individual, couple and family counseling
care for missionaries, pastors and churches
organizational consulting
© Minnesota Renewal, 2009
Session Details
Dr. Anderson has served as the senior pastor of Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie since 1977. Wooddale has developed a strong missionary support ministry under his leadership. He has a Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Divinity from Cornerstone University and is former President of Denver Seminary. FAITH MATTERS is his daily radio program; he has been published in many periodicals and has written ten books. He is currently serving as President of the National Association of Evangelicals.
The call of God to missionary service is a high honor but also a noble challenge. This calling carries with it many significant opportunities, but also struggles and dangers for the whole missionary family. During out time together we will explore the essence of what it means to walk in the light of God’s presence as a vital link to the DNA of missionary vitality.
Perry is the Executive Director of Barnabas International, based in Rockford, IL. Barnabas exists to encourage, enrich, edify and strengthen global servants through a pastoral care based ministry. Perry and Sandi served as missionaries for many years in Papua New Guinea with Wycliffe. They founded Mu Kappa, a college ministry to returning MKs. Sandi speaks and teaches at women’s conferences around the world. She also works part-time as the Women’s Ministries Director at Calvary Community Church in Williams Bay, WI.
Friday Evening Intensives
A Transparent People
Wilson Phang, Barnabas International
Wilson has served in Asia with Barnabas International since 2005. Born in Singapore and raised in Malaysia, he came to the U.S. to attend Biola University and Rosemead Graduate School. Prior to attending Multnomah Biblical Seminary, he served as a psychiatric therapist for 13 years. He will speak about developing a culture of non-judgment to facilitate transparency amongst missionaries with their sending churches.
Passion Drives Performance, Not the Other Way Around
Jean Johnson, North Central University
Jean has served in Cambodia for 16 years in leadership development and church planting, with a particular interest in helping indigenous churches become self-reliant. She is currently a missionary in residence at North Central University and desires to raise up the next generation of cross cultural workers with a sensitivity to consider issues of sustainability, indigenous church development, strategic 21 C worldview and orality.
An Agency's Perspective on Church Missionary Care
Ric Escobar, OC International
A Columbian national, Ric is the Latin America Area Director for OC International, providing oversight and care to international teams of Latino, Brazilian, North American and European missionaries serving throughout Central and South America and the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Ric has over 35 years of full-time missionary and saturation church planting experience. He will share, from a field director's perspective, how churches can provide helpful care to their missionaries.
Saturday Breakout Session Electives
Maintaining Spiritual Vitality in the Midst of Ministry
Perry Bradford, Barnabas International
Maintaining spiritual vitality on the mission field is a must. Missionaries face all kinds of challenges which leave them vulnerable in their spiritual journey. We will look closely at various aspects of the missionary life that seek to disable, distract, distress and disgrace God’s global servants. We will also explore ways that the church can help better care for the spiritual needs of those they send out.
What’s Being a Woman got to do with it?
Sandi Bradford, Barnabas International
Absolutely everything!! Missionary women face the same choices, issues and dilemmas that women here at home deal with. During our time together, we’ll take a look at the personal and spiritual problems that women encounter when caught up in the cross cultural and spiritual task of proclaiming and demonstrating the good news of the Kingdom.
A Resource for Missionary Women – Women of the Harvest
Sandi Bradford, Barnabas International
Join me for a closer look at a dynamic “woman to woman” ministry that is touching the lives of missionary women around the globe. Come and see how your church can get involved.
When Our Missionaries Shrivel in the Sun
Wilson Phang, Barnabas International
We have met some who are so consumed by the "work" that their personal life, their family, their friendships, begin to falter. While we applaud their diligence, we are also concerned about their level of absorption with their “ministry.” We may meet some who fit this description here at home as well. What does God desire of us and our ministry?
Is it Better to Burnout Than it is to Rust?
Patrick Repp, Minnesota Renewal Center
In the late 70’s, pop song-artist Neil Young penned “It’s better to burn out than it is to rust” – an expression that became the anthem of a generation. Actually, neither burning out nor rusting out is optimal in ministry service. Together, we will discuss what burnout is, what drivenness is, how poor theology drives missionary burnout and ways to encourage ourselves and our missionaries to minister closer to the golden mean of effectiveness. Patrick is a psychologist, the director of Minnesota Renewal Center and a former missionary to Nigeria.
