RTIM REVIEW
Caring Well
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FROM OUR PRESIDENT
Have you ever watched a baseball game behind home plate? I remember the first time I sat there at a Toronto Blue Jays game. At one point, the ball zipped past the catcher and hit the backstop. I couldn’t help but flinch. But the ball never hit me. A bit embarrassed at my reaction, I chuckled with my friend who sat beside me. Why didn’t the ball get to us? Well, there’s a backstop between the catcher and the fans to ensure the ball doesn’t leave the field of play.
You might be asking, “Ryan, what on earth does that have to do with missions?” Well, as we’ve navigated the terrain of church-centered missions, seeking to be church-first in how we care for our missionaries, we’ve come to see the local church as the catcher and Member Care personnel as the backstop. We don’t expect a baseball to regularly get past the catcher, but when it does, it is good for all involved that there’s a second line of defense. Likewise, local churches are best placed to provide the first layer of care for missionaries. All of our missionaries are working to plant and strengthen churches, and there are various degrees of care that can be provided by their local churches in the field. Most often, the local church that sent the missionary is best positioned relationally (both closeness and length of relationship) to care for him. But there are times when local churches need a second line of defense behind them. That’s how I like to think of our Member Care personnel at Reaching & Teaching.
We never want to minimize the role of the local church. But we also want to ensure that we’re there to serve our missionaries and the local churches
they have been sent from (and who ultimately retain our services to send them). It would be fair to estimate that the team at Reaching & Teaching has over a thousand calls with missionaries and member care teams per year. Between field check-ins, sending church check-ins, and pre- and postdeployment conversations, there are many opportunities to stand in the gap for those we serve.
Over the last few years, our team has been blessed to learn about biblical soul care from my friend, Jeremy Pierre. Jeremy is the dean of the Billy Graham School at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and an elder at one of our sending church partners here in Louisville, Kentucky. He has been instrumental in helping us set the course for what church-centered member care looks like, and I’m incredibly thankful to him for his labor among us. But Jeremy would also be the first to tell you that having the best church-centered member care policies is not enough. A missions agency will still fail to deliver a church-first level of care if their member care personnel don’t love the local churches they serve. Every day, our Member Care team’s ecclesiological muscles must flex in each conversation.
I’m thankful for each person on our Member Care team, from Jamie Haguewood, who started working in Member Care just prior to me starting in my role as president, to the recent additions of Stuart and Lisa Bell, who now live close to those they care for in Asia. Every one of the 10 Member Care personnel at Reaching & Teaching seeks to glorify the Lord by caring for the missionaries entrusted to our care
by their sending churches. I might be personally biased toward this team because my dad, Gerry, serves on the Member Care teams in Europe and Central Asia. After watching my dad care for hundreds of men through local church ministry throughout my lifetime, I now get to observe him care for our men in a couple of regions. That’s a special providence for which I’m very thankful.
I’ve learned so much from each of our Member Care team, and I hope you do too. Pastors who are reading this – these brothers and sisters long to serve your churches, your elders, and your sent-out missionaries. I know they’d love to hear from you. Discuss with them how you can best work together to honor the Lord in caring for those who have given their lives to make Christ known to the ends of the earth! For those of you who aren’t pastoring local churches but are prayerfully and financially supporting missionaries sent through Reaching & Teaching, I pray you’re also encouraged by the thoughtful articles in this issue. Thank you for your partnership in the gospel!
Sincerely,
Ryan Robertson
A missions agency will still fail to deliver a church-first level of care if their member care personnel don’t love the local churches they serve. “
RYAN ROBERTSON
President
Ryan Robertson serves as the President of Reaching & Teaching. Robertson has previously served in executive leadership positions for public companies and other non-profit organizations and has been a board member of several different charities. In 2014, he obtained his CPA from the State of Massachusetts. Robertson is currently enrolled in the Doctor of Missiology program at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Ryan and his wife Erin have three children and are members of Third Avenue Baptist Church in Louisville, KY, where Ryan serves as an elder.
“
Our Member Care team works within our philosophy of church-centered missions. Their efforts ultimately promote healthy global workers; strong gospel partnerships; and well-informed, deeply involved sending churches.
MEMBER CARE INTRO
Matt Bennett Director of Long-term Ministry
Missionaries are amazing people. However, missionaries are still people. This means that even on the front lines of ministry, they often find themselves in need of community, counsel, and care. Recognizing this, most missions organizations include an aspect of member care.
