Church-based Member Care for Missionaries

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Church-based Member Care for Missionaries

• Presented by
• Celia Munson
• Virginia Baptist Mission Board
• Bukal Life Ministries

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Consider the Rope as a Symbol of Member Care

• 1. The rope can either represent the connection
  between the missionary and his/her support
  network.
• OR
• 2. The rope can represent the coming together of
  such support.

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Rope. Option 1

• A little band of Baptist pastors including
  William Carey had formed the Baptist Missionary
  Society on October 2, 1792. Fuller, more than
  anyone else, felt the burden of what it meant
  that William Carey and John Thomas (and later
  others) left everything for India in dependence,
  under God, on this band of brothers. One of them,
  John Ryland, recorded the story where the famous
  rope holder image came from. He wrote that
  Carey said,

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Rope. Option 1

• Our undertaking to India really appeared to me,
  on its commencement, to be somewhat like a few
  men, who were deliberating about the importance
  of penetrating into a deep mine, which had never
  before been explored, we had no one to guide us
  and while we were thus deliberating, Carey, as it
  were, said Well, I will go down, if you will
  hold the rope. But before he went down . . . he,
  as it seemed to me, took an oath from each of us,
  at the mouth of the pit, to this effectthat
  while we lived, we should never let go of the
  rope.

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Rope Option 2

• Ecclesiastes 412
• Though one may be overpowered, two can defend
• themselves. A cord of three strands is not
  quickly broken.

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Missionary (Goer) is simply one part of a
Missions Web
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• Senders are churches and mission agencies that
  are able to send out the Goers.
• Mobilizers develop teams and structures that
  allow Goers to minister.
• Welcomers are local hosts who help the Goer.
• Goers are what we tend to call missionaries, but
  all four groups are involved in missions

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Member Care Occurs at Many Levels
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Consider Jesus as a Model
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Clearly the Role of Church in Sender Care is
Important. But how?

• The church could care for a missionary as if
  caring for a little child. Coddling and
  protecting.
• The church could care for a missionary as a stern
  disciplinarian. (Missionaries are supposed to
  suffer get over it.)
• Some churches use a method not on the diagram
  ignore.
• Jesus avoided all extremes. He comforted and
  challenged. These are aspects of love.

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So How Can Churches Care for Missionaries? Two
Sources

• Doing Member Care Well Perspectives and
  Practices from Around the World. Edited by Kelly
  ODonnell, 2002.
• "The Long-term Impact of Short-term Missions on
  the Beliefs,Attitudes and Behaviours of Young
  Adults. Dissertation by Randall Gary Friesen,
  2004.

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Challenges to Asian Missionaries

• Asian Churches and Agencies tend not to emphasize
  member care. Afraid that
• -too much care will spoil missionaries.
• -it might make missionaries less resilient.
• -it is not consistent with a
  self-sacrificial calling.

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Challenges to Asian Missionaries

• 2. Asian Missionaries often afraid to ask for
  needed care. Afraid they
• -will be branded not self-sacrificial in their
  ministry.
• Or Worse
• -will be branded not fit to be on the
  mission field.

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Challenges to Asian Missionaries

• 3. Genuine Problems of Financial Need.
• -Many churches feel they cannot financially
  support missionaries.
• -Some churches are hesitant to support
  missionaries working with parachurch
  organizations.
• -Many missionaries hesitant to ask for
  needed support.

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Challenges to Asian Missionaries

• 4. Family Issues
• -Single missionaries struggle, because in many
  cultures, people are not considered adult until
  they are married.
• -Have commitments to family, especially
  parents.
• -Need to educate children. Difficult set of
  choices.
• -Lack of opportunity for vacation or home
  leave.

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Challenges to Asian Missionaries

• Lack of Training
• -Many missionaries lack time or money for
  personal/professional/ministerial development.
• -Many sending churches do not see the need.

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Local Church and Member Care for STMers (Pre-)

• Local Churches need to embrace their role of
  discerning suitable candidates for STM.
• Have training and support team for STM
  candidates.
• Consider having a life coach for STMers with a
  discipleship contract between the STMer and the
  life coach.

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Local Church and Member Care for STMers (Post-)

• Follow-up defusing.
• Counseling on experiences from the STM trip.
• Help with follow-up roles in church, ministry,
  future missions.

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Notes Member Care for STMers

• The more involved the local church is perceived
  by the STMer to be in the mission, the more
  likely he/she will gain positively from the
  mission experience.
• Local churches tend to assume that it is the job
  of mission agencies to defuse and do follow-up on
  STMers. Mission agencies tend to assume it is the
  job of local churches.

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The Bomb in the Suitcase
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What is the bomb in the suitcase?

• This symbol represents unresolved problems in the
  life of a missionary that, while may be under
  control at home, can
• EXPLODE!!
• on the Mission field.

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Why does it explode?

• Culture shock may add new stresses to the
  missionary that disturbs normal coping
  mechanisms.
• The network of societal and social inhibitors of
  bad behavior are removed.
• Different cultural norms may tolerate or even
  promote behavior that the missionary has problems
  with.
• The missionary may have trouble working with
  limited oversight.

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What are some areas where this can occur?

• Anger. New stresses may lead to problems
  controlling emotions.
• Laziness or greed. Lack of local oversight may
  lead to giving in to misuse of time and material
  resources.
• Sexual. Lack of accountability partners or a
  church family may lead to sexual misconduct.
• Power. Those who are prone to want to control
  others can have problems when there is not an
  enforced organizational system or set of policies
  to give limits.
• Others such as addictions or legalism

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How to defuse the bomb?Member care is vital in
this

• Pre-Screening and evaluation from others.
• Self-evaluation (formal and informal)
• Close relationship with God
• Accountability network and structure
• Periodic internal and external assessments
• Ethical boundaries (set personal standards of
  conduct higher than the boundary of sin/not
  sin.)

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Areas to Think About

• Financial. What is the local churchs role in the
  financial well-being of its missionaries?
• -direct support?
• -logistical support?
• -ambassador support?
• -emergent support?

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Areas to Think About

• 2. Emotional. What is the local churchs role
  in the emotional well-being of its missionaries?
• -communication?
• -RR?
• -counseling?

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Areas to Think About

• 3. Spiritual. What is the local churchs role
  in the spiritual well-being of its missionaries?
• -discipleship?
• -accountability?
• -pastoral care?

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Areas to Think About

• 4. Professional/Ministerial. What is the local
  churchs role in the ministerial well-being of
  its missionaries?
• -assessment/commissioning?
• -training?
• -furlough?

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Areas to Think About

• Other. What can the local church do to help with
  problems that are unique to the missionary.
• -Responsibilities to care for aged relatives?
• -Professional changes (job or location)
• -Health concerns, depression, etc.
• -Education of children

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Case Studies
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Church-based Member Care for Missionaries
Presented by Celia Munson Virginia Baptist
Mission Board Bukal Life Ministries

• www.vbmb.org
• www.bukallife.wordpress.com