P age 1
© C opyright 2014, Bre ndanBosches
All rights re serve d. These survey outcomes are protecte d by the copyright laws of South
Africa as it as part of a wider publishe d work , Thriving in Difficult Places: Member Care
for Yourself and Others. This book or its accompanying Powe rPoints m ay not be copie d,
re produce d, re printed, stored in a re trieval system, transm itte d in any form or by any
m e ans, ele ctronic, m e chanical, photocopying, re cording or othe rwise , poste d on a
we bsite or forwarded via email, without the prior permission of the author. The nam e of
this re source needs to appear on such page s. For large r groups, ple ase contact the
author.
Outcomes and Conclusions
of the
Survey for Missionaries
by BrendanBosches
Survey History
The Survey for Missionaries conducted by the author was com pile d by he rse lf in late
2004. John Dyason, a systems analyst from Pretoria, South Africa, designe d a we bsite ,
and cre ated an online database that captured the data that participants completed online
as the y clicked on choices and entere d text. She test-ran the surve y on 30 m issionary
and e x -m issionary frie nds and incorporate d sugge sted change s. The surve y was
launche d in June 2005. At the launch the author initially se nt out 350 le tte rs to
colle agues and friends in missions, asking them to complete the surve y and provided the
link to the online survey. In the same letter, an additional short le tte r was adde d for
the m to send to missionary colleagues and friends, e ncouraging the m to com ple te the
surve y and to forward the letter to other missionaries. Many we re e xtremely helpful. For
e x ample, one person sent it to 30 missionary friends. Another person, the m othe r of a
South African m issionary whom the author has ne ve r m e t, re ce ive d it from he r
m issionary daughter work ing in Russia. This m other forwarded the survey to 200 of he r
m issionary friends across the globe. Friends forwarded it to friends, and it is the re fore
im possible to e stablish how m any surveys re ally re ached potential participants and what
the pe rcentage of participation was versus re ceipt of the surve y invitation le tte rs. The
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 2
author found more addre sses on mission agencie s’ website s giving nam e s and e m ail
addre sses of their missionaries. She sent them a personal re quest for participation and
ask ed them to forward the email to their colleagues. On days whe n 20 or m ore of the se
le tte rs we re sent out, the number of participants would rise considerably, rece iving up to
as m uch as 20 completed surveys per day. In November 2006 the surve y was concluded
and the we bsite was the n no longe r acce ssible to participants.
O ne networking group of m ission agencies in the “…stan countrie s”, e .g. Afghanistan,
Uzbe kistan, Tajikistan, e tc. asked if they could participate on hard copy formats so that
the ir participation could re main secure in their restricted are a. I sent the Microsoft W ord
form at of the surve y to a safe email addre ss of one of the organizers of this ne twork ing
group of age ncie s. The author cautione d the m to photocopy all the page s afte r
com pletion, just in case the parce l containing these surveys we nt missing. The y printe d
the surve y and duplicate d it for all the ir work e rs of that re gion who com ple te d it
anonymously. The completed survey form s we re se nt to m e in Africa via airm ail and
re ache d m e safe ly. A Form Num be r was writte n by hand on the top corne r of the
com pleted hard copy form , so that the se could be prope rly re corde d, che ck e d and
ve rifie d on- and off-line. The contents and clicks of their choices of each completed hard
copy form we re typed into the survey online – one per survey, while the hard copy form
num be r was the n adde d to the com m e nt box .
At a Bible C ollege in Barberton, South Africa, named Back to the Bible Training C olle ge ,
whe re the re we re 105 students from 11 African nationalitie s at that tim e and 12 staff
m e mbers from four nations, the author handed out hard copies to those who qualified to
participate. Many students had completed a fe w ye ars’ m inistry be fore atte nding the
Bible C ollege for three years and therefore qualified to participate in the surve y. Since
the students at that time (unlik e at pre se nt) did not have acce ss to the Inte rne t or
com puters on campus, hard copy forms we re the only option available to the m . The
author also interviewe d about te n of the Bible College staff members and a few students
who qualifie d to participate and re corde d those , toge the r with 40 othe r inte rvie ws
conducte d at othe r locations within South Africa.
Survey Purpose
A sam ple of the survey as it appeared online is pasted on the next three pages. Although
the issues that can be measured by this survey are m ultiple , the main purpose of this
surve y was to m e asure the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Main stre ssors of m issionarie s from various cultures and age ncie s
R e asons why the y think othe rs are re signing and re turning hom e
R e asons why the y the m se lve s m ay re sign and re turn hom e
W hat care the y have re ce ive d in the past ye ar – m ain re fre she r
W hat care the y de sire
Pe rce ntage of financial incom e com pare d to the ir nee ds
W hat topics the y think should be taught to Missionary C are Provide rs
Pe rsonal com m e nts
O the r data that can be derived from this survey that is not part of the m ain purpose of
the surve y but ne ve rthe le ss ve ry use ful for re se arch, include s the following:
m issionaries’ age, gender, m arital status, nationality, host nation, training (both se cular
and for missions), years of service in missions, location of work (e.g. urban, rural, sm all
te am , e tc.), type of work (e .g. e vange lism , wom e n, training, e tc.).
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 3
Survey Nature
The surve y was com ple te d anonym ously and m ostly online , but participants we re
e ncouraged to feel free to participate on a hard copy format re turned to m e via airm ail.
A total of 428 hard copy forms we re re ceived and numbered. Their choices and contents
we re e nte red online, and the particular form number was included in the Comments area
of the surve y. If no form numbe r appe ars in the C om m e nts are a, it was com ple te d
online by the participant him - or he rse lf. The surve y m ostly had options whe re
participants could click on one or m ore option, and the se click s we re re corde d in an
online database which I could check daily as it grew. The IP addre ss of the com pute r
from whe re the form was completed online was recorded. There we re locations whe re a
husband and wife completed the survey separate ly, but on the sam e com pute r, or a
group of missionaries completed the survey on a compound or office com pute r that is
available for their general use. This will e xplain why some surveys are from the same IP
addre ss, but with diffe ring de tails indicating a diffe re nt participant from the sam e
com puter. Integrity te sts we re execute d (de scribe d in the ne x t paragraph be low) to
e lim inate duplicate s and othe r inappropriate surve ys that we re not tak e n into
conside ration for the final outcom e of the surve y.
Integrity Tests and Deletion of Inappropriate Records
The database was re ceived by a statistician. This chapter was compiled from he r re port.
The total number of surveys re ceived in the database was 2,298. The num be r of 212
re cords we re e liminated that we re inappropriate for this study. The remainde r of 2,086
Missionary Surveys came into consideration for the survey outcomes. The integrity te sts
consiste d of the following, and the inappropriate surve ys we re the n e lim inate d:
•
•
•
•
•
R e cords containing e xactly the same data as another. There was one that sent his
answe rs 13 times, possibly because he wanted to ensure that it was duly re ceived
and re corde d.
R e cords that contained exactly the same data as another, except for perhaps one
or two que stions, we re e lim inate d as we ll.
Pe rsons who answe re d “No” to the que stion whe the r the y are at pre se nt a
m issionary or not, even if they indicated that the y had be e n in m issions longte rm in the re cent past. They may we ll have be e n in m issions in the past, but
be cause the y answe re d “no”, the ir surve y was disqualifie d and e lim inate d.
R e cords of which the age of the person made it impossible for him or he r to have
give n so many ye ars of service in m issions, e .g. som e one ’s age indicate d as
be twe e n 20 and 30 years of age, but he or she indicate d a pe riod of m ission
se rvice of 40 ye ars.
R e cords in which the marital status is indicated as “Never Marrie d” but their main
re fre sher (care re ceived) in the past year was indicated as “Spouse and Children”.
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 4
Strengths of This Survey
The author believes that the strengths of this surve y are as follows:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The fact that this survey was totally anonymous, helped participants to be honest
and transparent in e xpressing their opinions and comments. W hatever issues may
pe rhaps e nable anyone to make assum ptions and trace a surve y back to the
participant, will not be possible as the database is not shared with anyone othe r
than m y data proce ssor and acade m ic he ad.
The survey could be completed in the com fort and privacy of the hom e of the
participant.
The re we re plenty of options in each category to choose from, up to 35 choice s.
IP addresses could help to find duplicate s, but diffe re nce s in various fie lds in
re cords from the same IP address indicated different people participating on the
sam e com pute r.
The comparison betwe e n their re al stressors ve rsus the re ason why the y think
the y could possibly leave missions or why the y think others are leaving, helps the
observe r to k now that the highest stressors will not necessarily cause attrition or
the loss of m issionarie s.
The outcomes of this surve y will he lp those who are training Missionary C are
Providers to shape their training according to what 2,086 active missionaries have
indicate d.
No participant was able to m ark m ore options than what was state d in the
que stion, since a flag was built into the survey that we nt up as soon as some one
m ark e d m ore than the ir allowe d choice s.
Weaknesses of This Survey
The author believes that this survey had certain weaknesses, all of them obse rve d only
in hindsight. The y are as follows:
•
Som e of these inappropriate outcom e s cam e about as a re sult of the de fault
option that, unbe k nown to the re se arche r, re ste d on the first choice . For
e x ample, if the first option of “Marital Status” to be marked was “Ne ver Married”,
the de fault choice re sted on that first option. This means that, if the participant
forgot to click on his actual m arital status, it would automatically re giste r as the
first option which was “Never Marrie d”. It was not clear to the re se arche r that a
de fault setting was set for the first option, as if the first option was chosen by the
participant. This incorre ct default setting was only applicable to the que stion on
age and m arital status. Other questions did not have a question marked when the
pe rson opened the survey and therefore the re was no possibility of e rrors with
the othe r que stions.
•
Bible translators we re not happy with the fact that there was no se parate “Bible
Translator” section among the options of the job description se ction. This has
be e n duly note d.
•
About thre e participants wante d the option “O the r” in the stre ssors se ction
clarifie d, or, if they clicked “Other”, they preferre d to have a text field whe re they
could spe cify why the y we re choosing the option that was calle d “O the r”.
•
The job description “Working Internationally” m ay have been misunderstood by a
fe w surve y participants. They may have felt they have an international m inistry if
the y work e d cross-culturally in a location othe r than the ir hom e country and
trave lling ofte n to go hom e , but what the author m eant with “W ork ing
Inte rnationally” was whe ther the missionary was targeting m ore than one host
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 5
country within the ir job description. In hindsight it would have been be tte r if the
words “m ore than one host country” had be e n adde d.
•
No option was given in the R efre sher (Care Given) section for e xercise, sports or
hobbies. Since these are important re freshers and exercise even a vital refre she r
if we want to re m ain healthy and fit, the se om issions are since re ly re gre tte d.
•
Use r e rror due to typing errors and abbreviations in completed te x t fie lds m ade
the data difficult to analyse .
•
The re sults could have been e nhanced by asking the participants to rank answe rs
to cate gories whe re m ore than one answe r was re quire d. This would have given a
be tte r ide a to the we ight of e ach answe r, and not just that it was se le cte d.
Howe ve r, the author was advised that ranking would bring about a tre m e ndous
am ount of program m ing to calculate re sults.
Academic Acknowledgement
This re se arch was com ple te d as part of the re quire m e nts of a PhD de gre e with
C om monwe alth Open University (U.K.). This and the other chapters we re initially writte n
as a PhD dissertation and may have that “feel” to it, but is nevertheless simultane ously
writte n as part of a manual on Member C are for self-help and for helping othe rs on and
off the mission field. This manual is calle d Thriving in Difficult Places: Member Care for
Yourself and Others.
Inquiries on Survey
You are we lcom e to contact the author at thrivingindifficultplace s@gm ail.com with
re gard to inquiries about this surve y. No re cords or data of individual participants will be
provided. The material in this and other chapters is copyrighte d to the author. Should
you at any time use this information or quote from the outcomes of this survey it ne e ds
to occur with full ack nowle dgement to Bre ndanBosche s Proce sse d outcom e s of data
about individual age ncie s do not e x ist, e x ce pt for the following age ncie s:
•
Youth W ith A Mission (YW AM)
– 700 participants
•
•
•
Asse mblie s of God (AO G)
– 125 participants
C am pus C rusade for C hrist (C C C ) – 39 participants
Baptists
– 19 participants
O nly YWAM and AOG have e nough participants to be statistically re le vant, although in
que stions whe re there we re 35 choices to choose from, the outcomes of those questions
m ay not be significant for AOG, but only for YWAM. The outcomes of one agency will not
be provided to another agency. The survey participant data base will not be provide d to
anyone since confide ntiality (of all surve y participant m ate rial that m ay ide ntify a
participant) has be e n prom ise d to participants of the surve y.
Further Research Needed
The author believes that further re search is needed on the following issue s in m issions
and spe cifically with re gard to Me m be r/Missionary Care :
•
Look ing at furlough stre ss and re -entry shock versus se nding church support in
the hom e country of m issionarie s.
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 6
•
Since m ost of the participants we re Am e ricans and m ostly First W orlde rs,
re se arch ne e ds to be done re garding the stre ssors that spe cifically affe ct
m issionaries from developing nations. This will he lp MC Provide rs from the se
nations to k now how to e ffe ctive ly train indige nous MC Provide rs and to
e ffe ctively care for their work ers in the areas where care is wanted and ne e de d.
•
R e search is needed to determine how Adult Missionary Kids (AMKs) and Adult
Third C ulture Kids (ATCKs) are affecte d by their parents be ing in m issions, and
what type of care is e ffe ctive , and what type of care the y de sire .
Basic Results
For the sake of personality preference s and learning style varieties among re ade rs and
surve y participants, the author is not only providing statistics in table s with num be rs,
but pie and/or bar charts which re present a picture format of learning. The author has
also filled e ach portion of the charts with both patte rns (for whe n it is printe d as hard
copy) as we ll as with colour (for the Internet). Please see a survey copy be low in blue .
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 7
SURVEY FOR MISSIONARIES
Purpose: This questionnaire is part of the research for a doctoral dissertation with the purpose
to establish which type of missionary stressors are most common and what type of Member
Care is most appreciated. The results may assist trainers to compile a valid curriculum in
training Member Care workers. A workgroup of 23 members found that the completion of the
questionnaire will take approximately 12 minutes of your time. Your time and opinion on this
questionnaire is highly appreciated and valued.
Who is launching this surv ey?: It is done by BrendanBoscheswho is involved in conducting
Member/Missionary Care Training for the College of Counselling and Health Care, University of
the Nations, Hawaii. The results of this survey will be the property of BrendanBoschesand will
be included in her doctoral dissertation and research for the Commonwealth Open University
(U.K.). However, any mission agency or individual that may be interested in the conclusions, will
have access to the final and corporate results on request.
Confidentiality: The questionnaire will be completed anonymously. No-one except Brenda, her
academic supervisor, computer analyst and a statistician will have access to your individual
answers on your anonymous questionnaire sheet or interviews, however, corporate results will
be made known to others, e.g. "600 out of 800 persons said that .... ".
Suggestion: When you read the questions, please do not think too long about your answers.
None of your answers can be wrong - it is your opinion, and that is valid. It is better that you do
not discuss your answers before completing the questionnaire, so that your personal opinion is
reflected, and not the opinion of others. The order in which options are listed, does not reflect
opinion nor priority.
Definition of a Missionary: Some are saying that "Every Christian is a missionary". We
therefore need to define who this survey is meant for, thus, please allow the following definition
of a missionary: "A missionary is someone who crosses ethnic or cultural boundaries to share
the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people who have no or little access to it." - Dr.
K. Parks, Missiologist, Asia, 2005 (country withheld). Full-time workers of mission organisations
like YWAM, OM, AOGWM, COGWM, Wycliffe, OMF, Campus Crusade, etc. may participate in
this survey, even if their job description or situation does not fully fit this definition.
Please SAVE this form after completion and then email as attached file to:
purej [email protected] (secure email) [no longer a valid address]
Snailmail: BrendanBosches: P O Box 131470, Northmead, 1511, SOUTH AFRICA.
Survey can also be viewed and completed on website: www.palmarium.co.za/mcsurvey
1.
Personal Information
Age:
18-25
Gender:
Male
Marital Status:
Never Married
Married
1 of 17
26-35
Female
36-45
Divorced
Nationality: (please type into shaded area - no abbreviations)
Are you a full time missionary:
Yes
Univ ersity/College Training:
No
Theological/Missions Training:
No
2.
46-60
61+
Separated
Widowed
Engaged
No
0-1 Years
0-1 Years
2-5 Years
2-5 Years
6+ Years
6+ Years
Which mission agency/organization are you w orking w ith (no abbrev iations please)?
(please type into shaded area - will ex pand as you type)
3.
In w hat country are your w orking as a missionary?
3 of 17
(please type into shaded area)
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 8
4.
What is the total number of w hole years that you hav e spent in full-time missionary
w ork (and 12 consecutiv e months w ill be seen as one w hole year)?
4 of 17
1 Year
21+ Years
2 Years
3-5 Years
6-9 Years
10-15 Years
16-20 Years
5.
For how many years w ould you still like to remain in missions if you hav e all the
needed resources (support, health, opportunity, v isa, credibility)?
5 of 17
None
6.
TWO)
1 Year
6-10 Years
11+ Years
Church Planting
Training/Education
Arts/Music/Theatre
Sex ually Maladjusted
Women
Other
Relief and Development
Support Staff/Logistic Staff/Translation
Communication Media
Children
The Poor
Select the physical setting w here you are w orking most of the time (maximum TWO) 17
Urban (City)
Mobile/Traveling
Alone
8.
3-5 Years
Select the type of mission activ ity that you are NORMALLY inv olv ed in (maximum
6 of 17
Health Care (Medical)
Mercy Ships
Counseling
Evangelism
Youth
Intellectuals/Influentials
7.
