Edited by: Geoff Whiteman and Heather Pubols
Published: 2023
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This book is a collection of articles written by researchers, leaders of member care, and counselors who work with global workers. The forward, written by Laura Mae Gardner and Brent Lindquist – pioneers of member care- encourages and praises this collection but also challenges everyone to keep researching as they see member care continue to change and grow in the future.
The book is divided into two sections. The first section is titled “Engaging the Cross in Member Care,” touching on suffering, resilience, reasons for attrition, trauma care, and how the gift of hospitality can be used in member care. The second section is titled “Engaging Our Changing World in Member Care” This section challenges the collaboration of mission organizations with the sending churches to better support those that are sent overseas. It offers practical suggestions such as checking for family preparations, child safety, conflicts on the team, and how team dynamics are affected by different attitudes and personalities of supervisors.
An individual can use this book to understand member care and how to improve one’s own part. But it can also be used in a small group as a springboard for professional development. Each article has questions at the end that can be used for discussion, along with a list of other resources that can be used to research further. I found that after reading each chapter, I wanted to discuss the topics as I had more questions or did not always agree completely with what was written. That said, I think it an excellent book because a book that makes you think and want to discuss is a good book.
raisingTCKs 