MC2 2020: 2020 Vision: Seeing Missionary Care Through Changing Lenses

Ted Esler is the President of Missio Nexus, an association of agencies and churches representing over 30,000 Great Commission workers worldwide. Ted worked in the computer industry before becoming a church planter in Sarajevo, Bosnia, during the 1990’s. He is the author of “Overwhelming Minority,” the story of their family’s ministry in Bosnia. In 2000, Ted became the Canadian director of Pioneers and three years later moved to Orlando to join the leadership team of Pioneers USA. In 2015 he was appointed the President of Missio Nexus. Ted has degrees in Computer Science and Speech Communication (Mankato State University, 1985), an MTS in Theology (Heritage Seminary, 2002), and a PhD in Intercultural Studies (Fuller Theological Seminary, 2012).

Ted resides in Saint Cloud, Florida with his wife, Annette. They have five adult children and two grandchildren.

As cultural and societal change continues to compress, what major trends are going to affect church-based members in the next decade? In this session, Ted will discuss trends generally and then provide five specific trends that are coming our way. As the next decade unfolds, what challenges will we face that we are not currently considering?

Perry and Sandi Bradford began their missionary journey in 1980 with Wycliffe Bible Translators. In 1994, they returned to the United States after 10 years of service in Papua New Guinea to join Barnabas International. Perry currently serves as the Executive Director of Barnabas. For 17 years Sandi served as the Director of Women’s Ministries for Calvary Community Church in Williams Bay, WI. Together, Perry and Sandi have a heart to shepherd missionaries and national church leaders around the globe. They are the proud parents of 3 adult children and 6 grandchildren!

Churches are called to be partners in the Gospel with their missionaries as they together impact the world. Successful church-based missionary care reflects a biblical model of sending, sustaining, and receiving missionaries. What is the role of the church in responding to current and future trends impacting missions? During our time together we will explore practical ways that the church can respond to these growing global trends.

I have served in WBT and SIL International for 60+ years, most of that time with my husband, Dick. My contributions or roles included: translator, candidate assessment, trainer, counselor, developer and administrator of International Counseling Department, creator of Member Care for missions, International Vice President For Personnel, and International Personnel Consultant and Trainer. I have traveled, trained and consulted in 65 countries, done a lot of crisis work, interventions and debriefing. I am also an author including the book Healthy, Resilient and Effective in Cross Cultural Ministry which has now been translated into Indonesian, Korean, Chinese, Ukranian and Russian. I co-authored with Dr. Lois Dodds the three-volume series on Global Servants. Other writings include chapters in books, and probably 500 articles. I have a theological diploma, two undergraduate degrees and two advanced degrees, including a doctorate from Denver Seminary. I am an adjunct professor at Columbia International University. I have served on a number of boards. My husband, Dick, preceded me to heaven a few months ago thus I continue on alone reading, speaking, teaching, consulting, and serving as requested.

Long held assumptions about ministry longevity must be reexamined in light of workforce reality. No longer does anybody join a company or organization with a plan to stay for their whole life. How does this impact the Great Commission? What global demographic trends must we pay attention to now and over the next generation? What will the future look like when the world has fewer people?

In this session we will discuss three major threats to the authority of the Scriptures, implications of these threats for missions, and how we as mission leaders, both new and experienced missionaries, and sending churches should respond. We will also discuss three reasons for clarity on this issue.

In this session we will discuss 12 issues that could cause division or differences of opinion on a mission team. Then we will discuss strengths of both younger and older workers on the team.  Finally, we will think together about the foundations of this bridge, and how we can come together on what unites us.

In this workshop we will consider the implications and practicalities of improving and expanding our approaches to Member Health beyond traditional Member Care models. These are intended to help global workers learn how to live well in difficult situations through ongoing preparation, equipping and empowering towards effective and sustainable life, ministry and work.

Faith is the Vice President & Chief People Officer, overseeing the Personnel, People Care & Development, Child Safety teams for SIM USA. Along with her husband Stan, she spent 30 years with Asian Access as a missionary in Japan where she served their mission and championed Member Care through the Japan Evangelical Missionary Association (JEMA). They relocated to the U.S. in 2013 and Faith became the Director of Member Care at SIM USA. Faith has an MBA from Northwestern University (Evanston, IL), and graduate coursework in Member Care from Columbia International University.

