Why Do Missionary Member Care?
Short & Simple Summary
The simple answer is to help missionaries develop so that they will have an effective ministry and keep doing that ministry for a long time. However, at a more basic level people do missionary member care as their part in fulfilling the Great Commission. This involves consideration of conflict between principalities and powers at a higher level and what it means when people serving God encounter people serving Satan. Member care must be given to people serving in their home culture as well as those on the frontlines of the conflict entering foreign territory. These encounters are expected to become more intense as we near the time when Christ returns. Here are the topics covered in the chapter.
The War between Good and Evil
Serving at Home
Invading Enemy Territory
End Times
Today
Other Reasons
If you want more detail and links to other sources, read on.
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Jesus told his disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). Jesus further told them that they would be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).
This “Great Commission” is being carried out by the whole church. Many Christians pray for it, contribute money to help carry it out, and send people off, such as the church at Antioch did with Barnabas and Paul (Acts 13:1-3). Paul and Barnabas later returned and reported to the church at Antioch as well as to the headquarters of the church in Jerusalem (Acts 14:21—15:21).
Definitions of missionary member care usually say that missionaries should have effective and sustainable lives and ministries. Member care is about helping missionaries have effective ministries and lives as well about helping those missionaries stay in the battle against evil.
The War between Good and Evil
Just as people serving in the armed forces of nations enter into physical/ideological battles of the wars between nations, Christians serving in the missionary force enter into spiritual/ideological battles in the war between principalities and powers. In both kinds of war there are many support staff at home for every soldier on the front lines. In both kinds of war there are casualties, and people need care, whether their wounds are physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. Just as individuals wounded in armed battle need care, so do those working at a computer in an office at home need care when wounded by a colleague.
Serving at Home
At the training sessions during the orientation of his twelve apostles Jesus told them where to go, what to take, what to do, and how to deal with conflict. He was not kidding when he went on to tell them to be on their guard because he was sending them out like sheep among wolves (Matthew 10). Jesus specifically told those apostles NOT to go to the Gentiles or even the Samaritans, but to go to the lost of Israel. They were not to serve in another culture at that time.
Jesus warned them that, among other things, the following would happen (Matthew 10).
· They will flog you… (v. 17).
· But when they arrest you…(v. 19).
· Brother will betray brother…(v. 21).
· All men will hate you…(v. 22).
· When you are persecuted…(v. 23).
· Flee to another (place)…(v. 23).
Note that these things are to be expected, he uses “will” and “when,” not “if.” These were expected by people serving in their “passport” culture, such as pastors in churches and missionary homeland staff. These do happen to individuals serving God in their own culture. Such individuals need care from someone.
Mark reports that these 12 apostles went out two by two and did what Jesus had told them to do (Mark 6:7-13). When they returned, they gathered around Jesus and told him what they had done and taught. Jesus then took them to a quiet place to get some rest (Mark 6:30-32).
At the similar orientation session for 72 others, Jesus sent them out in twos (Luke 10:1-16). Again no one went alone. And once again the 72 came and reported to Jesus after a successful ministry (Mark 10:17). Even when sending people to serve in their own culture, Jesus made sure that no one went out alone, but everyone had at least one other person to care for him or her.
Invading Enemy Territory
Years later the church in Antioch sent Paul and Barnabas off to take the gospel into other cultures. Still later Paul wrote to the church at Corinth about what he had experienced. Here are some things he wrote about; note the parallels with what Jesus had said to those serving at home (2 Corinthians 11).
· I have been flogged more severely… (v. 23).
· I have been in prison more frequently…(v. 23).
· I have been in danger from false brothers…(v. 26).
· I have been in danger from my own countrymen and from Gentiles…(v. 26).
· Five times I received 39 lashes, three times I was beaten with rods and once I was stoned…(vv. 25-26).
· I have been constantly on the move…(v. 26).
In addition to these, in common with those serving at home, Paul noted the following.
· I was shipwrecked three times (v. 25).
· I spent a night and day in the open sea (v. 25).
· I have often gone without food (v.27).
· I have often been cold and naked (v. 27).
· Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches (v. 28).
Today as individuals face the “wolves” of missionary life whether they are malaria, dengue fever, parasites, depression, anxiety, conflict, burnout, grief, guilt, temptations, assault, the violent death of a colleague, or demonic forces, they may need someone to come and stand by their sides.
