EQUIPPED FOR MISSIONS

Recommendations

I love the practicality of this book! It helps missionaries and their teams getting a much better understanding of what it involves emotionally and spiritually to go overseas, and it provides practical tools for selfcare. The book is full of helpful insights, questions, diagrams and testimonies. Missionaries reading this will feel understood and empowered in their struggles. Every missions organization, sending church and home front team should get a hold of this book!

Jaap Korving, MA, Missions director with The Navigators Netherlands

Corry Nap is internationally merited because of the psychological assessment for mission workers she has developed. In our view, the book gives very good insights and guidelines and we consider it essential reading for new candidates. During their first meeting with MAF Netherlands, potential candidates are receiving a copy of this book. I have read a considerable amount of the documentation for mission preparation, but I have not yet come across an equivalent of this book in the English language. Highly recommended!

Reina Folkerts, Human Resources Manager for Mission Aviation Fellowship Netherlands

This book is extremely comprehensive and an in depth resource for those serving in other cultures on multicultural teams. Each of the rules of thumb are important topics that need to be covered to help a cross cultural mission worker thrive. I highly recommend this book because it is so very practical in its topics but also for example through all its worksheets. I wish I had had this book in my early days of working cross culturally.

Adriënne Strengholt, MA, Member Care/Staff Care, Member Care and TCK Care advisor Interserve

I had lived and worked abroad with a family for fourteen years and only then I read the book Equipped for Missions and I felt I would have wanted to know all the information and all the exercises that are in the book before and while we were in the field. What a shame we missed the insights that Corry shares.

Annemieke van Stek, MA, Intercultural Coach from All Nations Christian College

Corry and I have talked about having an English translation of her Dutch book Uitgezonden several times. I have found the Dutch book helpful in working, both in The Netherlands and in global contexts, with missionaries and with staff in mission organization, HR/Personnel workers in particular. The book breathes a deep desire for the care and well-being of missionaries. In reading you feel Corry’s experience from being on the mission field herself, her professionalism as a psychologist and from her Dutch and global network in the area of missionary care and well-being. The information in the book is easy to read and to work with and will help the mission workers to evaluate where they are and where they see a need for further growth. It will also help organizations evaluate and promote the well-being of the people for whom they are responsible, and can easily be used in an organizational care and well-being plan. I have looked for a similar book in English but haven’t found it.

Helma Rem, MA, Member Care, Personnel Consultant, Wycliffe Global Alliance Europe

If you want to stay resilient in missions nowadays you have to read this book that Corry Nap wrote. I highly recommend this book to the international community. It is a good resource and practical guide in your missionary journey.

Samuël Bekx, HR Recruiter with Trans World Radio Europe and CAMENA

The book Equipped for Missions has been a wonderful and rich resource for all OMF candidates and workers sent out from The Netherlands over the last decade! First developed as the ten rules of thump at the celebration of 10 years of Membercare NL, this has become a wonderful and diverse tool that each of our new workers received at the start of their candidate journey. It is both rich as well as very practical and easy to access. Receiving this right after their psychological assessment, this has proved a very helpful resource. This is also a book that needs to be reread when on the field. A book for the whole journey, from candidate to re-entry phase. I know of no other resource so practical, so I am very happy that this is finally available in English for wide distribution. Having worked together with Corry over 35 years, first in Nepal and then in the development of Membercare NL and beyond, I can say she speaks from a very rich background and experience. I trust and pray this will be a rich resource for many global workers!

Margreet Korstanje, MA, Membercare, Candidate Coordinator and Member Care Coordinator OMF NL

Equipped for Missions

TEN TOOLS FOR HEALTHY CROSS-CULTURAL LIVING AND WORKING

Corry Nap-van Dalen

Ekklesia

ISBN 978 90 75569 926
Copyright © 2022 Ekklesia (print and electronic)
www.ekklesia.nl

All rights reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher. Originally published in Dutch as Uitgezonden: 10 vuistregels voor missionair werkers (Ekklesia, 2011). This work is a translation of the revised edition published in 2021 by Ekklesia.