2 Years
Rural (town or countryside)
Working internationally
On a missions compound/base/community
Select ONLY ONE option below :
Tribal
Small team
Other
8 of 17
I work in my home country
I work in a country that is quite similar to my own culture
I work in a culture that is very different from mine
9.
Select ONLY THREE issues about being a missionary that you find most difficult and
stressful
9 of 17
Isolation
Being over-worked
Financial pressures
Traumatic happenings
Aging parents
Living in community
Writing newsletters
Food
Natural disasters
Conflict with co-workers
Loss and grief
Health
Marriage
Loneliness
Cultural stress
Language barrier
Homesickness
Being single
Lack of prayer backing
Visa restrictions
Feeling inadequate
Unrealised goals
Conflict with my agency
Having to lead others
Religious resistance
Transitions/change
Security issues in a restricted access country
Family issues
Lack of moral support from home
Maintaining spiritual disciplines
Weather
Conflict with nationals
Needs of our children
Lack of training
Emotional struggles
Under-staffed
Lack of visible positive results
Furloughs/Home-assignments
My leader’s leadership style
Other
10.
Which TWO things brought most personal refreshment and care to you on the field in
the past year?
10 of 17
Trauma care
Attended a conference
Friendship with nationals
Field visit by family/friends
Regularly kept accountable
Prayer partnership on field
Corporate worship
My wife/husband/child(ren)
Spiritual disciplines
Service of a psychologist
Personal studies
Visiting teachers/speakers
Mutual care within my team/dept
A caring leader
Field visit by sending church
Local church on field
Personal development (being mentored, personal development programme)
Friendship with co-worker(s)
Personal counseling
Moral support from home
Input (course/seminar)
Reading books
Field visit by a Member Care worker
Help in conflict resolution
Other
11.
I think that the care I need most of all during this next year from my mission agency,
are the follow ing THREE things (select ONLY THREE)
11 of 17
Regular debriefing
Someone to listen to me
How to raise support
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
Help in processing grief/loss
Friendships with co-workers
Field visit by Member Care worker(s)
Personal counseling
Corporate worship
Help in newsletter writing
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P age 9
Trauma care
Prayer partnership on field
Input (course/seminar)
Personal development
Reading books
Mutual care within my team/dept
Help in stress management
Help for our marriage
Help in leading others better
Regular accountability
Help in conflict resolution
Help for burnout
Corporate intercession for individual needs (“ Body ministry”)
Service of a psychologist
Visiting speakers/teachers
Help in our family dynamics
Help in our team dynamics
Help for our/my children
Fitting my gifting to my role
Other
12.
As a missionary I can most accurately describe my life and w ork as the follow ing
(select ONLY TWO)
12 of 17
Happy
Stressed
Worried about my future
No regrets
Fitting in very well
Awkward
Burnt out
Unhappy
Horrible
Satisfied
Don’t want to do anything else
Uncertain if I want to continue
Fantastic
Energetic
Adapting well
Ex cited about the future
Hate being in missions
Not fitting in
Don’t want to continue
Just OK (surviving)
Fulfilled
13.
I now hav e the follow ing percentage of w hat I financially need in order to do my
missionary w ork w ithout w orries about money for general liv ing expenses, personal
dev elopment, air tickets, pension, medical insurance, v isas, etc.
13 of 17
0-20%
21-40%
41-60%
61-80%
81-100%
101+%
14.
It is my opinion (not based on w hat I read or heard) that missionaries actually giv e up
and go home prematurely, mostly because of the follow ing THREE reasons:
14 of 17
Isolation
Being over-worked
Financial pressures
Traumatic happenings
Aging parents
Living in community
Writing newsletters
Food
Natural disasters
Conflict with co-workers
Loss and grief
Health
Marital problems
Loneliness
Cultural stress
Language barrier
Homesickness
Being single
Lack of prayer backing
Visa restrictions
Feeling inadequate
Unrealised goals
Conflict with their agency
Have to lead others
Task completed
Marrying an outsider
Religious resistance
Transition/change
Security issues in a restricted access country
Family issues
Lack of moral support from home
Maintaining spiritual disciplines
Weather
Conflict with nationals
Needs of their children
Lack of training
Emotional struggles
Under-staffed
Lack of visible positive results
Furloughs/Home assignments
Their leader’s leadership style
Too old to continue
Other
15.
I think that, in spite of the stressors that I marked abov e, if I ev er give up and go home
prematurely, it probably w ill/could be because of one the follow ing THREE reasons: 15 of 17
Isolation
Being over-worked
Financial pressures
Traumatic happenings
Ageing parents
Living in community
Writing news letters
Food
Natural disasters
Conflict with co-workers
Loss and grief
Health
Marital problems
Loneliness
Cultural stress
Language barrier
Homesickness
Being single
Lack of prayer backing
Visa restrictions
Feeling inadequate
Unrealised goals
Conflict with my agency
Have to lead others
Task completed
Marrying an outsider
Religious resistance
Transition/change
Security issues in a restricted access country
Family issues
Lack of moral support from home
Maintaining spiritual disciplines
Weather
Conflict with nationals
Needs of our children
Lack of training
Emotional struggles
Under-staffed
Lack of visible positive results
Furloughs/Home assignments
My leader’s leadership style
Too old to continue
Other
16.
Please select the FIVE most crucial/important topics that are needful for Member Care
(Missionary Care) workers to know about, or issues or skills that you think they need to be
trained in to effectively care for missionaries in the field.
16 of 17
Trauma care
Culture shock
Loneliness
Team dynamics
Support raising (prayer, moral & financial support)
Debriefing
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 10
Counseling skills
My relationship w/ my sending church
Conflict management
Listening skills
Contingency planning
Home-schooling
Leadership style
Personality preferences
Newsletter writing
Transition/change
Family dynamics
Singleness
Ongoing personal development + growth
Dealing w/ disappointments in missions
Maintaining spiritual disciplines
Stress management
Psychology
Grief and loss
Orientation of new staff
Burnout
Building relationships
Spiritual vitality
Caring for staff from dysfunctional backgrounds
Cross-cultural living
Confronting in love
Furlough
Living in community
Moral purity
Suffering
17.
Please add any comments that you w ould like to make regarding w hat you are finding
a blessing (or stressful) about being a missionary or about the care that you feel you are
receiv ing (or lacking) on the field.
17 of 17
(Type into shaded area - space unlimited).
IF THIS SURVEY FORM IS ON A WEBSITE:
Click on “ Submit” below. Developed by Palmarium Solutions – www.palmarium.co.za
IF THIS SURVEY FORM IS ON A HARD COPY:
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P age 11
Geographical Results
Total Number of Participants after Integrity Tests:
2,086 missionaries
from 81 nationalities
of 357 agencies/churches
working in more than 148 host countries or fields
When looking at pie and bar charts below, the specific percentages or number of
participants that marked each category are displayed in the appendix to this
chapter.
Age Groups
It is lovely to see that a full 9% of participants are 61 years of age and older.
Although retirement is a concept that is highly upheld in the West, the author
believes that retirement is an ideal time when a person can contribute in
valuable ways to mission teams. This older group, as well as those 46 to 60
years of age (32%) are, except for normal missionary roles, very valuable in
training roles and becoming Missionary C are Providers. Their sheer life
experience (including discipleship and spiritual growth over years) could bring
tremendous skills, maturity, wisdom, care and stability to teams. The fact that
they are forming 54% of the participants of this survey, they do not necessarily
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P age 12
make up 54% of the real workforce on the field, but their maturity and healthy
concern for colleagues would have encouraged them to complete this survey.
Gender
It is im portant to bear in m ind that the above division of 47% male versus 53% fe m ale
m issionaries is not nece ssarily representative of exactly what the global m issionary force
look s like, but rather m e re ly a true re pre se ntation of those who participate d in the
author’s Missionary Survey. The same can be said of the marital status, nationalities, job
de scription and various othe r aspe cts cove re d by this surve y.
Marital Status
The m arital status of those who participate d in this surve y is 60% m arrie d and 40%
unm arrie d or single . The 40% unm arrie d or single persons are divide d into five
cate gorie s: ne ve r m arrie d (35% of the surve y participation total) and 5% othe rs
(e ngage d, widowe d, divorce d and se parate d) as pe r the pie chart be low.
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P age 13
Nationalities
A total of 81 k nown nationalitie s participate d, with an e x tra 163 that m ark e d the
“Unk nown” section of nationality, possibly because the participant did not answe r the
que stion, no list was provided to choose from, typing e rrors by participants, or due to
se curity risks within their host countries that are antagonistic toward missionaries or for
othe r re asons like fear of being identified. The 18 nationalitie s that had m ore than 10
participants are as follows: USA: 786, Australia 203, South Africa 175, UK 164, Unknown
163, C anada 90, Philippine s 84, Ne the rlands 46, Ge rm any 41, Ne w Ze aland 40,
Switze rland 22, Brazil 21, India 20, Malaysia 19, Zambia 16, Norway 15, Singapore 14,
Kore a 13, Swe de n 11.
Mission Agencies
Each participant gave their own ve rsion of the nam e of the ir age ncy, e .g. the age ncy
Youth With A Mission was writte n as Y.W.A.M., YWAM, Youth W ith A Mission, e tc. and
e ve n spelling mistakes occurre d. All entries of one age ncy or church had to be m ove d
m anually to one general name. A total of 357 age ncie s/churche s participate d in the
Missionary C are Surve y.
Host Countries (Fields)
The 2,086 missionaries that participated are work ing in more than 148 host countries or
fie lds. It cannot be established exactly in how m any countrie s the se m issionarie s are
work ing, due to the fact that not all countries we re listed. Howe ver, 146 countrie s we re
m ark ed, plus the two choices calle d “O the r in Africa” and “O the r in South Am e rica”.
The se two choice s re pre se nte d se ve ral sm alle r countrie s on the se two contine nts.
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
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P age 14
Secular, Tertiary Training
If the outcome of se cular, te rtiary training is an e x act re pre se ntation of the global
m issionary work force, then a good 71% have at least two ye ars’ (up to six ye ars and
m ore ) tertiary training in a non-theological, non-missions skill. W ith the te rm ‘tertiary’ is
m e ant any training re ceived after elementary and secondary school (or primary and high
school) ye ars. The remaining 29% has no or le ss than one ye ar te rtiary training. The
author believes that missionary re cruiters need to encourage pote ntial m issionarie s to
obtain m ore tertiary training in skills other than m issions or the ology in orde r to be of
m ore value to the m ission te am and its cause .
Too m any missionary re cruits have no advanced skills whatsoever, and since many have
also not work ed for an employer before, coming straight from se condary school to the
fie ld, they have no idea of how to work under authority or about normal work e thics, and
above all, it is difficult to know what tasks to give them to do on the field. Some want to
only e quip themselves in a the ological or m issions dire ction, and although the re is
nothing wrong with this, they struggle to add any other practical skill to the te am. Some
youngsters come to the mission field not able to cook a meal, m ak e the ir be d or cle an
the ir room or m aintain other areas in or outside of the house , having be e n babie d by
the ir m others until adulthood. Such ill-equipped young people find it difficult to survive ,
put stre ss on their roommates and team mates, and they do not unde rstand that the ir
le aders are not mean when re quiring discipline , subm ission and ce rtain work hours.
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P age 15
Theological/Missions Training
A shock ing 54% of the participants said the y have one ye ar or le ss m issions or
the ological training. This could re sult in work ers who are not feeling adequately traine d.
The y are poorly equipped to execute their job descriptions or re stricte d to fulfil only a
lim ite d number of roles within missions. Their lack of knowle dge could cause them to not
k now how to e x plain their own faith, because they simply do not know the foundational
truths and are thus not able to teach others those truths. W ith a lack of knowle dge, they
could fall prey to false te achings and error, as well as unbalance d be lie fs and ungodly
be haviour. Good secular training as we ll as thorough theological or m issions training will
e nhance their feeling of worth, momentum, dire ction and effect in the work of missions.
Mission leaders will not only do missionaries a favour if they allow am ple opportunitie s
and time for the self-development of e ach missionary, but also do the m se lve s and the
Kingdom of God a huge favour.
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
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P age 16
Time Spent In Missionary Work
Alm ost half (44%) of the survey participants have spent ten and more ye ars in missions.
This will be the group who will k now the huge asset we have in having long-te rm staff
m e mbers on our te ams. Long-termers would usually be conce rned about the we lfare of
othe r m issionary staff and therefore the high num bers of long-te rm participants who
com pleted the survey is positive, but not surprising. It is a ble ssing to se e so m any
participating that have given more than 20 years – a special word of thanks to the m for
participating in this surve y and contributing to this study.
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 17
Time that Participants Would Like to Remain
in Missionary Work in Future
The se figures are e xtremely positive, especially the fact that a highly significant 61% of
participant missionaries indicated that they would like to re main in m issions for longe r
than 10 more ye ars. The assumption can probably safely be made that, re gardless of the
stre ssors, cost, resistance and sacrifices along the way, m ost missionaries usually k now
that the y have a call and will do all they can to fulfill it. The author did not include an
option of 20 or m ore years, since she reckoned that, if a pe rson k nows that he or she
wants to re m ain in m issions for at le ast 11 ye ars m ore , the n it is re lative ly safe to
assum e that the y will be long-te rm care e r m issionarie s.
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P age 18
Type of Work – Job Description
It is e specially encouraging to see how m any m issionarie s are participating in church
planting. The large number of support or logistic staff is an indication of special care that
ne e ds to be tak e n to re tain the m .
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P age 19
Number of Workers in Each Type of Physical Location
Number of Workers in Each of the Cultural Groupings
Where they are Working
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P age 20
Top 10 Stressors of 2,086 Missionaries
The group that has work ed for 10 years and longer in m issions fee ls m ore significantly
affe cted by the following stressors, compared to the group who has work ed less than 10
ye ars: overwork ed (7.54% more), under-staffed (6.22% more), aging pare nts (5.32%
m ore ) and furloughs or home assignments (4.31%). The group that has work ed for le ss
than 10 years in m issions, feels more significantly affe cte d by the following stre ssors,
com pared to the group who has se rve d for 10 ye ars and longe r: language barrie r
(5.98% m ore ), be ing single (4.82% m ore ), cultural stre ss (4.08% m ore ), and
insignificantly so, homesickness (3.72% more ) and emotional struggles (3.44% m ore ).
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
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P age 21
Most Meaningful Refreshers Experienced in the Past Year
The following refreshers emerged as the top 10 re freshers among 2,086 participants of
the author’s survey.
It is e ncouraging to se e that, in spite of conflicts am ong colle ague s, the option of
“Frie ndship with C o-Workers” e merged as the best refre she r am ong participants. The
re fre shment that their spouse and childre n brought is ve ry significant. W e ne e d to
the re fore do all we can to protect and strengthen marriages and their fam ily life on the
fie ld. We need to guard against overwork and too long absences that will bring friction or
ne glect of the m arriage and fam ily re lationships. If all work e rs we re m arrie d, this
re fre shing factor could have emerged as the m ost significant of all. This also means that
spe cial care needs to be taken of singles. They do not have a family to re fresh them, but
the y can be encouraged to value friendships with colleagues and nationals. Single s m ay
ne e d assistance in issues like conflict resolution, re lationship sk ills, forgiving othe rs,
asse rtive ne ss, loving confrontation, e tc., e quipping the m in m aintaining good
re lationships. The bar chart above also stresses the fact that we ll-planne d confe re nce s
that are not too busy for re lationships and m aintain e x te nsive and we ll-re source d
librarie s are two re freshers that can enhance m orale and re fre shm e nt for work e rs. If
the se two re fre shers can be m ade available across age ncie s, it can be ne fit a large r
num be r of work e rs.
R e fre shers that impacted those with m ission service of 10 ye ars or m ore , com pare d to
re fre she rs of the group that work e d le ss than 10 years, are the following:
W ife /husband/childre n (a ve ry significant 10.20% m ore ), pe rsonal studie s (4.51%
m ore ), and re ading books (12.21% m ore). R efreshers that impacted those with less than
10 ye ars’ service, compare d to the group that worked for 10 ye ars and longe r, are the
following: moral support from home (5.86% more than the group with longe r se rvice ),
and insignificantly so, field visits by family and friends (3.97% m ore) and friendship with
co-work e rs (2.11% more) compared to the group that work ed for 10 years and longe r.
The m uch higher re fresher of m oral support from hom e in those with shorte r ye ars of
se rvice m ay prove one of the following possibilities:
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P age 22
•
Moral support from home declines the longer the m issionary re mains on the fie ld.
•
The long te rmer gives more attention to their long-term goals on the field, and less
atte ntion or input into their re lationship with those at home and thus “harve sting”
le ss m oral support from hom e .
•
Due to a higher le vel of m aturity, the long-termer of 10 ye ars and longe r is le ss
crucially e m otionally de pe nde nt on m oral support from hom e . The y are not
worrying so m uch what those at hom e are think ing or saying and not so m uch
affe cte d if the re is little contact from hom e .
