US Missionary Retention Study - worldevangelicals.org · o US Report of Findings on Missionary...

ReMAP II: Worldwide Missionary Retention Study &

2/24/2010 1

Retention Study &Best Practices

Missions Commission

WEA Missions Commission Commitments—globally….

� To provide a place, a forum and services

� To serve regional and national mission

movements, global networks, mission agencies,

missional churches and miss. training programs.

2/24/2010 2

missional churches and miss. training programs.

� Listening to the global grass roots

� Listening to the voices of “mission structures”

� Catalysing and connecting church and mission

leaders, missionary equippers/trainers

Focus of ReMAP II

� Research into Older and Newer Sending

Countries (like ReMAP I)--

�22 nations

�600 mission agencies

2/24/2010 3

�600 mission agencies

�40,000 missionaries

� Issues related to retention of missionaries

� Revealing good agency practices

Key International Agency Practices1. Careful Candidate Selection

2. Effective Leadership with

� Good interaction with missionary

� Servant attitude

� Flexible structures

2/24/2010 4

3. Provide opportunities for training and development of gifts

4. Encourage missionaries to improve ministries and agency’s operations

5. Changes are not imposed top down

6. Utilize insight of their missionaries

7. Partnership with other agencies

ReMAP II:USA Missionary Retention

Findings

2/24/2010 5

USA Missionary Retention Findings

Overview of Study

� Participants: Leaders from 65 agencies participated

in the US study, representing 14,000+ missionaries.

� Agencies were ranked by rate of retention, from

highest to lowest.

2/24/2010 6

highest to lowest.

� These agencies were divided into 3 groups, so that

each group had approx the same number of

missionaries.

� High and low groups had 29 agencies.

� The leader’s responses of the highest and lowest

groups were compared

General Finding� The average agency keeps 94% of

its people each year.

� High Retention agency: 97%

� Low Retention agency: 91%

2/24/2010 7

Low Retention agency: 91%

� This means that over a 10 year period the average agency

•Keeps 54% of its people

•Loses 46% of its people

Retention Impact: 10 years

US Average77%

Retention

23%

Attrition

29 High

Retention Agencies

2/24/2010 8

54%

Retention

46%

Attrition

37%

Retention63%

Attrition

29 Low

Retention Agencies

Trend:

Agencies are losing a greater percentage of their missionaries for potentially preventable

reasons during the past 20 years.

Since 1981, 50% of the annual departures

2/24/2010 9

Since 1981, 50% of the annual departures

were for potentially preventable reasons

Examples: Departures

Potentially PreventableUnpreventable

2/24/2010 10

� Work or team related

reasons

� Dismissal

� Personal issues

� Agency issues

� Retirement

� Death

� Loss of visa

� Appointment to leadership

in agency

Percentage of Missionaries Leaving for Potentially Preventable Reasons

48

50

52

54

% of People

2/24/2010 11

40

42

44

46

48

1981-

1985

1986-

1990

1991-

1995

1996-

2000

%

% of People

Leaving for

Preventable

Reason

Since 1981: High Retention Agencies are countering the

general trend.

2/24/2010 12

general trend.

High Retention Agencies: Missionaries leaving for Preventable Reasons

40

50

60

Pe

rce

nta

ge

These Agencies lose

50% less than the

average US Agency.

2/24/2010 13

0

10

20

30

1981-1985 1986-1990 1991-1995 1996-2000

Pe

rce

nta

ge

10 Year Attrition:

■ Unpreventable

■ Preventable

High Ret. Agencies

11%

12%

77%

US Average

2/24/2010 14

Low Ret. Agencies

37%

26%

US Average

26%

20%

54%37%

Impact of Turnover on the Agency:Interview with David Seaton,

Retired Mgr Best Practices for Shell Oil Products

� Added cost for recruitment and training

� Loss of synergy, relationships and momentum (3-5 yrs)

2/24/2010 15

momentum (3-5 yrs)

� Loss of souls coming to Christ

� Detriment to reputation of agency

� Solution: More cost effective to increase the time and budget for the support, and care of the existing missionary.

