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Data Tables with notes

2025 Launch Survey Findings

Katy White, Dave Jacob, John McVay

Update July 25, 2025

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What

2025 Launch Survey

Who

Why

⬤ Aspiring missionaries and sent missionaries

⬤ Different generational cohorts

⬤ 2,400+ responses

⬤ Online questionnaire that captured main draws, concerns, and various mobilization information

⬤ Responses captured between January - March 2025

⬤ Identify the most significant factors that help and hinder potential missionaries

⬤ Understand generational differences that affect mobilization

Aspiring missions and sent missionaries

Contacts lists from globally focused Christian organizations and conferences

Each organization sent it out to their own lists. We sent to 14 lists (A small percentage from each list took the survey)

Note: these respondents had already expressed interest in a missions focused organization or conference.

This data will help us see how to best come alongside people who are already somewhat interested in missions to help them reach the field.

Analyzed: North Americans (citizens of USA or Canada) who selected they were willing to relocate across the world for at least one year or longer

Different generational cohorts

Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomer, and Silent generation
A little over 2,400 responses total from two responses - one for aspiring and one for currently on the field (already gone)

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Gen Z Aspiring

Draws

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Top 5

Concern for the personal salvation of others - 80%
God’s guidance through Scripture - 77%
Desire to share Christ with the unreached - 75%
If there was a position to use my specific skill/gifts/passions - 74%
God's guidance through prayer - 74%

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Which were next?

Desire to do something about injustice
If there is a healthy community of others that would receive me
Desire to share Christ with a specific group or city or country
Desire to provide practical service to those in need
Encouragement from friends/peers

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Which were next?

Desire to do something about injustice - 35%
If there is a healthy community of others that would receive me - 65%
Desire to share Christ with a specific group or city or country - 39%
Desire to provide practical service to those in need - 63%
Encouragement from friends/peers - 38%

The two above in color could be considered “swing votes.” Brief commentary:

Community is very important to Gen Z
Practical needs are also very motivating

Position to use my skills, provide a practical service, and “holistic flourishing here and now not just eternity” were all significant motivators, while desire to share with a specific group is at the bottom of the data
Note: Gen Z is more motivated by “learning stats/info related to the spiritual needs” versus “learning stats/info related to the practical needs,” BUT are more motivated by positions that use their skill sets.

KEY: Mobilization should focus on the spiritual needs and impact they can make by using their skill sets.

Seeing injustice so low was surprising. Keep in mind, this is the percentage who marked it as “Strong” draw. So what we learn here is that it’s not the strongest draw for many Gen Z. There are other things higher.

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Gen Z Aspiring

Concerns

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Top 3

Lacking clear guidance/direction towards such a major decision - 50%
Feeling spiritually unprepared when it is time to relocate - 36%
Relocating somewhere I may be lonely or isolated - 35%

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Which were next?

Being far away from family and friends and missing important times with them
Concerns about the ethics of missions and missions history
Relocating somewhere dangerous, or that is less safe physically, than my current location
My role is undefined or ambiguous

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Which were next?

Being far away from family and friends and missing important times with them - 32%
Concerns about the ethics of missions and missions history - 11%
Relocating somewhere dangerous, or that is less safe physically, than my current location - 18%
My role is undefined or ambiguous - 30%

Clear roles are important to all the generations surveyed in the aspiring group. It’s important to have as specific information about roles as possible.

I think it’s particularly important for Gen Z because ambiguity can fuel anxiety.

Another strong concern, but didn’t include it in the above question because it was just an optional not everyone answered: “If single when considering relocating to the gospel - concerns that I would not find a spouse, or would never get married”

75% of the respondents answered that question, and 33% ranked it as a strong concern

Fundraising was still up there, but not in the Top 5.

Only 30% listed support raising as a strong concern, but that still seems significant considering that many of the people surveyed already expressed interest in an organization that included fundraising

A note about dangerous being ranked so low - how does that relate to Gen Z being risk averse?

Gen Z is more risk averse in the small things - like saying yes to something without complete certainty, or worrying about how to be financially secure. But Gen Z is willing to do hard things and go to hard places! They need help processing those types of emotional/mental risks so they can do the risky things.

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Data Tables

Draws and Concerns

for each generation

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Aspiring draws sorted by Gen Z

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Aspiring draws continued

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Gone draws sorted by Gen Z

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Gone draws continued

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Aspiring concerns sorted by Gen Z

This slide and the next slide show all the concerns by generation. For most of this presentation we are focused on Gen Z.

Clear roles are important to all the generations surveyed in the aspiring group. It’s important to have as specific information about roles as possible.

I think it’s particularly important for Gen Z because ambiguity can fuel anxiety.

Another strong concern, was optional not everyone answered: “If single when considering relocating to the gospel - concerns that I would not find a spouse, or would never get married”

75% of the respondents answered that question, and 33% ranked it as a strong concern

Fund-raising

Only 30% listed support raising as a strong concern, but that still seems significant considering that many of the people surveyed already expressed interest in an organization that included fundraising

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Aspiring concerns continued

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Gone concerns sorted by Gen Z

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Gone concerns continued

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Question: What stands out to you most?

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Gone - stage of life significant to decision

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Gone - main ways inspired or learned about opportunities

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Aspiring - how prefer to hear about opportunities?

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Gone - how much did the staffer(s) helped you through your decision process to go?

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Gone - Did you have previous contact with a staffer from a different org before the one you eventually joined?

Optional Question: if you joined an organization when you first launched, did you have previous contact with a staffer from a different org before you had contact with the org you later joined?

Note: Z gone much higher than previous generations for “Other org first: yes.” So, be ready to encourage aspiring Z to look for another org if they are not a fit with your org.

Z gone: N=63

M gone: N=176

Xer gone: N=187

Boomer gone: N=148

“I felt like each time I reached out to talk with someone from a different org, they planted a little seed in my heart and helped form my opinions about what I wanted to do.”

“A staff member from another org ultimately connected me with my current ministry when they heard about the skills I had and how I would like to serve.”

“The various orgs' staffers impressed upon me that they are colleagues in mission, not competitors, for God's Kingdom glory.”

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Aspiring - preferred discussion person:

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Gone - main person(s) you discussed, prayed and processed the opportunity

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Downloads �

https://gospelmobilization.org/launchsurvey has a PDF of these slides with speaker notes
plus Survey Design, Demographics, Limitations
and Quotes/Summaries of answers to

What is the most important thing that should be done to help launch more people?
What could the staffer have done better that would have helped you?

To contact the authors: info@gospelmobilization.org