Source: www.freeimages.com

Sadly, I frequently come across mission workers who have returned from an assignment disillusioned by the lack of support they received from their church.  Often these are independent people who’ve gone with their own vision, but sometimes they’re also people who have been sent by their church.

So together we unpack their disillusion.  What did they expect?  Why did they expect it?  Did the church know they expected it?  How do you know they did?

And it often turns out that these expectations were based on a loose verbal undertaking such as “Of course we’ll support you!” which was never fully discussed or documented.  By the time the mission worker realises that there was never any real agreement, it is usually too late to resolve and there needs to be some conciliation work.  I come away from such meetings thinking “If only…”

I always recommend that mission workers and churches (and of course agencies too if they’re involved) talk through their mutual expectations and document them in a partnership agreement or memorandum of understanding.  It’s not a legal contract, it’s too loose for that, and it’s not done in a litigious spirit but one of partnership.  But it does spell out in very simple terms, what everyone expects.  And it has signatures to prove that it was properly agreed.  You can put in in whatever you think is important, and I’ve seen really long ones and also ones that can fit on one side of A4, which I prefer, as I don’t think too many details make it easier to come to an agreement.

A good structure would be: the church will do this; the mission partner will do that.  It sounds positive.  And the issues that should be addressed should ideally include the following:

• How frequently does the church formally pray for the mission partner, and communicate with the congregation about needs?
• Does the church provide financial support, how much and how long for? Does it include extras like flights home, and how long should it continue after return?
• How much is the church involved in making major decisions?
• Is the church responsible for providing Member Care, and what would that look like?
• Who is involved in making decisions in an emergency, and what funding is available?
• Who is the principal point of contact for communicating?
• Who is responsible for National Insurance, tax, pension and health insurance contributions?
• How long will the agreement last and what happens when it expires?
• Who provides operational oversight in the field?
• What arrangements are there for pre-departure and post return health screening and training/debriefing?
• How does the church hold the mission partner accountable? Are there other parties involved?
• Is an appraisal involved and who will do it?
• How much home assignment is permitted?
• How much funding is the mission partner responsible for raising?
• How frequently should the mission partner communicate with the church, and how?
• How are any disputes about the agreement adjudicated?

It might seem like a lot of work to talk through all these issues, but the situation will be a lot clearer if time is taken to do so.  There will be less confusion, better support, and a much smaller chance of a relationship breakdown.  Syzygy is always ready to talk such issues through with churches – contact us on info@syzygy.org.uk to request an appointment.