Field Visits as Refresher
The role of field visits as one of two re freshers of the past year was indicated as follows:
•
35 participating missionaries marked the care option “Fie ld Visit by a Me m be r
C are Provide r” (1.68%)
•
189 m ark e d “Fie ld Visit by Fam ily/Frie nds” (9.06%)
•
66 m ark e d “Fie ld Visit by Se nding C hurch” (3.16%)
The assumption can safe ly be m ade that the visits of fam ily and frie nds are highly
appre ciated. Family and friends are often closer to the missionary than a Me m be r C are
Provider or their Sending C hurch. One cannot m e re ly assum e that MC Provide rs and
the ir Se nding C hurch did not pay the m issionary a visit in the past ye ar or that the ir
visits we re not appre ciated, but rather that the field visits of family and friends are worth
gold to missionaries. W hen it comes to the care that the y de sire from the ir age ncy, a
significant 200 (or 9.59%) marked that they wante d the fie ld visit of a Me m be r C are
Provider. If one looks at this significant factor of care wanted, it is clear that, com pare d
to the 1.68% that m arked that a Member C are Provider’s visit re fre shed the m , that not
e nough Member C are Provider field visits are made, or that not e nough Membe r C are is
practice d, and that the provision of this factor of care is much lowe r whe n compared with
how m uch m issionaries desire this mode of care . Some m issionaries told the author that,
be cause their agencies have no form of care , the y did not m ark anything in line of
e x pectations in care because it would be m eaningle ss and raise unre al e x pe ctations.
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P age 23
Refreshment/Care Expected from Their Missionary Agency
The only factor of higher significance for the longe r-te rm m issionarie s (10 and m ore
ye ars of service) with re gard to the care that they want, compared to the short-te rm e r,
is the m utual care within their team. The long-te rm e r wants 4.71% m ore care within
the ir te am than the shorte r-termer. The care wanted by short-termers indicated a higher
le ve l whe n compare d to the long-termer, though not significantly higher, are as follows:
som eone to listen to me (3.25% higher than the long-termers), personal de ve lopm e nt
(3.10% higher), fitting the ir giftings to the ir role s (2.85% highe r) and how to raise
support (2.23% higher), and the re st of the caring factors are not more than 2% highe r
than those of the long-te rm e r participants of this surve y.
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P age 24
How Workers Emotionally Feel About Being Involved in Missions
This outcome of how m issionaries feel about being involved in missions is ve ry positive
inde ed. The assumption that can safely be made is that, in spite of the stressors marked,
re asons for others’ re signation indicated, possible re asons why the y could re sign, and
care wante d, m issionarie s in ge ne ral fe e l ve ry positive about the ir involve m e nt in
m issions. The y are e x cite d about the future , k nowing that the y are involve d in
som ething very meaningful. They are happy in what they are doing, do not want to do
anything else in spite of their higher-than-normal stress le ve ls in cross-cultural living,
and are fe e ling fulfille d and satisfie d with no re gre ts.
W he n the range of emotions m e ntione d as options to be m ark e d in the surve y are
divide d into thre e parts of positive , ne utral and ne gative e m otions, it is cle ar how
positive missionaries feel about their involvement in m issions. Each m issionary could
m ark two options, but did not ne ce ssarily m ark two, but pe rhaps only one e m otion
de picting their feelings. A total of 3048 (76.58%) of the 3980 choice s that we re m ade ,
we re positive one s, e .g. adapting we ll, don’t want to do anything e lse but be a
m issionary, energetic, excited about the future, fantastic, fitting in we ll, fulfilled, happy,
no re gre ts and satisfie d.
In calculations of comparative outcomes below, the e motional description “Stressed” was
divide d into the negative emotions category. Howe ver, in hindsight it is not necessarily a
fact that stressed missionaries are unhappy being in missions. From re se arch done by
Dodds & Dodds of Heartstream Resources, Inc., the average m issionary’s stre ss le ve l
(600 points) is considerably higher than the average person’s stre ss level at hom e (200
points). Taking this into consideration, one can then assum e that it is alm ost a give n
that m issionaries, especially in their first te rm, will be stressed. If the option “Stre sse d”
re m ains in the negative category, 10.87% of the participant m issionarie s would fe e l
re lative ly negative about their involve m e nt in m issions, and 12.53% ne utral. If the
option “Stressed” (mark ed by 266 of the total 3980 emotional mark ings) is moved to the
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P age 25
m ore ne utral portion of e m otions, only 4.19% m issionarie s would fe e l re lative ly
ne gative, while 19.22% (765) would feel neutral about being involve d in m issions. To
e x plain this graphically, please see the table below. Under negative e m otions we re the
following options: awk ward, burnt out, unce rtain if I want to continue , hate be ing in
m issions, horrible, not fitting in, unhappy, and the borderline option “stre sse d”. In the
ne utral zone of emotions would be the following options: unce rtain, worrie d about m y
future , and just O K (surviving).
Emotions
If Option “Stressed” is
Viewed as Negative
Positive
Ne utral
Ne gative
76.58%
12.53%
10.87%
If Option “Stressed” is
Viewed as
Neutral
76.58%
19.22%
4.19%
Looking At Areas Least Marked
Look ing at highest scores says much, but looking at the lowe st scores marked by 2,086
m issionaries is a significant message to mission leaders, traine rs and care rs of what is
not m ost stre ssful, and whe n it com e s to re fre she rs and care wante d, what is not
appre ciate d m ost. The lowe st score s we re as follows:
•
Lowest Scores of Stressors: The lowe st scores for Stre ssors m ark e d (from the
issue m arked least) we re as follows: Natural Disaste rs 6, Food 12, C onflict with
Nationals 33, Lack of Training 38, Marriage 42.
•
Lowest Score of Refreshers (from the issue m ark e d le ast): Traum a C are 10,
He lp in C onflict R esolution 13, Service of a Psychologist 18, Field Visit by a Member
C are W ork e r 35, Visiting te ache rs/spe ak e rs 53, Pe rsonal C ounse lling 57.
•
Lowest Scores for Care Wanted from the A gency (from the issue m ark e d
le ast): Trauma Care 18, Service of a psychologist 21, Help in proce ssing grie f/loss
42, He lp in our fam ily dynam ics 44, He lp for our m arriage 55.
•
Lowest Score in Opinion Why Others Have Resigned (from the issue m ark e d
le ast): Food 2, Weather 2, W riting Ne wsletters 3, Having to lead othe rs 5, Natural
Disaste rs 7.
•
Lowest Score in Why I May Resign (from the issue m ark e d le ast): Food 4,
W riting newsletters 6, Weather 8, Having to Lead O thers 10, R eligious R e sistance
17, Language Barrie r 21.
•
Lowest Scores of Suggested Training Topics to train MC Providers: The
lowe st scores (more than a 100 pe rsons did not m ark all of the se ) that 2,086
m issionaries suggested to be taught as training topics for Membe r C are Provide rs
are as follows (from the issue m arked least): Psychology 36 pe rsons m ark e d it,
Furlough 40, Contingency Planning 44, Grie f and Loss 64, Hom e -Schooling 67,
Suffe ring 89, Ne wsletter W riting 89, Personality Preferences 94. Each pe rson had
five choices from 35 possible choice s that the y could m ark , and a total of 9773
choice s we re m ark e d by 2,086 pe rsons.
•
Lowest Scores of Emotions A bout Being a Missionary: The lowe st score s of
how 2,086 missionaries felt about being a m issionary, we re as follows (starting
from the lowe st score): 1 person mark e d the option “Horrible ”; “Hate Be ing In
Missions” was m arked by 5, “Unhappy” 18, “Don’t W ant To C ontinue ” 19, “Not
Fitting In” 23, and “Awk ward” 37. Afte r the se lowe st score s, the re we re m ostly
positive emotions m arked. Each of the 2,086 persons could m ark two options, and
a total of 3,980 options we re m ark e d. [If the option “Stre sse d” was vie we d as
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P age 26
ne utral in the light of it being normal that missionaries live with high stress le ve ls,
the n 76.58% of participants felt positive, 19.22% neutral, and 4.19% ne gative .]
Lowest Markings of Desired Care Factors
The lowe st scores of what 2,086 missionaries said whe n they we re asked what care they
wishe d to re ceive from their m ission agency during the com ing ye ar, are liste d be low.
Be fore one m ake hasty assumptions about these figure s, one has to mention that the se
figure s are not necessarily significant. This que stion was not ask e d what the y did not
want, but rather what they wanted. The re fore, the le ast m ark e d care factors are not
about what people do not want nor is it about what is least wanted. The le ast m ark e d
are as are most probably merely what they needed less than several other care factors in
the past ye ar. A practical explanation could be the typical m issionary who is hope fully
re lative ly healthy on all spheres of his/her life. His/her frie ndships with colle ague s and
local believers, re lationships with spouse and childre n, conference and other care factors
re fre shed them greatly. In the ye ar before participating in the survey, he/she was not in
traum a or grief, nor e xperienced problems to the extent of needing a psychologist. The
author be lie ve s that this is the ave rage m issionary.
If it is true that the average missionary has not ex pe rie nce d traum a and othe r huge
problems in the past year, he/she will not mark trauma care or a psychologist as his/he r
gre atest need for care on the field. Many in the Two-Thirds W orld do not ne ce ssarily
k now what trauma care e ntails or that they need it after a traumatic e vent, because they
usually naturally de brie f e ach othe r within the ir re lationship-orie nte d com m unitie s
without k nowing the term for the proce ss that the y are alre ady doing pe rfe ctly we ll.
Adde d to this, in som e com m unitie s, the re is ofte n a stigm a attache d to visiting a
psychologist and more so in the Two-Thirds World. Look ing at de sire d he lp for fam ily
dynamics and m arriage, married missionaries indicated in this survey that the ir spouse
and childre n had been their ve ry best re fre sher of the past ye ar, above all othe rs. From
this figure one can safely assume that the married participants of this survey are happily
m arrie d and have stable family lives, and there fore is not in need of help in these areas,
but the y rather prefer help and care in other ways. For these reasons the le ast m ark e d
care factors are not ne ce ssarily significant at all.
Care Factors
Trauma care
Service of a psychologist
Help in processing grief/loss
Help in our family dynamics
Help for our marriage
Number of
Participants
18
21
42
44
55
The Role of Trauma Care for Missionaries
A total of 118 (of 2,086) missionaries mark ed “Traum atic Happe nings” as the re ason
why the y thought others re signe d. 160 pe rsons (7.67%) m ark e d “Traum atic
Happenings” as the re ason why the y think they m ay re sign. 179 pe rsons (8.58%)
m ark ed “Trauma Care” as one of the 35 training topics that is essential in the training of
Me m ber C are Providers. “Trauma C are” as re fresher of the past ye ar was mentione d or
place d first on the list of 25 options on the survey form on the we bsite , but it had the
ve ry le ast m arkings of all 25 refreshers. The very same can be said of the position of
“Trauma C are” in “Care W anted from the Agency” – it was m entioned first, ye t had the
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P age 27
le ast markings of 29 care options. In the list of topics that we re sugge ste d for training
of Me mber C are Providers, “Trauma Care ” was m e ntione d first on the list of options,
howe ve r, it was 24 th of 35 options in score rank ing.
Number of Workers in Each Category of Financial Income
The top percentage in the pie chart below indicate s the pe rce ntage incom e re ce ive d,
com pared to their needs, e.g. 12% of the participants of the survey re ceive 0 to 20% of
the incom e that the y ne e d. The ir ne e ds we re de fine d as the “percentage of what I
financially need in order to do my missionary work without worries about money for
general living expenses, personal development, air tickets, pension, medical insurance,
visas, etc.” Be cause “Financial Pressure” is by far the highest stressor, thus a vital factor
of stre ss in m issions, the details of the pie chart below are re peated for your e ase in the
table dire ctly be low it.
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P age 28
Financial Provision –
Percentage Bracket of
Personal Income
Compared to what
They Really Need in
Order to live
Comfortably
Percentage
Of People
Who
Marked
This
Option
0-20%
21-40%
11.55%
8.77%
41-60%
61-80%
14.29%
22.00%
81-100%
101%+
28.19%
15.20%
Opinion Why Missionaries Think Others Went Home
It is significant how m ore than 2,000 m issionaries indicated that financial pre ssure was
by far the highest stressor, and not conflict with co-workers. “Conflict” was indicate d as
only the eighth highest stressor. Looking at the chart below, why m issionaries think they
could possibly re sign in future, they also usually do not see or admit to the possibility of
re signing due to conflict, as this option is not among the top te n re asons for possible
re signation, but conflict with agency and colle agues only took 16 th and 17 th place in
prom inence for re asons why they think they could leave. Howe ver, whe n they are aske d
why others are re signing, they admit to conflict, marking it as the second highest re ason
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P age 29
why the y think others are leaving. It can be assumed that m issionarie s do not usually
be lie ve that their conflict will cause their e rosion and attrition. In othe r words, the y are
optim istic that the y are re silie nt and that the y will be able to re solve conflicts
satisfactorily, able to re main on the field while working with colleagues in peace. Or, are
m issionaries perhaps denying their fallibility whe n it comes to conflict? Missionaries need
to pe rhaps be m ore strong-willed and tenacious than the average person back hom e –
the se qualities will he lp them to survive in strange lands and culture s. Howe ve r, the
re ality is that these very same qualities may bring them into conflict with others who are
e qually strong-wille d and te nacious.
Financial pressure is something that missionaries not only admit to as (by far!) their own
highe st stre ssor, but also obse rve in othe rs, as well as the stre ss that it produce s.
Spe cial attention needs to be given to raising support. The word “support” re fers to more
than one k ind of support – it re fe rs to praye r, m oral, logistic, re -e ntry spiritual and
financial support. Especially in developing nations and in nations whe re C hristianity is
still in its first thre e ge ne rations within fam ilie s or churche s, thorough e ducation in
support raising skills are of paramount importance. Ex cuses that the ir culture doe s not
allow raising support is usually invalid, as the author observed especially Filipinos apply
support raising skills and seeing good provision forthcoming from those efforts, e nabling
the m to re main in missions for a life tim e . Since an e ntire chapte r is writte n on this
subje ct, it is not ne ce ssary to e laborate furthe r he re .
It is significant that missionaries, whe n ask e d why the y could possibly re sign and go
hom e, mostly quote non-preventable re asons for going home, with the exception of only
financial pre ssure and ove r-work as pre ve ntable re asons unde r the top te n chose n
re asons. Unresolved conflict does not feature in this chart as one of the top ten re asons
why m issionarie s think the y could re sign or go hom e. In the que stion about what
m issionaries think a Member C are Provider should be taught whe n the y are traine d in
Me m ber C are issues, “Conflict Resolution” feature s as the m ost im portant issue to be
taught to Me m be r C are Provide rs.
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 30
Suggestions of What Needs to be Taught
in Missionary/Member Care Courses
Eve ry participating missionary could m ark a m aximum of five choices of topics that the y
thought we re vital in the training of Missionary Care Providers. Here it is significant that
conflict m anagement had the highest score, but “He lp in C onflict R e solution” was the
re fre sher that had the second to lowe st score. When it comes to care wanted from the ir
age ncy, “Help in our Family Dynamics” and “Help for our Marriage” was fourth and fifth
le ast chosen. Since the family and marriage spheres are whe re m ost conflict happe ns
naturally, these outcomes are surprising, but perhaps missionaries feel that they want to
re m ain private in these areas and that they will be able to bring conflicts in the se are as
to a good resolution. The author thinks that it may be possible that m ost missionaries do
not k now or understand the corre lation betwe en confrontation and conflict. W ithout the
application of loving confrontation, m ost conflicts cannot be solve d. As long as
m issionaries re fuse to confront, frustration could incre ase and conflicts not satisfactorily
re solved. Research by Dorothy Gish in 1983 re vealed that 549 m issionarie s indicate d
the ir highest stressor as their inability to confront othe rs whe n ne ce ssary, and this is
e specially true for wom en. Only after that came com m unicating across language and
cultural barrie rs, time and effort needed to maintain donor re lationships (especially those
of faith missions), and managing the amount of work and establishing work prioritie s. 1
Howe ve r, com ing back to confrontation, it is im portant to re m e m be r that without
confrontation, conflicts re m ain unre solve d.
Most attrition studies will not indicate financial pressure as one of the top re asons for
attrition. Howe ver, the topic “Support R aising” as fourth highe st topic is significant in
le arning to care for our m ission and aid staff.
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 31
W hile missionary participants marked “Personal C ounselling” as the fifth most important
topic for Member C are training, “Personal Counselling” ended as the sixth le ast m ark e d
re fre sher of 2,086 participants, and “Service of a Psychologist” as the third le ast marked
re fre sher. And ye t, participants feel that personal counselling is an important sk ill for a
Me m ber C are Provide r. From this the assum ption could be m ade that pe rhaps not
e nough traine d counse llors and psychologists are contributing to the we lfare of
m issionaries on and off the field. The other possibility is that m issionarie s are pe rhaps
shy to ack nowle dge the ir pe rsonal proble m s and pe rhaps do not go for he lp soon
e nough.
Maintaining spiritual disciplines was indicated as the fourth highe st stre ssor. Howe ve r
whe n it cam e to topics for training of Member C are Provide rs, the topics “Maintaining
Spiritual Disciplines” and “Spiritual Vitality” ended in 12 th and 13 th positions. “Maintaining
Spiritual Disciplines” came 21st in the 44 choice s give n as re asons why the y thought
othe rs we re leaving, and 26th of 43 re asons why they themselves could be le aving. The
assumption he re could be that, although m issionaries are ge ne rally struggling to
m aintain spiritual disciplines and concerned about the ir spiritual we lfare , the y do not
be lie ve that it will be instrumental in their re signation or le aving the field. Is this perhaps
part of the e nemy’s clever deception that missionaries believe they can e ffe ctive ly work
without be ing vitally connecte d to the Life Giver and the O ne without W hom we can do
nothing? (John 15:5).