How are these high retention agencies

countering the trend?

2/24/2010 16

countering the trend?

1. Greater Importance on Screening

2. Pre-field Training

3. Good Communication Practices

4. Greater Emphasis on Prayer

2/24/2010 17

4. Greater Emphasis on Prayer

5. On-going Training Opportunities

6. Care Practices

7. Leadership Practices

Greater importance on screening

#1#1

2/24/2010 18

Screening Criteria � High Ret. Ag.

� Low Ret. Ag.

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

6.0

Ra

tin

g

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

Calling

Agen.Princ

Mature Char

Chrch Exper

Health.Check

Psych.assess

Pray.Support

Pre-Field Training

� High retention agencies require approximately

3 semesters of formal missiological studies

(vs 1 semester for low retention agencies)

#2#2

2/24/2010 20

(vs 1 semester for low retention agencies)

� High retention agencies spend 5-6 weeks in

orientation

(vs 3 weeks for low retention agencies)

Good Communication

� Clear communication of plans and job descriptions

� Free flow communication to and from leadership

#3#3

2/24/2010 21

� Effective communication between sending base and field

� Policies are well understood throughout the mission

Greater emphasis on Prayer

� Promoted throughout the agency

Emphasized in Home Office

#4#4

2/24/2010 22

� Emphasized in Home Office

� Important screening factor

On-going Training

� Language programs for new missionaries

� Opportunities for on-going

#5#5

2/24/2010 23

� Opportunities for on-going language and culture learning

� Opportunities for development of gifts and skills

#6 Care Practices � High Ret. Ag.

� Low Ret. Ag.

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

6.0

Ra

tin

g

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

Pers Spirit.Life

Ann.Vacation

Fin.Support

Project.financ

Ag.Finances

Pre-field.screen

H.O.prays

Re-entry.Prog

Debrief

#7 Leadership Practices� High Ret. Ag.

� Low Ret. Ag.

2.53.03.54.04.55.05.56.0

Ra

tin

g

1.01.52.02.5

Lead by example

Probl.solved

Supervision

Ann.Review

Four Factors That MOST CONTRIBUTE to a

Missionary’s Effectiveness

� Development of good relationship/team.

� Commitment to ministry.

2/24/2010 26

� Commitment to ministry.

� Effective leadership with good supervision and accountability.

� Clear objectives, goals, and expectations that are agreed upon.

3 Factors That MOST HINDER

A Missionary’s Effectiveness

� Finances

2/24/2010 27

� Finances

� Family Issues

� Relationship problems

Strategic Recommendation

A corporate goal: to increase your

retention rate each year.

2/24/2010 28

retention rate each year.

5 Strategic Steps

� These 5 steps are from the book

Best Practices in Organizational

2/24/2010 29

Development and Change. Some

or all of these ideas have already

been expressed in your groups.

First Step: Determine the Retention Rate for your Agency

� This retention rate number will

2/24/2010 30

give your mission agency a

starting point/base line for

determining how well you are

doing from year to year.

Second Step: Discover your people’s needs

� Survey your people

� Informal interviews/Debriefings

2/24/2010 31

� Exit Interviews

Third Step: Design a Plan of Action

� Based on results of the surveys, choose the most strategic issue/s to focus on, which will

2/24/2010 32

issue/s to focus on, which will have the potential of increasing the retention of good missionaries, and reducing turnover.

Fourth Step: Train your Leaders

�Good interpersonal skills in

relating to the people

�Good management skills

2/24/2010 33

�Good management skills

�How to motivate, encourage and

support their people

Fifth Step: System of Accountability

� Is the retention rate gradually increasing from year to year?

� Are the issues being addressed in the action

2/24/2010 34

� Are the issues being addressed in the action plan (step 3) improving from the missionaries’ perspective?

� Are the issues for resignations the same or different?

Resources Available

� WEAresources.org

o Tracking Guide

o US Report of Findings on Missionary Retention

o This power point

� Too Valuable to Lose

2/24/2010 35

� Too Valuable to Lose

� Worth Keeping guides agencies in self-

assessment process of retention correlated best

practices.

