EMQ » January–March 2022 » Volume 58 Issue 1
[memberonly folder=”Members, EMQ2YearFolder, EMQ1YearFolder, EMQLibraryInstitution”]By Karen Davison
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).[1] What does it mean, to remain in Christ? What does this look like for missionaries serving in cross-cultural contexts? Are mission agencies, churches, and theological colleges preparing, equipping, and supporting mission candidates and missionaries effectively for their ongoing spiritual journey on the field?
As Christians, we need to be nurturing our relationship with God. It is as we spend time with him, providing time and space to listen to him and reflect on his work in our lives, that we place ourselves in the optimum position for the Holy Spirit to carry out the work of transformation, forming us into the image of Christ and producing his fruit within us.[2] This process of spiritual formation is not often talked about in our churches, although there has been a renewed interest in the field in the literature over recent decades.[3] The value of a strong sense of connection to a higher being has been recognised in the secular world, with several studies as well as the World Health Organisation identifying it as a key marker for overall resilience.[4] In the area of missionary member care, the ReMap studies of 1997[5] and 2007[6] identified the role of a strong and growing identity in Christ and relationship with him as being significant in the longevity of service among missionaries.
Missionaries face multiple challenges that require them to be resilient – finding themselves stripped of support networks, routines, and resources that were familiar to them prior to their departure for the field. This can make maintaining their spiritual practices more challenging for them. At the same time, missionaries often find themselves depending on God a great deal more than previously when in their home environment. Consequently, their experience of God changes and develops with time on the field. What is the impact of these factors on the spiritual formation and spiritual practices of those serving in cross-cultural contexts?
The Research
By understanding what this impact is and how currently serving missionaries are nurturing their connection with the vine, we can identify ways in which we can better prepare and equip mission candidates for their ongoing spiritual formation on the field. And we can better support and resource currently serving missionaries. Research was conducted to try to identify some of these points.[7]
In 2019, Australian missionaries serving overseas were invited to participate in an on-line survey. The first set of questions gathered demographic information including age range, gender, length of time on the field, and church background. The second, and largest, set of questions focused on specific spiritual practices. Using a 5-point scale, participants rated to what extent they found each discipline helpful in nurturing their relationship with God. They also had the opportunity to offer suggestions of other spiritual practices they found helpful. The final set was comprised of open questions inviting more insight into formational practices, experiences, and resources. In addition to the survey for missionaries, several theological colleges around Australia were contacted to get a general sense of what spiritual formation input is available to mission candidates as they go through theological training – specifically by way of spiritual formation courses.
To invite missionaries to participate in the survey, twenty-three mission agencies were informed of the research and invited to send a letter providing information about the research and a link to the survey to their personnel currently serving long-term in cross-cultural contexts. Forty-three people participated in the survey. Demographically, 63% of the sample group were in their 30s and 40s (evenly split between these two age groups), 21% in their 50s, 14% in their 60s and 2% in their 20s. Regarding gender, 65% were female, 35% male. In terms of length of time on the field, 35% had been on the field for 0–5 years, 16% for 6–10 years, 12% for 11–15 years, 14% for 16–20 years, 7% for 21–25 years, and 16% for 26 or more years. Church backgrounds varied, with several participants choosing more than one option. However, 45% were Baptist or had Baptist influence in their church background, and 35% had Anglican influence.
Other churches included Presbyterian, Catholic, Uniting, Church of Christ, Pentecostal, Brethren, Lutheran, Dutch Reformed, Congregational, Chinese Christian Church, and Navigators. Demographically, this sample group is representative of the population of missionaries serving currently in cross-cultural contexts, as indicated in other studies.[8]
Missionaries were asked to respond to a set of questions focusing on their experience of several spiritual practices. Spiritual practices were chosen as the focus for several reasons. Pragmatically, they were easy to survey using a quantitative scale for analysis purposes. However, the primary reason was that the literature indicates the value of spiritual practices in the process of spiritual formation. In my experience in the Australian church, spiritual practices, other than petitionary prayer and inductive Bible study, are rarely spoken of, modelled, or taught, and yet I have noted that returned missionaries are more familiar with and open to practicing a range of spiritual disciplines. In my own journey of spiritual formation, I became more curious about and started practicing more spiritual disciplines during my time on the field and was curious to explore how widespread this experience was. Spiritual practices are also something concrete that can be grasped and taught to mission candidates, although the extent to which different people find various disciplines helpful will vary greatly, based on personality, life stage, spiritual walk, and other factors.