While member care is common language used to describe those who are dedicated to supporting missionaries, their work isn’t always the same from one agency to the next. In this edition of the RTIM Review, we are eager to share how our Member Care team works within our philosophy of church-centered missions. Their efforts ultimately promote healthy global workers; strong gospel partnerships; and well-informed, deeply involved sending churches.
In this issue you’ll get a taste of the type of care that missionaries need, how we work with churches to provide that care,
and ways that RTIM Member Care works in partnership with regional leaders and sending churches to support global workers.
If you are a church leader, we hope this issue serves you as you think about what care missionaries need at every stage of their ministry. Hopefully, as we describe our philosophy in this issue, you will see how we are intentionally deferring to sending churches even in these efforts of care and support. We want our church-centered missions commitment to shape every aspect of our ministry. That includes our member care.
The following articles explain how member care is built on healthy relationships. First, it’s built on relationships with sending churches. Second, it’s built on proactive relationships between our Member Care team and our regional leaders. And third, it’s built on proactively building relationships between Member Care
personnel and global workers as they begin their application, continue with onboarding, and eventually live on the field.
Changing subjects for a moment, one article that deserves a bit of additional attention is the article on suffering and the missionary life. Missionaries often face unique kinds of hardship. We hope that this article helps sending churches serve their sent ones in seasons of suffering.
With no further ado, I am glad to conclude this introduction and let you move on to the articles written by our Member Care team. May they encourage your heart, stoke the fires of your prayer life, and strengthen your care for those you’ve sent to the nations.
All to the glory of the one who is worthy.
CARING WELL BEFORE THEY GO
TH & KH
Member Care Associates - Asia
Missionary care doesn’t begin when missionaries reach the field. It starts once the church has identified a candidate, which can be years before they choose a sending agency and move overseas. This article will consider a few practices that sending churches might consider as they care for those they are preparing to send out.
BEFORE THEY GO, FORM A CARE TEAM
Strong missionary care starts with the local church. One useful step that we’ve seen is when churches form a dedicated care team, sometimes called a ropeholder team. This group of church members supports the missionary candidate spiritually, emotionally, and practically.
As Ryan Martin explains in Holding the Rope: How the Local Church Can Care for Its Sent Ones, “Churches should strive to provide intentional,
meaningful care at every stage and give of themselves selflessly and sacrificially so their sent ones can be equipped to participate in their Great Commission call.”1
The care team isn’t just a support system — it’s a bridge that keeps missionaries tied closely to their sending church, even from afar.
BEFORE THEY GO, PRIORITIZE CONSISTENT PRAYER
One of the most valuable ways for a congregation to link arms with a missionary is through fervent prayer. Prayer both communicates love for your missionary and reminds the church to pray for the gospel to reach all tribes and tongues.
We should pray for our missionaries during our Sunday gatherings, small groups, and prayer meetings. Every prayer is a tangible demonstration of our corporate commitment, reminding the congregation of their role in sending and sustaining global workers.
Prayer is not just a formality — it’s essential fuel for missions.
BEFORE THEY GO, PLAN A COMMISSIONING SERVICE
Sending a missionary is both joyful and bittersweet. A commissioning service provides an opportunity for the church to affirm both the calling of the goers and the responsibilities of the senders.
One sending church sent an associate pastor to the mission field. During their farewell commissioning service, the congregation laid hands on the family and commissioned them to gospel work in a new land. These acts underscore the weight and beauty of the missionary task.
BEFORE THEY GO, CONNECT CHURCH AND AGENCY CARE
Close collaboration between the sending church and the sending agency is key to holistic missionary care. At RTIM, we introduce our Member Care team to a missionary candidate in the first interview. This early engagement normalizes care rhythms long before deployment.
The purpose of our Member Care team is to facilitate proactive and responsive
One of the most valuable ways for a congregation to link arms with a missionary is through fervent prayer. “
A healthy missionary care structure involves three interwoven relationships: the local church, the sending church, and the sending agency.
crisis response but proactive soul care. The biblical example of Tychicus guides our philosophy. He encouraged hearts and shared the welfare of others (Eph 6:21-22; Col 4:7-8).