Given the many changes happening in world missions today, caring well for missionaries and their families can seem like a daunting task. To make a difference in their lives in 2020 might even seem above our pay grade.  But we can take the pressure off our self by adjusting our expectations and looking at missionary care through the lens of Romans 12. The caring principles found in this passage have proven effective for over 2000 years, and can be summed up in just three words, stop, drop, and roll. It’s a set of caring skills most anyone can learn. Come to this breakout session to learn how.

John Certalic is executive director of Caring for Others, a member care ministry devoted to increasing the effectiveness of missionaries and reducing their attrition rate. Along with training and debriefing work with cross cultural workers, John has trained lay counselors and taught pastoral care seminars on 5 continents. He is the author of the award-wining book, THEM – The Richer Life Found in Caring for Others. John’s podcast, You Were Made for This, focuses on the number one challenge missionaries face: relationships.

Both Millennials and Generation Z bring with them particular strengths and idiosyncrasies. In our time together I will be drawing from recent research on these generations as well as a book I wrote called Millennials and Mission: A Generation Faces a Global Challenge published by William Carey. We will consider characteristics, strengths and weaknesses of the Millennial generation and Gen Z and differences between them. What do they expect from churches and mission agencies in terms of care not seen in earlier generations? What unique characteristics do they bring to ministry opportunities? We will suggest helpful ways to make the younger generations not only feel at home in our ministry but also integrated to the point of fruitful participation.

 Jim Raymo, D.Min., grew up in a non-Christian family.  During service in the military, he became a Christian through the work of the Navigators.  He first learned about missions through his exposure, while in Vietnam, to missionaries of the Christian and Missionary Alliance.  Following college at Bethel University, he spent five years in Europe doing street evangelism and discipleship with other Christian students. He also completed seminary at Regent College in Vancouver, BC, and completed a doctoral program in Global and Contextual Leadership at Bethel Seminary, St. Paul, MN.  Jim and his wife, Judy, have spent 40+ years in missions, mainly in teaching and leadership roles with WEC International.  In recent years, he has been a part of the missions faculty at Univ. of Northwestern-St Paul and Bethany Global University.  Jim and Judy have seven children and four grandchildren.  They have two published books: Marching to a Different Drummer: Rediscovering Missions in an Age of Affluence and Self Interest and Millennials and Mission: A Generation Faces a Global Challenge.

Missionaries serve in many parts of the world that present an elevated risk for something bad. Some of these risks include civil unrest, environmental emergencies, and kidnapping. Oftentimes evacuation may be necessary. Mitigating these risks starts with training before workers are sent but also in ensuring a good crisis response is implemented after the negative event. This presentation will look at important training and considerations before missionaries arrive in-country and best responses during a crisis.

Randy McAlister volunteers with Crisis Consulting International – a ministry focused on supporting the global Christian community in fulfilling the Great Commission through providing safety & security training, risk assessments, and kidnapping/hostage response. Randy is a police captain in the Twin Cities area and has served as both a paramedic and a police officer for over 20 years, including as a SWAT team commander and investigations supervisor.

In a rapidly changing world, none of us can afford to stop learning.  And missionaries, whether they are in their first few years of service or as seasoned veterans, benefit greatly from ongoing growth and development once they are on the field.  This workshop will explore current ongoing learning and training opportunities that are available to your missionary partners and ways that you can serve your partners by informing and encouraging and maybe even sponsoring them in some of their ongoing learning endeavors.

Mark and Julie Morgenstern received their roots in missions passion and practice from the Evangelical Free church they both grew up in in Fresno, California.  In 1992, God sent them to Russia and then later Ukraine, where they eventually spent 13 years as church planters.  In 2006, ReachGlobal asked them to come to Minnesota and provide leadership to the training department; and today, after 14 years spent in missionary training, Mark and Julie both absolutely love their role of providing empowering and encouraging distance learning to missionaries from dozens of organizations all over the world.

Social media (Facebook, Instagram, Facetime, Skype) are wonderful tools in today’s world that allow us to connect with others faster and cheaper than ever before.  But these tools can also become a hindrance to effective missionary work.  As a church you want to use these assets to encourage and pray for your missionaries, but you’ll also want to not unnecessarily draw your ministry partners away from their most important work – creating relationships with people in the communities where they live, relationships that become bridges for evangelism, disciple-making and ministry training.

