Missionary Personnel Research Articles

Деятельность Астраханского епархиального комитета Православного миссионерского общества в предреволюционный период (1915 – начало 1917 гг.): по материалам Государственного архива Астраханской области

Introduction. The article introduces into scientific circulation a set of documents contained in Collection 597 — ‘Astrakhan Diocesan Committee of the Missionary Orthodox Society’ — of the State Archive of Astrakhan Oblast and some publications of the Astrakhan Diocesan Gazette to examine missionary activities of the Committee in Kalmyk Steppe during the pre-revolutionary years (1915 – early 1917). Materials and methods. The work employs comparative and historical / descriptive methods of historical research to focus on a set of archival documents from 1915 – early 1917, the latter to include reports on missionary endeavors of the Committee, activity reports of missionary institutions and camps, accounts of pastoral work, reports and analytical notes submitted by missionaries throughout the period under review. Results. The last phase of activity of Astrakhan Diocesan Committee is characterized on the basis of a set of documents from the State Archive of Astrakhan Oblast introduced into scientific circulation. Conclusions. The investigated materials make it possible to consider the main directions and results of missionary activities undertaken by the Russian Orthodox Church in Kalmyk Steppe, determine key centers of missionary life and their conditions, missionary personnel, and their efforts to participate in communities of the faithful during the pre-revolutionary period.

The African Initiated Churches as an embodiment of the moratorium debate: Lessons for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa Central Diocese

The African Initiated Churches pose a challenge to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa/Central Diocese, regarding living up to the challenges of moratorium debate in missions in the 1970s. Among other things, the moratorium debate was advocating for values of autonomy such as; self-governing, self-support, self-propagating and self-theologising (Bigambo, 2001; Kendall, 1978 & Wagner, 1975). In its original sense, a full moratorium meant the cessation of all activity on the part of missionary personnel as well as financial assistance brought to the African churches from Europe and North America. It also means that the missionaries were to return to home from Africa for a period of five years Uka (1989:193). In this article, I do not align myself fully with this definition per se, however, I firmly believe that certain aspects of the moratorium debate illustrated by the African Initiated Churches in this article warrant attention in relation to Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa/Central Diocese.

A Brief History of Psychology and Missions in JPT: Looking Back, Around, and Forward

Beginning in 1983, the Journal of Psychology and Theology has published four special editions devoted to the topic of psychology and missions; on average, these issues were released at a rate of two per decade (i.e., 1983, 1987, 1993, and 1999). After a 17-year hiatus, this fifth psychology and missions special edition of JPT provides an opportunity to reflect on what we have learned thus far through the almost 70 articles published in JPT since 1973 on the interrelationship of psychological and theological concepts--all to the fulfillment of Christ's command to make disciples of all nations. To do so, we will follow Hall & Schram's (1999) outline in their introductory article to the fourth special edition; looking back to the past to consolidate gains, looking around to the present to note current trends, and looking forward to the future to identify gaps. Looking to the past: Consolidating gains Hall & Schram (1999) noted that since the early 1970s, the field of psychology had firmly established a place for itself in missions work, culminating in the creation of the new missionary discipline of member care, the leveraging of advancements in psychometrics on pre-field psychological assessments, and the promotion of a more robust understanding of the missionary family as a whole, with particular attention being given to missionary children. Indeed, these three gains noted by Hall & Schram back in 1999 continue to be influential to psychology practitioners and researchers involved in missions. Care. O'Donnell (1997), in his seminal article, Member care in missions: Global perspectives and future directions, provided the now frequently referenced definition of the term member care: Member care is the ongoing investment of resources by mission agencies, churches, and other mission organizations for the nurture and development of missionary personnel. It focuses on everyone in missions (missionaries, support staff, children, and families) and does so over the course of the missionary life-cycle, from recruitment through retirement (p. 144). Concurrent with O'Donnell's work were the influential Reducing Missionary Attrition (ReMAP) studies (Taylor, 1997; Bloecher, 2005). Over the eight years between the ReMap I and the ReMAP II studies, the missionary attrition rate among New Sending Countries (e.g. Brazil, Ghana, Philippines, etc.) dropped by 50%; moreover, attrition rates in Older Sending Countries (e.g. Canada, Germany, U.S.A., etc.) remained low, in spite of global trends toward shorter appointments and frequent career changes (Bloecher, 2005). Bloecher (2005) in fact credited the contribution of on-field member care efforts and more comprehensive candidate selection procedures for these improvements in attrition rates. Many of the participants in the ReMAP studies who spoke of the effectiveness of member care efforts were mission agency leaders, rather than the missionaries themselves. To address this gap, Camp, Bustrum, Brokav, and Adams (2014) investigated the effectiveness of current member care practices specifically from the perspective of missionaries. This paper augmented O'Donnell's (1992, 2002, 2011) former depictions of member care by positing that effective member care involves a web of supportive and healthy relationships that facilitate fellowship and growth, consistent investment and support from sending and supporting churches, and personal investment in caring for oneself. As O'Donnell's classic definition of member care has guided much of the member care movement, we are excited to include O'Donnell and Lewis O'Donnell's (2016) latest work on the topic in this special issue, where they speak of member care workers as 'global integrators' who engage the world through multiple sectors. Pre-field psychological assessment. One key finding of ReMAP II (Bloecher, 2005) was the relationship between the thoroughness of an agency's selection procedure (i. …

