Member Care Update

Ethnê-MC Facilitation Team

To contact us: membercare@ethne.net

Ethnê-MC Update Issue 14: March 2010

Are Missionaries Super Humans?

The Need for Church Missionary Care

By Peter Shankar Nambiar

I wish I could say, “YES, missionaries are SUPER HUMANS….like Superman!”  In reality, they are not. They are just like any of us – with emotions, mood swings and needs.  They enjoy watching movies, collecting stamps, going for holidays, swimming, playing tennis, shopping and everything else that the rest of us “non-missionaries” enjoy.

They are as human as we are. YET, there is a great misconception that exist in our Christian community that MISSIONARIES ARE SUPER HUMANS. Because of this misconception, it has never occurred to many Christians that missionaries need a sound support structure within their local church.

According to Barret’s survey in 1998, annually more than 12,000 missionaries (from the global Catholic and Protestant pool) are lost. One might wonder why missionaries leave the field prematurely, especially from Newer Sending Countries (NSC) like Malaysia, Singapore, Korea, Philippines.

Where have we failed?  Some of the top reasons for missionary attrition are:

• lack of home support
• poor screening
• lack of a clear call
• inadequate commitment
• disagreement with agency or sending church
• problems with peers
• health problems and children’s issues

Such premature attrition has a spillover effect on their loved ones; impacting thousands of family members and friends in the home or host communities, causing negative repercussions. It is evident that missionaries need love and care—missionary care.

What do we mean by missionary care in the sending or home church context?

At its most basic, missionary care means pulling together caring and nurturing church resources so missionaries can serve effectively on the field with the goal of keeping them “healthy” on the field. This would be a holistic care structure, not just caring for their physical health but also caring for their emotional, mental and spiritual health.

It is important for us to understand missionaries MUST have a proper care structure within their local church. Missionaries must not be seen as lone rangers somewhere out there but rather as an extension of teams made up of support systems within the church. This means, people staying at ‘home’ can be the ‘extension of the missionary force, doing simple tasks that will mean a lot to missionaries. Missionary care provides wonderful opportunities for “ordinary” people to become a blessing to the missionaries their church sends overseas.

One of the most important elements of missionary care is the realization that missionary care starts from the recruitment of a missionary candidate to the missionary’s retirement.

4 Main Channels of Care

1. Pre-Field Care includes proper screening, recruitment, family evaluation, orientation, psychological assessment and addressing specific issues.
2. Field-Care includes field orientation, field placement, and field support.
3. Re-Entry Care includes special care provided when missionaries return home for furlough.    There must be people available to welcome them and assist with logistics, de-briefing, counseling, and providing basic essentials like housing, transportation and communication tools.
4. Ongoing Support Team Care includes a structured support system that will connect missionaries to resource groups in the area of medical care, counseling, conflict resolution, literature needs, and support groups.

With the proper concept of missionary care, we can then proceed to be the “extension of the missionary force.”  A clear understanding and a proper structure will place the right individuals with the right resources and gifts to be a channel of blessing to the missionaries.

8 Areas of Missionary Care

1. Communication

It is known within the missionary community that 80% of missionaries who fail within the first 2 years of serving on the field do so because they lack encouragement. It is a true but sad reality. They leave their home country with zest and passion, ready to ‘conquer’ the land. As time goes by, there seems to be less and less communication. Inevitably, they find themselves battling with discouragement.

Without proper communication between the church and the missionary, the missionary effort can slowly decline, resulting in a loss of vision.  The missionary and the church share equal responsibility in keeping in touch with one another. However, if the missionary has difficulty communicating due to security issues or a lack of writing skills, a good communicator in the church can take on the role bridging the parties.

2. Prayer

Have you ever considered becoming a prayer missionary? Well, think about it. This is a role anyone can undertake. All work done without prayer is futile. Missionaries need prayer teams praying for them on a regular basis – it’s the shield that keeps the missionary going.

3. Logistics

Logistical support cares for the administrative needs of the missionaries. This may include collecting mail, filing-in income tax forms, collecting rental, paying insurance. It is interesting to know that no one thinks of filling this role. Being released of logistical responsibilities allows the missionary to concentrate on his mission.

4. Finance

Finance is usually seen as the beginning and the end of missions.  For some Christians, once they have given some money, they feel they have fulfilled their responsibility toward missions. Real giving is honoring the Lord by giving unto Him so that His name will be glorified. No one can serve effectively on the field without proper financial support.

I remember my wife relating her field experience to me. In her first month on the field in Thailand she “suffered” when her church could not fulfill the pledge to support her on the field. It was a very difficult moment for her, not knowing where her support would come from, not knowing how she could pay her rent and transport, and whether she could even afford to eat. One day, all she had was 50 cents and she was hungry.  As she walked, she sought the Lord and prayed that God would provide her with some money to buy lunch. She found 1 dollar on the street and that gave her a decent meal. She had to live on faith alone during that season of her life.

God has blessed us that we may be a blessing. It is no secret that churches that give for missions are financially secure churches.  The church has the specific role to oversee the finances of the missionary on the field.

5. Encouragement

Encouragement means a lot to missionaries. They love reading letters, receiving news from their home churches, receiving sermon messages and church bulletins. You have no idea how much it means to hear from family and friends. It makes them feel cared for and remembered by the folks back home. Clergy or non-clergy, we ALL need encouragement. I have seen tears falling down the eyes of missionaries when they get little parcels from home with their favorite food, photos or articles of interest. It is amazing how little gestures like these can mean so much to them.