� Engage! Global Mapping can survey needs of

agency’s field staff (gmi.org)

Wrap Up

Great Commission requires the

retention of missionary personnel

with long-term presence.

2/24/2010 36

with long-term presence.

Following are supplemental charts

2/24/2010 37

Definitions� Retention: the ability of an agency to keep its people

(especially those it wants to keep).

� Total Retention rate: the percentage of people an agency keeps each year.

� Unpreventable Retention rate: percentage of people retained, after those who left for acceptable reasons.

� Preventable Retention Rate: the percentage of

2/24/2010 38

� Preventable Retention Rate: the percentage of people retained in a given year, after those who left for potentially preventable reasons (conflict, dismissal, etc).

� Best Practices: those practices, policies, actions and attitudes that promote the retention of good personnel and their effectiveness (fruitfulness).

Pre-Field Training

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

Ye

ars

RRT H

RRT L

0.0

0.2

0.4

33. Form

.missiol

36. Ag.orie

nt

Ongoing training

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

6.0

Ra

tin

g

High Ret

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

40. Vision

41. Plans&Job.D.

42. Comm.Lead

43. Comm.f-h

ome

44. Includ.decision

45. Policy.docum

46. Culture.of.P

rayer

47. Lead.example

48. Probl.solved

49. Supervis

ion

50. Ann.Review

51. Handl.C

omplaints

52. Field.Orientation

53. Language.Learn

54. Ongo.Language.L

55. Gift.D

evelop

High RetAgencies

Low RetAgencies

Prayer

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

6.0

Ra

tin

g

High Ret

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

40. Vision

41. Plans&Job.D.

42. Comm.Lead

43. Comm.f-h

ome

44. Includ.decision

45. Policy.docum

46. Culture.of.P

rayer

47. Lead.example

48. Probl.solved

49. Supervis

ion

50. Ann.Review

51. Handl.C

omplaints

52. Field.Orientation

53. Language.Learn

54. Ongo.Language.L

55. Gift.D

evelop

High RetAgencies

Low RetAgencies

Communication Practices

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

6.0

Ra

tin

g

High Ret

2.0

2.5

3.0

40. Vision

41. Plans&Job.D.

42. Comm.Lead

43. Comm.f-h

ome

44. Includ.decision

45. Policy.docum

46. Culture.of.Prayer

47. Lead.example

48. Probl.solved

49. Supervis

ion

50. Ann.Review

51. Handl.Complaints

52. Field.Orientation

53. Language.Learn

54. Ongo.Language.L

55. Gift.D

evelop

High RetAgencies

Low RetAgencies

Care Provided

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

6.0

High Ret

Agencies

Low Ret

Agencies

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

71. Team

72. Past.C

are

73. Interpers.Confl

74. P.Spirit.

Life

75. MK.School

76. Health.Care

77. Ann.Vacation

78. Risk.Assess

79. Hm.Church.Inv

80. Finan.Support

81. Finan.Back-up

82. Project.fin

anc

83. Agen.Finances

84. Pre-fie

ld.screen

85. Pre-fie

ld.orient

86. Home.O.prays

87. Re-entry

.Prog

88. Debrief.H

ome

Organization Practices

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

Av

era

ge

Ra

tin

g

High RetAgencies

Low RetAgencies

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

Average

EducationSelection

Prep Time

Orientation

Spiritual life

Person.Care

MemCare /2

Organizational Values

4.4

4.6

4.8

5.0

5.2

5.4R

ati

ng

High RetAgencies

Low RetAgencies

3.8

4.0

4.2

4.4

Organisation

Leadership

Staff.Develop

Ministry

Min.OutcomeFinances

Home.Office

Allocation of Personnel

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

High RetAgencies

Low RetAgencies

0

5

10

15

6. %Unreached

7. %Evangelism

8. %Supp.church

9. %Social.work

10. % Services

Ministry Values

1.52.02.53.03.54.04.55.05.56.0

Ra

tin

g

RRP H

RRP L1.01.52.0

56. Assign.giftg

58. Spirit.

W arfare

61. Not.overload

69. Develop.leaders

RRP L