The 19th Century European Missionaries and the Fight Against Malaria in Africa

Malaria once turned Africa into the “missionaries’ graveyard” as many European missionary personnel and families perished planting the Gospel in the Continent in the 19th century. The situation, however, is not completely different today in many rural African communities. The purpose of this research is to present a social challenge to the present day Christian missionaries in Africa by describing the landmark achievement of the 19th century missionaries in the fight against mosquito plague in Africa, namely their introduction of the first ever drug for malaria treatment in the continent. Central and West Africa are used as a case for this study. This research applied descriptive analysis to the health and life situation that faced the early European missionaries as they laboured to evangelize the people of Africa. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n16p89

Forming and restoring community in a nomadic world: A next generation perspective on the future of the discipline of missiology

The emergence of a 21st-century participatory culture in a globalized world invites us to reimagine missiology in light of a participatory triune God who forms and restores community amidst difference and otherness. It pushes us toward the local, where we reclaim the centrality of local Christian communities and their ordinary disciples as primary missionary organizations and personnel. The American context must be recognized as a major 21st-century mission field requiring intentional engagement with a diversity of cultures. These realities call for new patterns of giving, receiving, learning, and innovation as missiology accompanies local churches witnessing to and seeking to form community with their neighbors.

Christianity in Nigeria before Pentecostalism

Many previous works on Christianity in Nigeria had mostly emphasized the successful parts of the mission efforts rather than the whole gamut of attempts, successes, failures and African innovativeness that largely characterized the mission stories. This paper however historically examined in synopsis the mission activities of the missionary groups that made entry into Nigeria and how the religion was eventually slated for indigenization by the Nigerian Christians to aptly express their worldview and perception. Some relevant literatures were used to gather historical facts about the topic. Logical reasoning and historical method were used in treating findings and in reconciling the information and evidence in the literature. The paper surveyed the following: European entry into Africa, Christian entry into Nigeria, (western and southern Nigeria), the missions established and how these missions were breeding diverse African nationalists and charismatic personnel who suggested that Christianity should be expressed in the African way. Christianity in Nigeria had gone through a lot of stages and the roles of these stages are very fundamental in the telling of Christian history in Nigeria. Mission Christianity though brought Christianity to Nigeria could not present a befitting Christianity that match the worldview of the people. Western missionary personnel enjoyed a great deal of hospitality when they came in the 19th Century. Nevertheless, Indigenous Christian practices garnished in Pentecostal expressiveness and liturgies appeared to be the distinguishing traits and hopes of Nigerian Christianity in the long run. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2013.v2n2p121

