DATE: 9/21/98 6:47 PM
RE: MemCa summary--Oxford Launch
Dear MemCa members,
Member Care Task Force (MemCa)
Summary of First Meeting--September 5-8, 1998
Stanton House, Oxfordshire England
Attended by: Kelly O’Donnell, Michele Lewis O’Donnell, Dave Pollock, Betty Lou Pollock, Pablo Carrillo, Melody Min, Naomi Famonure, John Powell, Marcia Tostes, Ken Gamble, Paul Ralph.
"Knitting the Net". We are all involved in different ministries and regions. A few are involved in more global work. As we work together, and pull our different efforts together, we can really help knit together the global member care network. Five years from now, by His grace. we will be able to look back and say that we really have helped to develop relevant member care resources on behalf of the global missions community. We are not just here to "learn" or to focus solely on our personal, organizational, or regional needs. Rather we are desiring to function as equal partners who work together on behalf of our respective regions as well as on behalf of the global missions community.
Dependence on the Lord. We acknowledged our need for the guidance and strength ofthe Lord. Our Task Force is inherently a spiritual undertaking. We must acknowledge the reality of spiritual warfare, the need for spiritual resiliency, and the key role of support from others through prayer.
Cultural Differences. John Powell raised the question of "what mechanisms exist to exchange information, gain understanding of the needs of different groups and how we meet those needs." The issue of cultural and (member care) development differences was part of the thinking behind that question of meeting each other's needs. Cultural difference needs to be recognized in terms of counseling and the delivering of care. Cultural misunderstandings and tensions need to be part of our conscious focus even within the Task Force as we relate to each other. Different perspectives on member care and different rates of member care development within a given region, also need to be understood and respected.
Unfinished Business. We were all tired as we drew the meeting to a close around 10 pm on Monday, after having discussed fairly intensely the Guidelines and projects for the Task Force. I wish we had an extra day afterwards to continue our discussions and planning especially by breaking into smaller groups at times to discuss regional and ministry-specific 'ems), to relax, and above all to pray and commit ourselves to the Lord. That would have ,~elped to consolidate our time together and add cohesion. And we could have used a time at the end to debrief on our process together. Nonetheless, as I reflect back on that .vonderful time we had at the Thames River on Sunday night after Evensong, 1 realize that .ve actually did have an important time whereby we dedicated ourselves and our work to -~e Lord. This was indeed, our commissioning service. And for me I am grateful.
Goals. I feel we basically reached our goals for our time together--building relationships went well, sharing about member care events and trends was fair (not enough time though, for example, to hear more about Asia, medical screening issues, regional affiliations, etc.); reviewing our Guidelines was tiring but helpful and we were able to come to a good understanding about who we are and what we are doing; and we identified some joint projects, although we certainly needed more time to discuss. A key to realizing our goals is to make sure we maintain close relationships and information links with mission leaders-people who can make decisions, implement policies, etc. It would be good to invite a few of these people to our next MemCa meeting.
Internationalization of MemCa. We think a primary way forward for MemCa is to work alongside Asians, Africans, and Latin Americans to support them in developing appropriate member care resources for their respective regions, and to encourage them to share their resources and experience with the global missions community. MemCa will thus be truly an international effort. And contributions from the AAA--the Triple A (Asia, Afica, and America-latina)--will be essential.
Jerusalem and Dreams. The theme of identifying/pursuing our Jerusalem--our dreams and passions--was woven into our time together. Even as Jesus set His face like flint to go to Jerusalem (Luke 9) so also the time comes for us to do the same. We need to Focus on our core dreams, knowing that not everyone will understand or back us and that consequently we may want to retaliate by "calling down Fire". In addition, Jesus saw Faces of the unreached that helped him persevere with His passion (who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross--Hebrews 12:2). We had a chance to share our dreams, our Jerusalem, through a drawing exercise. For me, my member care dreams have four layers, in which I see the face of Christ s I contemplate :the missing faces of the Church", and behind this image I see the faces of missionaries, and behind their faces I see the supportive faces of member are workers.
Three Ways Forward. Who are the missing faces in our MemCa group? Representatives from India, Central Asia, the East Asian world, the Arabic World, and Eastern Europe. It will be good to include people working into these areas in our group. It will be important to find ways to connect with mission leaders, so that we do not just "talk to ourselves". And it will be necessary to communicate regularly with each other to maintain our cohesiveness.
Empowerment. There is a tremendous need to train missionary personnel to care for each other, and not to rely so much on member care "specialists". The loss of the capacity to be interdependent and in its place to be dependent on professionals is particularly a problem for the West, but it may be a creeping problem for others as well. Preparing people to care for people from other cultures within their own team is a critical issue here. Coaching leaders seems to be an important issue.
New Books. We eagerly await the publication of two new books. The first by Pablo Carrillo--Too Useless to Keep, and the second by Kelly and Michele--Overcoming Stressed Out Missionaries. The titles are humorous, but the subject matter is serious. But will something like this ever be written--maybe an article?
Thoughts from the Silver Chair. (We visited the C.S Lewis house and saw a video segment plus read a passage from the book).
1. This (MemCa) might be the death of us, but we must follow the signs (obey the Lord's direction.)
2. This is not the end of the world, but the end of the Enemy's world (so courage, and let's keep working as the days grow dark).