Translated into English by David Esmeijer.
Text design: ePubStudio.
Cover design: Anderson Productions and ePubStudio.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Good News Translation at biblegateway.com. Every effort has been made by the author and publisher to provide citations and the work of others used in this book with the name of the original author and the title of the original publication. Where required by law or courtesy, every effort has been made to receive permission to use their material from the copyright holders. If anyone feels they have not been given sufficient recognition and credits, please let the publisher know.

The author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the external website addresses included in this book are correct and up to date at the time of going to press. They are not responsible for the content, quality or continuing accessibility of the sites.

Why every mission worker should have and use this book (1)

The Dutch edition of Corry Nap’s book Uitgezonden has been of great value to me personally as well as professionally.

Mission organizations are increasingly committed to actively supporting the wellbeing of mission workers. However, the lack of well-being among mission workers (caused by stress, being ill-equipped for their job, having little organizational support, etcetera) is still an urgent issue. The field of member care is much more established than it was 30 years ago, with many member care agencies and training opportunities in place. There is agreement about the need for member care, but it appears that a comprehensive understanding of the factors supporting mission workers’ well-being, and correlating good practice in member care, are often lacking. As a consequence, many mission agencies “reinvent the wheel” and develop their own resources and practices, with varying degrees of success. It is so exciting to me that Corry Nap’s book is now available in English because it addresses exactly the issues I described.

In a very accessible way, the author lists ten tools that support the effectiveness and balanced lifestyle of mission workers. The first chapter of Corry’s book, about the value of having a sense of calling, fascinated me straight away, as I observed the impact of different theologies around this topic on worker well-being. In the next chapters too, I was caught by the very engaging and pragmatic way in which the reader is steered towards self-reflection and active pursuit of practices that support well-being. Topics include the development of close relationships, organizing a support network, regular self-reflection, building a strong team, requiring a clear job description, balancing work and relaxation, and many other everyday missionary issues.

I have been working as a member care practitioner in Asia and completed my MA in the Member Care program, offered by Redcliffe College in the UK (currently offered by All Nations Christian College). At the moment, I am involved with the promotion and professionalization of member care practices in my organization, and I am developing a training program for member care workers. The member care needs I observe are at times overwhelming to me. In the literature I have read, those needs were confirmed, but a clear and practical approach to member care was less well described. Corry’s book is refreshingly different and covers highly informative topics.

I used the outline of Equipped for Missions / Uitgezonden to develop an orientation program for new field workers, and I have returned to it many times as I was looking for ways to support workers well. To make the book accessible for colleagues, I made English summaries of the chapters. From now on I will be able to give them the full book!

Equipped for Missions is a rich resource for promoting mission workers’ well-being. This is especially relevant for mission workers who do not have access to in-person member care due to remote work locations or lack of such services. I cannot emphasize enough how valuable it will be for the international member care community to have access to this book.

I am looking forward to sharing this English version of the book with my non-Dutch colleagues.

D. de V., M.A.
Strategic Leader of Staff Care
Global HR, SIL International

Why every mission worker should have and use this book (2)

Two months before writing these words, I received a message from Corry’s husband asking if I knew anyone who could look over the English translation of her book. Our families had lived in Nepal at about the same time and though we crossed paths, we were not well acquainted. A shared meal in their Okhaldhunga home when we took a holiday in the village. The husbands working in Thapathali later on. Attending the same church in Patan for several months before our family left to return to the United States. I was surprised and intrigued to hear from them now. And though I am not a writer, I know I am an adequate proofreader and editor. My reply--Of course, I would love to take on the task!

There are excellent chapters on calling, preparation, maintaining vibrant spiritual growth, the balance of personal and professional demands, evaluating one’s strengths and challenges, learning the give-and-take of working as a team when co-workers are from different backgrounds and cultures, the absolute necessity of a strong support network and having people who will listen when you pour out your heart, and tackling the hard work of re-entry into one’s original home culture (especially when your adopted culture feels more like home than your passport country). The previous introduction, describes why this book is essential for mission workers and their sending organizations.

More importantly to me is that Corry has written the book I needed in 1987 when I was plunged into a dark place of depression as a young missionary wife and mother in Kathmandu. Mental health care for mission workers in our circles was in its infancy and hope for help was on the horizon, but I did not know then where to turn, did not know who I could talk to, and did not know how to ask for rescue. God brought me through that time and I grew and healed, but how I wish I had had the information, resources, support, and encouragement outlined in Equipped for Missions: Ten Tools for Healthy Cross-Cultural Living and Working.