The Missionary Call
Tom Correll, Wooddale Church
Conventional wisdom says that a strong sense of God’s Call to ministry is bedrock to missionary service. Yet, the “call” of Paul and Barnabas as recorded in Acts 13 wasn’t given to them; it was given to their local church. And, the only man for whom God “wrote on the wall” didn’t like the message he received. What really does constitute a call to ministry? To whom is the call given? How do we as caregivers guide and support prospective missionaries through the process of discovering and responding to God’s call on their lives?
The First Step in Missionary Care: Developing Resilient Missionaries
Arvid Westfall, Wycliffe
We tend to think of missionary care as helping the missionary who is hurting or having problems. Giving care when things don’t work out, but the best care is helping to minimize the issues that help to generate the need for restorative care. Sending out strong and healthy people requires good selection and preparation programs. We will explore things that churches can do to help them select, encourage and prepare the right people for the work that God is leading them to invest in. Arvid Westfall has been a member of Wycliffe for 42 years. He is presently assigned as a Church Relations Ambassador for the Upper Midwest. He is also assisting in an Old Testament translation project in Guatemala. He and his wife have served as translators, trainers, directing the candidate process internationally and in developing new sending organizations in Asia and the Caribbean.
Debriefing Your Church’s Missionaries
John & Janet Certalic, Caring for Others
How can the local church help its missionaries process what they’ve experienced on the mission field in ways that encourage and help them in preparing for the future? This session will attempt to answer this question by discussing and demonstrating strategies to facilitate this process. The session will be facilitated by John and Janet Certalic who debrief missionaries as part of Caring for Others, an evangelical Christian ministry in New Berlin, WI, committed to helping churches, mission agencies, and other parachurch organizations better care for families in missions.
Identifying and Unleashing the New Breed of Missionary
Monroe Brewer, National Association of Missions Pastors
This workshop identifies worldwide trends that have produced this new breed, how the new breed is still “missionary” at heart, and what is “new” about this new breed. The workshop redefines the ground rules for unleashing this new breed of missionary, suggests church models that are appropriate, and provides specific recommendations for churches, agencies, schools, and individuals for the 21st century missionary enterprise. Dr. Monroe “Monnie” Brewer was a missions pastor for 36 years in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Minneapolis and is the president of the National Association of Missions Pastors. He is also International Director for the Center for Church Based Training in Richardson, TX. and teaches missions at Dallas Theological Seminary.
Attending to One's Own Faith: Spiritual Care for Missionaries
Patricia Hendricks, Christos Center for Spiritual Formation
A consistent question on the minds of Christian workers is, "How do I attend to my own relationship with God?" Those who are missionaries or who are involved in missionary care are especially challenged by the demands on their time, the stress of working in a culture not their own, the lack of staff, the frequent travel, and the limited access to faith sustaining communities. Often those in missionary work experience intense loneliness as well as a hunger for a deeper relationship with Jesus. This workshop will explore ways missionaries can keep their faith vital and growing. Prayer styles and the use faith companions will be explored, and there will be time devoted to experiencing that prayer---as well as time for questions and discussion. Patricia Hendricks is the director or Christos Center for Spiritual Formation, which has prepared a number of missionaries for the ministry of spiritual companionship.
The Problem of Internet Pornography in Missions
Steve Edlin, TEAM (The Evangelical Alliance Mission)
This session will look at the vulnerability of missionaries to internet pornography and the prevalence of the problem on the field. We will discuss ways to prevent missionaries from falling into this trap. We will briefly mention how to work with a missionary who has a problem with internet pornography. As the Counseling Office Director for TEAM, Steve oversees a global team of four Regional Member Care Coordinators who provide proactive and reactive care for TEAM’s missionaries. He is part of a member care team in the Wheaton, IL headquarters which conducts debriefings and facilitates counseling for missionaries. He also oversees the psychological assessment of new applicants.
