Missionaries and other overseas service workers face a daunting challenge. In many cases, they’re moving to a completely different city in another country and have to navigate all the different cultural challenges that come with that.

Oh, and in most cases, they’re working for free.

Sam Werner, who served as a missionary in Nepal, has created Missions Academy, an online educational platform that will provide how-to videos, online courses and other resources for missionaries. Werner talked about his Grandview-based startup at the July 8 edition of 1 Million Cups at the Kauffman Foundation.

While many missionaries are backed by churches or nonprofit organizations, they don’t always have direct support on the ground. “There’s no place to go to,” Werner said. “There’s no phone number to call.”

Missions Academy will offer advice on everything from avoiding cultural misunderstandings to sharpening language skills to creating newsletters and other communication tools for donors.

The platform is about 75 percent complete, Werner said, and it should launch in September for early adopters. Missions Academy will charge a monthly subscription of $20 to $30. There are about 400,000 Christian missionaries currently working overseas, which presents a major potential market.

For more information about Missions Academy, visit the startup’s website here.