A healthy missionary care structure involves three interwoven relationships: the local church, the sending church, and the sending agency. When these three entities communicate and collaborate well, the missionary is held by a cord that, as Ecclesiastes 4:12 reminds us, “is not easily broken” (CSB).
matters. Missionaries don’t go alone. With thoughtful, intentional care, they are far more likely to endure and flourish on the field.
1 - Ryan Martin, Holding the Rope: How the Local Church Can Care for Its Sent Ones (Church Works Media, 2015), 67. soul care for each missionary. However, it must always function in coordination with the sending church and, eventually, the receiving church. The goal is for each missionary to cultivate spiritual vitality that extends a missionary’s service. A healthy spiritual life will enable missionaries to respond faithfully to the complexities and troubles they will face.
Our Member Care team’s core objective is to know and encourage the hearts of our missionaries. The goal is not just
Missionary care starts long before a plane ticket is purchased. It begins when a church commits to walk the road of preparation alongside a prospective missionary. From forming care teams and organizing prayer to coordinating with agencies and planning commissioning services, every step along the way
CARING WELL ON THE FIELD
Stuart Bell
Member Care Associate - Asia
During the planning stages of his second missionary journey, after the monumental settlement of the Jerusalem Council, Paul approached his mission partner Barnabas with a simple goal: “‘Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are’” (Acts 15:36 ESV).
Of course, what follows is difficult to read: these two champions of the gospel broke fellowship with one another.1 But despite this painful interpersonal conflict, by God’s grace, the aim of Paul’s second missionary journey was met with the power of God, causing the
gospel to spread from Asia to Europe.2 Interestingly, this same aim of caring for the spiritual well-being of established churches and their leadership also seems to have motivated Paul in his third missionary journey. Luke records that Paul returned to Antioch, his sending church, at the conclusion of his second journey. Then after “spending some time there, he departed and went from one place to the next through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples” (Acts 18:23). This third missionary effort, driven by Paul’s sincere desire to care for the churches, resulted in the planting of the important Ephesian church which in turn seems to have been instrumental in the establishment of multiple churches throughout Asia (see Revelation 2 and 3).
Ministry is hard. Church planting is difficult. Missions is formidable. In light of the inherent challenges of cross-
cultural missions, Reaching & Teaching appreciates the value of seeing how they are. That’s the goal of the Member Care team: to strengthen faithful missionaries to overcome struggles, navigate conflict, and continue in the work.
At the same time, RTIM knows its place. In Paul’s ministry, his sending church was the gathering of believers in Syrian Antioch. This faithful church commissioned him, prayed for him, and welcomed his reports at the conclusion of each missions endeavor. Priority of care must be given to the church. When possible, receiving churches in the field will also share this responsibility. Member Care simply serves as one point of connection in this valued partnership between sending and receiving churches.
RTIM Member Care workers are tasked with these four ministry aims:
1 - Preventative Care
Member Care encourages global workers to continue in the spiritual disciplines of Bible intake, prayer, and worship. In the busyness of ministry, it’s possible to forget these basic disciplines. Perhaps we think that more can be done with hard work and good planning. In truth, Jesus made it plain that apart from abiding in Christ no eternal work can be accomplished. Member Care associates encourage RTIM workers in the faith even as they are inspired by their faith and courage in forsaking what’s comfortable to proclaim the gospel to the nations.
2 - Restorative Care
Being in regular contact with global workers prior to a crisis gives an opportunity to serve during a crisis. Member Care workers provide support during those inevitable times of ministry challenge. They offer words of counsel, biblical insight, good resources, and coordination with subject-matter experts, including counselors and pastors. The aim is to see global workers return to effective ministry after times of challenge or stress.
3 - Church-Centric Support
Under RTIM regional leaders, Member Care associates partner with sending churches to ensure the spiritual health and general well-being of our global workers. This church-centered approach to missions is in keeping with the New Testament model of churches like Antioch sending out the first missionaries, Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:1-3).
4 - Relational Engagement
Through trusting relationships, Member Care associates encourage global workers to guard against discouragement and burnout in ministry. Regular check-ins and prayer times, as well as in-person field visits, establish deep relationships that make room for honest conversations. Simply having a trusted friend, ready to listen, often relieves the pressures that can discourage and debilitate workers in the field.
Caring well for missionaries on the field is a shared responsibility among the sending church, the receiving church,
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and the missions organization. But the goal for every party is the same: “that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored” (2 Thess 3:1).