De aling with disappointments in third highest position chosen from a possible 35 topics
for Me mber Care Provider training, m ission agencies and sending bodies have probably
not give n e nough attention to this issue in the past, possibly due to ignorance about the
high pre vale nce of this struggle and conce rn am ong m issionarie s. De aling with
disappointm e nts has to do with the following:
•
unre alise d e x pe ctations;
•
the discre pancy be twe e n re ality and the ide al;
•
pe rsonal and others’ sin, failure and we aknesses, and the fact that socie tie s are
be com ing incre asingly dysfunctional;
•
the re ality of suffe ring, including pe rse cution, including im prisonm e nt and
torture ;
•
the spiritual m iscarriage or de ath of a vision or m inistry.
The se are the stark re alities of not only life in itself, but to an added m e asure of those
who dare to live on the edge and endeavour to extend the Kingdom of God. If we fail to
ade quately prepare missionaries to live with these realities, we will be failing the m and
the we lfare of m issions in ge ne ral.
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 32
Comparative Results
Comparing Answers between Marital Statuses
Stressors
The graph below was drawn sorting on the m ax im a of the pe rce ntage s to se le ct the
orde r. In other words, highest differe nces dictated the order of stressor priorities be low.
It is the re fore not true that loneliness is the fourth highe st stre ssor, but m e re ly that
lone liness has the fourth highest difference when it is compared betwe en missionaries of
various marital statuses. This m eans single or unmarried missionaries keenly feel lone ly
in m ission settings whe n compared to m arrie d pe rsons’ lone line ss le ve ls, and since
m arrie d persons have no struggle with singleness, the single s’ single ne ss has a high
diffe rence whe n com pare d to the m arrie d pe rson’s lack of this stre ssor. Howe ve r,
singleness in itself is not m arked as one of the top te n stressors of single s, but only as
stre ssor number 22. Loneliness has less of a diffe re nce whe n the lone line ss le ve ls of
various marital statuse s are com pare d, but it is stre ssor num be r 11 of all m arital
statuse s put toge the r.
Singleness as Stressor for Singles
The “Other” marital statuses in the green colour of the chart above indicate those who
are e ngaged, separated, divorce d or widowe d. O f those ne ve r m arrie d (720), 15%
(108) mark ed “Singleness” as a stre ssor, while 20% of those who are se parate d in
m arriage, marked “Singleness” as a stressor, and 9% of those divorced and a surprising
8% of those who are e ngage d, which could m e an the engage d m issionarie s we re
possibly separated from their fiancé. Those who are widowe d are le ast lonely of work e rs
who are not marrie d. Of those who we re never m arried, 10.97%) said that the care that
the y are expecting from their mission agencies is to help them in their singleness issues,
and 10.71% (of 720 persons) of the widowe d persons (2 of 28 persons) said the sam e .
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
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P age 33
O nly the small perce ntage of 4.17% of singles who we re never marrie d, said that the ir
single status m ay cause them to resign, and 6.35% of the divorce d and 3.57% of the
widowe d said the same. These numbers are insignificant whe n standing on the ir own,
and there fore the assum ption can be wrongly m ade that m issionarie s who are not
m arrie d are all okay with it. The truth is that of all unm arrie d pe rsons, a significant
14.33% (121 of 844 singles) may struggle with their singleness as stressor, just like this
spe cimen indicates. Teaching on singleness is important for both unmarrie d and marrie d
pe rsons, so that both groups understand and can help. W hen m arried persons are asked
whe the r the topic “Singleness” should be taught to Member C are Provide rs, ve ry fe w of
the m mark it as one of their top five topics, as indicated on the chart above . W he n the
author teaches on singleness whe re married pe rsons are in the audie nce , the y ofte n
e x press gratitude for the information. The y ack nowle dge the ir total ignorance of the
stre ssors and challenges of singles, e specially of the stre ssors of olde r and long-te rm
single m issionarie s. Having m arrie d at a young age , the y ne ve r e x pe rie nce d the
challe nge s of the single and the re fore do not re ally k now how to e ffe ctive ly walk
alongside the m .
More singles marked over-work as stre ssor compared to mark ing loneliness. Singles may
ove r-work because they are lonely, bored because they do not have anything be tte r to
do, or taken advantage of because their singleness spells availability. Looking at how the
lone liness factor is one of the large differences in stre ssor inte nsity be twe e n m arrie ds
and single s, it will be im portant for age ncie s and Me m be r C are Provide rs to give
atte ntion to this aspect in singles, and for families to learn to inclusively adopt singles as
part of their families on and off the field. Not e ve n half of the single s will e x pe rie nce
lone liness. Howe ver, for some it is acute , and was indicate d as a highe r stre ssor to
single m issionarie s than single ne ss.
Marriage as Stressor for Married Couples
40 out of 1242 married persons (thus 3.22%) marked “Marriage” as a high stre ssor. 48
m arrie d persons (48 of 1242 = 3.86%) marked “He lp W ith O ur Marriage ” as the care
the y want from the ir age ncy (Q .11) – this is le ss than 5% and the re fore is an
insignificant stressor for marrie d missionaries. 8 More persons marked that they neede d
he lp compared to those who said that marriage is one of their three top stre ssors. This
appare nt discrepancy could be because not everyone wants to openly acknowle dge that
the y have marriage problems, or, that their marriage proble m s are not conside re d as
one of their top three stressors, or, that some who are happily married are stre sse d by
othe rs who are struggling within their marriage. 65 of 1242 m arrie d pe rsons (5.23%)
said that they may resign because of marriage problems. Since Q uestion 15 is pure ly a
hypothetical question, this percentage is not re ally significant, but cannot be altoge the r
ignore d eithe r. The corre lation of pe ople who m ark ed “Marriage ” both as stre ssor
(Q ue stion 9) and as possible re ason for leaving m issions (Question 15) is 40%. Q uestion
16 (topics for training for MC Providers) did not have a marriage option – it was rathe r
include d in the option “Fam ily Dynam ics”.
Family Issues
W he n com paring “Fam ily Issue s” and “Ne e ds of O ur C hildre n” with e ach othe r as
Stre ssor, C are W anted, and as Sugge ste d Training Topic for MC Provide rs), 6.09%
m ark ed “Family Issues” as a stressor, and 9.49% m ark e d “Ne e ds of our C hildre n” as
stre ssor, a total of 15.58% which is significant. In the se ction “C are W ante d”, 4.65%
wante d help with the ir children, and 2.11% wante d he lp in the ir fam ily dynam ics. O f
those who marked “Fam ily Issue s” and “Ne e ds of our C hildre n” (325), 75 pe rsons
(23.08%) marked “Help for O ur C hildren” and Help in our “Family Dynamics” as the care
that the y need from their agency, and 71 (21.85%) m ark e d “Fam ily Dynam ics” as a
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 34
topic that is needed in training of MC Providers. Both of the se are ve ry significant for
those who are m arrie d and have childre n.
Refreshers Compared Between Marital Statuses
R e fre shers in the bar chart above are com pare d in the ir priority be twe e n the various
m arital statuses. According to this chart, singles are gre atly contributing towards and
be nefiting from friendships with colleagues, especially since they have m ore time for this
to happen if compared with m arried missionaries who give attention to their spouse and
childre n.
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 35
Care Expected from Agency Compared between Marital Statuses
In the bar chart above , the care e x pe cte d from the ir age ncy is com pare d be twe e n
m arital statuses. The ve ry highest difference is the unmarrie d missionary’s urge nt ne e d
for som e one to liste n to the m , m ark e d by 25% of them , which is a significant
pe rce ntage. The single doe s not usually have acce ss to one stable pe rson who can
re gularly debrief them as spouses usually do for each other in m arriage. When singles do
confide in someone, they often find that their listener goes into counseling or pre aching
m ode, judging or berating them for what they are saying, thinking or fe e ling. Pe e r-tope e r debriefing in an emotionally safe and caring environment is important for singles to
be able to off-load their concerns, feelings, dre ams and fears. This a ve ry simple manner
of care that we all can do, but ofte n we are too busy with our own task s, goals and
obje ctives in m issions to give attention and time to another, leading to m ore ove r-work
and loneliness. As we love one another practically and m ode l our Lord’s love to e ach
othe r, the world who watche s will be drawn to Him .
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 36
Topics Suggested for Training of Missionary Care Providers
Compared Between Marital Statuses
Stressors Compared Between Age Groups
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
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P age 37
In the bar chart above, stressors are com pare d be twe e n the various age groups of
m issionaries. Our youngest m issionaries experience the stress of financial pre ssure by
far as their largest stressor and this stre ssor has by far the biggest diffe re nce be twe e n
com paring stre ssors of the various age groups – this stre ssor is 12% highe r for the
youngest work ers than for any other group. Mission leaders, trainers and Me m be r C are
Providers there fore need to give special attention to help young re cruits, traine e s and
m issionaries to raise support and get on the ir fe e t in this re gard. Anothe r significant
diffe rence in stressor levels is the language barrie r felt k eenly by those age d 36 to 45.
For those aged 46 to 60 years of age, their stressor that is higher than any othe r group
is ove r-work and the needs of their ageing pare nts. The ir stre ssor of ove rwork is not
significantly higher than for other age groups, e x ce pt if com paring this stre ssor with
those older than 60. W hen it comes to the needs of their ageing parents, this stressor is
highly significantly differing in intensity (on average 12% higher) whe n compare d to all
othe r age groups.
Comparison of Reasons for Their Possible Resignation between
Marital Statuses
W he n comparing the possible re asons why m issionaries of various age groups could
possibly re sign or go home, the highest difference betwe en age groups are those who
say that they will only re turn home whe n they are too old to continue. The age group 60
and above m arked this reason for possible re signation a huge ly significant 25% m ore
than the next age group of 46 to 60, but the 46-60 age group in itse lf m ark e d this
re ason for re signation an impressive 16% more than all the other age groups. Therefore,
whe n looking at the option of “Too Old to Continue” as possible re signation option, those
above the age of 45 on average marked it 20.5% more than all the othe r age groups
which is of high significance and ve ry exciting and commendable indeed. It prove s that
pe ople who are in missions and above the age of 45 re ally want to be in this work and
fe e l that the y will be the re until the y no longe r are able to work . O the r significant
diffe rences in re asons why work e rs both above 60 as we ll as those above 45 could resign
are pe rsonal he alth issue s and the ne e ds of the ir elde rly pare nts.
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 38
Comparison of Main Stressors with Reasons for Possible
Resignation and Opinions Why Others Resigned
The re are significant differe nces betwe en re asons others left, reasons why I m ay leave
whe n com pared with the following stressors: “Conflict with C o-Work ers”, “Too Old to
C ontinue”, “Task C ompleted”, “Health” and “Financial Pressures”.
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 39
Stressors Compared Between Genders
W he n comparing stre ssors betwe en genders, males are about 5% more stre sse d about
both their financial pressure and the needs of their childre n. Fe m ale m issionarie s are
about 5% more stre ssed than m ales about feeling inadequate. O the r than the se thre e
diffe rences in stressors, no other stressors are significantly highe r than for the othe r
ge nder. The only stressor that comes close to these three, is the stress that females feel
about their ageing parents which they feel 4% more keenly than their male colle ague s,
but this is not statistically significant at all.
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 40
Top 9 Reasons for Possible Resignation Compared Between
Genders
The table above shows the outcomes of comparative re asons for possible re signation
be twe e n male and female missionarie s. The re are two are as that significantly diffe r
whe re 6% m ore males than females marked “Financial Pre ssure s” and “Ne e ds of O ur
C hildren” as re asons why the y could possibly re sign. Two are as whe re fe m ale s m ark e d
significantly higher than males, are health (9% higher) and ageing pare nts (13% higher)
as possible re asons for re signation and re turning hom e . O the r than the se , othe r
diffe re nce s are not significant.
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 41
Issues Compared Between South African Missionaries
and Those of Other Nationalities
In this se ction we are com paring the stre ssors and othe r issue s of South African
nationals with those from othe r nationalitie s, re gardle ss of whe re the y are work ing.
Stressors – South Africans versus Other Nationalities
W he n com paring the stre ssors of South African m issionarie s and those of othe r
nationalitie s, the stre ssors am ongst the top 10 stre ssors are the following:
•
•
•
Financial Pre ssure – on average 10% more
Visa R estrictions – 7% more
O ve r-work - 6% m ore than their colleagues from other nationalities.
Two stre ssors in which South African missionarie s do be tte r than the ir colle ague s of
othe r nationalities, is the stre ss caused by feeling inadequate and by unre alize d goals.
South Africans do re spectively 4.51% and 4.23% better than the ir colle ague s of othe r
nationalitie s in the se two stre ssors.
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 42
Refreshers of South A frican Missionaries Compared with the Refreshers of
Missionaries from Other Parts of the Globe
W he n comparing the refreshers of South Africans with the re fre shers of their colleague s
of othe r nationalitie s, the y find the following re fre she rs m ore re fre shing:
•
Pe rsonal studie s – 4.25% m ore
•
R e ading book s – 3.51% m ore
•
Fie ld visit by sending church – 4.03% more re freshing than their colleagues from
othe r nationalitie s.
Fie ld visits seem important to m any South Africans, since field visit by se nding church,
fie ld visit by family/friends, and field visit by a Member C are work er are all highe r than
the fie ld visit averages of re fre shment from field visits for the ir colle ague s from othe r
nationalitie s, although the se ave rage s are not significantly highe r.
South Africans find the following areas significantly le ss re fre shing than their colleague s
from othe r nations:
•
Frie ndship with the ir co-work e rs - 10% le ss re fre shing
•
The ir wife /husband/childre n – 5% le ss re fre shing
•
Frie ndship with nationals – 3% le ss re fre shing to South Africans.
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 43
Care Wanted from Agency - South African Missionaries Compared with
Other Nationalities
W he n the care that South African m issionarie s want is com pare d with what othe r
nationalities want, nothing is significantly different, e xcept that their desire to be listened
to is 5.2% more than that of other nationalities. South Africans’ desire for prayer support
com e s through in the non-significant com parative 3.12% m ore de sire for corporate
inte rce ssion for individual needs and 3% m ore de sire for praye r partne rships on the
fie ld. Their desire to fit their gifting to their role is a significant 6% lowe r com pare d to
othe r nationalitie s’ de sire for the sam e .
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 44
South African Missionaries’ Reasons for Possible Resignation
Compared to Other Nationalities
W he n the re asons for possible re signations of South African missionaries are com pare d
with m issionarie s of othe r nationalitie s, the re are four significant diffe re nce s:
•
Financial pressures – 7.29% more of a possibility to re sign due to this re ason
•
Task completed – 8.19% more
•
Visa re strictions – 5.3% more
•
Age ing parents – A significant 9.7% less of a possibility to re sign due to this
re ason.
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 45
Suggestions for Topics of Training Compared Between South
Africans and Global Workers
W he n com paring South African m issionarie s’ suggestions for Me m be r C are Provide r
training topics with that of m issionarie s of othe r nationalitie s, the re are thre e
significant diffe re nce s:
•
C onflict m anagement – the y suggested this topic a ve ry significant 9.8% less
than the ir colle agues of other nationalities.
•
Support raising – a significant 8.46% more than othe r nationalities
•
Stre ss m anageme nt – 6.61% less than othe r nationalities.
The we ak ne ss of the South African curre ncy, the R and, as we ll as the fact that
une m ploym e nt and crim e are rife in that country, are the cause s of the South
Africans’ financial pre ssure s and the ir ne e d for training in raising the ir pe rsonal
financial support. W ith the suggestions of both topics of “Conflict Manage m e nt” and
“Stre ss Management” being significantly lowe r than that of othe r nationalities, South
Africans (and e spe cially the ir C aucasian population) have re ce ntly be e n going
through m uch change and have had to adjust without be ing able to confront
situations. Be ing South African he rse lf, the author think s that the se issue s have
influe nce d South African m issionarie s gre atly in the ir vie ws and life style .
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 46
Comparison of Main Stressors with Reasons for Possible
Resignation and Opinions Why Others Resigned
This comparison above somehow m e asure s whe ther top stressors are the cause of past
or future re signation, or in short, attrition. Although past re signation is based pure ly on
the ir opinion, and future re signation is hypothetical in nature , it could neverthele ss also
in som e measure reveal the difference betwe e n the ideal and re ality. For e xample, if one
look s at the issue of conflict with co-work e rs. It se e m s that m ost m issionarie s
ide alistically believe that they will not re sign due to unre solve d conflict, but re MAP’s
statistics and the opinion that missionaries e x pre ss in this study, re fle ct re ality m ore
stark ly than what is comfortable to see. Another example is the desire of missionaries to
one day be able to say that they we nt home whe n the task was completed or whe n the y
we re sim ply too old to continue, but the re ality seems to be somewhat different. O n the
othe r hand, although financial pressures and language barrie rs are high stre ssors for
m any, the y do not go hom e due to the se stre ssors.
A furthe r investigation could be done to determine whe ther the same items we re marked
by a participant in two or all three categories of this comparison. This will give gre ate r
we ight to the specific item marked if the participant thinks for instance that “Financial
Pre ssures” is a Stre ssor, Reason why he /she m ight le ave AND a R e ason why he /she
think s othe rs m ight le ave m issions.
The numbers here are just a comparison of the individual statistics – i.e . no allowance
has be e n m ade for corre lations as e x plaine d above .
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 47
Comparing Financial Income Brackets
with Other Variables
Comparing Financial Income Brackets across Age Brackets
Financial Income Categories
Versus Age Groups
Comparing Financial Income Brackets across Marital Statuses
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
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P age 48
Comparing Financial Income Brackets with Years Spent in Missions
W he n comparing the number of years that missionaries have spent in missions with their
pre se nt financial income, the outcomes are interesting. W he n m issionarie s are shortte rm , they have less income. This could either re flect that for m issionarie s who are in
m issions for two ye ars or less, those at home do not as easily support the m as the y do
those who have proved to be committed, or that short-term m issionarie s do not k now
how to e ffe ctively raise support, or both of these re asons. The positive side of the picture
is the faithfulness with which m ost long-termers are supported. When m issionarie s are
involve d in m issions for 3 to 9 ye ars, the re is e qually as m any who have 0 to 60%
incom e, 61 to 100% income and 101% and above incom e. In othe r words, twice as
m any missionaries who participated in this study have above 61% incom e than those
who have be low 61% incom e .