I have had to learn through hard experience that if I am ever feeling desperate, depressed, lonely, sad, ignored, or      (fill in the blank) then there are probably many people around feeling the same things – and no one is talking. When God leads, I have become one who speaks out and who listens, one who opens the door of connection 12 and communication, so that others will know it is safe to share if they wish to. In these pages, Corry lays out essential tools for living, working, and thriving in cross-cultural work and ministry opportunities. She reminds us we are safe in God’s care and in a spiritually healthy community of those who love and serve Him.

Wanda Lee Garrett Watkins, Seattle, Washington, USA
Former missionary to Nepal

How this book came about

At a young age, I was already engaged in missions. Above my bed hung a photograph of a cute dark-skinned child in some faraway country. I dreamed of being a missionary and loved to listen to stories of missionaries on furlough. Mission work looked so romantic.

In 1981 my husband and I were sent to Nepal, where we served with the United Mis- sion to Nepal until 1993. I home-schooled our children and was active in the local church. Those were very enriching years, during which I learned a lot about what drives, sustains, or burns out missionaries.

After returning to The Netherlands, I got my Master of Science in psychology. Over the years I have grown as a missionary psychologist. I studied scientific books and articles, consulted with scholars and professionals of missionary psychology, did empiricalresearchmyselfincollaborationwith Dutchuniversities, andprovidedpsycho- logical help to missionaries and mission organizations. From the year 2000 onwards, I have been working as a missionary psychologist in a group practice called InTransit (www.intransit.nl/en). I am also one of the founders of Member Care Netherlands and have participated in developing member care in my country. Again, I learned a lot about the very practical, psychological, and spiritual needs of mission workers. I was frequently challenged to find answers to these needs and to develop useful tools for everyday life in missions.

The romantic picture of the mission worker’s life had long since disappeared, and I had not found all the answers, but my passion for the Sender and for equipping those who are sent deepened, and I wanted to help mission workers to become aware of and discuss the common themes of everyday mission life. So, I decided to write a book and share what I had learned, hoping and praying that it would better equip mission workers for their often-demanding tasks in difficult circumstances. The book, called Uitgezonden, was published in Dutch in 2011 and revised in 2021. It has been widely embraced by nearly every mission organization, both national and international, in The Netherlands. They have made sure that their workers study and apply it before as well as during their time abroad in a foreign culture. Many pleaded that I make my book available to the worldwide mission community. Consequently, the book you now hold in your hands or read on your screen is the English translation of Uitgezonden.

On my life journey, in my work as a missionary in Nepal and as a missionary psychologist, I have gained much knowledge and wisdom from others. I am very grateful for that. As much as I have been able to verify, I have listed the original au- thors and sources.

When finalizing the English translation of the book, I asked some former colleagues from my time in Nepal to proofread the manuscript and give suggestions for improve- ment. It was heartwarming to receive so many positive responses. Thank you, Elaine, Helen, Karen, Kerry, Sharon, Tara, Paul, and Phillipa. A special word of thanks goes to Wanda, who helped me greatly with the editing. Working with Bert Bakker of publishing house Ekklesia was a pleasure. Without him, this book would not have been published.

I am also thankful for the many colleagues and friends who helped to shape me as a person and as a professional. The ones who have influenced me the most, and therefore this book, are my children and grandchildren, and above all my husband Tjerk, with whom I have been sharing my life and experiences since I was seventeen. You are God’s gift to me.

Amersfoort, The Netherlands, July 2022
Corry Nap-van Dalen

How this book can be used

Doing mission work abroad is often challenging and difficult. What can you, a mission worker that is sent out, do to keep a balanced life? Drawing on their experience and knowledge, a group of member care workers and leaders of mission organizations formulated ten tools thattheywantedtosharewitheverymissionworker. Whatchallenges do mission workers encounter, what hinders them in doing their assignment, and what do they need to function effectively? This book examines the ten tools, develops them further, and applies them to the everyday life of mission workers.

This book has been written for mission workers who are already abroad and for candidates who are preparing for mission. If you studied it before going to the field, you are advised to read it again once you have been on the field for some time and have encountered the realities of missionary life. If you have been on the field for a long time already, and never read it before, you may find that it helps you to give words to your experiences. The purpose of this book is to encourage and motivate you. The book also contains a lot of information. I hope that you use it for self-reflection and that it will give you something to hold on to.

