Mental Health & the Case for Care
Burnout has become so widespread that hearing about it barely raises eyebrows anymore. Well over half of Americans report experiencing it – physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion from prolonged, unrelieved stress, marked by three core features: exhaustion, cynicism or detachment, and a reduced sense of effectiveness or accomplishment. When that many people are running on empty, it’s easy to think, “it’s just part of modern life.”
If at least half of the general population experiences burnout, it shouldn’t surprise us that when surveyed, a diverse segment of missionaries reported burnout at a staggering 74%! And that’s not all. These missionaries also report experiencing other stressors at heighten rates:
- 70% experienced anxiety in their family
- 68% reported stress significantly affecting their health
- 67% experienced depression in their family
- 61% had difficulty setting boundaries on what was demanded of them
- 59% had traumatic experiences
On top of demanding work done with fewer resources and less support than most jobs, missionaries carry the unique weight of some additional stressors:
- More frequent traumatic experiences (especially depending on their location)
- Feeling unsafe in foreign places
- Identity disruption (the loss of a role, a sense of competence, a sense of self)
- Language fatigue that wears down personality and self-expression
- Chronic low-grade stress from operating outside their native culture
- Separation from extended family and support networks
- Disenfranchised grief (loss that others don’t recognize, which makes it even harder to ask for support)
So is there good news for any of us?
Whether you’re reading this from a bustling, dusty city with the call to prayer in the background or from a sparkling summer lake in the American Midwest, some things are true for all of us seeking to avoid a mental health crisis: regular, intentional practices and seasons where we step back and evaluate where we’re really at can make a huge difference in the above mentioned stressors! These practices, such as regular rhythms of rest and renewal,, intentional spiritual formation, and seeking care, including counseling care when needed can make a significant difference in how we are able to manage those stressors and weights. … And instead of drowning in mental and physical distress, we might even learn how much we can grow in grace and resilience through it! (In fact, check out this webinar by Christy Otten to learn more about how stress can in fact be healthy.)
OUR WORK
This kind of professional support and care is exactly the work we’re doing at Olive Tree Counseling Center. We’re passionate about helping missionaries and their families find healing and hope. After all they’ve given to the Kingdom, we want to help them through the challenging experiences they encounter so they can be whole – spiritually, physically, emotionally and relationally – so they can do the good work they’ve been called to do. And we’ve heard countless stories of this care making all the difference…
Finding hope through burnout and marriage crisis: John and Sally’s story
John and Sally came to Olive Tree from a small, rural village in Northern Africa where they have been serving for 6 years. In their context, they lived amongst a mostly Muslim population and provided both English education and maternity support for new mothers, and were members of a small church plant They knew that after several years serving in these conditions, their marriage was strained and they were exhausted from the constant pressures to meet the needs of the community around them. They knew that continuing on as they had been wasn’t sustainable. They needed help.
At Olive Tree, they both received individual and couples counseling during their two weeks with us. They worked on skills to improve their relational connection and communication, uncovered and processed how some previous and difficult ministry experience was impacting their current ministry, and explored how their expectations for themselves and coping skills needed an adjustment. And while they know the same daily stressors haven’t gone away as they return to their village, they left feeling much better equipped with tools for regular rhythms of connection, communication and rest to help sustain them. Both told us how much getting away, talking to people who “got it” and who could offer them the grace they needed to do the work they needed to in counseling was invaluable.
Sally said, “We feel so grateful to have received help with our marriage and unpack these years of stress overseas and the toll it’s taken. I really feel like we are much more stable now with real solutions, and tools to go back to when we need them. We look forward to building these practical resources into our normal life, and we’ve already started applying many of the things we’ve learned. There aren’t enough words for me to describe how thankful, different, and hopeful I am for our life and future together now.”
Perhaps you know missionaries like John and Sally too, who have poured out their lives for years in stressful contexts with little support. Take a minute now to pray for them!
Where can you start?
We’d like to share a few resources we use with missionaries we serve. Whether you use one this week or simply set the intention to slow down this summer, know that deeper personal reflection and care is not wasted time – it’s part of how we stay whole enough to keep showing up for the people and callings we love.
- Walking with Jesus — a guided 30 minute walk / meditation
- Managing Priorities & Expectations — a practical worksheet for realigning what’s urgent vs. what’s important
- Sacred Rhythms: Arranging our Lives for Spiritual Formation – by Ruth Haley Barton https://www.amazon.com/dp/0830833331?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback
Thank you
Your gifts are what make it possible for our counseling center to walk alongside missionaries in the hardest seasons of their ministry: processing trauma, working through burnout, and finding their footing again, so they can remain engaged and fruitful in sharing the gospel around the world. We can’t say enough thanks for your partnership in this work, enabling us to not only provide essential counseling for these workers, but also build resources like this for their ongoing support.
What you can do next
- Give your next gift: Your continued support helps us provide crucial support for missionaries facing burnout, PTSD, depression, anxiety, isolation and loneliness and much more.
- Share: Talk to a friend or church community who might want to support this work as well, or who have missionaries they support who might need to know about the services Olive Tree provides.
NUMBERS & DATA PULLED FROM:
Eagle Hill Consulting. (2025, November 24). More than half of U.S. workers report burnout, new Eagle Hill research finds [Press release]. https://www.eaglehillconsulting.com/news/workforce-burnout-survey-2025/
Sears, A. (2020-2023). The Missions Experience [Blog] https://themissionsexpereince.weebly.com/blog
Missio Nexus (2022) 2022 missions staffing attrition. https://missionexus.org/research/2022-missions-staffing-attrition/
Christianity Today. (2024, September). Lausanne report: Most missionaries are reaching the reached. https://www.christianitytoday.com/2024/09/lausanne-missions-state-great-commission-christianity-polycentrism/
Christianity Today. (2013, July 25). The surprising countries most missionaries are sent from and go to. https://www.christianitytoday.com/2013/07/missionaries-countries-sent-received-csgc-gordon-conwell/
Evangelical Focus. (2026, April 29). The Global South concentrates the growth of Christianity, new study confirms. https://evangelicalfocus.com/life-tech/34596/the-global-south-concentrates-the-growth-of-christianity
Lifeway Research. (2024, January 22). 8 encouraging trends in global Christianity for 2024. https://research.lifeway.com/2024/01/22/8-encouraging-trends-in-global-christianity-for-2024/
Overseas Ministries Study Center. (2024, May 1). The task of counting missionaries: History and present challenges. https://omsc.ptsem.edu/the-task-of-counting-missionaries-history-and-present-challenges/