Tag: member care

(continued from part 1 and part 2) Leverage technology. The world is much smaller today. Fast, inexpensive, and pervasive telecommunications make keeping in touch with missionaries an everyday possibility. Because of the revolution the internet was brought about, even missionaries living in remote areas are no longer relegated to living in the far-flung corners of […]

(continued from part 1) Focus your efforts. I have six children. As a widowed father, there are many demands on my time and attention. “Dad, Dad, DAD!” is an ongoing chorus.  It is easy to give attention to the noisy ones. However, I’m striving to become more intentional with each of them. Each of them […]

Caring for missionaries is a biblical imperative and necessary for missionary effectiveness, even if some missionaries don’t want it. If so, action is imperative. Care for missionaries needs to be more than a good idea. What to do? Adopt! Adoption is an apt metaphor. Although it is one that should be qualified, especially since “adopt-a-pet” […]

While not all missionaries will welcome care, a number of factors point to our need of support beyond prayer and finances. In his EMQ article “Alone on Your Field? Here’s What to Do“, Ken Holderman Jr. points to an important mental health perspective: “every normal person needs around 15 to 20 friends or in order […]

The question that came up in several conversations as I talked about Caring for Missionaries at the Stoney Creek Missions Conference was “Do missionaries want care?” I’m sure that there are some missionaries who would say an unqualified “No way!!” Some may have received used tea bags from well-meaning “supporters” while on the field. (For […]

This week I’ve participated in the Stoney Creek Baptist Church missions conference. Their theme “iCare: What Can I Do?” is all about caring for missionaries. I don’t remember hearing of a church having that kind of focus on missionary care. On Sunday Aaron, my good friend and Stoney Creek’s Associate Pastor, preached. He commented that […]