A Church Based Team Approach to the Restoration of Missionaries
Steve Edlin, TEAM (The Evangelical Alliance Mission)
Restoration of our missionaries who have fallen is crucial to missionary viability. We will outline the kinds of issues for which restorations are needed for missionaries such as moral failures, marriage failures, etc. We will define what restoration is and isn’t. We will build a case biblically for a team approach to restoration. We will also discuss the practical aspects of setting up a team, creating a restoration plan, identifying underlying issues to address, and measuring progress to know when restoration is complete.
The Missionary Kid Experience:
Understanding Your Missionaries’ Children
Heidi Tunberg, Reach Global (EFCA)
Do you care about MKs? Do you want to know what their life is really like? Do you want to know what you can do to have a greater impact on them? Join Heidi Tunberg, the College & Career MK Coordinator for Reach Global and herself an adult TCK, to learn more about the unique Missionary Kids experience. The session will include specific suggestions for caring for younger MKs while they are overseas and for reaching out to MKs when they return to the U.S. as college students and young adults
Missionary Transition: How to Help in Challenging Times
Heidi Tunberg, Reach Global (EFCA)
Would you like to encourage missionary families? This session will touch on models of transition (stages/tasks of transition), applying them to the missionary experience. Missionary families need extra care and support during these challenging times and churches have great opportunity and resources to provide that extra care. We will discuss together ways churches can offer support long-distance when missionaries are transitioning abroad, and ways they can reach out emotionally & practically when they return to the U.S. for home assignment or life/career transition.
Building Vitality in Our Single Missionaries
Debbie Klaver, World Mission Prayer League/Minnesota Renewal Center
What are some of the unique needs and stressors of single people serving cross-culturally in God's Kingdom and mission in the world? How can we support our faithful, courageous singles who go as God calls them, knowing that they leave behind their closest family and friends? Are there ways we can help them prepare to confront various difficulties that they may encounter? Come hear a former single missionary to Ecuador speak of her experience and also hear a panel of current and past single missionaries discuss these and other important questions on how to build vitality in our single missionaries. Debbie is a therapist at MN Renewal Center and, with her husband Al, the Midwest representatives for World Mission Prayer League.
What Good Care Looks Like
Missionary Panel – Facilitator: Mary Droullard, Minnesota Renewal Center
Missionaries will let us in on the good care they have received from churches and individuals. Come and hear specifics about being sent well, continuing care while on the field, and integrating back into church life. Facilitator Mary Droullard served with her husband for 15 yrs. in Pakistan with TEAM. She presently serves as a counselor and as the coordinator of missionary assessment on staff at MN Renewal Center.
Case Studies: How We Were Helped Through Really Tough Times
Facilitator: Mary Droullard, Minnesota Renewal Center
Two missionary families will tell us about how they were cared for in and through difficulty. One couple will send us their story in media form from their current field of service and one couple will be with us in person. Hear and learn from them who and what helped.
Worlds to Win – How to Prepare People to be Mind-Changers
John Sanny, Servanteers International
The emphasis of this session is on the health and care of church groups embarking on a short-term mission project. With the goal of preparing teams to influence people for Christ in cross-cultural settings, there is a great need for Christians to experience missions within the context of a unified team. Participants will learn how to relate more effectively with fellow missionaries, and as a result how to approach and care for the lost. With that foundation, we can discuss outreach strategies, and how the Gospel can be presented within the cultural and social environments where people live out their lives within any culture. John, with his wife of 30 years Diana, founded Youth With A Mission’s (YWAM) first ever Youth Leader’s Training School for Pacific and Asian students at the University of the Nations in 1994, while serving in Kona, Hawaii. He currently travels annually to the Kingdom of Tonga and New Zealand, as well as in the US, to train YWAM mission teams for their Discipleship Training School three-month outreaches.
The DNA of Missionary Care – Church Models
Grace Church, Eden Prairie
New Life Church of Woodbury
North Isanti Baptist Church
Representatives from three churches of varying size from the 7-county metropolitan Twin-Cities area will present their programs for caring for missionaries. Each session will include time for questions and interaction about helpful strategies, programs and policies for effective congregational missionary care.
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Friday Evening Keynote Address
A Pastor’s Perspective – From Paul to Present
Leith Anderson, Wooddale Church
Saturday Morning Plenary
The DNA of Missionary Vitality - Walking in the Light of God’s Presence
Perry Bradford, Barnabas International
