What Resources for Missionary Member Care Are Available on the Internet?
Short & Simple Summary
The short answer is that there are scores of websites providing information about missionary member care. This chapter presents links to the best of these that go to missionary member care providers, to resources missionaries themselves can use, to resources for those who want to provide member care, and to resources for TCKs. Here are the topics covered in this chapter.
Mis-links
Member Care Providers
Member Care Resources for Missionaries
Member Care Resources for Providers
MK-TCK Resources
If you want more detail and links to other sources, read on.
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Whenever looking for anything about missions on the Internet, the place to begin is at http://www.mislinks.org. Mislinks purpose is to connect people with missions resources. Looking for links to missionary member care is no exception. Under the “Practicing” section on the home page two sections are relevant: “Member Care” and “Missionary Kids.”
MisLinks
These two topics have a total of 123 links to relevant material. These links are placed in categories under each topic. Member Care has 77 links divided into the following five categories
· Key Member Care Websites (17 links)
· Member Care Organizations (27 links)
· Books and Articles (17 links)
· Link Pages (9 links)
· Bibliographies (7 links)
Missionary Kids has 46 links divided into the following seven categories.
· Core MK Sites (9 links)
· Getting Connected, Staying Connected (2 links)
· MK Education (8 links)
· Further Research (5 links)
· Seminars, Programs & Helpful Resources (9 links)
· Blue Ribbon Awards (4 links)
· Journals, Articles & Books, (9 links)
There is probably no other collection of links that have anywhere near as many as found at Mislinks. As usual, when trying to follow any collection of links, some are very helpful, others are slightly helpful, and still others are broken so they are of no help.
There is no need for the links given there to be repeated here. Readers are encouraged to begin on the Mislinks page when looking for any topic related to member care. Following are links to the websites I have found most helpful in doing member care. Although there is some overlap between these categories, the websites are listed as (1) Member care providers, (2) Member care resources for missionaries, (3) Member care resources for member care providers, and (4) MK-TCK resources.
Member Care Providers
The following organizations provide member care either to missionaries in the United States or to missionaries on their fields or both.
· Barnabas International is a world-wide ministry of encouragement to missionaries, MK’s, mission agencies, pastors to missionaries, and national pastors. It provides conferences, retreats, pastoral care to missionaries on the field, reentry seminars for TCKs, and sponsors Mu Kappa (a ministry to missionary kids) http://www.barnabas.org.
· Link Care Center has been caring for people since 1965. It offers counseling, pastoral care, and training to people in all walks of life, with a special emphasis on people in missions and ministry. Located in Fresno, California, it offers residential treatment there as well as on-field services abroad http://www.linkcare.org.
· Marble Retreat is an interdenominational psychotherapy center serving ministers and missionaries in crisis. It offers a blend of spiritual and emotional approaches to touch the whole person. Located in the Colorado Rockies, people there have brought healing through Christ-centered brief intensive psychotherapy since 1974 http://www.marbleretreat.org.
· Alongside is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide professional spiritual, mental, and emotional care to missionaries and their families, to the end of promoting personal wholeness and ministry effectiveness. Its 2.5-week Renewal and Growth Sabbaticals are offered monthly in Michigan http://www.alongsidecares.net.
· Godspeed Services is a faith-based organization offering help to intercultural workers who are hampered by emotional, situational or physical stresses. The goal of Godspeed Services is to address these stressors so that workers are enabled to fulfill their purpose and calling. Godspeed Services offers pastoral care at their home office in Columbia, South Carolina, as well as making referrals elsewhere http://www.godspeedservices.org.
· Narramore Christian Foundation’s Psychology for Living is a website which contains many fine on-line articles dedicated to preventing and solving problems through counseling from a Christian perspective. The site has a section devoted to missionary psychological services including counseling and debriefing in crises, on-field retreats, and a reentry seminar for MKs who have just completed high school and are returning to the USA or Canada http://www.ncfliving.org.