6. Re-Entry Support

Transitioning from the field to their home country can be a major effort. It is like transitioning from winter in Mongolia to the Sahara Desert. It can cause a lot of stress. Firstly, they may feel rather disoriented in their home country. With ongoing changes and development, it is like fitting into a new society. There have been cases where missionaries committed suicide when they returned home because they were unable to adjust to their new environment. It is sad but true. The missionary feels homeless and detached from both cultures because he has changed. A Re-Entry Team can help by taking care of the needs of the returning missionary. The team can help by ensuring that there is proper de-briefing and the availability of counseling.  Even a simple gesture like planning a holiday for the returnees or guarding their “space” by ensuring that they have time for themselves and their family means much to the missionaries.

7. Listening Ears

Missionaries are not super humans! Somehow, missionaries are expected to have it “all together.” Missionaries are constantly challenged with stresses from cultural differences, field issues, team problems, language and, communication challenges and other pressures that drain their energy. They need a pair of listening ears that are committed to their well being.

8. Team Champion

The support team can only function well under good leadership.  It needs a CHAMPION who is willing to hold the team together. A CHAMPION who is a bridge between the church and the missionary, keeping the church leadership abreast with the missionary’s chronicles. It is apt to say that the missionary’s effectiveness is largely dependent on the structure set in place for caring for the missionaries. YOU can be a blessing to our missionaries.

Reflections:

1. How are you caring for your missionaries? What is your approach?
2. List some of the challenges faced in caring for your missionaries.
3. Identify ways you can work together in setting up a proper missionary care structure for your missionaries. In what ways can you contribute?

This article was written by Peter Shankar Nambiar. Peter is serving with STAMP, a mission agency focused on Unreached Peoples. Peter is married to Janet Luison. They have 2 children, Jan Schenker Nambiar & Jan Samantha Nambiar.  Peter & Janet are actively involved in missionary care for workers serving in South East Asia. Peter can be contacted at shankarpeter@gmail.com`

Resources

Re-entry: Making the Transition from Missions to Life at Home, Peter Jordan

Missionary re-entry resource web site

The ERI Web site has many resources

Serving as Senders, Neal Pirolo

The Re-entry Team, Caring for Your Returning Missionary, Neal Pirolo

Building Your Support Team

David Mays Mission Resources

http://barnabas.org/letters.php?release=2007-07&lang=en

Thirteen years ago I wrote my first book, TOO SOON TO QUIT. It was a compilation of ENCOURAGEMENT letters. We are now ready for the second printing. In preparation for it, I have read and re-read the book. I have found it to be a personal refreshment . . . all over again. It has been revised and updated. It has an attractive new cover.

Best of all, the central message of the book has powerfully hit me again. Yes, it is TOO SOON TO

QUIT. And now, thirteen years later, it is still TOO SOON TO QUIT. I’m not talking about titles and

organizational commitments. In fact I stepped down from the directorship of Barnabas International

two years ago. I no longer carry that title. I no longer carry the many responsibilities that are attached

to the directorship. I am out of that loop. But be sure of this . . . I have not quit ministry. I’ll continue

to follow Him and serve Him until He calls me home. Even then, I hope that my ministry impact will

continue to live on. And hopefully it will be true of me, even as the Scripture says . . . though dead,

yet He speaks.

I challenge you, too. Don’t be a quitter. Remember John Mark, the one-time travel and ministry colleague of Paul and Barnabas? He quit in the middle of his assignment . . . He simply QUIT. The Bible doesn’t give details or explanations. Too often, when we think of John Mark, we fixate on him as “the quitter.” Sure he quit, but he came back. He became a ministry associate of Barnabas. Paul recognized the renewed worth of John Mark and later in life, he asked John Mark to minister to him and with him on a trip to Jerusalem. What a wonderful story with a happy ending. He once quit, but he came back and was ‘better than ever.’

What about you? Have you ever quit? Ever turned back? Ever stopped following the Lord? Ever stopped serving Him? Ever given up on Him? Ever been shackled with weights? Ever been controlled by “a besetting sin” . . . again and again? Ever dropped to a level that you never dreamed you’d fall to? Whether it was public or private, ever been there? Ever done that? No doubt, all of us can see ourselves somewhere in the previous paragraph. That’s the bad news but it’s also the real news, unless you live in denial. Now here is the good news. Quitters can begin again. I recall these accounts in the New Testament: John Mark, the quitter; Peter, the denier; and the Prodigal Son, the drifter. But they all became winners, because they came back to the Lord. There was forgiveness and restoration. There was the dawning of a new day. Erwin Lutzer has written a marvelous little book, AFTER YOU’VE BLOWN IT. It has powerfully blessed me. I have bought dozens of copies to freely give to others. The sub-title of the book is this . . . RECONNECTING WITH GOD AND OTHERS. Is it possible? Yes, yes, and yes.

Two closing words!

· It is TOO SOON TO QUIT . . . always was, is, and shall be.

· BUT if you have quit, it is never too late to reconnect. Get back into the Word. Back to the

Lord. Back into fellowship with Him and with others. Back to growth. As you return, see the Lord Jesus running toward you with open arms. Hear Him say, “Welcome Home.”

Be encouraged,

Lareau Lindquist.

Founder, Senior Associate

Barnabas International