How you read and use the book is up to you. You can read it from front to back in one go. You can also decide to read the topics that are most relevant to you now. Each chap- ter stands on its own and can be read independently of the others. There are reflection questions and assignments, recognizable by a ∆. They are clearly and directly formu- lated for concrete and practical application. But every person and every situation is unique. So perhaps not every assignment will match your situation at that moment. If so, feel free to skip it. Or modify it to make it useful to you.

You will get the most benefit from this book if you take your time, read it bit by bit, let the words and ideas sink in, carefully reflect on the questions, complete the assign- ments, pray about the topics, and talk to others about it. And, of course, if you are inspired to improve yourself and to take steps to change.

Boxed texts are supplementary or illustrative, and not part of the ongoing text. At the end of every chapter, there are specific tips that have proven their practical value in the lives of many mission workers. Do not attempt to try all the tips at once. Small, concrete steps are the best guarantee for long-lasting change. You may also encounter things in this book that do not apply to you or your situation at all. If so, just leave them.

The book is suitable for individual use but is even more valuable if you discuss the topics with others. A few assignments specifically ask you to involve others. You can use parts of the book to open up difficult topics of discussion with team members and with the people back home. Very personal topics can be discussed with a good friend, a mentor, or a pastoral worker. The more you work through the book with others, the more fruit it will bear.

There are open spaces in the book that you can use for the assignments. Worksheets are found at the end of each respective chapter. If you prefer not to write in the book, you could use a notebook. You are allowed to copy the worksheets for your personal use.

This book is also recommended reading for sending churches, mission organizations, support groups, and family members of the mission worker. They can read the book alone or together, and talk about it. They can exchange ideas and thoughts with the mission worker. It will allow them to gain more understanding of “their” mission worker’s situation far away in a foreign country. It will undoubtedly deepen and clarify communication between the mission worker and the people in the home country.

In this book, we use the term “missionary” and “mission worker” in a broad sense. Missionaries and mission workers are those who, inspired by their Christian faith, work in a cross-cultural environment and are committed to doing evangelistic work, developmental work, humanitarian aid, church planting, education, and so on.

Uncited case studies and illustrations are fictitious. However, they are based on the daily practice and reality of missionary life and are representative of real-life events.

Tool #1

You know that you are called by God. You have a clear vision and an open mind.

Visionaries

William Carey, Hudson Taylor, Isobel Kuhn, Hendrik Kraemer, Gladys Aylward, Lesslie Newbigin, and Johannes Verkuyl are famous names from mission history. If there is one thing that all these people had in common, it would be a clear vision of mission. It was a vision that helped them persevere through opposition and suffering, and a vision that throughout the centuries still inspires people today to develop their own motivation for mission work.

Vision

What do these types of visions look like? Let’s look at a few examples.

The vision of Hudson Taylor is found in the statutes of the China Inland Mission, which he founded in 1865:

“The China Inland Mission was formed under a deep sense of China’s pressing need […]. Its aim is, by the help of GOD, to bring the Chinese to a saving knowledge of the love of GOD in CHRIST […].”¹

Raymond Fung, a mission worker from Hong Kong, was inspired by Isaiah 65:20-23. This is known as the Isaiah-vision:

Babies will no longer die in infancy, and all people will live out their life span. Those who live to be a hundred will be considered young. To die before that would be a sign that I had punished them. People will build houses and get to live in them—they will not be used by someone else. They will plant vineyards and enjoy the wine—it will not be drunk by others. Like trees, my people will live long lives. They will fully enjoy the things that they have worked for. The work they do will be successful, and their children will not meet with disaster. I will bless them and their descendants for all time to come.²

The Missionary Aviation Fellowship proclaims on its website:

“Our Purpose: Serving together to bring help, hope, and healing through aviation. Our Vision: To see isolated people changed by the love of Christ.”³

According to their website, Tearfund’s call over the last fifty years has been:

“To follow our biblical mandate and see people lifted out of material and spiritual poverty.”⁴