1 - Amazingly, Luke persists in detailing the weaknesses and humanity of the first believers and churches. That contributes to the veracity of the New Testament. Who writes about the flaws of a movement if it is not true? Such honesty highlights the beauty of the gospel that restores relationships, especially with the holy God.
2 - In Paul’s later writings, we read about his apparent reconciliation with Barnabas and John Mark. See Paul’s validation and affirmation of both of these good men in 1 Corinthians 9:5-6, Colossians 4:10, and 2 Timothy 4:11.
HOW THE WHOLE CHURCH CAN CARE WELL
Kevin Ivy
Member Care Associate - MENA
2 - Prioritize Sending
Reaching & Teaching seeks to come alongside local churches to send missionaries around the globe to make mature disciples, establish healthy churches, and train local leaders. RTIM depends upon the local church to identify, develop, and send out these missionaries. But the church’s responsibility does not end with sending. The church must continue to provide ongoing care to those they sent out.
RTIM’s Member Care team longs for local churches to serve missionaries well. At minimum, local churches should make four commitments to missionaries on the field. Though not exhaustive, it’s my hope that these commitments will encourage missionaries and inspire churches to be a blessing to them.
1 - Understand Biblical Missiology
Understanding missions is not only important for seminary professors and authors. The local church, as both the means and the goal of missions, must embrace a biblical missiology. In its simplest form, missions is cross-cultural gospel proclamation, disciple-making, and leadership training with the goal of establishing a healthy, biblical church. Churches who are clear about this will ensure unity of purpose which will encourage their missionaries to stand firm in their convictions, even if they feel like they are standing alone.
Churches must work as hard to send out as they do to bring in. In Acts 13, the church at Antioch sent out two of their very best: Paul and Barnabas. Antioch understood the mission of God and faithfully sent. But how does sending more missionaries show care for existing ones? Recently, one of our missionaries shared that the best way I can care for her is to send more workers to join her team. Sending missionaries is the church’s responsibility, and it’s another powerful way to serve those on the field.
3 - Support Sacrificially
As he prepared to travel to India, William Carey told Andrew Fuller and the missions society, “I will go down into the pit if you will hold the ropes.” If someone uses a rope to descend into a pit, the weight at the bottom of the rope will be equal to the weight at the top. Could this mean that the weight of our support for missionaries should be similar to the weight of their sacrifice in going? If we aren’t sacrificially giving and praying, can we really say we are holding the rope?
Numerous families are willing to leave the comfort of home for foreign soil. And yet they are still not on the field because they need support. John wrote concerning gospel laborers, “You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth” (3 John 6-8 NASB). We can support such
workers by praying and giving in a way that equals the sacrifice of their going.
4 - Care about missionaries more than football
A missionary was home for the Christmas holidays after several years of serving a difficult people group in North Africa. His father-in-law asked him after their meal to share what he had encountered and accomplished over the last several years on the field. The missionary began to share his experiences, but moments into his report, he noticed his father-in-law slowly turn his head back toward the television where his favorite SEC football team was playing. The missionary said he learned a valuable lesson that Christmas: some people care more about football than missionaries.
Missionaries often feel alone and unappreciated. We can show them we care by actually reading their newsletters, providing a listening ear, visiting them on the field when appropriate, and establishing a rope-holder team that is in regular communication with them and in prayer for them. Those are just a few examples of how we can show them we care about them and their work more than football.
How can your church care for missionaries well? The list of possibilities is endless. But at a minimum: understand the mission, prioritize sending more missionaries, sacrificially pray and give, and care deeply. Churches who care well for their missionaries make sending agencies more effective, the labors of missionaries a little lighter, and the joy of churches that much fuller.
Why You Should Come
Whether you are considering long-term missions or want to mobilize your church, our Preview Day is a great place to start! What you can expect from the day:
Grow in a biblical understanding of missions
Discover RTIM’S DNA
Connect with like-minded Christians
Learn how you can partner with us
Atlanta, GA
Monday, September 15, 2025
Mount Vernon Baptist Church
Boston, MA
Friday, October 10, 2025
Tremont Temple Baptist Church
Chicago, IL
Monday, October 27, 2025
Brainard Avenue Baptist Church
Fort Worth, TX
January 22, 2026
Trinity River Baptist Church
Celina, TX
January 23, 2026
The Trails Church
Time: 8am - 5pm
Price per Individual: $50
CARING WELL FOR KIDS ON THE FIELD
Lisa Brock Member Care Associate - Europe & Central Asia
God has brought many families through the remarkable adventure of cross-cultural ministry. These families can be a vital source of guidance for parents wondering how to care for their children in the midst of transition and even upheaval.