3. We will live like Narnian's (citizen's of heaven), even if there is no Narnia. (Our dreams are real and relevant for MemCa, and can be fulfilled with God’s help.)
Relevance. To be Relevant, we will need the right:
1. Platform--a foundation from which to launch ourselves. The WEF Mission Commission is an excellent platform for good relationships and links with mission leaders.
2. Personnel--MemCA members have Relationships (networks), Respect (because of their godly character and competencies), and Resources (time, skills, experience).
3. Projects--developing strategic resources to fill in important gaps--regionally and globally. Some ways to conceptualize the gaps were shared by kelly (see below).
Blueprint for Member Care Gaps:
FOCUS can be: Agency, National, Regional, Global
REGIONAL ISSUES AND DIRECTIONS
Member Care in Latin America. Awareness for member care exists, now it is time to build skills--via consultations (e.g., proposed 10.99 consultation in Brazil), publications (through missions magazines like Ellos Y Nosotros), build networks of helpers (counselors and psychologists with specialist services), building, go after health care development, and foster a paradigm shift to help churches realistically appraise the practical requirements for long-term involvement in missions. COMIBAM and similar groups will continue to play a key role.
Marcia's plans: September--update and consult with Bertil Ekstrom of COMIBAM; October--attend a meeting of the Brazilian Christian Psychology Association; November--presentation and member care advocacy at Brazilian Mission Association conference; November--possibly attend Mental Health and Missions Conference in the USA with a Brazilian psychologist; Spring 1999--possible special meeting on member care with the Brazilian Christian Psychological Association; October 1999--possible COMIBAM Pastoral Care Consultation, held in Brazil for all of Latin America (case studies and skill training); ongoing--develop network of mental health professionals to provide services to mission community; writing/publishing.
Member Care in Africa. Also still needing much development. Need to raise awareness of churches about realities of missionary life and missionary care. It would help to hold national consultations, do publications, and organize training. Association of Evangelicals in Africa can play a key role (has seven Commissions, one of which is the Missions Commission--no member care task force yet as part of the Mission Commission); ACSI has had a successful gathering of teachers involving Africans and non-Africans, and this could also be repeated.
Other issues for African missions--family (wife not recognized), MK education, spiritual warfare, missionary forgotten by church, vacations needed, crisis and counseling care, demographic research.
Member Care In Asia. Is growing in many countries but still needing significant work (e.g., need for MK schools for Asians, writing, counseling, and in some cases a paradigm shift to help churches understand long-term needs of missionaries). A key group- is the Evangelical Fellowship of Asia--whose Mission Commission recently formed a member care task force (MC/MK) which is co-sponsoring a small Asian member care consultation in Singapore 11/98 and an Asian MK track at MCOS 1/2000 in Taiwan. Similar MK tracks could also occur for Africans in MKEA and Latin Americans in MCOA.
Final Thoughts. Do you feel more connected to those in our MemCa group?We sure do. And we look forward to our next time together (October 5-8 .1999 in Brazil) and our ongoing work together as friends who love the Lord. Let's stay in contact, which is so vital to maintaining momentum and remaining cohesive.
With much appreciation for you,
In Him,
Dave and Kelly
Member Care Task Force and Global Network
Guidelines Missions Commission, World Evangelical Fellowship
The global missions movement continues to expand, with current estimates of the missionary force at over 400,000 people (Barrett, 1998). How can organizations work together to help provide a "flow of care" for mission personnel? One important way is to form "affiliations" of experienced member care and missions leaders, who can further develop important member care resources for various organizations and regions. The Missions Commission of the World Evangelical Fellowship, which consists of over 50 associate members, has recently formed such an affiliation--the Member Care Task Force (MemCa). This paper overviews the work of this Task Force.
Description
The Member Care Task Force (MemCa) is an affiliation of international colleagues committed to help develop member care resources within missions. The Task Force is comprised of member care workers who come from different mission organizations, and is one of the four task forces of the WEF Mission Commission. Task Force members work together on joint projects which benefit the global mission community. A special emphasis is on supporting mission personnel from Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and on those working among unreached people groups. Members are also committed to provide personal/professional support for each other as needed. Our friendship and Christian fellowship provide the foundation for our joint work.
Membership Guidelines
Members of the Task Force are invited to participate by the MemCa coordinators. Here are some guidelines for our involvement together--for selection and ongoing work.
Spiritually and emotionally mature, with good family life if married and a support group.
Actively involved in member care, having specific member care skills and networks. Broad international experience and are respected leaders.
Understand MemCa purpose statement and agree with WEF Statement of Faith.
Has a call/desire to further develop member care beyond one's usual work setting.
One's organization supports his/her involvement in this Task Force--may even be part of job description.
Has access to email and communicates regularly as needed; meets at least every two years.
Term of service is three years; works on at least one Task Force project at any given time. Has adequate clerical and financial support to participate.
Understands and agrees with these guidelines.
Task Force Members (including Associates and Consultants)
The Task Force seeks to be as inclusive as possible in its membership. Basically this means having a good representation of people from different regions; who have different mission, organization, and member care experience; and who have the time, skills, and organizational backing to actively participate. The Task Force also desires to link with regional interagency member care affiliations and other member care groups, and to work n joint projects together.
