaders around the globe. Thank you for investing in this ministry with us. 

Please be encouraged by watching this one-minute video testimony from the Director of our Cape Town, South Africa team about the StaffCast. 

James Broadaway - Cape Town, South Africa.

Welcome to the StaffCast!

One of the projects I am taking on as Creative Content and Media Specialist is a podcast series that went live in January of 2023. The podcast is called the Campus Outreach StaffCast, and its audience is CO staff across the globe, or as we say - "a podcast for CO staff, by CO staff".

I am happy to share that today, March 7th, 2024 - my first StaffCast production is live! In this episode, I share a short testimony and then CO Serve Director Kent Bailey and I dive into talking about the upcoming Worldwide Day of Prayer 2024. You can access the podcast on the following link, or find it on your favorite podcast platforms. https://campusoutreachstaffcast.buzzsprout.com/

The StaffCast isn't just a trendy idea because podcasts are "the thing" to do. The StaffCast is meeting a need in the growing and decentralized network of ministries that make up Campus Outreach. After 45 years, there are staff who find themselves distanced from the early days and visionary history of the ministry. For example, Rev. Frank Barker, the champion behind the founding and early years of Campus Outreach, passed away in 2021; new staff will no longer have the opportunity to personally know him. So many of the initial staff have moved to other opportunities and places of service in the Kingdom. The organic relationships that trace their way to back to the humble beginnings can wear thin when spanning double-digit generations and expansions to new regions and continents. The StaffCast seeks to bridge that gap and maintain a strong connection between the current body of staff and the overarching vision and values on which the ministry was founded and continues its impact.

One last necessary attribution is needed in this update. Connor Hopkins, who worked with CO Serve for years as Media Manager, did the hard work to make this podcast become a reality. He procured the equipment and developed the process for the StaffCast to progress from an idea to a project to a reality. I am standing on his shoulders, and am so thankful for all he did and all he has documented to help me.