Stories from the Field, Tues, Jan 07, 2025
Speaker: Mr Ashley Tee
It is a sad fact that a significant number of missionaries leave the field earlier than planned. The reasons for this are many, and some are unavoidable. However, can the incidence of this attrition be reduced? More importantly, what can be done to support missionaries to resolve the hurts and trauma they inevitably experience?
Ps Ashley began by presenting some statistics of missionary attrition. On average, about 60% to 80% of missionaries return within the first two years. The reason could be conflicts within teams, the needs of elderly parents back home, illness, burnout, persecution, financial needs, visa issues, children’s education, etc.
This attrition is extremely costly in terms of the physical and emotional impact on the missionaries who return prematurely, and also because these missionaries leave the field before they have reached their greatest “fruit-bearing” years. It is therefore vitally important to address and understand the challenges they face, and provide care and support for them on the field, and also after they return.
Ps Ashley shared a 7-pillar model (acronym THRIVES) for missionary retention which he developed after interviewing 28 missionaries. These missionaries had collectively served in more than a dozen countries and averaged more than 5 years in the field. |  |
Training – Missionaries will be stressed if they are not adequately prepared for cross-cultural living and teamwork, conflict management, church planting, etc. He told a story of a western missionary who invited a local Muslim friend to his house for a meal, but insisted on serving pork, not realising that it was a serious religious matter, not just a matter of preference!
Healthy teams – A missionary’s “team” also includes other stakeholders such as the mission agency, sending church, local believers and churches, etc. Sometimes, cross-cultural assumptions and misunderstandings can cause friction. For example, he told of a western colleague who beckoned using a single finger (acceptable in his country), which Asians consider insulting! Teams should follow established protocols and Biblical principles to resolve any conflicts.
Resources – Missionaries will find it hard focus on their work if they are uncertain whether their needs will be met. The support, especially financial, must be both consistent and sufficient.
Instruction (Ministry support) – Once on the field, missionaries should, as far as possible, be given training and advice from those who have experience in the place or ministry that they are entering. They should not have to go through trial and error if there are others who can share best practices and tips, or suffer the consequences of avoidable errors.
Vision – Missionaries who are sure they have a call or burden for the ministry will have a strong reason for staying despite challenges. Although having a vision is not sufficient to prevent attrition, every missionary who stays will have a vision.
Emotional support – Missionaries need caring relationships both with their field team as well as with supporters. He told of a missionary who took her own life, not because of any one major event, but because of an accumulation of many stresses and difficulties.
Spiritual formation (maturity) – Missionaries who are more spiritually mature will be able to discern God’s guidance when they face challenges. He told of a missionary who had been cheated by a landlord and was strongly tempted to break a window in retaliation, but he heard the voice of God restraining him. If he had retaliated, that could have been the end of his ministry!
Member care personnel and supporters can refer to these 7 pillars so that they can provide the right kind of support for missionaries to help them be healthy and fruitful in their ministry.
Prayer items:
Pray for God’s guidance and wisdom to care for and support the teams.
Pray for protection for their teams in difficult areas such as Ukraine, Sudan, and the Middle East.
Pray for one of their area member care providers who is undergoing cancer treatment.
About the speaker:
Mr Ashley Tee was born in Malaysia and became a Christian while studying in Singapore. He served with the Operation Mobilization (OM) ship ministry (1997–99), in pastoral ministry in Singapore (2003–2005), and in pioneering work in South Asia (2006–2016).
He has a Bachelor’s degree in Theology, a Master’s degrees in Pastoral Counselling and Global Leadership, and a Doctorate in Missiology. He is married with three children. He is the founder of 3CMSpace (Chinese Cross-Cultural Missionaries Space). This is a virtual missions platform which supports Chinese-speaking missionaries in East Asia with relevant resources and practical help.
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