Questions to ask when interviewing a missionary

"I don't know what to ask when I interview a missionary!"

Don't know anyone to interview for this assignment? Email me and I'll send suggestions:

Interview assignment for world missions classes

Need to interview a veteran missionary, but you don't know what to ask? Explore these areas.

Remember that the objective of this assignment is NOT to get specific bits of information. The objective is for you to spend time talking with a veteran of cross-cultural missionary service.

  1. Biographical data: dates and places of missionary service, formal education, family, and other pertinent background.
  2. What in your childhood prepared you for missionary service?
  3. How did you receive your missionary call?
  4. Were family/friends supportive?
  5. Who or what was most helpful in preparation times (book or person)?
  6. If the clock could be turned back, what changes (if any) would you want to make in your own personal preparation for service?
  7. Misconceptions that had to be overcome?
  8. What do you perceive are your strengths in ministry?
  9. What do you see as your weak points in ministry?
  10. What part of missionary work do you enjoy most or find the most rewarding?
  11. What parts of your cross-cultural service would you like a chance to do differently?
  12. A humorous incident involving either the target language or culture?
  13. Most embarrassing or humiliating moment in cross-cultural contact?
  14. Greatest disappointment or disillusionment?
  15. Most treasured memory?
  16. Specific ways life has been richer because of cross-cultural service?
  17. Favorite scripture passage that relates to experience?
  18. Your own missionary hero or model?
  19. Are there specific people in the target culture who have had a significant impact on you? If so, who and in what ways?
  20. What advice would you give to people headed for cross-cultural service?

Your report can be written in one of the following three ways:

  1. A transcript of questions and answers
  2. A newspaper or magazine article
  3. Some personal reflections triggered by what was said in the interview

Global Evangelism assignment instructions video

Your reflections after interviewing a veteran missionary

Simplified grading rubric for this writing assignment at Nazarene Bible College. It can double as a checklist for students prior to submitting their work to Scribe.

  1. Was the assignment submitted on time?
  2. Was this a report of an interview of someone with significant global missionary experience (more than just a single 10-day mission trip)?
  3. Was the person specifically identified and information on where they served and how long they were there included?
  4. Was the interview reported as being done face-to-face, via FaceTime, Skype, Zoom, or phone rather than by email?
  5. Does the report meet minimum length requirements?
  6. Did the interview and the report seem shaped in some way by material encountered in this course?
  7. Is the report acceptable for college-level reflective writing?
  8. Is the submission relatively free of proofreading, grammatical and syntax errors?
  9. In terms of achieving assignment goals, would this interview report be considered inadequate, minimal, acceptable, good, excellent, or excedptional?

Note: The course web pages on the official Nazarene Bible College site contain expanded written instructions for this interview assignment

If you cannot come up with a missionary to interview, email me and I'll send you a list of possibilities

Before submitting your report, check out the humorous writing checklist.

    -- Howard Culbertson,

Afterword: More Advice on Interviewing

Conducting a successful interview involves several steps. These include:

Other videos with assignment instructions

More course materials

Note: The course web pages on the official Nazarene Bible College site will contain expanded written instructions for each of the assignments.

    -- Howard Culbertson,

cartoon drawing of talkative personWhat kind of online student are you? Do others think of you as Busy or Wordy or Disconnected Dan? Do you sometimes come off to others as Oblivious or Trite-ly or even End- times Edith? . . [ more ]

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