Lesslie Newbigin⁵ was a famous theologian and missiologist who spent a large part of his life in India as a missionary. In his address Mission in Christ’s Way at the synod of the Church of South India, he describes an experience that symbolizes for him the church’s mission. He leaves early in the morning for his mission work before the sun has risen. He walks in a westerly direction while there is no light in the sky. Along the way, he meets a group of people that are heading the other way. Their faces have a faint glow of light. He stops and asks them: “Where does this light come from?” The people reply: “Turn around, and look toward the east.” Turning, he realizes that the light on their faces is the faint reflection of the light of the new day. These people do not own the light, it is given to them. The church consists of people who set themselves apart from the majority and go in a different direction. They do not look from life to death, but from death to life. They receive the first rays of light of the new day. It is this light that is the witness.

You have a clear vision

It is no coincidence that the emphasis of this tool is placed on vision. A fruitful mission is based on a clear vision, a vision founded on the purpose that God has for this world. Your vision is what you are going for, what appeals to you, what you want to see come true, what you see as an image of the future, and what you dream of. (“I have a dream…” Martin Luther King). Visionaries do not immediately ask what is necessary to realize their vision; that will come later. First, they will become absorbed, inspired, and motivated by the vision of the future. This vision then sets them in motion, it draws them towards itself. Such a vision is not dependent on circumstances, trifles of the day, or personal experiences. Nor does it depend on ability or effort. That is why the vision stands strong when confronted with opposition and adversity.
A vision can be more or less detailed and more or less concrete. John’s vision on the island of Patmos entails the renewal of heaven and earth. Hudson Taylor had a vision for China. The vision of MAF focuses on isolated peoples who are only accessible by plane. The visions can also fit into each other, from large to small. You may envision a new heaven and new earth, and within that, your mission organization’s vision may focus on a specific country, in which your personal vision might be to show God’s presence to people on your street. Another example is the vision of Wycliffe Bible Translators: “That everyone can read God’s word in his or her own language.” This can encompass a personal vision of singing and dancing people with the Bible in their native Arammba language.

The vision of God’s kingdom breaking through everywhere gave us an incredible amount of energy and fulfillment during our twelve years in Nepal. That is what we did it for. We knew we were called by God. By firmly holding on to this vision we were able to persevere, even during times of threats, misunderstandings, illness, and other inconveniences.

From the memoirs of a mission worker

Vision development

How do you obtain a clear vision? Do you make it yourself? Do you receive it? Do you get it from the Bible? Do you pluck it out of the air in a spare moment? The visions cited above were undoubtedly the result of a long process, a process of many years, influenced by experiences and God’s Word, and where ideas were exchanged with other people. These were processes where the eyes were open to what was happening in the world, and ears were open to what God had to say. A process whereby the awareness grew of who God is and what His answers are to the needs of humanity. Eventually, a mature vision was written down. That did not mean that this vision was forever set in stone. Ten years earlier it could not have been formulated so concisely. Ten years later, under a deepened awareness of God and influenced by life experience, it would have been formulated differently. In the same way, your vision does not need to be complete. However, it is expected that mission workers are aware of the vision which motivates their work, however unfinished this vision is.

Δ   On Patmos, John received a multitude of visions from heaven. Various artists have tried to depict these visions. Look for examples. You may look at Anneke Kaai’s website and see how she did it: https://www.annekekaai.nl

Δ   What does your vision for your mission task look like? Try to imagine and describe or depict that vision.

Δ   If you are not (yet) able to express a clear vision, then you have some serious work ahead of you. Try to be inspired by others and talk about it with them. You can also do the exercises on worksheet 1.1.

You know that you are called

In the time leading up to mission work, the question must have arisen as to whether you know that you are called, and if this calling has been tested. Calling is related to vision. You can be called to do mission work, implement a change, or attain a certain goal. In other words, you are called to make a vision a reality. Calling can be very broadly interpreted: every Christian is called to be salt and light in this world. Calling can also focus on a more specific task. For example, you know that you are called to translate the Bible to the Arammba language in Papua New Guinea.

A specific calling comes from God. It is a secret between Him and you. It is often difficult to explain to others. At the same time, a calling does not circumvent the church of Christ. It is the calling of the church to proclaim the Gospel. Therefore, your personal calling needs to be embedded within the calling of the church. It is within the church that it needs to be discussed and tested. A calling also fits with who you are and what you are able to do: your personality, life experience, vocational training and history, knowledge, and skills. The people to whom you are called should expect you to be qualified and equipped for the work you do.