R e gardless of the above figures, readers need to be re minded that a large proportion of
the participation specimen are Northern Americans and the specimen and their income is
the re fore not a true reflection of the nature of the global m ission force today. O ne also
ne e ds to take into consideration that, seeing that this survey was available online, those
who have (for e xample) below 40% incom e m ore ofte n do not have com pute rs and
would not e ven have known about the existence of this survey. Howe ve r, e ve n though
the specimen of the participants of this surve y are not from e qual parts of the First
W orld and Developing World, the nature of m an re m ains the sam e , and that is that,
ofte n supporte rs will wait to se e if a m issionary te naciously holds on to the ir
com m itment and calling, and whe n he or she does, m any are willing to stand with such a
m issionary. For those who are in mission service for longer than 20 years, four time s as
m any of these missionaries are in the income bracket 61% and above than be low 61%.
Som e may reck on that this prove s that those who we re not ade quate ly supporte d,
re signed, and they are therefore fewe r as years go along, but the author fe e ls that the
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 49
ne x t graph, m easuring desire to re main in missions against pre se nt financial incom e ,
prove s the opposite of this be lie f.
Comparing Financial Income with Number of Years
Willing to Remain in Missions
W he n comparing number of ye ars that missionaries are willing to re main in m issions, the
outcome proves that their present le vel of financial incom e doe s not de te rm ine the ir
willingne ss to re m ain in m issions or the le ngth there of.
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 50
Comparison between Financial Income Categories and Top 10
Emotions about being in Missions
O n ave rage , whe n com paring the top te n e m otions about be ing in m issions with
m issionarie s’ pre se nt incom e , the re is no significant corre lation be twe e n financial
pre ssure or income and their e motions. This pattern continues down to the ones fe e ling
ne gative about being in missions and not wanting to continue - financial incom e for
the se are the sam e as what is re fle cte d in the chart above .
C omparison of Financial Income betw een
Agencies/Organizations
Num be r of participants in incom e brack e ts from four age ncie s:
Agency
0-60%
61-100%
101%+
AOG
Baptist
16.80%
15.79%
68.00%
84.21%
15.20%
0.00%
CCC
YWAM
15.38%
52.71%
58.97%
39.86%
25.64%
7.43%
The se figures in the table above are portrayed in the following bar chart below:
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 51
Financial Pressure as Stressor
Stressor \ Financial Income
Financial Pressures
0-60%
54.85%
61-100%
20.34%
101%+
7.57%
The table above prove s that whe the r a m issionary’s incom e is be low 60% or 61 to
100%, both income sections almost equally m ark e d Financial Pre ssure s as stre ssor,
e x ce pt for a 8% diffe re nce .
How to Raise Support Indicated as Care Needed from Agency
Missionary Care Topic\Resource Category
How to raise support
0-60%
61-100%
101%+
24.65%
7.26%
1.26%
The table above indicates that missionarie s who re ce ive 60% or le ss than what the y
re ally nee d is confirm e d with a 13% highe r re gularity that the topic “How to R aise
Support” is a m ust whe n Me m be r C are Provide rs are be ing traine d to care for
m issionaries. In other words, whe n m issionaries’ income le vels are highe r, the y do not
re gard Raising Support as important as they would do whe n their income s are lowe r. It
m ay be unfair to assume that this tre nd proves that m issionarie s are losing e m pathy
with the large bracket of their colleagues who do not re ce ive e nough incom e . Mission
le aders and trainers nevertheless need to e nsure that those who struggle financially, are
give n good support raising tools, including having the right attitude about raising the ir
support, know the importance of building strong re lationships with their supporters, and
k now how to communicate to potential supporte rs their enthusiasm and passion for what
the y are doing.
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www.thrivingmember.com
P age 52
Financial Pressure as Opinion Why Others Might Leave Missions
Opinion Why Others Might Leave
versus Financial Income
Financial Pressures
0-60%
61-100%
101%+
57.76%
35.63%
27.13%
Financial Pressure Indicated as Reason for Possible Resignation
Reason for Possible Resignation vs.
Financial Income
Financial Pressures
0-60%
61-100%
101%+
45.98%
21.49%
5.99%
Support Raising as Suggestion for Topics for Missionary Care
Training
Suggested Topic for MCare Training
vs. Financial Income
Raising Support
0-60%
61-100%
101%+
43.35%
25.02%
19.56%
C omparing a S election of Nationalities
Nationalitie s conside re d he re :
First World:
Unite d State s
Unite d Kingdom
Australia
Singapore
Norway
Third World:
Brazil
Philippine s
South Africa
India
Zam bia
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P age 53
Comparison of Stressors between Missionaries from the First
versus the Developing World
W he n comparing the stressors of missionarie s com ing from de ve loping nations with
those from the First W orld, it is cle ar that the ir struggle with financial pre ssure is
e x tre me – more than twice the number of missionaries from developing nations mark e d
“Financial Pressures” as their highest stre ssor than First Worlders. This is whe re I believe
that the First W orld has a responsibility to help those from developing nations to re ach
the ir own pe ople. The author has been criticized for having this stance , but whe n one
look s at how m any missionaries from the First World have an income that is m ore than
what the y ne ed to live comfortably (101% plus above ne e de d incom e ), that in itse lf
re fe rs us to what James 2:13-17 says. It is a concern whe n those from de ve loping
nations are de pe nde nt on fore igne rs, but unle ss we te ach and e nable those from
de ve loping nations to cre ate an income or raise their own support, we have no e x cuse
but to he lp them. Rev Yohannan’s ministry in gathering funds in the W est for indigenous
Indian missionaries is commendable. Indige nous m issionarie s in de ve loping nations
k now how to survive on little, and can make limited re source s stretch far and they e ve n
he lp m any othe rs around the m with the little that the y posse ss.
The only other significant difference betwe e n stressors of those from First W orld nations
com pared to those from de ve loping nations is that 7.24% m ore m issionarie s from
de ve loping nations feel inadequate in their work in m issions. Part of this is that many of
the se nations have sham e -base d culture s, but it also confirm s the fact that First
W orlders who have been blessed by good e ducation, need to help those from developing
nations to e nhance their skills in order that they may be adequately armed for their work
in re aching the nations for C hrist.
For m issionaries who are reading this and rece iving more than 90% of what you re ally
ne e d for your basic ne e ds, are you supporting an indige nous m issionary from the
de ve loping world? For all othe r m issionarie s, are you faithful in he lping indige nous
m issionaries from the developing world in developing their skills so the y can raise the ir
own incom e or for the m to raise support from othe rs?
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 54
Comparison of Stressors between Those Working in the First
World and Developing Host Countries
The re are only two stre ssors that are significantly sm alle r (or le ss m ark e d) whe n
m issionaries who are work ing in the First W orld are com pare d to those work ing in a
de ve loping nation. These are: the language barrier (10.71% le ss m ark e d as stre ssor)
and cultural stre ss (9.39% le ss m ark e d as stre ssor). This is possibly be cause m ost
pe rsons who completed the survey are Westerners and are from the First W orld, work ing
in the First W orld.
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 55
Comparing the Stressors of Those from the Developing World
Working in the First World versus a First Worlder Working in the
Developing World
The above bar chart compares the stressors of the following:
•
Missionaries from developing nations work ing in the First World, ve rsus
•
Missionaries from the First W orld work ing in developing nations.
This comparative study has interesting outcomes. Please note that the order or sequence
of stre ssors m entioned above are not about the top te n stressors, but m erely the are as
whe re the biggest diffe re nce s lie be twe e n First W orlde rs work ing in the de ve loping
world, and missionaries from the de ve loping world work ing in the First W orld. Thre e
stre ssors that m issionarie s from the de ve loping world did not m ark at all, we re
lone liness, cultural stress (culture shock) and writing newsletters. This doe s not m e an
that those from de ve loping nations do not e x pe rie nce the se stre ssors at all whe n
work ing in the First W orld, but these stre ssors are simply not re garde d as one of the ir
thre e highest stre ssors whe n work ing in the First World. O the r stre ssors lik e financial
pre ssures and visa re strictions are by far their highest stressors and these two toge the r
we re m ark ed by 95.83% missionaries from the developing world as at least one of the ir
thre e highest stre ssors. Missionaries from developing nations work ing in the First W orld
are at le ast 21.7% more likely to struggle with finances than their colle ague s from the
First W orld work ing in developing countries, and a stagge ring 41.11% m ore lik e ly to
struggle with visa re strictions.
W he n looking at First Worlders’ stressors whe n they are work ing in de ve loping nations
and comparing these with m issionaries from the developing world work ing in First W orld
countrie s, the ir stre ssors se e m to be highe r in m ost cate gorie s than those of
m issionaries form the developing world work ing in the First World. Howe ver, again, this
has to do merely with the fact that so many de ve loping world m issionarie s (95.83%)
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
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P age 56
m ark ed “Visa Restrictions” and “Financial Pre ssures” as one of their thre e top stre ssors
that not e nough choice-markings remained available to significantly im pact the othe r
stre ssor-counts.
C omparing of Top 1 0 S tressors
Betw een Different W ork L ocations
The stressors of those work ing in tribal situations are ve ry sim ilar to those work ing in
sm all te ams, perhaps because sm all te am s usually work in tribal situations, but the
biggest difference betwe en stre ssors of small teams and tribal situations, are that sm all
te am missionaries m arked “Lack of Visible Positive R e sults” 5.7% m ore than those in
tribal situations. The marking of the stressors “Financial Pressure ” and “O ve r-W ork ” for
those working in urban are as are stagge ringly higher than that of the ir colle ague s
work ing in small te ams and tribal situations – “Financial Pressure” was m ark e d twice as
m uch by those in urban areas com pare d to those working in sm all te am s and tribal
situations. “Over-work” was marked four times as much by those work ing in urban areas
com pared to those work ing in small teams and tribal situations. Those work ing in rural
are as had similar te nde ncie s to the ir urban colle ague s, but the y m ark e d “Financial
Pre ssure” 7.15% less than those in cities, and “Over-work” was marked 7.62% le ss than
the ir urban counterparts. Urban work ers marked these two stre ssors so many times that
fe w choice s we re left to mark other stressors. Urban work ers’ stre ssor le ast marked was
“Lack of Visible Positive Results”. It seems that God is work ing in our citie s in drawing
urban dwe llers to Himself! Those who are significantly struggling with the lack of visible
positive re sults are those work ing in sm all te am s.
The highest stre ssors (by far) of those work ing in cities are financial pressures and overwork , and both these we re marked thre e times more than all of the ir othe r individual
stre ssors. Financial pressures and over-work we re mark e d by a total of 41.38% of all
urban work e rs as one of the ir thre e top stre ssors.
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P age 57
Comparison of Refreshers in Various Work Locations
W he n com paring the com pone nts that re fre she d pe rsons work ing in various work
locations (e.g. tribal situation, in cities, in the countryside, or in sm all te am s), the bar
chart above te lls the whole story. This information could encourage m ission and te am
le aders not to bore their work ers with re freshers that are not m eaningful to the m . Just
to highlight a fe w significant diffe re nce s, the following:
•
Small teams: Unlike in small te ams, friendship with colleagues is an e x tre m e ly
significant high re fre sher for those work ing in cities and in rural are as. Those in
sm all te ams could possibly find it difficult or claustrophobic to be together all day
without the luxury of other colleagues (not part of the team) and friends bringing
varie ty or flavour to the te am m embers. Yet, after-hours, the membe rs of sm all
te am still need to be best friends with e ach other. Like in a marriage, giving each
othe r bre athing space would be normal and even healthy, so that the members of
sm all te ams have renewe d energy and input from re lating to outsiders within the
age ncy or society whe n they get toge the r to work again. Ne ve rthe le ss, those
from small teams have found the m utual care within the ir te am or de partm e nt
significantly refreshing unlike the lack of m utual care as re fre she r de picte d in
othe r work locations. Those in small teams found reading book s as the ir m ost
significant re fre she r, with m utual care within the te am se cond be st.
•
In cities: The highest re fresher by far is their friendships with colle ague s, and
this is significantly highe r than the ir colle ague s in rural and all othe r work
locations. Second comes their frie ndship with nationals and third their attendance
of conferences. Urban work ers’ re freshment from conferences is their fourth most
im portant re fresher, and significantly highe r in im portance for urban work e rs
com pared to confe re nce s’ re fre shing traits for those from all the othe r work
locations. Confere nces are only one-third as re fre shing to those from small te ams
and tribal situations com pare d to those work ing in citie s and only half as
re fre shing whe n com pare d to those from rural are as.
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P age 58
•
Rural areas: The ir highest refre she r is the ir frie ndship with the ir colle ague s,
se condly friendship with nationals, and together in third and fourth place s are the
re fre shment from their spouse and/or family and from atte nding confe re nce s.
•
Tribal work: The se work e rs find that the ir highe st re fre she rs are the ir
frie ndships with nationals, with co-work e rs, and the ir spouse and fam ily.
Comparison of Care Wanted in Various Work Locations
W he n com paring what care m issionarie s want, and com paring the se de sire s with
m issionaries in various work locations, their needs are ve ry diffe re nt. For this re ason,
m ission le ade rs, Me m be r C are Provide rs and traine rs ne e d to rathe r look at what
re fre shes missionaries and what care they are asking for, com pare d to what the y fe e l
the y want to do for missionaries in caring for them. Those work ing in tribal situations
m ost of all want prayer partne rships on the fie ld, the n som e one to liste n to the m ,
frie ndships with co-workers, and a field visit by a Member Care Provider. Those work ing
in sm all teams want personal de ve lopm e nt, frie ndships with co-work e rs and praye r
partne rships on the field most of all. Those work ing in urban are as m ost of all want
som eone to listen to them, re gular debriefing, friendships with co-workers and k nowing
how to raise support. Those in rural are as want som e one to liste n to the m , re gular
de briefing, friendships with co-work ers and k nowing how to raise support. The bigge st
diffe rences in the bar chart above are about re gular debriefing. Those in urban and rural
are as m arked re gular debriefing significant at least three times more than those in tribal
and small team situations. This does not mean that tribal and small team work ers do not
ne e d as much re gular debriefing, but pure ly that othe r ways of caring for the m we re
m ore im portant to the m , e .g. praye r partne rships for those work ing in tribe s and
pe rsonal de ve lopm e nt for those work ing in sm all te am s.
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P age 59
C orrelation betw een
Maintaining S piritual Disciplines
and Being O v erworked/U nderstaffed
Look ing at the data one -dim e nsionally, the following:
Stressor
Maintaining spiritual disciplines
Over-worked
Under-staffed
Number of
Participants
256
423
% of Total
Participants
12.27%
20.28%
232
11.12%
The number of participants that indicate d e ithe r “O ve r-work e d” or “Unde r-staffe d”
toge ther with “Maintaining Spiritual Disciplines”: 138. This is 6.62% of the total number
of participants. Look ing at it diffe re ntly and com paring the 138 to the num be r of
participants that marked “Maintaining Spiritual Discipline s” we find that 53.9% of the
participants indicating “Maintaining Spiritual Disciplines” as one of the ir stre ssors ALSO
m ark e d O ve r-work e d or Unde r-staffe d as a stre ssor.
Inte re sting to note is that not one participant marked both “Over-worke d” and “Unde rstaffed” as stre ssors, but out of the group of 655 participants that m arked eithe r “O ve rwork e d” or “Unde r-staffe d” as stre ssors (138) also m ark e d “Maintaining Spiritual
Discipline s” – this is 21.1%.
It is safe to say that there is definitely a link betwe en “Over-work ed/Under-staffe d” and
“Maintaining Spiritual Discipline s” as stre ssors.
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 60
S tressors C ompared betw een P ositive and Negative Emotions
among P articipants
Positive Emotions
Em otions groupe d toge the r:
Adapting we ll
Don’t want to do anything e lse
Ene rge tic
Ex cite d about the future
Fantastic
Fitting in ve ry we ll
Fulfille d
Happy
No re gre ts
Satisfie d
Negative Emotions
Em otions groupe d toge the r:
Awk ward
Burnt out
Don’t want to continue
Hate be ing in m issions
Horrible
Not fitting in
Stre sse d
Unhappy
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P age 61
C om ment: In comparing those who are feeling relatively happy with those feeling
re lative ly negative about being in m issions, similar stressors m arked by both groups
as the ir top 5 stressors are as follows:
Overworked
Financial Pressure
Maintaining Spiritual Disciplines
Those Mostly
Happy
19%
23%
6%
Those Mostly
Unhappy
24%
18%
5%
Issues that we re marked as their top five stressors by one group but not by the other,
are as follows:
R ELATIVELY HAPPY:“Age ing Pare nts” 6% and “Fam ily Issue s” 6%.
R ELATIVELY UNHAPPY: “C onflict with C o-work e rs” 7%; “Isolation” 8%.
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
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P age 62
Correlation between Lack of Secular, Tertiary Training
versus Feeling Inadequate
The re seems to be no significant corre lation be twe en le ngth or abse nce of te rtiary
training and fe e ling inade quate .
Correlation between Lack of Theological
or Missions Training versus Feeling Inadequate
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P age 63
The re se e m s to be no significant corre lation be twe en le ngth or lack of
m issions/theological training and feeling inadequate in missions, e x ce pt for those who
had 6 and m ore ye ars of m issions/the ological training.
