The Missionary Kids
By Holly Berkley Fletcher
Reviewed By
Geoffrey W. Sutton
 |
| The Missionary Kids |
Abstract
In The Missionary Kids: Unmasking the Myths of White Evangelicalism (2025), Holly Berkley Fletcher combines memoir, oral history, and historical analysis to examine the lived realities of missionary children (MKs). Drawing on her upbringing in Kenya and interviews with other MKs, Fletcher challenges romanticized portrayals of missionary life by exposing the cultural dislocation, spiritual neglect, and emotional burdens often carried by children in missionary families. The book is structured around four parts: the myth of parents as martyrs, the imposed nature of missionary “calling,” the spiritual neglect of MKs in boarding schools, and the collective testimony of resilience and loss. Fletcher’s dual perspective as both historian and former CIA analyst enriches her critique of evangelical institutions and their impact on children. This work contributes to scholarship on religion, childhood, and institutional accountability while offering a survivor-centered narrative that amplifies voices too often silenced. It is a valuable resource for scholars, advocates, and faith communities seeking to understand the hidden costs of missionary work.
Keywords: missionary kids, evangelicalism, spiritual abuse, childhood displacement, institutional critique, survivor narratives
Book Summary
In The Missionary Kids, Fletcher (2025) blends memoir, oral history, and historical analysis to examine the realities of growing up as a missionary kid (MK). She situates her own childhood in Kenya within the broader framework of Southern Baptist missionary work, while also drawing on interviews with other MKs. Fletcher highlights the cultural dislocation MKs often experience, caught between their host country and their country of origin. She also explores the religious and emotional expectations placed on MKs, particularly the pressure to embody ideals of sainthood and heroism.
The book moves beyond individual experience to critique the institutional structures that perpetuate myths about missionary families. Fletcher demonstrates how these myths obscure the emotional, spiritual, and physical neglect that many MKs endure. By weaving together personal narrative and collective testimony, she challenges romanticized portrayals of missionary life and calls for a more honest reckoning with its costs.
Book Structure
Fletcher (2025) organizes the book into four parts, each dismantling a different myth of missionary life. In the first part, Accessories to Martyrs, I see how missionary parents are celebrated as martyrs while their children live without a stable home life. Fletcher observes, “Missionaries’ inability to offer their children a stable domestic life was alternately glossed over or played up in the context of their sacrifice and martyrdom”
In the second part, Fletcher turns to the idea of calling. I follow her as she shows how MKs rarely choose this path themselves and are sometimes placed in dangerous or traumatic situations.
The third part, Jesus Is Their Favorite, makes me confront the spiritual neglect MKs often endure. I read about children sent to distant boarding schools and expected to serve as spiritual role models, even when those expectations harm them.
Finally, Fletcher closes by weaving together her own story with interviews from other MKs. I come away with a collective picture of resilience, loss, and the need to dismantle the myths that have long silenced missionary kids.
Review
Fletcher (2025) offers a deeply personal yet rigorously researched exploration of the MK experience. She recounts the joys of cross-cultural childhood while also exposing the burdens of expectation placed on MKs. These children often carry the weight of representing their families, their churches, and their faith traditions. Fletcher demonstrates how the myth of sainthood and heroism—so often projected onto missionary families—can obscure the realities of isolation, displacement, and emotional strain.
The book’s strength lies in its dual perspective. As both a historian with a PhD in American history and a former CIA analyst specializing in Africa, Fletcher contextualizes her lived experience within larger patterns of evangelical expansion and cultural power. She supplements her own story with interviews from other MKs, weaving together a collective testimony that challenges romanticized depictions of missionary life.
Fletcher’s work contributes to ongoing conversations about spiritual abuse, cultural displacement, and the long-term effects of religious institutions on children. By unmasking the myths surrounding missionary families, she provides a resource not only for scholars of religion and history but also for survivors, advocates, and faith communities seeking to understand the hidden costs of missionary work.
Overall, The Missionary Kids is a compelling and necessary intervention. Fletcher writes with clarity and conviction, ensuring that the voices of MKs are heard beyond the confines of missionary and evangelical circles. Her book underscores the importance of listening to those whose lives have been shaped by institutions that often prioritize image over well-being. I recommend this book to all who wonder about the purpose of American missionaries. I strongly recommend it is an important read for all involved in mental health care for missionary children and their families. I suggest it may also be helpful for missionary kids--especially those experiencing spiritual struggles.
REFERENCES
Fletcher, H. B. (2025). The missionary kids: Unmasking the myths of white evangelicalism. Broadleaf Books.
[THIS POST]
Sutton, G. W. (2025). Reconsidering Missionary Childhoods: A Critical Engagement with Fletcher’s The Missionary Kids. Interdisciplinary Book and Film Reviews. https://suttonreviews.suttong.com/2025/09/reconsidering-missionary-childhoods.html
Book Author – Recent Bio
Holly Berkley Fletcher holds a PhD in American history and has written extensively on religion, culture, and identity. She grew up as a Southern Baptist missionary kid in Kenya, an experience that informs her scholarship and personal perspective in *The Missionary Kids*. Fletcher has also served as a CIA analyst specializing in Africa, bringing a unique lens to her analysis of evangelicalism and global missions. Her work bridges personal narrative and historical inquiry, offering both scholarly rigor and survivor-centered insight.
Review Author
Geoffrey W. Sutton, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Evangel University, holds a master’s degree in counseling and a PhD in psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. His postdoctoral work encompassed education and supervision in forensic and neuropsychology. As a licensed psychologist, he conducted clinical and neuropsychological evaluations and provided psychotherapy for patients in various settings, including schools, hospitals, and private offices. During his tenure as a professor, Dr. Sutton taught courses on psychotherapy, assessment, and research. He has authored over one hundred publications, including books, book chapters, and articles in peer-reviewed psychology journals.
His website is https://suttong.com
RELATED POSTS & LINKS
Comments
Post a Comment