Pastoral Care for Missionaries

In this article, John Sherwood and Scott Fisher argue that missionaries may need counseling to help handle reactions to unique pressures of living and working in other cultures, as well as upon their reentry into the culture at home. A combination of proactive training for spiritual resiliency and quickness to spot red flags may enable some missionaries to serve on the mission field longer. The authors argue that unwittingly carrying American expectations of at-home comforts to the mission field sometimes causes anger, disappointment, sorrow, or other strong emotions. Looking at heart issues and change should be part of missionary raining and counseling. They conclude that the local church has a role in supporting missionaries in emotional as well as financial matters.