Over the years, I’ve heard four similar pieces of counsel: prepare them, shepherd them, protect them, and involve them.
PREPARE THEM
Missionary families move around a lot. As a result, children must be flexible. This constant adaptation can lead to confusion about identity and sometimes a deep sense of loss. It’s helpful for children to identify what they are feeling and develop healthy strategies for processing their emotions.
There are unique challenges of being third culture kids. David Pollock and Ruth E. Van Reken, who pioneered the vocabulary around TCKs, emphasize that children need the anchors of family, place, and community. These anchors act as mirrors that help children discern who they really are.1 This is especially true when they are very young. For TCKs, these anchors and mirrors change as their environment changes. That’s why it’s so important to prepare them to understand and adapt to these shifting foundations.
One important way to care well for children on the field is to teach them these unchanging truths:
• If we repent of our sins and put our trust in Jesus Christ as our only Savior, then he is our anchor who defines who we are (Heb 6:16-20).
• We are adopted sons and daughters of God through Christ, so our family in the truest sense of the word is the body of Christ (John 1:12; I John 3:1-2).
• The earth and this life are temporary and fleeting. Our permanent home and place are in heaven (2 Cor 4:18; Phil 3:20; 1 Pet 1:4).
• Our community identity is ultimately found with the citizens of heaven (Acts 2:42-47; Eph 2:1922).
• The word of God is the mirror that helps us see how God defines us and gives us purpose and meaning (Jas 1:23-25).
It’s important for parents and children alike to embrace these truths as they keep a heavenly perspective amid this earthly journey.
As you prepare your kids for transition, put yourselves in their shoes as the changes come fast and furious. Tell them about the new families they will be going to church with. Dream with them about their new bedroom. Imagine what it will be like to be in their new school. Help them face their fears with you. Think through a plan for what to do when they feel afraid of the unknown.
SHEPHERD THEM
Children also need to be shepherded through the changes they will face. Jeremey Pierre’s book The Dynamic Heart provides a helpful structure for communicating with children living cross-culturally: read, reflect, relate, and renew.
Read: Care for your children by paying close attention to their behavior.2 This is especially important with TCKs because they may not realize what’s happening as they experience transitions. Consider these questions: Which circumstances appear to be most significant? How do they respond, particularly during transition? What seems to define their identity? Where do they turn when those foundations are lost?
Reflect: Care for your children by helping them understand their responses biblically.3 What is motivating them? Is it an unbiblical desire? Are they constructing a false picture of themselves or their circumstances? What do they need to see more clearly about their understanding of God and their disposition toward him?
Relate: Care for their souls by pointing them to Jesus.4 Gently help them see that only faith in Christ will give them a right outlook on their circumstances (Phil 4:4-13). Show them that they can only love others when they receive Christ’s love by faith (I John 4:7-21). Teach them that those who put their trust in Jesus find their identity through their union with Christ by faith (Rom 6:5-11). That never changes, no matter where they live! If they belong to the family of God, they are always accepted
in God’s presence because of Christ, even when they feel like they don’t fit in. This is good news for believing children and a great evangelistic opportunity for those who haven’t yet believed.
Renew: Show love and care for your children by calling them to godly responses. This involves helping them understand what active faith truly looks like:
• Steady action that flows from a heart that trusts God’s wisdom over their own preferences, even in flawed circumstances (1 Thess 5:18).
• Loving others instead of fearing or using them (Rom 13:8-10).
• Dying to self and living to Christ (Gal 2:20).
• Seeking God more than anything in life (Heb 11:6, 13-16).5
PROTECT THEM
In addition to tending to their hearts and minds, safeguard your children in the field by ensuring their physical protection. Instruct them about what
to eat and what needs to be washed first. Teach them what the road signs mean and how the traffic patterns may be different from what they’re used to. Help them understand what’s expected when they walk into a shop or pass an open market.
As parents, you must be students of social norms both for yourselves and your children. Pay close attention to how local children interact with one another. Be careful to warn your children that the way they interact with people in the U.S. may be very different. Find out some of those differences before you move. If possible, practice them at home before taking the children to church or to a dinner in someone’s home. This prepares the children and also protects them from miscommunicating or offending others.