Ageing P arents as S tressor and Reason for Resignation
Age Group
Total in Age
Group
Ageing parents
as Stressor
Percentage
36-45
46-60
566
665
50
115
8.83%
17.29%
61+
Total
182
1413
8
173
4.40%
12.24%
Ageing Parents as
Reason for
Resignation
127
161
15
303
Percentage
22.44%
24.21%
8.24%
21.44%
“Age ing Pare nts” as stressor ranks 13 th for age group 36-45, ranks 3 rd for age group 4660, and 23 rd for age groups 61 and above. “Ageing Parents” is the re fore a significantly
high stre ssor for m issionarie s in the age group 46 to 60.
Needs of our Children Compared with Other Reasons for Possible
Resignation for Married Missionaries
“Ne e ds O f O ur C hildren” ranks 2 nd and “Family Issues” ranks 5 th as re ason for possible
re signation for m arrie d participants be low:
Reason for Resignation
Financial Pressures
Needs of our children
Too old to continue
Health
Family Issues
Ageing parents
Task completed
Visa restrictions
Over-worked
Other
Traumatic Happenings
Lack of visible positive results
Conflict with my agency
Transition/Change
Conflict with co-workers
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
Married
27.86%
26.33%
21.01%
20.69%
19.97%
18.68%
17.07%
10.63%
9.26%
7.89%
7.81%
7.09%
6.36%
6.20%
5.88%
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P age 64
“Dealing with Disappointments in Missions” as
Suggested Topic for Member Care Provider Training
First World Nationalities
W he n 2,086 missionaries we re asked what topics are most important for the training of
Me m ber C are Providers, it is quite re ve aling that “De aling W ith Disappointm e nts in
Missions” ended up in fourth m ost prominent place of 35 possible topics that the y could
choose from. The number of participants indicating “Disappointm e nts in Missions” as
suggestion for a topic for C are Work er Training from First W orld m issionarie s we re as
follows:
Country
Suggest
Australia
Germany
Norway
Singapore
Switzerland
UK
USA
Total for group
Total for all
67
14
7
5
8
58
238
397
651
Participants
from First
World
203
41
15
14
22
164
786
1245
2086
Percentage
33%
34%
47%
36%
36%
35%
30%
32%
31%
Two-Thirds World Nationalities
Be low is the number of participants from the Two-Thirds W orld countrie s sugge sting
“De aling W ith Disappointments in Missions” as topic for Member C are Provide r training.
Country
Suggest
Number of
Participants
from country
19
Percentage
Malaysia
13
Indonesia
India
2
4
4
20
50%
20%
23
65
84
175
27%
37%
107
651
302
2086
35%
31%
Philippines
South Africa
Total for group
Total for all
68%
Comments on Disappointments in Missions
Som e of the individual percentages here are quite high, but this is once again due to
sm all sample sizes. The average for Third W orld C ountries is slightly highe r at 35.43%
than First World Countries at 31.89%, but this difference is not big e nough to m ak e a
de finite conclusion re garding a corre lation betwe en nationality and this topic suggestion.
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
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P age 65
E m o tional S tr uggles A n alysed a cross A ge Gr oups
The option “Em otional Struggles” was one of the Stressor options, one of the R e asons
W hy You May Le ave , and O pinion why O the rs Have Le ft. The se thre e are be ing
com pare d be low.
Emotional Struggles as:
Stressor
Potential reason for leaving
18-25 yrs
15.75%
16.55%
26-35 yrs
29.45%
28.78%
11.33%
23.95%
Opinion why others leave
Age Group
36-45 yrs 46-60 yrs
33.56%
16.44%
33.09%
19.42%
25.24%
30.42%
61+ yrs
4.79%
2.16%
9.06%
From the table above can be seen that “Emotional Struggles” are m ore of an issue for
age s 26-45 than older age groups, and e spe cially so in the age group 36 to 45. The
bottom row cannot re ally be considered here as the participant is giving an opinion on
why othe rs might leave and not on themselves. The 36 to 45 age group’s indication of
“Em otional Struggles” quite surprising, since the y are not ye t in the ir m e nopause or
m idlife crisis, but pe rhaps this is about a m id-care e r crisis, as we ll as e spe cially
unprocessed childhood wounding (but also later life wounding), that surface at this age .
Highest S tressors C ompared betw een Agencies/Organisations
The five highest stressors of four agencies are listed below. Some of the stre ssors had
the sam e re sult, he nce the additional stre ssors liste d for som e age ncie s.
Assemblies of God
Over-worked
Baptist
Cultural stress
Campus Crusade for Christ
Over-worked
Youth With A Mission
Financial Pressures
Financial Pressures
Ageing parents
Over-worked
Language barrier
Financial Pressures
Conflict with co-workers
Maintaining spiritual
disciplines
Needs of our
children
Over-worked
Ageing parents
Loneliness
Language barrier
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
Financial Pressures
My leader's leadership
style
Feeling inadequate
Lack of visible positive
results
Under-staffed
Maintaining spiritual
disciplines
My leader's leadership
style
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P age 66
Most P opular S uggestions for Missionary C are Training Topics
C ompared betw een Agencies/Organizations
The five most popular suggestions for m issionary care training are listed below. Some of
the suggestions had the same re sult, hence the additional sugge stions liste d for som e
age ncie s.
Assemblies of God
Baptist
Conflict management
Dealing with
disappointments in
missions
Stress management
Culture shock
Dealing with
disappointments in
missions
Stress management
Team dynamics
Cross-cultural living
Maintaining spiritual
disciplines
Conflict
management
Burnout
Counselling skills
Campus Crusade for
Christ
Team dynamics
Support raising
Conflict management
Team dynamics
Support raising
Conflict management
Dealing with
disappointments in
missions
Ongoing personal
development and
growth
Burnout
Ongoing personal
development and
growth
Stress management
Youth With A Mission
In spite of conflict not appearing as one of the ten top stre ssors of m issionarie s in this
surve y, it nevertheless features in the suggestions for Member C are training topics in a
prom inent place on e ach of the five most popular topics of four large st age ncie s that
participate d. “Stre ss m anage m e nt” fe ature s as prom ine nt in thre e of the se four
age ncies. Since most Assemblies of God and Baptist missionaries are usually financially
fully supported by their re spective denominations, it is not surprising that raising support
doe s not feature amongst their top five suggestions of topics for Member C are training.
Howe ve r, whe n it comes to faith m issions like Campus Crusade for Christ and Youth With
A Mission, support raising is an im portant topic to cove r in Me m be r C are training.
Note: Appe ndix A be low contains the table s with num e ric value s of outcom e s as
portraye d in bar and pie charts above. These are for persons who are inte re ste d in the
num e ric value s rathe r than the charts.
---oOo—oOo---
Appe ndix A follows be low with surve y figures in tables. These figure s are repeating what
appears in pie and bar charts above.
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 67
Appendix A
Age Group
Age Group
18-25
26-35
36-45
46-60
61+
Percentage
9.64%
22.63%
27.13%
31.88%
8.72%
Gender
Gender
Percentage
Female
52.68%
Male
47.32%
Marital Status
Marital
Status
Percentage
Divorced
3.02%
Engaged
1.10%
Married
59.54%
Never Married
34.52%
Separated
0.48%
Widowed
1.34%
Secular, Tertiary Training
Tertiary Training
Percentage
0-1 Years
8.01%
2-5 Years
51.87%
6+ Years
No Training
19.51%
20.61%
Theological or Missions Training
Theological/Missions
Training
Percentage
0-1 Years
2-5 Years
6+ Years
No Training
32.07%
38.88%
7.33%
21.72%
Years Spent in Missionary Work
Time Spent in
Missionary Work
1 Year
2 Years
3-5 Years
6-9 Years
10-15 Years
16-20 Years
21+ Years
Percentage
12.85%
8.39%
17.26%
17.93%
19.56%
9.35%
14.67%
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 68
Years Wanting to Still Remain in Missionary Work
Time participants
wishes to remain
in missions
None
1 Year
2 Years
3-5 Years
6-10 Years
11+ Years
Percentage
5.56%
2.73%
2.92%
11.17%
16.16%
61.46%
Type of Work or Job Descriptions
Type of Work
Number
Percentage
Training/Education
902
43.24%
Church Planting
709
33.99%
Support Staff/Logistic Staff
370
17.74%
Evangelism
244
11.70%
Counselling
212
10.16%
Youth
202
9.68%
Relief and Development
157
7.53%
Other
154
7.38%
Children
152
7.29%
Communication/Media
125
5.99%
Health Care (Medical)
124
5.94%
The Poor
121
5.80%
Women
95
4.55%
Arts/Music/Theatre
65
3.12%
Intellectuals/Influentuals
38
1.82%
Mercy Ships
30
1.44%
7
0.34%
Sexually Maladjusted
Physical Location of Work
Physical Location
Alone
Number
Percentage
69
3.31%
Mobile/Traveling
On a missions
compound/base/community
Other
264
12.66%
458
21.96%
42
2.01%
Rural (town or countryside)
493
23.63%
Small team
263
12.61%
Tribal
Urban (City)
Working internationally
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
88
4.22%
1196
57.33%
277
13.28%
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P age 69
Cultural Environment of Work
Cultural environment
Home country
Total
484
Similar to own culture
437
Very different culture
1165
Categories of Financial Income
Financial Provision
Percentage
0-20%
21-40%
11.55%
8.77%
41-60%
61-80%
14.29%
22.00%
81-100%
101%+
28.19%
15.20%
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 70
Top 10 Stressors
Stressors
Percentage
Financial Pressures
Over-worked
30.35%
20.28%
Language barrier
Maintaining spiritual disciplines
15.92%
12.27%
Cultural stress
Under-staffed
11.98%
11.12%
Feeling inadequate
Conflict with co-workers
Ageing parents
10.74%
10.16%
9.54%
Needs of our children
Loneliness
9.49%
8.92%
My leader's leadership style
Lack of visible positive results
8.92%
8.20%
Writing news letters
Emotional struggles
7.67%
7.00%
Transition/Change
Visa restrictions
Unrealised goals
6.66%
6.52%
6.42%
Other
Family Issues
6.33%
6.09%
Isolation
Being single
5.85%
5.80%
Lack of moral support from home
5.66%
Living in community
Having to lead others
4.65%
4.51%
Health
Religious resistance
Furloughs/Home-assignments
Security Issues in a restricted
access country
Traumatic Happenings
4.46%
4.41%
4.17%
Lack of prayer backing
Homesickness
3.36%
3.31%
Loss and grief
Weather
2.49%
2.40%
Conflict with my agency
Marriage
2.11%
2.01%
Lack of training
Conflict with nationals
Food
1.82%
1.58%
0.58%
Natural disasters
0.29%
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
3.98%
3.55%
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 71
Refreshers
Refreshers
Friendship with co-worker(s)
Percentage
28.48%
My wife/husband/children
Friendship with nationals
26.37%
22.29%
Attended a conference
Reading books
11.41%
9.92%
Field visit by family/friends
Moral support from home
9.06%
8.92%
Corporate worship
Personal studies
8.87%
8.68%
A caring leader
Spiritual vitality
Mutual care within my
team/department
Prayer partnership on field
8.34%
7.53%
Local church on field
Personal development
5.03%
4.94%
Other
Field visit by sending church
4.51%
3.16%
Input (course/seminar)
Regularly kept accountable
3.16%
2.97%
Personal Counselling
Visiting teachers/speakers
2.73%
2.54%
Field visit by a Member Care worker
Service of a psychologist
1.68%
0.86%
Help in conflict resolution
Trauma care
0.62%
0.48%
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
6.57%
5.32%
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 72
Care Expected from Their Agency
Care expected from agency
Percentage
Someone to listen to me
Fitting my gifting to my role
22.63%
20.42%
Personal development
Friendships with co-workers
19.46%
19.37%
Regular debriefing
Regular accountability
16.01%
15.58%
Prayer partnership on field
How to raise support
Mutual care within my
team/department
Help in leading others better
Field visit by Member care
worker(s)
Other
14.96%
12.37%
Corporate worship
Input (course/seminar, etc.)
9.06%
8.82%
Help in our team dynamics
Corporate intercession for
individual needs
Help for burnout
Help in stress management
8.15%
Visiting speakers/teachers
Personal Counselling
5.70%
5.18%
Help in conflict resolution
Reading books
4.99%
4.75%
Help for our/my children
Help in newsletter writing
4.65%
3.36%
Help for our marriage
Help in our family dynamics
2.64%
2.11%
Help in processing grief/loss
Service of a psychologist
2.01%
1.01%
Trauma care
0.86%
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
11.31%
10.98%
9.59%
9.25%
8.01%
7.91%
6.57%
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 73
Emotions about Being Involved in Mission
Emotions About
Missions
Excited about the future
Happy
Don't want to do anything
else
Fulfilled
Satisfied
No regrets
Stressed
Just OK (surviving)
Adapting well
Worried about my future
Fitting in very well
Uncertain if I want to
continue
Burnt out
Fantastic
Energetic
Awkward
Not fitting in
Don't want to continue
Unhappy
Hate being in missions
Horrible
Percentage
26.61%
22.53%
21.86%
21.62%
16.54%
15.77%
12.75%
10.35%
9.20%
7.77%
7.14%
5.80%
3.07%
2.59%
2.25%
1.77%
1.10%
0.91%
0.86%
0.24%
0.05%
Financial Income
Financial Income
0-20%
21-40%
41-60%
81-100%
101%+
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
Number
241
183
298
459
588
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 74
Reasons Why They Think Others Resigned/Went Home
Reasons Why Missionaries Think
Other Missionaries Resigned
or Went home
Financial Pressures
Conflict with co-workers
Percentage
41.99%
31.50%
Family Issues
Needs of our children
Cultural stress
Emotional struggles
Over-worked
19.89%
18.65%
15.48%
14.81%
12.99%
Health
Unrealised goals
Lack of visible positive results
Conflict with my agency
Marriage
10.55%
10.55%
8.25%
8.05%
7.14%
Ageing parents
Isolation
My leader's leadership style
Traumatic Happenings
Loneliness
7.09%
6.81%
6.09%
5.66%
5.56%
Lack of prayer backing
Maintaining spiritual disciplines
Visa restrictions
Lack of moral support from home
Transition/Change
5.51%
5.47%
5.27%
4.84%
4.22%
Feeling inadequate
Homesickness
Other
Language barrier
Conflict with nationals
3.50%
3.50%
3.12%
3.07%
2.78%
Lack of training
Security Issues in a restricted access
country
Living in community
Too old to continue
2.59%
Being single
Marrying an outsider
Task completed
Under-staffed
Loss and grief
1.77%
1.73%
1.49%
1.44%
1.15%
Religious resistance
Furloughs/Home-assignments
Natural disasters
Having to lead others
Writing news letters