Characteristics of a specific personal calling⁶

There is an inner conviction that God is calling.

The called one is willing to have his or her calling tested by others.

The calling is confirmed by the church.

The calling is long-lasting and is confirmed over and over again.

The calling is centered around Christ and not around the called person.

The calling is aimed at the proclamation of the Gospel in word and deed.

The called one is willing to take full responsibility for the duties of his or her calling.

The called one is willing to make sacrifices to accomplish the task.

The called one has the experience, knowledge, and skills necessary to perform the specific task.

There are no insurmountable mental, physical, psychological, financial, or practical obstacles that impede the calling.

Am I really called?

Mission workers sometimes experience periods when they struggle with their calling.
“Everything I touch falls apart. Am I called to stay?”
“The local church would prefer that we leave. Should I persevere?”
“We were certain that God called us to Indonesia, but after three years of waiting we still do not have a visa.”
“I spent a month in Cambodia, fell ill, repatriated, and then could not return. Did I misunderstand my calling?”
“I am where I belong, but there is no proper education for my teenage daughter. What should we do?”

There are no simple answers to these questions. You can talk about them with others, your church, and God. Sometimes there will be a clear answer, and sometimes not. We profess and believe that our calling comes from God, but circumstances can make it impossible to fulfill that calling. We can then hang on to our vision because a vision goes above our own ability and the limitations of the situation and beyond the specific calling. Vision has to do with what God has in mind, and nothing or no one can stop Him. It may be better to refer to it as “God’s vision” rather than “my vision.” It may mean going against the grain. It may also mean that your vision has to take shape through a different specific calling.

“I will continue, despite all the adversity. I believe the light will shine through.”
“Maybe it is time the local church can realize their vision without our help, and our calling is elsewhere.”
“We cannot go to Indonesia. But our vision for Muslims to learn about Jesus remains. We are considering a different country.”
“I cannot go back to Cambodia. My love for the people and country remains, and I pray daily that the people of Cambodia may experience God’s love.”

More questions concerning vision and the family situation will be addressed in chapter 3.

Δ   Is your current task (still) focused on realizing your vision? If yes, in what way? If not, ask yourself what you could change. If you want to change something, what would be the first step?

Δ   Are you (still) convinced that God has called you for this specific task? If so, what makes you believe this? If not, discuss it with God and your church or others.

Δ   Has the situation changed to the extent that you may have to reconsider your calling? Take some time to think about this.

Dare to live

This is what it’s like in the Kingdom of God. A rich man went on a long journey. He gathered his employees and instructed them to manage his talents for him. To the first, he gave five of his talents. To the second, he gave two. And to the third person, he gave one talent. The first immediately started working with the five talents and earned much. The second did the same. But the third wondered how his boss would want him to use the talent, for he had received no instructions. He wrote a letter to the boss but received no reply. He talked with the others, but they gave so much advice that he could not decide which one to listen to. He even read thick books about it but found no solution to his problem. When the boss finally returned, this man had done nothing with his talent.
The boss called all his employees together. The first showed him what he had achieved with the five talents. “Well done,” the boss praised him. “You may be my partner.” The second man, who was given charge of two talents, similarly gave his report. He was also praised and became a partner. Then the third man came.
“Boss,” he said, “I haven’t done anything with your talent, because you did not tell me what to do with it. I wrote you about it but got no response. I know you have high standards and demand the absolute best. I feared doing something wrong and did not want to disappoint you. I did not want to do anything until I was certain of the plan you had in mind for me and the talent.”
The boss was furious. “What were you thinking? Who do you think I am? A slave driver who whips you when you make a misstep? Do you really believe I want you to live like that? I gave you the talent to do something with. You were free to do it your way, but you wasted your time worrying.”

A free interpretation of a parable told by Jesus⁷

Missio Dei

The statement “you have a clear vision” can be interpreted in an individualistic way, something like “you, with your vision and your methods which will affect your reality.” This is not how it is meant. The priority is to recognize what God wants with this world, and what His vision is for us people. As His workers, we are primarily subjects of His vision. We are part of the Kingdom that God has in mind. If we experience something of God’s vision, it will capture us and not only ourselves but many others who have been inspired by the same vision.