Another form of protection are the daily structures of your home life. Children thrive with routine, especially amid frequent transitions. Fighting for those routines when you first land in your new
home might not seem necessary, but it’s well worth it.
INVOLVE THEM
Finally, commit to involving your kids in the work God has given you. Though this must be done with great care and discernment, when children are kept from participating in serving others, it may rob them of seeing God’s work in the church. Don’t force them to do things they are not comfortable doing. But give them the opportunity to help their dad while he sets up the chairs for the service. Or have them pull weeds for the elderly member who can’t kneel down anymore. These opportunities teach them self-sacrifice and widen their view of the church. This affirms that what you are doing has deep purpose and eternal benefit to the lives of others.
Children are truly a gift from the Lord (Ps 127:3). May you fervently pray for your children. May you prepare them, shepherd them, protect them, and involve them in the life of your ministry. May your children see the glory of Christ through your lives, and may they be drawn to follow him.
1 - Pollock, David C., and Ruth E. Van Reken. Third Culture Kids: Growing up Among Worlds. 2nd ed. Nicholas Brealey America, 2009.
2 - Jeremy Pierre, The Dynamic Heart in Daily Life: Connecting Christ to Human Experience (New Growth Press, 2016), 183.
3 - Pierre, The Dynamic, 194.
4 - Pierre, The Dynamic, 209.
5 - Pierre, The Dynamic, 224.
SUFFERING ON THE FIELD
Jamie Haguewood
Member Care Associate – Latin America & Sub-Saharan Africa
Missions and suffering are deeply intertwined, as the call to missions often leads believers into trials that test their faith and resilience. This article explores the biblical, historical, and practical dimensions of suffering in the context of missionary work, offering encouragement and tools for perseverance.
A MISSIONARY’S TESTIMONY OF SUFFERING
During my early travels with Reaching & Teaching (RTIM) as a global trainer of pastors, I met a missionary couple who had served in a remote village for 30 years. They had mastered the indigenous language and earned the respect of the local people. While visiting their home, the husband showed me the village cemetery and quietly pointed to a small grave, saying, “That’s where we buried our two-yearold.” That moment underscored the profound personal cost of their mission, illustrating how suffering and missions often go hand in hand.
BIBLICAL FOUNDATIONS OF SUFFERING
Scripture provides a framework for understanding suffering in missions. The Apostle Paul, no stranger to hardship, writes in 2 Corinthians 1:6, “If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation” (ESV). Paul’s words reveal that missionary’s suffering is not in vain; it serves as a testimony to the
gospel and draws others to Christ. A missionary’s trials signal to the world to pay attention to the message they carry, echoing Christ’s own suffering for the salvation of the elect.
Key passages such as Acts 7:57-60, 2 Corinthians 1:4-6, Colossians 1:24, and Revelation 2:8-11 offer insight into the purpose and power of suffering. These texts encourage believers to view trials as opportunities to share in Christ’s sufferings and to trust in God’s redemptive plan.
LESSONS FROM CHURCH HISTORY
Church history is replete with examples of believers who endured great suffering. Figures like Polycarp, William Tyndale, and David Brainerd faced immense challenges yet remained steadfast in their calling. Brainerd’s life, in particular, offers a vivid portrait of missionary hardship:
Physical Suffering: Brainerd battled tuberculosis, enduring pain, hunger, and exposure while ministering to Native Americans. Despite coughing up blood and facing harsh conditions, he pressed on until illness forced him to stop in late 1746.
Emotional and Spiritual Struggles: Orphaned at age 14, Brainerd wrestled with loneliness, depression, and discouragement. His diary reveals moments of despair, yet his passion for holiness and for the salvation of those he was trying to reach sustained him.
Missionary Challenges: Brainerd faced cultural alienation, language barriers, and hostility. Nevertheless, his perseverance among the Delaware Indians bore fruit.
Brainerd’s life exemplifies resilience, showing how God uses those who endure suffering to advance his kingdom.
PRACTICAL TOOLS FOR RESILIENCE: THE J-CURVE
In The J-Curve: Dying and Rising with Jesus in Everyday Life, 1 Paul E. Miller offers a practical framework for navigating suffering. The J-Curve reflects the pattern of Jesus’ life: descent into suffering and death, followed by resurrection and exaltation (Philippians 2:5-11).
