Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

One of the recent developments in the care of missionary personnel has been the formation of regional inter-agency member-care affiliations (RIMAs). These groups help to identify and develop needed resources (e.g., team building workshops, crisis care networks, attrition research) on behalf of mission personnel in a specific region (e.g., West Africa, South Asia, German-speaking Europe). RIMAs reflect the growing cooperative efforts within both the international health care and mission communities. This article explores several characteristics of these strategic new affiliations, offers suggestions for their formation and maintenance, and includes some personal reflections from the author. Helpful concepts from the field of community psychology are also discussed, such as identifying groups or areas at risk and empowering missionaries and member care personnel with additional skills.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Adler

(1991). International dimensions of organizational behavior (2nd ed.). Boston: PWS-Kent.

APA Office of International Affairs. (1998). International snapshots. Psychology International, 9(3), 10.

Barrett

(1997). Annual statistical table on global mission: 1997. International Bulletin of Missionary Research, 21, 24–25.

Brierly

(1997). Missionary attrition: The ReMAP research report. In Taylor

(Ed.), Too valuable to lose: Exploring the causes and cures of missionary attrition (pp. 85–104). Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library.

Collins

, & Porras

(1994). Built to last: Successful habits of visionary companies. New York: Harper Business.

Fowler

(1998, May). Sample psychology's international flavor. APA Monitor, p. 3.

Heller

(1990). Limitations and barriers to citizen participation. Community Psychologist, 2, 11–12.

Katzenbach

, & Smith

(1993). The wisdom of teams: Creating the high-performance organization. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

Koster

(1994). Knights of the tele-round table: Third millennium leadership. New York: Warner Books.

10.

O'Donnell

(1986). Community psychology and unreached peoples: Applications to needs and resource assessment. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 14, 213–224.

11.

O'Donnell

(1992). An agenda for member care in frontier missions. International Journal of Frontier Missions, 9, 107–112.

12.

O'Donnell

(1997). Member care in missions: Global perspectives and future directions. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 25, 143–154.

13.

O'Donnell

, & O'Donnell

(1992). Perspectives on member care in missions. In O'Donnell

(Ed.), Missionary Care: Counting the cost for world evangelization (pp. 10–23). Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library.

14.

Pawlik

, & d'Ydewalle

(1996). Psychology and the global commons: Perspectives of international psychology. American Psychologist, 51, 488–495.

15.

People in Aid. (1997). Code of best practice in the management and support of aid personnel. London: Overseas Development Institute.

16.

Pollock

(1997). Developing a flow of care. Interact, 7, 1–6.

17.

Richardson

(1988). Teaching Nigerian psychiatry in Nigeria. Paper presented at the annual Mental Health and Missions Conference, Angola, IN.

18.

Ritschard

(1992). The member care consultation. In O'Donnell

(Ed.), Missionary care: Counting the cost for world evangelization (pp. 345–356). Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library.

19.

Sarason

(1972). The creation of settings and the future societies. San Francisco: Josey-Bass.

20.

Taylor

(1995). Lessons from partnerships. Evangelical Missions Quarterly, 31, 406–415.

21.

Taylor

(Ed.). (1997). Too valuable to lose: Exploring the causes and cures of missionary attrition. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library.

22.

Wilcox

(1998). Development of regional networks. In Bowers

(Ed.), Raising resilient MKs: Resources for caregivers, parents, and teachers (pp. 456–464). Colorado Springs, CO: ACSI.

23.

Zaman

(1998). The adaptation of western psychotherapeutic methods to Muslim societies: The case of Pakistan. World Psychology, 3, 65–88.

Developing Member Care Affiliations: Personal Reflections and Community Psychology Contributions

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References