Mark and Julie Morgenstern received their roots in missions passion and practice from the Evangelical Free church they both grew up in in Fresno, California.  In 1992, God sent them to Russia and then later Ukraine, where they eventually spent 13 years as church planters.  In 2006, ReachGlobal asked them to come to Minnesota and provide leadership to the training department; and today, after 14 years spent in missionary training, Mark and Julie both absolutely love their role of providing empowering and encouraging distance learning to missionaries from dozens of organizations all over the world.

“A bird may love a fish but where would they build a home together?”

Boy meets girl and sparks begin to fly, love sets in and marriage follows. What could be more normal? What happens when people from two different cultures come together in such a way? When this happens with our missionaries, what are we doing to help them maneuver through potential pitfalls? Hear from inter-cultural couples about the care they received (or didn’t) in their normal and not so normal struggles. What did they anticipate? What do they anticipate? What care would they have liked to receive? What advice do they have for others considering inter-cultural marriage? What advice do they have for church and agency members who are invested in their care?  This session will include a panel of cross-cultural missionary couples who will tell their stories.

Jim Levin works with Bethany Gateways Member Care Department providing pastoral care for career, intern, student, and short-term missionaries locally and around the world. He and his wife Cherie lead worship and devotional times for missionary retreats. Jim served over 25 years in short-term missions (administration and team leading) and has an MA in Intercultural Leadership. Jim and Cherie have been married more than 44 years and have two married sons, and 3 grandsons. They also care for Cherie’s 88-year-old mother, who lives with them.

We are living in a time of unprecedented global migration patterns. This situation has a multifaceted impact on our world. This session will explore current global migration trends and provide some concrete steps for individuals and churches to engage and care for refugees and immigrants with the love of Christ.

Jeremy serves as the Diaspora Group Director for Pioneer Bible Translators in Dallas, Texas. He holds a doctorate in missional ecclesiology from Abilene Christian University and is a certified spiritual director. He and his wife, Holly, have three children.

This session will address the many complex issues that emerge in multicultural teams, particularly teams that are led by individuals who are not from the Global North.  We provide a biopsychosocial spiritual framework for addressing different values, expectations, frames of reference, paradigms, and different models of authority.  An overarching biblical perspective will also be presented, focusing on Ephesians chapters 1 through 3.  The participants will be engaged in a discussion of how to use these resources to foster and support multicultural teams.

Paul K. McAlister has an M. Div. in Theology and Philosophy from Lincoln Christian University and a Doctoral degree from Bethel Theological Seminary.  He taught for 30 years in areas of theology and missions at Minnesota Bible College. He also taught ethics courses for Augsburg, Bethel, and the Mayo Clinic Medical School.  He currently serves as Chair of the Community Relations Board of the Federal Medical Center (U.S. Bureau of Prisons) and does hospital chaplaincy training for the Mayo Clinic.  Paul has served with Pioneer Bible Translators first as a board member then full time in the area of member care with special attention to child safety and development.  He also serves as a training consultant for PBT and does interventions in interpersonal issues on field visits.  He has provided numerous Perspectives lectures as well as serving as program coordinator for Perspective courses.

Jarrett (Jarry) Richardson MD is an adult MK who grew up in Nigeria, now on the staff at Mayo Clinic as a Geriatric Psychiatrist, Hospice Medical Director, and Sleep Specialist.  His main extracurricular service has been working with missionary mental health and helping organize Christian Medical and Dental Association’s continuing education conferences for medical and dental missionaries. Wife Linda has travelled and served with Jarry in Africa, Asia, and PNG, as have their three now adult children.

When a couple responds to God’s call to serve cross-culturally, they become a great threat to Satan and his kingdom. Leaving the security of home, adapting to a different culture, and finding a place within a new community presents an unbelievable amount of stress on a marriage. Together we will explore threats to missionary marriages and seek ways to proactively shepherd healthy marriages.

