The purpose of this study was two-fold. It determined to what degree missionaries in the churches of Christ exhibited the six qualities of strong families, as defined by the book, Fantastic Families: 6 Proven Steps to Building a Strong Family by Dr. Nick and Nancy Stinnett and Joe and Alice Beam (1999). This descriptive study also looked at the demographics of the missionary families, which included their preparation before they went to the field, support while on the field, when they went to the field, and how long they stayed.

The Family Strengths Inventory designed by Stinnett was used. Additional questions surfaced the demographics of the missionary and their views on how the mission work had affected their own family.

One hundred forty-two surveys were returned by either mail or e-mail, yielding 137 useable responses. Both missionaries that had returned from the field and missionaries that are currently on the field participated. The earliest had gone to the field in 1938 and the latest in 2001. Missionaries had worked in a total of 47 different countries.

In an overall percentage rating, missionaries' families were found to be in the eightieth percentile. Missionaries do have strong families. Their greatest strength is in spiritual wellbeing and their weakest area is communication.

This research serves as a valuable resource of information about missionary families. The research also includes very helpful advice and observations offered by experienced missionaries. This research opens the door for future important studies on the missionary family.