Report on the Manila International Missions Conference 17–20 August 2011

I was privileged to be invited to attend and speak at this conference. The purpose of this time was to mobilise mission from Asian churches to the unreached people groups of the world, especially since 60% of the least reached people groups are in Asia. It was sponsored by both the Philippines Council of Evangelical Churches, headed by Bishop Efraim Tendero and a Korean mission church in Philippines, the Grain of Wheat Ministries led by Dr Elijah Kim and his wife. Here then is the report that was devised while there by Dr. Alex Philips1 of Bihar, India. There is also included here the Declaration we made which is very inclusive of all types of mission and its purpose. It will prove to be very strategic in terms of mobilizing mission for the next few decades when Europe and even the USA no longer have the edge in missionary personnel. Anne E. Dyer

Psychological Types of Male Evangelical Missionary Personnel Training in England: A Role for Thinking Type Men?

A sample of 92 male evangelical missionary personnel completed Form G (Anglicised) of the MBTI. The two predominant types among this group were ESTJ (24%) and ISTJ (15%). In the group as a whole there were clear preferences for extraversion over introversion, for sensing over intuition, for thinking over feeling, and for judging over perceiving.

Developing Member Care Affiliations: Personal Reflections and Community Psychology Contributions

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.

Missions and Churches in Partnership for Evangelism: A Study of the Declaration of Ibadan

Partnership between missions (the organizations of expatriate missionaries working under a common sending agency in a particular locale) and national churches (the cooperating bodies of national Christians to which the missions relate, called “conventions/unions” in this article) has emerged as a critical issue in world evangelization. One attempt at just and effective partnerships between missions and conventions/unions is the Declaration of Ibadan. Its engaging features include the proposed role of the mission, joint decision making regarding evangelism among unreached people groups, and the deployment of missionary personnel. This article is a reflection on the proposals set forth in the Ibadan Declaration with particular reference to their implications for evangelism.

Maternal and Child Health Care of Haitian Families Living on a Sugarcane Plantation in the Dominican Republic

Data regarding the maternal and child health care of Haitians living in the Dominican Republic were collected by questionnaire. Respondents were contacted in their homes with the assistance of missionary personnel working in the area around LaRomana. One-hundred and seven questionnaires were administered in four bateys (clusters of homes located on the plantation). The questionnaire included items regarding family demographics, prenatal and postnatal care, medical supervision during delivery, perceived health, family planning, and the availability, accessibility, and affordability of medical service. The most important findings were: that mothers perceived the health of the family to be high while the availability of health care was low; and that desirability of family planning was high while prevalence of contraception was low.

AN ETHNOGRAPHER'S TALE: ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH IN NETHERLANDS (WEST) NEW GUINEA (1950 - 1962)1

A major part of the ethnographic literature concerning present-day Irian Jay a is based on research dating back to the 1950s and 1960s. Following the independence of Indonesia, West New Guinea remained a separate Dutch colony between 1950 and 1962. The Dutch colonial administration had had little ethnographic interest in the area since the beginning of the century, so that interest in knowledge concerning the indigenous population had yet to develop. Lack of manpower, finances and time to instigate adequate research meant that the resulting search for ethnographic data became itself a complex social process. People from a range of backgrounds and training - not only academic researchers, but also administrative and missionary personnel - became involved in the gathering of ethnographic material, often while engaged in quite different duties. In this article some light is shed both on the resulting structure of research and on the motivations behind the separate research efforts. At the end of the article some conclusions are drawn concerning the nature of the material gathered.

Proactive Care of Missionary Personnel

The author studied terminations from the Wycliffe Bible Translators, using the case method. The purpose of the study was to permit a new look at internal structures and procedures and to make recommendations for missionary care in a rapidly changing world. This article looks at those structures and procedures and suggests some refinements that will result in better care of Wycliffe members.