Missionary families need extra care and support as they move between cultures, and you can have a tremendous impact by coming alongside them during these times. If you want to be a special encouragement to missionaries in transition, this session can help. Learn about the transition process and its challenges, then discuss ways churches and individuals can offer emotional & practical support both as missionaries move abroad and as they return to the U.S. for home assignment, or due to life/career transitions.

Heidi Tunberg spent her childhood in Malaysia and Singapore where her parents were missionaries with the Evangelical Free Church. She is a licensed psychologist who spent seven years in private practice, but her love of missionary kids (MKs) prompted her to move into caring for them full time. Since 1999 Heidi has been with ReachGlobal as MK Care Coordinator focused on MKs in their teens and twenties. In this role she offers pre-field and re-entry training, encouragement, and practical support to those MKs, both on the field and during their college and post-college years. In addition, she seeks to be a resource to parents as they raise their kids internationally. She currently lives in Minneapolis, MN with her two matching schnauzers, though she spends much of her time on the road visiting MKs in the U.S. and overseas. You can contact Heidi at Heidi.Tunberg@efca.org

Do you care about MKs? Do you want to know what their life is really like? Do you want to know more about the challenges MK’s are facing in this age?  Do you want to know what you can do to have a greater impact on them? Join Heidi Tunberg, the College & Career MK Coordinator for ReachGlobal and herself an adult TCK, to learn more about the unique missionary kids experience. The session will include specific suggestions for caring for younger MKs while they are overseas and for reaching out to MKs when they return to the U.S. as college students and young adults.

Heidi Tunberg spent her childhood in Malaysia and Singapore where her parents were missionaries with the Evangelical Free Church. She is a licensed psychologist who spent seven years in private practice, but her love of missionary kids (MKs) prompted her to move into caring for them full time. Since 1999 Heidi has been with ReachGlobal as MK Care Coordinator focused on MKs in their teens and twenties. In this role she offers pre-field and re-entry training, encouragement, and practical support to those MKs, both on the field and during their college and post-college years. In addition, she seeks to be a resource to parents as they raise their kids internationally. She currently lives in Minneapolis, MN with her two matching schnauzers, though she spends much of her time on the road visiting MKs in the U.S. and overseas. You can contact Heidi at Heidi.Tunberg@efca.org

You may care deeply about missionaries, but in conversation or debriefing with them you never seem to get beyond “When did you get back?” “How was your last term over there?” “When are you returning?” In this practical, interactive workshop you’ll learn and practice using the two most important questions we can ask to deepen your understanding and care of missionaries.

John Certalic is executive director of Caring for Others, a member care ministry devoted to increasing the effectiveness of missionaries and reducing their attrition rate. Along with training and debriefing work with cross cultural workers, John has trained lay counselors and taught pastoral care seminars on 5 continents. He is the author of the award-wining book, THEM – The Richer Life Found in Caring for Others. John’s podcast, You Were Made for This, focuses on the number one challenge missionaries face: relationships

Sending churches are often overlooked in missionary care models. Unfortunately, many churches abdicate care to the mission agency. Still, first term success can often depend on the care given to cross-cultural workers by those who know them best. “Caring for Your Own” will explore some possible models and provide practical suggestions for sending churches in caring for their missionaries.

Woody Roland arrived in La Paz, Bolivia, with his wife, Su, in May of 1978. Woody led teams of church planters, developed national missionary organizations and served as an international missions executive. He has ministered in over sixty countries. He is currently pastor of missions at Autumn Ridge Church in Rochester, Minnesota.

The Church must prepare the next generation of Kingdom workers to be able to meet the rigors of cross-cultural living and stay long. Local church leadership must be intentional in providing mentoring that combines acquiring knowledge with accompanying experience. Offered in the context of care and loving accountability, the church’s intentional mentoring builds disciples who make disciples. This workshop will outline a process church leadership can follow to ensure, as much as possible, missionary candidates who are spiritually mature, emotionally healthy and relationally secure.

Greg Carter served 24 years as the pastor of global engagement at Liberty Bible Church, Chesterton, IN. He is the author of Skills, Knowledge, Character: A Church-Based Approach to Missionary Candidate Preparation, Stones in the Path and is a contributing author to Pipeline: Engaging the Church in Missionary Mobilization. He leads Future Missionaries, training local church leadership how to equip the next generation of missionaries. He has an M.Div. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Missions and Evangelism.