Developing Member Care Affiliations: Personal Reflections and Community Psychology Contributions

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.