The book of Acts clearly shows that the Holy Spirit gives the vision for mission work not to one single individual but to the church. In an individualistic culture, with its emphasis on the individual rather than the group, it is important to be explicitly reminded of this. A valid personal vision is always embedded within the larger vision of the body of Christ as a whole. This gives you a humble role, not as the great leader in the center, but as a single member of a larger church that spans all ages and places, a church of which Christ is the center, a church that has been commissioned to carry out the vision of God’s Kingdom in the world.

Within this worldwide church, vision is expressed with different words and images. This makes it so much richer because every expression contributes a little to the overwhelming vastness of the vision. The Bible also presents the vision in different ways. Only by putting the different words and images together do we gain a better understanding of what God’s Kingdom will look like. That does not mean that we need to water down our vision so that everyone will agree with it. We can fully stand for our vision, while at the same time have an open mind and be enriched by how others express their vision, especially if we are crossing borders and doing mission work in a foreign culture. Together with local believers and churches, we can look for words and images that express the joint vision of the future for which we hope. Such an exercise can break through boundaries and give us a taste of the vision in Revelation 7:9-10:

After this, I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

To work together effectively within a mission organization, there must be a shared vision. And it is important to make sure – ideally before you go abroad that your vision and the visions of all those involved indeed do fit together.

How can we align?

Perhaps you will discover that the different visions do not (completely) match. That is not a reason to panic. It is also not a reason to stay silent but to try to start a dialogue. Listen carefully to those partners you talk with. Try to understand them, keep asking questions, and summarize what you think they are trying to say. Then state your own position clearly. Sharing with clarity, honesty, and vulnerability allows the visions to be cultivated, enriched, and strengthened by each other.

Try to keep cultural differences in mind. The Dutch love dialectics: pose a premise and then discuss it vigorously, not shying away from critical questions and direct comments. Americans tend to collect different arguments and then propose their conclusion. In non-Western cultures the process may work differently: people wrap their perspectives in stories that are shared until a joint narrative and shared vision emerge.

In the post-colonial era, the incarnation has become an important model for cross-cultural missionary presence. Though this model improves on Eurocentric and colonial models, it is deficient because it is unrealistic, potentially paternalistic, inappropriate in the light of globalization and post-modern understandings of culture, and because it doesn’t sufficiently respect the particularity of the incarnation of Christ. We propose an alternative model of the role of the cross-cultural missionary as a guest and argue that this is more appropriate on precisely these counts.

Berdine and Benno van den Toorn⁸

Δ   What is the vision of your mission organization and church? Does that vision align with your vision? If not, do you want to discuss it with the organization or church?

Δ   In many areas where mission work takes place there is already a local church. What vision does the local church have for mission work? Does your vision align with that of the local church? Have a conversation about it.

Δ   If you work with a local partner, do you know what their vision is? Do you know the vision of your counterpart and your colleagues? What opportunities do you have to talk about it together?

Being openminded

A mission worker recounts:

My boss has a very strong vision: in ten years, there will be no more street children in our city. To achieve this, he works day and night. He buys houses, recruits employees, signs contracts with government bodies and various agencies, organizes awareness campaigns, hires media managers, and so on. We are also dragged into this. Initially, I was amazed and admired him for both his vision and drive. Over time, however, I was getting tired and started questioning the feasibility of this work. I wonder if what he aims to achieve is realistic. I no longer share this dream with him. We cannot have a calm conversation about it. If I propose to optimize the programs we already have instead of starting a new one, he acts as if I am a traitor. He blames me for not having enough faith.

What has gone wrong here? People with a strong vision often achieve a lot. The vision provides the direction, strengthens their motivation, and gives them a lot of energy. But there are pitfalls as well. They are accused of treating it as their private project. They are not open to the voices of others. They like their own ideas best. They can be fanatical and want too much progress at once. People with a strong vision can be annoyed by those who let things take their course, settle for small successes, listen too long, or pay too much attention to details. If you are a person with a strong vision, make the extra effort to stay in conversation with others and with God. Keep listening, and allow yourself to heed other opinions. As long as people with conflicting ideas stay in dialogue, something good can come out of it. Also, remember that it is God’s work (Missio Dei) and not yours. Respect people with a different view or opinion.

