www.missionsinterlink.org.au

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www.missionsinterlink.org.au
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Caring for Missionaries
Marjory F. Foyle MD,
BS, FRCPsych, DPM, DRCOG
2009
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Caring for Missionaries

• The following are the components of good
  missionary care
• Good selection and orientation in the home
  country.
• Good orientation on arrival overseas including
  language.
• Adequate arrangements for personal and family
  needs overseas, on furlough and at the end of
  service.

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Section 1. Missionary Selection

• There is no one way of selecting
• missionaries, but certain things are helpful.
• We are not looking for perfect people, but for
• those who have begun to understand
• themselves and others and grow because of
• this.

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I. Basic Principles of Selection

• Those responsible for interviewing
  should have some basic knowledge of
  technique.
• 50 of those who felt stressed by the
  selection process said technique was poor and
  must be modernised.

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I. Basic Principles of Selection

• 2. Husband and wife should be interviewed
• separately and together.
• Older children can be interviewed
• younger ones seen through play.
• 3. No one should be called selected until
• everything has been completed but the
• process should allow a selection decision to
  be made as soon as possible

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II. Pattern of Application

• A. Long Term Missionaries
• 1. Preliminary interview and cut off
• point.
• 2. Full forms, references, medical and
• psychological checks, childrens
• medical. Cut off point.
• 3. Decision re further training required.
• 4. Acceptance after all is completed.

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II. Pattern of Application

• B. Short term Missionaries (under 2 years)
• Brief forms, a few references, medical
• examination of whole family, psychological
• checks if important mental health factors are
• picked up during the medicals.

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II. Pattern of Application

• C. Holiday Programmes
• Medical examination and ensuring
• that they are in general sympathy with
• your aims.

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III. Areas That Need to be Covered

• One person does not do it all!!!
• Only the mental health workers do a
• complete review.
• 1. Circumstances of calling, and interest in your
  Mission.
• If married, do both partners share the call?
  Are the children happy about it?

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III. Areas That Need to be Covered

• 2. Spiritual History
• Does this fit your group, have they
• personal spiritual experience, can they
• make their own decisions, will they be
• able the proposed national church.

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III. Areas That Need to be Covered

• 3. Professional History
• Is it suitable, are they humble enough to
  learn, is past job history satisfactory?
• Education gaps? Previous reactions to
• work and education stress?
• Interpersonal relationships?

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III. Areas That Need to be Covered

• 4. Personal and Family History
• General situation, health, family problems.
• This is done by physical and mental health
• interviewers but a general question can
• be asked here.
• Quality of Interpersonal relationships?

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1V. Methods of obtaining Information

• Interviews, references, forms. May need
• to use the phone for references.
• There are certain sensitive areas such as
• sex and drug abuse. Labour laws may make
• enquiry difficult, but usually the health
• professionals can help.

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Methods continued

• Psychological testing is now very common.
• Professionals should discuss results directly
  with
• the candidates. Special care in persons with a
• positive family or personal history of mental
  health problems
• These are NOT automatically excluded but are
• carefully assessed.

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Pointers to Possible Trouble

• Persistent nervousness at interviews and
  afterwards.
• Overloaded family history.
• Certain physical or mental health problems.
• Children in trouble.
• Repeated interpersonal relationship or
  occupational problems.

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Physical check.

• Physical examination to be done by someone with
  tropical knowledge and possibly expatriate
  experience.
• The final decision is usually taken by a
• committee. Signatures are usually taken to
• indicate willingness for information to be
• shared.

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VI. Some Positive Things to Look For

• Insight capacity.
• Reasonable adaptability.
• A humble learning attitude.
• Progress in handling old problems.
• Some knowledge of personal strengths and
  weaknesses.

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Section 2. Home Country Orientation

• This has caused severe stress to 26 of
• missionaries in 150 surveyed.
• Too little specific information too late .
• Orientation should be compulsory, and
• individualised if necessary.
• c. Modernisation is required.

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Section 3. Care Overseas

• Support Overseas.
• Poor support created severe stress for
• 10 of 150 missionaries surveyed.
• Personnel support to be available overseas for
  both professional and personal life sensitive,
  confidential, knowledgeable.

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Section 3. Care Overseas

• b. Better support to be available from
• trained home HQ. staff
• -Visits welcome provided are business
  individual interviews.
• -Channels of communication to be improved.

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Section 3. Care Overseas

• c. Finance.
• International parity problems,
• Less fundraising pressure,
• Better administration.

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Section 3. Care Overseas

• 2. Language Learning
• Arrange well in advance
• Cater for Individual needs
• Modern methods
• Special help if learning through English.

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Section 3. Care Overseas

• 3. Orientation after arrival overseas.
• 32 had serious stress in this area.
• Expatriate and national mentoring
• required.
• Childrens adaptation and needs during parental
  language study to be catered for.

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Section 3. Care Overseas

• 4. Occupational care
• A cause of severe stress to 57 of 150
• surveyed. This could be reduced by-
• i. Increased personnel support overseas,
• ii. Try to avoid obvious mismatch.
• iii. Do not allow expats to handle national
  church
• funds.

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Section 3. Care Overseas

• iv. Be strict about vacations away
• from the work.
• v. Do not overload continue for
• too long. Bearing it permanently is not a
  Christian virtue!

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Section 3. Care Overseas

• 6. Own Parental problems.
• Causes -
• Bereavement,
• Parental health,
• Parental opposition,
• Poor relationships

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Care Overseas

• Parental problems can be partially
• prevented.
• Discuss at selection interview
• Make prior arrangements for premature
• return if necessary
• Support for parents at home
• Extra support in this area for
• missionaries overseas.

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Care Overseas - Childrens problems

• 28 of those with children found
• overseas life stressful.
• Discuss carefully during selection and
• orientation
• Support very carefully overseas.

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Section 4. Care on Furlough and at End of Service

• 33 of 150 complained of poor debriefing,
• although it is not clear whether this is on
• furlough or at retirement. This must be
• addressed by all missions
• Technical expertise is required.

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Section 4. Care on Furlough and at End of Service

• Other needs mainly practical housing
• arrangements, adequate rest, do not
• overload with fund raising or deputation,
• care of financial needs at end of service.

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Section 4. Care on Furlough and at End of Service

• Final readjustment to the home country.
• Good support needed to avoid prolonged re entry
• stress-
• Loss of role on final entry caused serious
• stress to 37.
• - Awareness of the reality of re-entry stress
• is essential. It may not happen to everyone,
• but it can happen.

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Section 4. Care on Furlough and at End of Service

• Clinical depression can occur, and
• competent help should be available.
• Children need support groups, a country-
• wide association helps.
• - Comprehensible financial cut-off policy
• - Follow up support meetings.

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www.missionsinterlink.org.au