This trajectory applies not only to the Christian life as a whole but also to daily experiences of hardship. By embracing this pattern, missionaries can find meaning in their trials, trusting that God will bring resurrection life from their suffering.
Miller’s framework equips believers to face challenges with resilience, viewing each trial as an opportunity to die to self and rise with Christ. This perspective fosters endurance and hope in the face of adversity.
THE CALL TO ENCOURAGE
Encouragement is vital for missionaries enduring suffering. In 2 Timothy 1:1518, Paul praises Onesiphorus, who sought him out in Rome and refreshed him despite the risks of associating with a chained apostle. Onesiphorus’ example challenges believers to support missionaries through prayer, encouragement, and practical help. Such efforts will reinforce their resilience.
Grounded in Scripture,
illuminated
history, and supported by
by
practical tools like the J-Curve, missionaries can persevere through trials with hope. “
A POETIC REFLECTION: AMY CARMICHAEL
Missionary Amy Carmichael captures the inseparable link between suffering and service in her poem:
Hast thou no scar?
No hidden scar on foot, or side, or hand? I hear thee sung as mighty in the land, I hear them hail thy bright ascendant star, Hast thou no scar?
Hast thou no wound?
Yet I was wounded by the archers, spent, Leaned Me against a tree to die, and rent By ravening beasts that compassed Me, I swooned: Hast thou no wound?
No wound, no scar?
Yet as the Master shall the servant be, And, pierced are the feet that follow Me; But thine are whole: can he have followed far
Who has no wound nor scar?2
Carmichael’s words remind us that scars — physical, emotional, or spiritual — are marks of faithful service, reflecting the wounds of Christ.
CONCLUSION
Suffering is an integral part of the missionary calling, but it is not without purpose. Grounded in Scripture, illuminated by history, and supported by practical tools like the J-Curve,
missionaries can persevere through trials with hope. As believers, we are called to encourage one another, reminding each other that those who bear scars for the gospel are not alone. Through suffering, God’s redemptive work shines as he draws others to the salvation found in Christ.
1 - Miller, Paul E. J-Curve: Dying and Rising with Jesus in Everyday Life. Crossway, 2019.
2 - Amy Carmichael, Gold Cord: The Story of a Fellowship (CLC Publications, 1982), 64.
CARING WELL POST-FIELD
Peter Brock
Regional
Leader
- Europe & MENA
After a decade of church planting in northern Italy, the Lord directed our family to local church ministry in central Florida. Since we were returning home, many expected our transition to be seamless. Certainly, some things went easily and without disruption. But a few areas caught us by surprise. For me personally, the faster pace of ministry was an unexpected challenge. I also missed extended and intentional time with unsaved friends and neighbors. Our children definitely felt the cultural change most acutely because they were in their teen years when we returned.
Missionaries leave the field for many reasons: issues with children, health concerns, a new job opportunity, a lack of support, retirement, the need to care for aging parents, and so on. Sometimes the return is planned and intentional; other times, it’s sudden and extremely disruptive.
No matter the reason, the return home can be bumpy, to say the least. Challenges include:
• Children’s reentry into an unfamiliar culture
• A faster pace of life and ministry
• A lack of close relationships
• Returning to churches that have changed significantly
• Reengaging with family members who now feel like strangers
• Feelings of isolation, confusion, and never feeling at home
So how do we care well for those workers who are navigating their new life? The best answer is also a simple one: through the local church.
The book of Acts lays the biblical framework. See Acts 13:1-3; 14:24-28; 15:35; and 18:22. Paul and Barnabas made regular visits to Antioch for refreshment and encouragement.
In that same spirit, churches today should prepare one another to provide for their missionaries.
PREPARE
Churches should prepare to care for a returning missionary before the worker shows up. How? First of all, through regular and intentional communication. As the missionary prepares to return, there’s a mountain of details that needs to be handled. Sending churches can help with this. They can designate someone who will communicate timely and accurate information to the church regarding various needs the missionary may have.
Churches can also prepare by becoming familiar with the cultural context from which the worker is returning. Those coming from years of ministry in developed nations will face different challenges than those returning from developing nations. Differences in housing, food, healthcare, transportation, and other daily realities will be significant. The more churches understand this, the more patient and understanding they will be. From punctuality to manners to friendship, the cultural differences that could cause difficulty are endless. Returning workers will notice them all.
