Years ago, a faithful Christian woman passed away, her family wanted her legacy to continue blessing the work she loved most: missions. She had long carried a burden for the unreached, and her family saw this gift as a way for her life to continue impacting the spread of the Gospel. They gave a generous gift from her estate to Radius for the Potts Family Scholarship Fund—a fund established to ensure future missionary candidates could receive the training they need to plant healthy, lasting churches around the world without worrying about the full cost of training.
Others have since joined in giving to the Potts Family Scholarship Fund and are quietly shaping the future of missions. This is a prime example of how the Body of Christ is working together to send missionaries who finish the task.
Missionary work is difficult. The statistics tell a sobering story; over 50% of missionaries leave the field within their first two years. By year seven, that number rises to nearly 75%. Behind these numbers are stories of burnout, unmet expectations, culture shock, failed marriages, and frustrations too numerous to list. The heartbreaking reality is that many cross-cultural workers leave not because of a lack of ambition or sincerity, but because they were never properly equipped for life and ministry on the field.
That’s why Radius exists—to reverse that trend.
Our intensive, one-year program is designed to train missionary candidates to work long-term among unreached language groups. Through immersive, hands-on training by qualified field seasoned experts, we help students develop realistic expectations, prepare for the labor of language and culture learning, and form a clear day-one strategy for planting churches that will outlive all of us, by God’s grace.
Here’s how one Radius alumni, who has served overseas since 2017, described the challenge:
“Some people were unable to adapt to the culture and the climate and were taken off [the missions field] pretty early… I’ve seen families that had been there over 10 years who had to leave due to unresolved team conflict. Every time someone leaves the field, it’s a gut check. You realize—we are only here because of God’s grace. None of us are sufficient for this task, and none of us will complete it without His help. There’s a real enemy, and we must fight and persevere by trusting in the Lord’s kindness to continue.”
The results are staggering.
Among Radius alumni, only 8% leave the field within their first term—a sharp contrast to the 50–75% seen elsewhere. Why the difference? Radius addresses the root causes of missionary attrition and instills the tools, mindset, and spiritual resilience that sustain workers long-term. We walk students through foundational questions like, “What am I responsible for?” and “What is God responsible for?” and anchor their ministry in God’s grace, not their own strength.
The Potts Family Scholarship Fund: Quietly Making It Possible
Tuition, room, and board for Radius training totals $33,304 per student. The Potts Scholarship Fund is committed to covering $19,804 of that cost, reducing the amount each student must raise to just $13,500. Thanks to the faithful support of churches and individuals, our students have been able to receive the training they need without being sidelined by financial barriers.
A Strategic Opportunity for Churches
Supporting the Potts Scholarship Fund is one way churches can actively participate in sending well. For churches with missionary candidates, it dramatically lowers the financial burden of preparing their candidates for church planting among the unreached. Many sending churches carry a heavy load—fundraising, pastoral care, and logistical support. By reducing the cost of training, the scholarship fund allows these churches to steward their missions budget more effectively while ensuring their candidates are equipped for success. For churches that do not currently have candidates of their own, The Potts Family Scholarship Fund offers a meaningful way to partner in global missions. By helping to send students from other churches, they invest in the work of the Great Commission as part of the wider body of Christ— to see churches planted where the gospel has never been heard.
Your Role in the Bigger Picture
You may never meet the student you help train. By God’s grace, that student will go on to help plant a church among a people group that has never heard the name of Christ. This is how the Body works together to accomplish the task left to the Church. Everyone can play a part. You might not be able to give $19,804 to support a student for a year—but a gift of $43 a month sponsors a week of training. A one-time gift of $2,200 would cover an entire month. A gift of any amount will have an impact on seeing missionaries prepared to plant churches among the unreached. We invite you to explore the Potts Family Scholarship and consider sharing it with others who care deeply about seeing missionaries last—and churches planted—among the unreached.