· Missionary Resources Connection Enhancing the health, ministry effectiveness, and longevity of service of missionaries and their families, Missionary Resources Connection promotes a wide-ranging continuity of care throughout the career-span of missionaries http://www.mresourcesconnection.org.
Member Care Resources for Missionaries
The following websites provide information useful to missionaries on the sites.
· Thrive (Originally Women of the Harvest) ministers specifically to women serving in cross-cultural missions. With the demands of adjusting to a new culture, organizing a home and being involved in ministry, women can find themselves drained, lonely, and in need of relationships with other women. Thrive was begun to meet those needs http://thriveministry.org.
· Missionary Care provides resources for missions and mental health. People can download free of charge 14 books and 90 brochures related to life and service, things missionaries ought to know. They can also download a database containing annotated bibliographies of 900 published books, articles, or chapters of books—or they can search the database online http://www.missionarycare.com.
· Cross-Cultural Workers web site has many of the same resources as Missionary Care, but it is more generic in nature and terminology so that it never mentions missions or evangelism. It may be more useful to cross-cultural workers in some settings http://www.crossculturalworkers.com.
· Peter’s Wife contains help and encouragement for women living cross culturally. Living outside our own culture is stressful. Keeping a home, helping husbands, and raising kids can be very difficult without the usual support systems of home. Peter’s Wife is written by and for those who have given up the comforts and normality of “home” to serve people in a different culture. The Article List page is particularly helpful http://pw.mikediane.com.
· Member Care by Radio. Member Care Media (MCM) is a media ministry of TWR specially prepared for cross-cultural workers whose obedience to the Great Commission has taken them to difficult regions. The program content not only reminds them of God’s promise that He is with them to the very end of the earth, but also addresses changing needs from recruitment to retirement http://www.membercareradio.com.
Member Care Resources for Member Care Providers
The following websites provide information useful to member care providers on the sites.
· Member Caravan offers materials to support those who are interested/involved in member care and international work in the health care fields. It is especially oriented towards graduate students and others receiving/offering training in member care-related areas https://sites.google.com/site/membercaravan.
· Global Member Care Network (GMCN) Sponsored by the Mission Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance, GMCN exists to resource, equip and connect internationally all Christian practitioners of member care at any level. It is a professional community in which mutual learning, training, and sharing can take place. It is committed to developing the member care profession by setting high standards, advancing the kingdom of God, and glorifying his name http://www.globalmembercare.com.
· Heartstream Resources for cross-cultural workers serves missionaries and humanitarian workers through offering programs of restoration and renewal for those wounded or depleted in service, providing education and prevention programs for cross-cultural workers relative to effectiveness training, care, and well-being. It also assists agency leaders through education and consultation as well as conducting and applying research http://www.heartstreamresources.org.
MK-TCK Resources
The following web sites provide additional resources particularly relevant to MKs (Missionary Kids) and other TCKs (Third Culture Kids), as well as links to other sites.
· Interaction International is a catalyst and a resource working cooperatively in the development of programs, services and publications to provide and contribute to an ongoing flow of care that meets the needs of Third Culture Kids (TCKs) and internationally mobile families http://www.interactionintl.org.
· Mu Kappa is a fraternal association for MKs. To a missionary kid, the phrase "MK" suggests a sense of identity and belonging, giving him or her a kindred spirit with other MKs. Mu Kappa capitalizes on that built-in belongingness and has organized in a formal way what MKs have always felt http://www.mukappa.org.
· Child Safety and Protection Network is a collaborative network of mission agencies, faith based NGOs and international Christian schools intentionally and strategically addressing the issues of child protection. The Network began in 2006 and in six years had 50 agencies which had participated in the network in the past or had shown an interest in becoming part of the network. http://childsafetyprotectionnetwork.org/ .
Much information is available on the Internet because missionary member care developed at about the same time as the Internet became available to the general public. Books, articles, and people involved in member care around the world are available there.
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 “What resources are available on the Internet for missionary member care?” I plan to periodically update and expand the book with these suggestions.