The church will serve their missionaries well by being aware of these struggles and intentionally preparing to walk with them.
ONE ANOTHER
We want returning missionaries to be embraced by the simple yet profound one-anothering that characterizes a healthy local body: loving, showing hospitality, greeting, honoring, agreeing, living in harmony, bearing with one another, displaying kindness, comforting, caring, and praying. Is your church characterized by these activities now? If not, we shouldn’t expect them to suddenly start for a returning missionary.
Hopefully, we can simply enfold returning workers into a healthy church body that will embrace them with community, accountability, and encouragement. That will be a balm to their weary souls.
Relevant one-another passages include John 15:12; 2 Corinthians 13:11; Ephesians 4:2-3; Hebrews 10:25; 1 Peter 4:10; and 1 Peter 5:14.
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Hopefully, we can simply enfold returning workers into a healthy church body that will embrace them with community, accountability, and encouragement. That will be a balm to their weary souls.
Lastly, the church can care well for returning missionaries by providing them tangible necessities: vehicles, housing, furniture, etc. What can you provide? Surely not everything, but give whatever you can to help. Meeting tangible needs is yet another way to serve one another. So, as communication takes place before they return, the church can prepare in advance to make sure whatever they can provide is ready upon arrival. This will ease the transition and allow your returning workers to focus on spiritual and relational renewal.
Nothing above is innovative or surprising. Nonetheless, I pray it will remind churches how to care well for their missionaries once they’re off the
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We’re praying the Lord will allow us to grow some more in the coming years — in breadth and depth, in youthful zeal and seasoned wisdom, in reaching new cities and countries while also building strong churches and rich associations that will endure for years to come.
REGIONAL UPDATESCENTRAL ASIA
B.M.
Regional Leader - Central Asia
Central Asia can sometimes feel like the little brother of Reaching & Teaching. We’ve only been our own region with our own regional leader for just over two years. Lord willing, we would like to add more regional leaders in the coming years, enabling us to further subdivide Asia into South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. But for now, we’re the only stand-alone region within the broader continent.
Aside from being RTIM’s newest region, Central Asia is also the smallest. We currently have 20 appointed units serving in seven different countries or territories. Geographically, this region is vast. But demographically, it’s relatively small, especially compared to the massive population centers across South Asia and East Asia.
Finally, creating and sustaining access in the region can be difficult. Most of the countries of Central Asia could be classified as closed, which means securing residency is a constant issue. It also means that, in some cases, we may not be able to place residential missionaries.
NON-RESIDENTIAL WORK
This brings us to one feature of RTIM’s work in Central Asia: some of it is nonresidential. That is, we are actively pursuing opportunities to minister to
various people groups even though we may not be able to live among them. In some cases, this involves translating books and creating digital resources for Dari and Farsi speakers or training Iranian and Afghan pastors outside their home country.
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Perhaps there will come a day when our workers can gain long-term access to these countries. We pray for that day.
Our goal in these efforts is not to avoid residential missions in perpetuity. Perhaps there will come a day when our workers can gain long-term access to these countries. We pray for that day. But for now, we’re doing whatever we can to serve churches and strengthen pastors in places where we do not yet have residential missionaries.
NEW WORKERS
Thankfully, the Lord is bringing new workers to Central Asia. In the last year, eight units have deployed or redeployed to the region. We also have two more units in the pipeline who will be sent in the coming year. In some cases, they’re joining existing teams. Others have begun work in new cities for RTIM.
But if you ask me what excites me most about our new workers, it’s not adding new pins on the map. We’re praying for both depth and breadth. We want to see new workers join those who are
more experienced. We want young missionaries to come alongside and strengthen work that’s already being done. Thankfully, that has started to happen. We have singles, couples, and young families in our region. The Lord has also brought us some seasoned workers with years of field experience in other organizations or years of faithful ministry in their local churches in the U.S.
HEALTHY GROWTH
Even though we might be the little brother of RTIM regions, we’re thankful for the growth we’ve seen. And we’re praying the Lord will allow us to grow some more in the coming years — in breadth and depth, in youthful zeal and seasoned wisdom, in reaching new cities and countries while also building strong churches and rich associations that will endure for years to come.
Learn more about Long-term opportunities by connecting with a Mobilizer at rtim.org.