0.96%
0.48%
0.34%
0.24%
0.14%
Food
Weather
0.10%
0.10%
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
2.11%
1.97%
1.92%
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 75
Reasons Why They Could Possibly Resign
Why missionaries think
they could go home
Financial Pressures
Health
Too old to continue
Ageing parents
Task completed
Family Issues
Needs of our children
Visa restrictions
Over-worked
Other
Traumatic Happenings
Transition/Change
Emotional struggles
Unrealised goals
Lack of visible positive results
Conflict with my agency
Conflict with co-workers
My leader's leadership style
Feeling inadequate
Security Issues in a restricted
access country
Loneliness
Lack of prayer backing
Lack of moral support from home
Marriage
Loss and grief
Maintaining spiritual disciplines
Isolation
Cultural stress
Furloughs/Home-assignments
Marrying an outsider
Under-staffed
Natural disasters
Being single
Homesickness
Conflict with nationals
Lack of training
Living in community
Language barrier
Religious resistance
Having to lead others
Weather
Writing news letters
Food
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
Percentage
27.61%
20.90%
20.37%
18.60%
17.64%
17.26%
16.78%
11.27%
9.97%
8.63%
7.67%
6.86%
6.66%
6.33%
6.14%
5.85%
5.75%
5.13%
4.94%
4.75%
4.55%
3.84%
3.64%
3.50%
3.31%
3.12%
3.07%
2.59%
2.59%
2.44%
2.30%
1.77%
1.73%
1.73%
1.53%
1.34%
1.29%
1.01%
0.81%
0.48%
0.38%
0.29%
0.19%
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 76
Suggestions of what Topics Need to be
Taught to Missionary Care Providers
Suggestions on Topics for Missionary
Care
Conflict management
Team dynamics
Dealing with disappointments in
missions
Support raising
Counselling skills
Percentage
34.37%
33.27%
31.21%
30.54%
22.24%
Stress management
Cross-cultural living
Ongoing personal development and
growth
Burnout
Culture shock
22.05%
21.28%
Listening skills
Maintaining spiritual disciplines
Spiritual vitality
19.65%
18.07%
14.29%
Building relationships
Confronting in love
My relationship with my sending
church
Loneliness
Debriefing
Leadership style
13.76%
13.33%
Family dynamics
Transition/change
Caring for staff from dysfunctional
backgrounds
Living in community
Trauma care
9.68%
9.54%
Moral purity
Orientation of new staff
Singleness
7.24%
6.90%
5.51%
Personality preferences
Newsletter writing
Suffering
4.51%
3.31%
3.31%
Home-schooling
Grief and loss
3.21%
3.07%
Contingency planning
Furlough
Psychology
2.11%
1.92%
1.73%
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
21.09%
20.81%
19.99%
11.07%
11.03%
10.83%
10.40%
9.44%
9.16%
8.58%
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 77
Comparing Answers between Marital Statuses
Stressors Compared between Marital Statuses
Stressors
Other
Married
Single
Other
Married
Single
Financial Pressures
Language barrier
36
31
380
216
217
85
29.03%
25.00%
30.60%
17.39%
30.14%
11.81%
Over-worked
Loneliness
18
12
251
52
154
122
14.52%
9.68%
20.21%
4.19%
21.39%
16.94%
Being single
Needs of our children
11
5
2
186
108
7
8.87%
4.03%
0.16%
14.98%
15.00%
0.97%
Cultural stress
Feeling inadequate
Maintaining spiritual
disciplines
Under-staffed
Isolation
Lack of moral support from
home
Conflict with co-workers
18
16
155
112
77
96
14.52%
12.90%
12.48%
9.02%
10.69%
13.33%
9
165
82
7.26%
13.29%
11.39%
13
14
148
61
71
47
10.48%
11.29%
11.92%
4.91%
9.86%
6.53%
14
64
40
11.29%
5.15%
5.56%
2
140
70
1.61%
11.27%
9.72%
Emotional struggles
Ageing parents
5
11
61
132
80
56
4.03%
8.87%
4.91%
10.63%
11.11%
7.78%
Lack of visible positive results
Visa restrictions
13
13
109
79
49
44
10.48%
10.48%
8.78%
6.36%
6.81%
6.11%
My leader's leadership style
Writing news letters
Family Issues
8
11
7
109
84
96
69
65
24
6.45%
8.87%
5.65%
8.78%
6.76%
7.73%
9.58%
9.03%
3.33%
Health
Other
9
9
54
82
30
41
7.26%
7.26%
4.35%
6.60%
4.17%
5.69%
Transition/Change
Unrealised goals
9
6
79
89
51
39
7.26%
4.84%
6.36%
7.17%
7.08%
5.42%
Living in community
Loss and grief
Security Issues in a restricted
access country
Religious resistance
Having to lead others
Furloughs/Homeassignments
Lack of training
5
8
43
25
49
19
4.03%
6.45%
3.46%
2.01%
6.81%
2.64%
8
56
19
6.45%
4.51%
2.64%
7
5
65
51
20
38
5.65%
4.03%
5.23%
4.11%
2.78%
5.28%
6
59
22
4.84%
4.75%
3.06%
6
18
14
4.84%
1.45%
1.94%
Lack of prayer backing
Traumatic Happenings
5
5
41
50
24
19
4.03%
4.03%
3.30%
4.03%
3.33%
2.64%
Homesickness
Marriage
3
1
38
40
28
1
2.42%
0.81%
3.06%
3.22%
3.89%
0.14%
Weather
Conflict with my agency
2
1
34
29
14
14
1.61%
0.81%
2.74%
2.33%
1.94%
1.94%
Conflict with nationals
Food
Natural disasters
0
0
1
24
6
2
9
6
3
0.00%
0.00%
0.81%
1.93%
0.48%
0.16%
1.25%
0.83%
0.42%
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 78
Refreshers Compared between Marital Statuses
Other
Married
Never
Married
Married
Never
Married
9
82
83
7.26%
6.60%
11.53%
15
137
86
12.10%
11.03%
11.94%
Corporate worship
9
85
91
7.26%
6.84%
12.64%
Field visit by a Member Care worker
3
23
9
2.42%
1.85%
1.25%
17
108
64
13.71%
8.70%
8.89%
Field visit by sending church
6
41
19
4.84%
3.30%
2.64%
Friendship with co-worker(s)
28
293
273
22.58%
23.59%
37.92%
Friendship with nationals
36
259
170
29.03%
20.85%
23.61%
Help in conflict resolution
1
8
4
0.81%
0.64%
0.56%
Input (course/seminar)
4
44
18
3.23%
3.54%
2.50%
Local church on field
9
64
32
7.26%
5.15%
4.44%
26
78
82
20.97%
6.28%
11.39%
Mutual care within my team/dept
7
75
55
5.65%
6.04%
7.64%
My wife/husband/children
6
536
8
4.84%
43.16%
1.11%
Other
6
50
38
4.84%
4.03%
5.28%
Personal Counselling
4
24
29
3.23%
1.93%
4.03%
Personal development
5
53
45
4.03%
4.27%
6.25%
Personal studies
7
118
56
5.65%
9.50%
7.78%
Prayer partnership on field
10
49
52
8.06%
3.95%
7.22%
Reading books
11
124
72
8.87%
9.98%
10.00%
4
37
21
3.23%
2.98%
2.92%
11
7
0.00%
0.89%
0.97%
Refreshers
A caring leader
Attended a conference
Field visit by family/friends
Moral support from home
Regularly kept accountable
Service of a psychologist
Spiritual vitality
Other
17
83
57
13.71%
6.68%
7.92%
Trauma care
2
6
2
1.61%
0.48%
0.28%
Visiting teachers/speakers
3
34
16
2.42%
2.74%
2.22%
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 79
Care Expected from Agency Compared between Marital
Statuses
Other
Married
Never
Married
14
92
61
11.29%
7.41%
8.47%
14
106
69
11.29%
8.53%
9.58%
6
133
61
4.84%
10.71%
8.47%
21
22
255
222
150
160
16.94%
17.74%
20.53%
17.87%
20.83%
22.22%
Help for burnout
Help for our marriage
5
3
105
48
55
4
4.03%
2.42%
8.45%
3.86%
7.64%
0.56%
Help for our/my children
Care expected from agency
Corporate intercession for
individual needs
Corporate worship
Field visit by Member care
worker(s)
Fitting my gifting to my role
Friendships with co-workers
Other
Married
Single
5
89
3
4.03%
7.17%
0.42%
Help in conflict resolution
Help in leading others better
5
13
64
133
35
83
4.03%
10.48%
5.15%
10.71%
4.86%
11.53%
Help in newsletter writing
Help in our family dynamics
8
1
37
38
25
5
6.45%
0.81%
2.98%
3.06%
3.47%
0.69%
Help in our team dynamics
11
104
55
8.87%
8.37%
7.64%
4
5
22
79
16
53
3.23%
4.03%
1.77%
6.36%
2.22%
7.36%
How to raise support
Input (course/seminar)
18
9
144
111
96
64
14.52%
7.26%
11.59%
8.94%
13.33%
8.89%
Mutual care within my team/dept
23
133
80
18.55%
10.71%
11.11%
Other
Personal Counselling
10
6
120
54
63
48
8.06%
4.84%
9.66%
4.35%
8.75%
6.67%
Personal development
Prayer partnership on field
23
21
243
171
140
120
18.55%
16.94%
19.57%
13.77%
19.44%
16.67%
Help in processing grief/loss
Help in stress management
Reading books
8
66
25
6.45%
5.31%
3.47%
Regular accountability
Regular debriefing
18
20
200
187
107
127
14.52%
16.13%
16.10%
15.06%
14.86%
17.64%
Service of a psychologist
Someone to listen to me
32
15
239
6
201
0.00%
25.81%
1.21%
19.24%
0.83%
27.92%
9
9
0.00%
0.72%
1.25%
6
80
33
4.84%
6.44%
4.58%
Trauma care
Visiting speakers/teachers
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 80
Reasons Why They Could Possibly Resign, Compared
between Marital Statuses
Reasons for resignation
Ageing parents
Other
21
232
Never
Married
135
Married
Other
Married
Single
16.94%
18.68%
18.75%
Being single
5
1
30
4.03%
0.08%
4.17%
Conflict with co-workers
4
73
43
3.23%
5.88%
5.97%
Conflict with my agency
6
79
37
4.84%
6.36%
5.14%
Conflict with nationals
1
16
15
0.81%
1.29%
2.08%
Cultural stress
Emotional struggles
6
6
30
54
18
79
4.84%
4.84%
2.42%
4.35%
2.50%
10.97%
Family Issues
18
248
94
14.52%
19.97%
13.06%
Feeling inadequate
6
55
42
4.84%
4.43%
5.83%
Financial Pressures
25
346
205
20.16%
27.86%
28.47%
Food
0
1
3
0.00%
0.08%
0.42%
Furloughs/Home-assignments
4
25
25
3.23%
2.01%
3.47%
Having to lead others
0
8
2
0.00%
0.64%
0.28%
Health
29
257
150
23.39%
20.69%
20.83%
Homesickness
3
16
17
2.42%
1.29%
2.36%
Isolation
Lack of moral support from
home
Lack of prayer backing
5
25
34
4.03%
2.01%
4.72%
7
44
25
5.65%
3.54%
3.47%
8
45
27
6.45%
3.62%
3.75%
Lack of training
5
11
12
4.03%
0.89%
1.67%
Lack of visible positive results
5
88
35
4.03%
7.09%
4.86%
Language barrier
2
15
4
1.61%
1.21%
0.56%
Living in community
Loneliness
1
7
10
25
16
63
0.81%
5.65%
0.81%
2.01%
2.22%
8.75%
Loss and grief
3
37
29
2.42%
2.98%
4.03%
Maintaining spiritual disciplines
2
34
29
1.61%
2.74%
4.03%
Marriage
4
65
4
3.23%
5.23%
0.56%
Marrying an outsider
4
3
44
3.23%
0.24%
6.11%
My leader's leadership style
5
67
35
4.03%
5.39%
4.86%
2
20
15
1.61%
1.61%
2.08%
13
327
10
10.48%
26.33%
1.39%
Natural disasters
Needs of our children
Other
7
98
75
5.65%
7.89%
10.42%
Over-worked
Religious resistance
Security Issues in a restricted
access country
Task completed
7
1
115
11
86
5
5.65%
0.81%
9.26%
0.89%
11.94%
0.69%
7
52
40
5.65%
4.19%
5.56%
21
212
135
16.94%
17.07%
18.75%
Too old to continue
33
261
131
26.61%
21.01%
18.19%
Transition/Change
8
77
58
6.45%
6.20%
8.06%
Traumatic Happenings
Under-staffed
15
5
97
28
48
15
12.10%
4.03%
7.81%
2.25%
6.67%
2.08%
Unrealised goals
12
72
48
9.68%
5.80%
6.67%
Visa restrictions
19
132
84
15.32%
10.63%
11.67%
0.00%
0.64%
0.00%
0.00%
0.32%
0.28%
Weather
8
Writing news letters
4
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
2
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 81
Suggestions for Topics for Missionary Care Training
Compared between Marital Statuses
Building relationships
Burnout
Caring for staff from dysfunctional
backgrounds
Conflict management
16
30
184
260
Never
Married
87
144
14
117
39
Confronting in love
Contingency planning
Counselling skills
Cross-cultural living
Culture shock
Dealing with disappointments in
missions
Debriefing
Family dynamics
Furlough
Grief and loss
Home-schooling
Leadership style
Listening Skills
Living in community
Loneliness
Maintaining spiritual disciplines
Suggested Topics
Other
Married
Other (%)
Married
Single
12.90%
24.19%
14.81%
20.93%
12.08%
20.00%
66
11.29%
9.42%
9.17%
470
208
31.45%
37.84%
28.89%
16
3
28
23
35
159
24
270
274
252
103
17
166
147
130
12.90%
2.42%
22.58%
18.55%
28.23%
12.80%
1.93%
21.74%
22.06%
20.29%
14.31%
2.36%
23.06%
20.42%
18.06%
31
390
230
25.00%
31.40%
31.94%
14
4
1
5
2
10
25
9
22
20
137
165
28
35
58
129
246
107
100
233
75
33
11
24
7
78
139
75
108
124
11.29%
3.23%
0.81%
4.03%
1.61%
8.06%
20.16%
7.26%
17.74%
16.13%
11.03%
13.29%
2.25%
2.82%
4.67%
10.39%
19.81%
8.62%
8.05%
18.76%
10.42%
4.58%
1.53%
3.33%
0.97%
10.83%
19.31%
10.42%
15.00%
17.22%
Moral purity
My relationship with my sending
church
Newsletter writing
Ongoing personal development and
growth
Orientation of new staff
Personality preferences
Psychology
Singleness
Spiritual vitality
7
28
102
106
42
97
5.65%
22.58%
8.21%
8.53%
5.83%
13.47%
0
27
53
234
16
179
0.00%
21.77%
4.27%
18.84%
2.22%
24.86%
12
7
1
8
17
82
44
25
28
188
50
43
10
79
93
9.68%
5.65%
0.81%
6.45%
13.71%
6.60%
3.54%
2.01%
2.25%
15.14%
6.94%
5.97%
1.39%
10.97%
12.92%
Stress management
Suffering
Support raising
Team dynamics
Transition/change
Trauma care
26
2
52
35
14
16
290
41
344
422
112
109
144
26
241
237
73
54
20.97%
1.61%
41.94%
28.23%
11.29%
12.90%
23.35%
3.30%
27.70%
33.98%
9.02%
8.78%
20.00%
3.61%
33.47%
32.92%
10.14%
7.50%
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 82
Comparisons between Age Groups
Stressors Compared between Age Groups
Stressors
18-25
26-35
36-45
46-60
61+
18-25
26-35
36-45
46-60
61+
Financial Pressures
92
158
161
183
39
45.77%
33.47%
28.45%
27.52%
21.43%
Language barrier
19
69
83
114
47
9.45%
14.62%
14.66%
17.14%
25.82%
Over-worked
37
90
116
154
26
18.41%
19.07%
20.49%
23.16%
14.29%
5
21
50
115
8
2.49%
4.45%
8.83%
17.29%
4.40%
Under-staffed
20
37
54
90
31
9.95%
7.84%
9.54%
13.53%
17.03%
Feeling inadequate
30
56
52
69
17
14.93%
11.86%
9.19%
10.38%
9.34%
Maintaining spiritual
disciplines
Cultural stress
25
70
76
67
18
12.44%
14.83%
13.43%
10.08%
9.89%
15
68
74
75
18
7.46%
14.41%
13.07%
11.28%
9.89%
9
28
33
41
23
4.48%
5.93%
5.83%
6.17%
12.64%
Ageing parents
Unrealised goals
Conflict with co-workers
Loneliness
Needs of our children
9
54
71
65
13
4.48%
11.44%
12.54%
9.77%
7.14%
25
52
54
42
13
12.44%
11.02%
9.54%
6.32%
7.14%
5
31
68
77
17
2.49%
6.57%
12.01%
11.58%
9.34%
Other
10
34
26
41
21
4.98%
7.20%
4.59%
6.17%
11.54%
Emotional struggles
23
43
49
24
7
11.44%
9.11%
8.66%
3.61%
3.85%
My leader's leadership
style
Writing news letters
23
43
55
58
7
11.44%
9.11%
9.72%
8.72%
3.85%
23
33
41
47
16
11.44%
6.99%
7.24%
7.07%
8.79%
Being single
13
54
35
17
2
6.47%
11.44%
6.18%
2.56%
1.10%
Lack of visible positive
results
Homesickness
11
37
58
48
17
5.47%
7.84%
10.25%
7.22%
9.34%
18
18
18
12
3
8.96%
3.81%
3.18%
1.80%
1.65%
Living in community
18
34
21
23
1
8.96%
7.20%
3.71%
3.46%
0.55%
Visa restrictions
15
42
37
31
11
7.46%
8.90%
6.54%
4.66%
6.04%
Health
5
12
23
38
15
2.49%
2.54%
4.06%
5.71%
8.24%
Religious resistance
5
19
20
33
15
2.49%
4.03%
3.53%
4.96%
8.24%
Transition/Change
9
34
44
43
9
4.48%
7.20%
7.77%
6.47%
4.95%
Isolation
11
25
43
34
9
5.47%
5.30%
7.60%
5.11%
4.95%
Family Issues
10
24
34
48
11
4.98%
5.08%
6.01%
7.22%
6.04%
13
24
29
39
13
6.47%
5.08%
5.12%
5.86%
7.14%
4
8
28
31
12
1.99%
1.69%
4.95%
4.66%
6.59%
1
12
25
41
8
0.50%
2.54%
4.42%
6.17%
4.40%
Lack moral support from
home
Security Issues in a
restricted access country
Furloughs/Homeassignments
Having to lead others
7
28
23
28
8
3.48%
5.93%
4.06%
4.21%
4.40%
Traumatic Happenings
5
13
21
26
9
2.49%
2.75%
3.71%
3.91%
4.95%
Lack of prayer backing
7
14
24
18
7
3.48%
2.97%
4.24%
2.71%
3.85%
Weather
6
9
15
13
7
2.99%
1.91%
2.65%
1.95%
3.85%
Lack of training
7
10
11
8
2
3.48%
2.12%
1.94%
1.20%
1.10%
Loss and grief
1
7
19
21
4
0.50%
1.48%
3.36%
3.16%
2.20%
Conflict with my agency
2
6
12
20
4
1.00%
1.27%
2.12%
3.01%