When soldiers come back from the front, they are expected and allowed to report that the battle was terrible, that they were anxious, discouraged, and that the conflict was awful. Some have said, “War is hell.” Missionaries are on the frontline of a spiritual war between the powers of good and evil, and their battles are even worse. Soldiers are expected to report that “War is hell” and that they are “struggling,” but similar comments from returning missionaries may be perceived as emotional or spiritual weakness (inadequate faith). Some missionaries may even believe that and remain silent. Such missionaries need even more member care during which they can share their inner battles, because they are literally in a war against the forces of hell. The military now has medical and psychological help to care for their wounded. Christians must not shoot their wounded missionaries. Engaged in physical/ideological/spiritual battles in strange cultures far from family, friends, community, and church, missionaries are lonely. With social support absent, emotional needs unmet, and living in a strange culture, why would Satan not take advantage of them as well?
End Times
One day when Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives the disciples came to him alone and asked about the sign of his return and the end (Matthew 24). Jesus told them things that would happen in the end times.
· People claiming to be Jesus would deceive many… (v. 5).
· There would be wars and rumors of wars…(v. 6).
· Nation would rise against nation…(v. 7).
· There would be famines and earthquakes…(v. 7).
· Christians would be persecuted and killed…(v. 9).
· All nations would hate Christians because of Jesus…(v. 9).
· Many would turn away from Christianity…(v. 10).
· Then they would betray and hate each other…(v. 11).
· Wickedness would increase…(v. 12).
Then Jesus said, “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (v. 14). When one reads the “bulleted” items in this chapter, it becomes obvious that people serving under these conditions need care to continue serving and to do that service effectively.
John noted that Jesus did not tell them all this to frighten them, but to keep them serving. Even though it would get so bad that people who killed Christians would see it as an offering to God, Jesus wanted them to continue serving. Jesus told them so they would remember that he had warned them (John 16: 1-4). As the end times near, such needs for care will increase.
Today
No one knows whether or not we are in the end times Jesus was talking about. However, we do know that most people today do not serve as missionaries very long. Many studies have confirmed that the attrition rate is very high. To return to our military analogy, missionaries today tend to drop out before the end of their first term or do not re-enlist for a second term.
Of course, some of this attrition is unpreventable. For example, some missionaries do not return because they died while serving. Others do not return because they reached retirement age. Still others do not return because they married someone outside the agency or completed their contracted assignment. Nothing can be done about this kind of attrition.
However, other attrition is preventable. Even more people leave because of problems in their marriage, because of family problems, or because of problems with their agency, their team, their culture—or because of the catch-all category of “personal reasons.”
Two of the largest research studies ever done were to study this problem of preventable attrition. In 1995 The World Evangelical Fellowship Missions Commission began what came to be called ReMAP I (Reducing Missionary Attrition Project). This study included data from more than 400 agencies with a total of nearly 20,000 missionaries from 14 sending countries. The final report, Too Valuable to Lose: Exploring the Causes and Cures of Missionary Attrition, was published in 1997, and contains nearly 400 pages of valuable information (edited by William D. Taylor).
ReMAP II, Worth Keeping: Global Perspectives of Best Practice in Missionary Retention, began in 2003 and was published in 2007. This study, written by Rob Hay, Valerie Lim, Detlef Blocher, Jaap Ketelaar and, Sarah Hay, included data from 600 agencies with 40,000 missionaries from 22 countries, and it contains more than 400 pages of valuable information.
Other Reasons
Of course, all the reasons to care for people in general are applicable to caring for missionaries too. Here are some of those.
· Jesus commanded his disciples to “Love one another.” He told them to love each other as he had loved them—when they did that other people would know that they were his disciples (John 13:34).
· Missionaries are often in situations where they need help, and few people are there to care for them. Member care people make themselves available to work in these difficult situations.
· Etc.
This list could go on and on because people help others for a variety of reasons, some good and others not as good. People help out of compassion for those hurting, pity for those in difficult situations, to atone for some wrong they have done, or guilt feelings for the abundance they have. Some mental health professionals went into their occupation to make large amounts of money, and probably none of those would go into missionary member care.
Note to the reader: If you have suggestions about other things that would better answer this chapter’s question, please email those to me at ron@missionarycare.com. In that email please tell me three things: (1) what you believe needs to be included, (2) links to relevant websites if available, and (3) how it better answers the question “Why do we do missionary member care?” I plan to periodically update and expand the book with these suggestions.