Together

Let us dream together pray together work together
build together a world of peace and justice
for everyone

Bring all our hands together to change the world
all our hands together to pull the weeds
all our hands together to share the joy

To persevere to laugh and smile amid aggression
To be happy to hope to love without being afraid
that is the grace of God

Look at your hands and see the touch and tenderness
Look at your feet and see the path and the direction
Look at your heart and see the fire and love
This is the world of God
and we will serve Him here

Words from Guatemala⁹

Breaking off the partnership

Sometimes you will conclude that the opinions differ too much to continue working together. Breaking off a partnership is no small thing. It is often preceded by a lot of struggles, and afterward, you are still not simply done with it.

From an email exchange with a mission worker:

Unfortunately, we have to inform you that we will be stopping our mission work in Uganda. There is a difference in vision between us and the local organization. We have discussed much and tried to get on the same page. Ultimately, the difference in vision has so many consequences on the daily practicalities of our work that it is no longer possible to continue. Our contract has been terminated. Together with our mission organization, we have tried to keep an open mind to solutions, but without result. It is not a nice farewell. We had imagined it very differently when we started two years ago. All sorts of emotions boil up inside of us: anger that the dream has fallen to pieces, shame because we have failed (at least that is how it feels), guilt because we perhaps could have done more, sadness for the loss of people we have come to love, and worry about our future.

To work through a process like this will take a lot of time and energy. You will need other people to help you with it, people who will listen and sympathize, people who will think with you and pray for you. Eventually, you will get to a point where you will ask: what was my original vision again? And you will start looking for new opportunities to express the vision and calling that God has given you in a new mission.

Insights from scientific research

Organizations that prioritize that visions and goals are shared and understood by everyone are less likely to have mission workers return early compared to organizations that do not focus on this.
Rob Hay, Valerie Lim, Detlef Blöcher, Jaap Ketelaar, Sarah Hay (2007), Worth Keeping. Global Perspectives on Best Practice in Missionary Retention. Pasadena, California: William Carey Library.

A strong motivation seems to aid mission workers to persevere despite disappointments.
D. Meijer (2012). Master thesis, unpublished. Psychisch welbevinden in een gemotiveerde missie. Amsterdam: Vrije Universiteit.

Dissatisfaction with their role is significantly related to mission workers’ measured anxiety and depression. Hence it is suggested to pay close attention to expectations regarding the work before workers are sent, the willingness of the host nation to receive the workers, and the balance between the calling of the worker and the practical tasks they will perform.
M.A. Strand, L.M. Pinkston, A.I. Chen, J.W. Richardson (2015). Mental Health of Cross-Cultural Healthcare Missionaries. Journal of Psychology & Theology. Volume 43.

A calling can be a blessing because it provides a clear focus on the purpose of the work. However, the thorny, dangerous, and sometimes even destructive side effects of unhealthy zeal can become a curse. Therefore, reflection on one’s conceptualization of calling, openness to others, and time for relaxation is needed to stay on course.
Mark van Vuuren (2017). Called To Do Meaningful Work: A Blessing or a Curse? Christian Higher Education 2017, VOL. 16, NOS. 1–2, 47–54

Tips to keep your vision alive

Openly share your vision with various parties: team members, colleagues, local churches and their partners, mission organizations, family, and friends. This chapter can help you do that. Read it with those involved and discuss the relevant questions.

Express your vision in a drawing or painting, or find a photo that depicts your vision. Hang it above your bed.

Find or make a song that gives words to your vision and sing it often.

Read biographies of mission workers with a vision.

Write out a Bible text which inspires and motivates you, and put it somewhere you see it again and again.

Evaluate regularly (alone or with others) to what extent your actions are guided by your vision. Does what I do match my vision, or am I distracted too much?

Align your vision with your future plans. What fits with the vision, and what should I say no to?

Lord Jesus Christ,
alive and at large in the world,
help me to follow and find you there today,
in the places where I work,
meet people,
spend money,
and make plans.
Take me as a disciple of your Kingdom,
to see through your eyes,
and hear the questions you are asking,
to welcome all men with your trust and truth,
and to change the things that contradict God’s love
by the power of the cross
and the freedom of your spirit. Amen.

John V. Taylor¹⁰