Missionary Fit: A Criterion-Related Model

Missionary-sending agencies are becoming concerned about missionary attrition. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop a strategy for identifying the antecedents to successful missionary service. Forty-four participants, attending the National Conference on Mental Health and Missions, formed three groups for the present study. Mental health professionals, missionary leaders, and professionals with missionary personnel experience were measured on three criteria for the task of identifying a successful missionary: A job-function analysis, a value-orientation scale, and a personality checklist. The three groups were significantly alike in their perceptions, thereby permitting the development of a statistical model representative of all participants. Slight statistical variances which did exist among and within the three groups suggest that missionary organizations should seriously consider developing their own statistical model for identifying and selecting successful missionaries.

The Beginning of the Maynooth Movement in Southern Nigeria and the Rise of the St. Patrick's Missionary Society, 1920-1930

AbstractThe Catholic mission in Southern Nigeria under the management of the Congregation of Holy Ghost Fathers was established in 1885 by French and Alsatian Spiritans. In 1905 the mission came under the charge of the Irish Province of the Congregation with Father Shanahan (later Bishop) as the chief of mission. As a result of the fact that the Province was entrusted with responsibility for the supply of missionary personnel for the Spiritans' missions in the vast English-speaking areas of the then British Empire, and also because of the Irish Spiritans' preoccupation with schools and colleges in Ireland and Trinidad, the Province was unable to meet its personnel responsibilities to the missions. The dire need for priests made Shanahan, the ecclesiastical head of the Spiritan mission in Nigeria, who had been charged sub gravi by Rome with the obligation for staffing his mission, to invite Maynooth trained secular priests to serve on a temporary basis in Southern Nigeria. The coming of the secular volunteers to Nigeria created a series of problems leading to their being constituted into an independent secular missionary society, and subsequently to the allocation to them of a part of the vicariate as their own mission field.

The Suggested Moratorium on Missionary Funds and Personnel

The Suggested Moratorium on Missionary Funds and Personnel

Disputas territoriais e o financiamento da empresa missionária jesuítica na Amazônia espanhola

Este artigo analisa as formas por meio das quais os jesuítas obtinham recursos materiais e humanos para as missões que empreenderam na Amazônia espanhola. Entre 1638 e 1767, os inacianos estiveram a cargo das reduções de Maynas, localizadas nas franjas orientais da Audiência de Quito. Nessas missões, não lograram os religiosos instalar um sistema produtivo viável, de modo que suas atividades foram, em grande medida, financiadas com donativos de particulares, recursos transferidos de colégios próximos e remessas das tesourarias reais, que somente foram regularizadas a partir de 1716. Entender por que os jesuítas tardaram tanto tempo em obter um auxílio permanente da Real Hacienda e de que maneira conseguiram convencer o Consejo de Indias é o objetivo principal deste trabalho. O recrutamento e a manutenção do pessoal missionário terão dependido do jogo de forças entre interesses econômicos locais, a atuação dos procuradores da Companhia de Jesus ante o Consejo de Indias e a estratégia defensiva de Madrid diante do avanço territorial dos portugueses.

The Missionary Vocation Today: What is the Role of the Missionary in a Rapidly Changing Society?: A Selected Reading List on the Christian Missionary.

The Reverend Addison J. Eastman has been a missionary of the American Baptist Foreign Missionary Society in Burma, and is now Director of the Missionary Personnel Program in the Division of Foreign Missions, NCCC-USA. The Reverend Richard B. Poetig has been sent by the Commission on Ecumenical Mission and Relations of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. to serve as Minister for Industrial Evangelism, in the United Church of Christ, Manila, The Philippines. Frank W. Price is Director of the Missionary Research Library

Mission Board Policies with Relation to Missionary Personnel

Mission Board Policies with Relation to Missionary Personnel

The Distribution of North American Missionary Personnel in 1950

The Distribution of North American Missionary Personnel in 1950