2.20%
Marriage
2
8
12
18
2
1.00%
1.69%
2.12%
2.71%
1.10%
Food
4
6
0
0
2
1.99%
1.27%
0.00%
0.00%
1.10%
Conflict with nationals
2
4
11
13
3
1.00%
0.85%
1.94%
1.95%
1.65%
Natural disasters
1
1
2
0
2
0.50%
0.21%
0.35%
0.00%
1.10%
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 83
Reasons for Resignation Compared between Age Groups
Reasons for
Resignation
Too old to continue
Health
Financial Pressures
Task completed
Ageing parents
Needs of our children
Family Issues
Visa restrictions
Over-worked
Emotional struggles
Other
Traumatic Happenings
Loneliness
Conflict with my
agency
Isolation
Conflict with coworkers
Transition/Change
Unrealised goals
Lack of visible positive
results
Feeling inadequate
Security Issues in a
restricted access
country
My leader's leadership
style
Homesickness
Loss and grief
Marrying an outsider
Lack of prayer backing
Lack of moral support
from home
Furloughs/Homeassignments
Marriage
Cultural stress
Maintaining spiritual
disciplines
Being single
Lack of training
Under-staffed
Natural disasters
Religious resistance
Living in community
Conflict with nationals
Language barrier
Weather
Having to lead others
Writing news letters
Food
18-25
18-25
26-35
36-45
46-60
19
21
73
23
17
12
39
16
23
23
21
14
18
42
79
149
71
68
78
83
59
63
40
47
47
33
71
102
157
110
127
131
106
83
50
46
39
52
19
194
164
164
119
161
107
108
66
60
27
57
39
21
99
70
33
45
15
22
24
11
12
3
16
8
4
9.45%
10.45%
36.32%
11.44%
8.46%
5.97%
19.40%
7.96%
11.44%
11.44%
10.45%
6.97%
8.96%
8.90%
16.74%
31.57%
15.04%
14.41%
16.53%
17.58%
12.50%
13.35%
8.47%
9.96%
9.96%
6.99%
12.54%
18.02%
27.74%
19.43%
22.44%
23.14%
18.73%
14.66%
8.83%
8.13%
6.89%
9.19%
3.36%
29.17%
24.66%
24.66%
17.89%
24.21%
16.09%
16.24%
9.92%
9.02%
4.06%
8.57%
5.86%
3.16%
54.40%
38.46%
18.13%
24.73%
8.24%
12.09%
13.19%
6.04%
6.59%
1.65%
8.79%
4.40%
2.20%
9
15
33
57
8
4.48%
3.18%
5.83%
8.57%
4.40%
16
13
19
13
3
7.96%
2.75%
3.36%
1.95%
1.65%
9
27
44
34
6
4.48%
5.72%
7.77%
5.11%
3.30%
15
15
34
30
37
36
48
44
9
7
7.46%
7.46%
7.20%
6.36%
6.54%
6.36%
7.22%
6.62%
4.95%
3.85%
11
34
38
37
8
5.47%
7.20%
6.71%
5.56%
4.40%
14
31
24
25
9
6.97%
6.57%
4.24%
3.76%
4.95%
9
29
26
28
7
4.48%
6.14%
4.59%
4.21%
3.85%
10
25
27
40
5
4.98%
5.30%
4.77%
6.02%
2.75%
11
11
9
9
11
18
25
15
4
19
12
17
8
17
4
33
2
4
1
6
5.47%
5.47%
4.48%
4.48%
2.33%
3.81%
5.30%
3.18%
0.71%
3.36%
2.12%
3.00%
1.20%
2.56%
0.60%
4.96%
1.10%
2.20%
0.55%
3.30%
8
23
21
19
5
3.98%
4.87%
3.71%
2.86%
2.75%
9
14
15
13
3
4.48%
2.97%
2.65%
1.95%
1.65%
8
7
10
19
22
15
29
8
4
5
3.98%
3.48%
2.12%
4.03%
3.89%
2.65%
4.36%
1.20%
2.20%
2.75%
8
17
22
15
3
3.98%
3.60%
3.89%
2.26%
1.65%
5
6
4
2
5
4
2
18
6
9
6
2
11
4
5
1
2
2
2
10
10
16
15
1
5
8
1
2
2
2
6
14
12
9
7
15
11
2
3
2
1
1
2.49%
2.99%
1.99%
1.00%
2.49%
1.99%
1.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.50%
0.50%
0.50%
3.81%
1.27%
1.91%
1.27%
0.42%
2.33%
0.85%
1.06%
0.21%
0.42%
0.42%
0.42%
1.77%
1.77%
2.83%
2.65%
0.18%
0.88%
1.41%
0.18%
0.35%
0.35%
0.00%
0.00%
0.30%
0.90%
2.11%
1.80%
1.35%
1.05%
2.26%
1.65%
0.30%
0.45%
0.30%
0.15%
0.55%
0.00%
2.75%
1.10%
0.00%
0.00%
1.65%
2.20%
1.65%
1.10%
0.55%
0.00%
1
1
1
26-35
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
36-45
46-60
61+
5
2
3
4
3
2
1
61+
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 84
Stressors Compared between Genders
Female
Male
Female
Male
Ageing parents
Stressors
120
79
10.92%
8.00%
Being single
100
21
9.10%
2.13%
Conflict with co-workers
108
104
9.83%
10.54%
Conflict with my agency
18
26
1.64%
2.63%
Conflict with nationals
15
18
1.36%
1.82%
133
117
12.10%
11.85%
Emotional struggles
97
49
8.83%
4.96%
Family Issues
53
74
4.82%
7.50%
Feeling inadequate
144
80
13.10%
8.11%
Financial Pressures
309
324
28.12%
32.83%
8
4
0.73%
0.41%
Furloughs/Home-assignments
41
46
3.73%
4.66%
Having to lead others
48
46
4.37%
4.66%
Health
48
45
4.37%
4.56%
Homesickness
49
20
4.46%
2.03%
Isolation
Lack of moral support from
home
Lack of prayer backing
73
49
6.64%
4.96%
59
59
5.37%
5.98%
30
40
2.73%
4.05%
Lack of training
20
18
1.82%
1.82%
Cultural stress
Food
Lack of visible positive results
Language barrier
Living in community
Loneliness
96
75
8.74%
7.60%
164
168
14.92%
17.02%
74
23
6.73%
2.33%
128
58
11.65%
5.88%
Loss and grief
Maintaining spiritual
disciplines
Marriage
37
15
3.37%
1.52%
125
131
11.37%
13.27%
20
22
1.82%
2.23%
My leader's leadership style
100
86
9.10%
8.71%
4
2
0.36%
0.20%
78
120
7.10%
12.16%
231
192
21.02%
19.45%
39
44
3.55%
4.46%
Natural disasters
Needs of our children
Over-worked
Religious resistance
Traumatic Happenings
36
38
3.28%
3.85%
112
120
10.19%
12.16%
Unrealised goals
61
73
5.55%
7.40%
Visa restrictions
59
77
5.37%
7.80%
Weather
28
22
2.55%
2.23%
Writing news letters
84
76
7.64%
7.70%
Under-staffed
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 85
Top 10 Reasons for Possible Resignation
Compared between Genders
Reasons for Resignation
Ageing parents
Female
Male
263
125
Grand
Total
388
Female
Male
23.93%
12.66%
Being single
31
5
36
2.82%
0.51%
Conflict with co-workers
60
60
120
5.46%
6.08%
Conflict with my agency
53
69
122
4.82%
6.99%
Conflict with nationals
12
20
32
1.09%
2.03%
Cultural stress
28
26
54
2.55%
2.63%
82
57
139
7.46%
5.78%
169
191
360
15.38%
19.35%
Emotional struggles
Family Issues
Feeling inadequate
51
52
103
4.64%
5.27%
Financial Pressures
271
305
576
24.66%
30.90%
Food
Furloughs/Home-assignments
Having to lead others
3
1
4
0.27%
0.10%
33
21
54
3.00%
2.13%
3
7
10
0.27%
0.71%
273
163
436
24.84%
16.51%
Homesickness
22
14
36
2.00%
1.42%
Isolation
38
26
64
3.46%
2.63%
Lack of moral support from home
30
46
76
2.73%
4.66%
Lack of prayer backing
38
42
80
3.46%
4.26%
Lack of training
14
14
28
1.27%
1.42%
Lack of visible positive results
62
66
128
5.64%
6.69%
Language barrier
10
11
21
0.91%
1.11%
Living in community
21
6
27
1.91%
0.61%
Loneliness
59
36
95
5.37%
3.65%
Loss and grief
46
23
69
4.19%
2.33%
Maintaining spiritual disciplines
25
40
65
2.27%
4.05%
Marriage
25
48
73
2.27%
4.86%
Marrying an outsider
43
8
51
3.91%
0.81%
My leader's leadership style
51
56
107
4.64%
5.67%
Natural disasters
21
16
37
1.91%
1.62%
154
196
350
14.01%
19.86%
91
89
180
8.28%
9.02%
115
93
208
10.46%
9.42%
10
7
17
0.91%
0.71%
Health
Needs of our children
Other
Over-worked
Religious resistance
Security Issues in a restricted access
country
Task completed
51
48
99
4.64%
4.86%
209
159
368
19.02%
16.11%
Too old to continue
232
193
425
21.11%
19.55%
Transition/Change
75
68
143
6.82%
6.89%
Traumatic Happenings
97
63
160
8.83%
6.38%
Under-staffed
28
20
48
2.55%
2.03%
Unrealised goals
58
74
132
5.28%
7.50%
Visa restrictions
128
107
235
11.65%
10.84%
Weather
5
3
8
0.45%
0.30%
Writing news letters
1
5
6
0.09%
0.51%
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 86
C omparison of Issues betw een S outh African
Missionaries and Those of O ther Nationalities
Stressors
Stressors
Global
Financial pressures
Over-worked
Language barrier
Maintaining spiritual disciplines
Cultural stress
Under-staffed
Feeling inadequate
Conflict with co-workers
Lack of visible positive results
Visa restrictions
Writing news letters
Emotional struggles
Ageing parents
Needs of our children
Loneliness
My leader's leadership style
Unrealised goals
Family Issues
Isolation
Being single
Lack of moral support from home
Living in community
Having to lead others
Health
Furloughs/Home-assignments
Religious resistance
Traumatic Happenings
Lack of prayer backing
Homesickness
Loss and grief
Weather
Conflict with my agency
Marriage
Lack of training
Conflict with nationals
Food
Natural disasters
29.51%
19.78%
15.80%
12.40%
11.93%
11.09%
11.09%
10.26%
7.95%
5.97%
7.85%
6.91%
9.84%
9.47%
9.11%
9.11%
6.80%
6.12%
5.60%
6.02%
5.29%
4.55%
4.66%
4.50%
4.40%
3.77%
3.77%
3.19%
3.35%
2.41%
2.30%
1.99%
2.15%
1.83%
1.62%
0.63%
0.31%
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
South
Africa
39.43%
25.71%
17.14%
10.86%
12.57%
11.43%
6.86%
9.14%
10.86%
12.57%
5.71%
8.00%
6.29%
9.71%
6.86%
6.86%
2.29%
5.71%
8.57%
3.43%
9.71%
5.71%
2.86%
4.00%
1.71%
6.29%
1.14%
5.14%
2.86%
3.43%
3.43%
3.43%
0.57%
1.71%
1.14%
0.00%
0.00%
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Refreshers of South African Missionaries Compared with
Those from Other Nationalities
Refreshers
Friendship with co-worker(s)
Global
29.30%
South Africans
19.43%
My wife/husband/children
26.79%
21.71%
Friendship with nationals
22.55%
19.43%
Attended a conference
11.56%
9.71%
Reading books
9.63%
13.14%
Field visit by family/friends
8.90%
10.86%
Personal studies
8.32%
12.57%
Moral support from home
9.05%
7.43%
Corporate worship
8.90%
8.57%
A caring leader
8.32%
8.57%
Spiritual vitality
Mutual care within my
team/department
Prayer partnership on field
7.54%
7.43%
6.44%
8.00%
5.29%
5.71%
Local church on field
5.08%
4.57%
Personal development
4.87%
5.71%
Other
4.50%
4.57%
Field visit by sending church
2.83%
6.86%
Input (course/seminar)
3.19%
2.86%
Regularly kept accountable
2.93%
3.43%
Personal Counselling
2.62%
4.00%
Visiting teachers/speakers
2.46%
3.43%
Field visit by a Member Care worker
1.47%
4.00%
Service of a psychologist
0.89%
0.57%
Help in conflict resolution
0.63%
0.57%
Trauma care
0.52%
0.00%
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
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P age 88
Care Wanted from Agency – South African Missionaries
Compared with Those from Other Nationalities
Care Wanted from Agency – South Africans
Compared with Other Nationalities
Someone to listen to me
Global
South Africa
22.19%
27.43%
Fitting my gifting to my role
20.93%
14.86%
Personal development
19.15%
22.86%
Friendships with co-workers
19.78%
14.86%
Regular debriefing
15.96%
16.57%
Regular accountability
15.49%
16.57%
Prayer partnership on field
14.70%
17.71%
How to raise support
12.51%
10.86%
Mutual care within my team/department
11.25%
12.00%
Help in leading others better
11.30%
7.43%
Field visit by Member care worker(s)
9.42%
11.43%
Corporate worship
8.90%
10.86%
Corporate intercession for individual needs
7.74%
10.86%
Input (course/seminar)
8.74%
9.71%
Help in our team dynamics
8.27%
6.86%
Other
9.31%
8.57%
Help for burnout
7.95%
7.43%
Help in stress management
6.70%
5.14%
Visiting speakers/teachers
5.70%
5.71%
Personal Counselling
5.18%
5.14%
Help in conflict resolution
4.87%
6.29%
Reading books
4.76%
4.57%
Help for our/my children
4.40%
7.43%
Help in newsletter writing
3.35%
3.43%
Help for our marriage
2.67%
2.29%
Help in our family dynamics
2.09%
2.29%
Help in processing grief/loss
1.99%
2.29%
Service of a psychologist
0.94%
1.71%
Trauma care
0.78%
1.71%
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
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P age 89
Financial Income Category Comparisons
Financial Income Categories Compared across Age Groups
Age Group
0-60%
61-100%
101%+
18-25
26-35
36-45
46-60
61+
5.37%
9.44%
8.82%
9.20%
1.77%
3.50%
9.44%
15.00%
17.50%
4.75%
0.77%
3.74%
3.31%
5.18%
2.21%
Grand
Total
9.64%
22.63%
27.13%
31.88%
8.72%
Financial Income Compared across Marital Statuses
Row Labels
0-60%
61101%+
100%
1.15%
1.34%
0.53%
Divorced
Grand
Total
3.02%
Engaged
Married
0.43%
17.55%
0.48%
32.55%
0.19%
9.44%
1.10%
59.54%
Never Married
Separated
14.77%
0.29%
15.24%
0.10%
4.51%
0.10%
34.52%
0.48%
0.43%
0.48%
0.43%
1.34%
Widowed
Comparing Income Categories with
Present Length of Service in Missions
Financial
Support/
Years in
Service
1 Year
2 Years
3-5 Years
6-9 Years
10-15 Years
16-20 Years
21+ Years
0-60%
61-100%
134
76
133
128
123
59
69
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
90
68
176
185
225
111
192
101%+
44
31
51
61
60
25
45
Grand
Total
268
175
360
374
408
195
306
0-60%
50.00%
43.43%
36.94%
34.22%
30.15%
30.26%
22.55%
61-100%
33.58%
38.86%
48.89%
49.47%
55.15%
56.92%
62.75%
101%+
16.42%
17.71%
14.17%
16.31%
14.71%
12.82%
14.71%
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P age 90
Comparing Present Financial Income Categories with Number of Years
Willing to Remain in Ministry If All Resources were Available
Number of Years
Willing to Remain
(Percentage of Each
Income Group Total)
Resources Currently Available
0-60%
61-100%
101%+
None
1 Year
8.31%
2.35%
4.20%
2.20%
3.79%
5.36%
2 Years
3-5 Years
3.05%
10.94%
2.58%
10.51%
3.79%
13.88%
6-10 Years
11+ Years
12.05%
63.30%
19.01%
61.51%
16.09%
57.10%
Financial Income Categories Compared with Emotions about Missions
Emotion
0-60%
61-100%
101%+
Excited about the future
Don't want to do anything
else
Fulfilled
28.81%
26.55%
21.77%
18.28%
22.35%
28.39%
15.24%
25.21%
24.29%
Happy
Satisfied
21.19%
13.71%
22.83%
18.34%
24.61%
17.03%
No regrets
Stressed
16.62%
12.74%
16.05%
13.47%
12.93%
10.41%
Adapting well
Just OK (surviving)
9.00%
11.91%
8.31%
9.46%
12.62%
9.78%
Worried about my future
Fitting in very well
Uncertain if I want to
continue
Fantastic
Burnt out
10.25%
6.79%
6.88%
7.16%
5.05%
7.89%
6.37%
5.73%
4.73%
2.77%
3.60%
1.91%
2.87%
4.42%
2.52%
Energetic
Awkward
2.49%
1.39%
1.91%
2.29%
2.84%
0.95%
Don't want to continue
Not fitting in
0.83%
1.11%
0.57%
1.43%
2.21%
0.00%
Unhappy
Hate being in missions
1.11%
0.14%
0.57%
0.29%
1.26%
0.32%
Horrible
0.00%
0.10%
0.00%
© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com
P age 91
S tressors C ompared Betw een P ositiv e and Negativ e
Emotions among P articipants
Positive Emotions
Em otions groupe d toge the r:
Adapting we ll
Don't want to do anything e lse
Ene rge tic
Ex cite d about the future
Fantastic
Fitting in ve ry we ll
Fulfille d
Happy
No re gre ts
Satisfie d
5 Top Stressors of Those Who Felt
Positive about Missions
Financial Pressures
Over-worked
Maintaining spiritual disciplines
Family Issues
Ageing parents
Percentage
22.86%
19.41%
6.07%
6.00%
5.62%
Stressors Compared among those who Marked Negative
Emotions about Being in Missions
Em otions groupe d toge the r:
Awk ward
Burnt out
Don't want to continue
Hate be ing in m issions
Horrible
Not fitting in
Stre sse d
Unhappy
5 Top Stressors of those
Who Felt Negative about
Missions
Over-worked
Financial Pressures
Isolation
Conflict with co-workers
Maintaining spiritual disciplines
Percentage
23.53%
18.38%
8.46%
7.35%
4.78%
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© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
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P age 92
Resources Used in This Chapter
1
International Journal of Frontier Missions: Member Care, Volume 12, Number 4, OctDe c 1995, n.p.
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© Copyright 2014, BrendanBosches
www.thrivingmember.com