After 25 years on the mission field, first in Haiti and then in France, Carl and I felt led to transition from cross-cultural church planting to providing member care to missionaries. That was 14 years ago.

While we loved what we were doing, the longer we were on the field the more we saw the lack of resources, isolation and dire need for care of those serving on the front lines. Our own circumstances and experiences played a role in our shift to member care, forming a conviction of the necessity to come alongside our missionary colleagues for their encouragement and well-being. Our hope was that this would result in increased resilience and efficacy in ministry no matter where they served. And it has borne much fruit! Here is part of our story.

The summer of 1985 was a hard year for us. We had just finished our first term as cross-cultural workers and while on home assignment, Carl began seminary. We decided not to return to the same field of service because of differences in ministry goals. Additionally, there was a major upheaval in the government making our return difficult. That year I gave birth to our second child and was struggling with postpartum depression. I remember looking for help, especially with someone who could understand how serving in foreign missions contributed to my struggle. After calling around, I found no one who had cross-cultural training or experience to help. Still, God compassionately provided a supportive pastor, an understanding doctor, and a community of believers to offer me healing grace through spiritual and medical care. And, although they may not have been people with cross-cultural experience and understanding, their encouragement was used by God to bring restoration, enabling me to return to cross-cultural ministry.

It wasn’t until years later though, through the help of those trained in member care for cross-cultural missionaries, that I was better able to understand how my overseas service had played a part in my struggle. About the same time that I was searching for someone to help me, other mission agencies were beginning to recognize the need for the care of their cross-cultural workers. We were waking up to the reality that providing care and resources for missionaries shouldn’t only be considered once they were in crisis, but should be preventatively provided with intention from the start. Member care as we know it today began to take form.

In the late 90s, a study based on a survey of cross-cultural workers from a variety of agencies concluded that preventable attrition could be significantly lowered if only 6% of resources were invested in the care of personnel. The book Too Valuable to Lose was based on this data and began to shape an understanding of the need for member care. This information encouraged many mission agencies to invest in the care of their personnel. In this study, “the top four preventable reasons for missionary attrition were those designated personal, marriage/family, society and work-related." The harsh realities of burnout, marital issues, moral failures, family concerns and broken team relationships are real and the need for member care is vital.

Member care focuses on two areas:

It provides care when concerns and crises take place.
It proactively provides services and resources to promote resilience.

Through mentoring, coaching, clinical and pastoral counseling, and personal debriefing, many are able to remain in their field of service, maintaining health and zeal through the many trials of missionary life.

In the book Doing Member Care Well, three key elements that promote resiliency are presented, among others. They are:

Master Care
Mutual Care
Self-Care

When an individual grounds themselves in God’s care for them, seeks out the care of others–whether it be on their team, agency or sending church–and develops good self-care habits, they will be better equipped to face the many challenges of cross-cultural ministry.

We knew of the need for member care from our own personal experience. We saw how a certain level of care can come from a sending church and a medical professional, but also how essential it is for that care to be supplemented and enhanced by trained professional member care workers. Over the years we saw how caring well for our missionary colleagues had a positive ripple effect in personal lives, families, teams, and field personnel. That ripple effect powerfully impacted churches, towns, cities and countries, more effectively bringing the fruit of the gospel to bear and growing His kingdom all around the world.

Today we are excited to offer our services and experience to many others through ServingLeaders! Not only does our work in member care align closely with the work of ServingLeaders but this team effort provides an opportunity to have an expanding impact as ServingLeaders brings their work more intentionally to cross-cultural ministry leaders. We get to apply our experience to the work of ServingLeaders and those ministry leaders here in the US that we will serve who experience the same need for care.