For details about participants’ responses to each of the spiritual practices listed, contact the author. The following is a summary of overall findings.
Participants were asked to rate each of a total of twenty-two spiritual practices based on how helpful they found it in nurturing their relationship with God in their devotional lives. The options they could choose from were one out of the following five:
- Never tried it/don’t know what you mean
- Tried it but it’s not me
- Helpful occasionally
- Helpful and would like to include it more often
- It’s a regular part of my devotional life
The spiritual practices included four practices primarily related to reading/studying Scripture: personal Bible study, devotional Bible reading, meditation, and Scripture memorisation. Two practices related to praying with Scripture (imaginative contemplation and praying Scripture); Four practices related to prayer (structured prayer, conversational prayer, centring prayer, and prayer walking). Four practices related to engaging with Christian community (prayer partnership, spiritual mentoring, spiritual direction, and regular fellowship gatherings). Eight were further practices (fasting, spiritual journaling, retreat, solitude, silence, observing a Sabbath, worship music, and acts of celebration). The choice of spiritual practices was informed by the literature on Christian spiritual disciplines that abounds; in particular Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline[9] and Adele Calhoun’s Spiritual Disciplines Handbook.[10]
Whilst several spiritual practices included were unfamiliar to or not practiced by a proportion of the respondents, none were completely unfamiliar to all. The least familiar practices included centring prayer (71% of respondents indicated they had never tried it or didn’t know what was meant), spiritual direction (50%), imaginative contemplation (43%), and acts of celebration (38%). Only four practices had been at least tried by every respondent: personal Bible study, Scripture memorisation, fellowship gatherings, and worship music. Two of these were helpful at least occasionally to every respondent. Sixty-two percent included personal Bible study as a regular part of their devotional life and 93% included fellowship gatherings. In addition to these two, other spiritual practices used regularly included: conversational prayer (69%), observing the Sabbath (57%), worship (52%), devotional Bible reading (58%), spiritual journaling (33%), structured prayer (26%), praying with a prayer partner (26%), and times of solitude (26%). Additionally, 64% find fasting at least occasionally helpful, 66% find spiritual mentoring helpful at least occasionally, and 86% value attending retreats at least occasionally.
While this research has not examined the practices of regular church goers in Australia, anecdotally it would seem that missionaries are engaging in a wider range of spiritual practices than would be encountered in the average Australian church of the traditions that the majority of the respondents attended. Nevertheless, most of the practices listed were unfamiliar to at least some of the respondents, indicating that there would be value in offering opportunities for mission candidates and serving missionaries to be exposed to and become familiar with a range of practices that they may not have encountered through their church attendance. The participants were asked to indicate what piece of advice they would give their pre-departure selves. Of the thirty-eight who responded to this question, twenty-one (55%) indicated that developing a range of spiritual disciplines or devotional habits prior to departure would be key advice.
For Further Research
This research is a starting point. Further research would be beneficial in several areas. More in-depth qualitative research through interviews and/or focus groups with currently serving missionaries would be valuable to understand more of their spiritual formation journey; how they developed the practices they engage in; to what extent they were familiar with these practices prior to departure; what, in retrospect, was helpful input from church, agency or Bible college prior to departure, or what would have been helpful input. Participants were asked whether they had attended any spiritual formation courses prior to departure for the field (46% had), and if so, how helpful they thought it had been (60% responded somewhat helpful, 35% significantly or very significantly helpful).
Further research could be done to explore in what ways these courses have been helpful, and how missionaries might suggest further developing such courses. It would also be interesting to survey and interview people from the churches that mission candidates come from regarding their own experience of spiritual formation and spiritual practices to gain an understanding of the church culture and modelling when it comes to these practices. However, spiritual practices are only one aspect of the spiritual formation process, and so further research into what motivates the missionary, how they perceive God and themselves in relation to him, where they place their identity and seek their sustenance would be very valuable. Finally, there is value in exploring how agencies assess mission candidates’ spiritual health and readiness for cross-cultural service, as well as the resources that various agencies have access to that encourage missionaries in their ongoing spiritual formation.
Recommendations
Given the value that spiritual formation literature and missionaries themselves give to the role of spiritual disciplines in nurturing an ongoing connection to the vine and thus in resilience, longevity, and effectiveness in missionary service, mission candidates ought to be equipped and encouraged to explore a range of spiritual disciplines prior to their departure for the field. Additionally, serving missionaries need to have access to resources, especially opportunities to attend spiritual retreats, during their time of service. Providing opportunities to reflect on and continue to develop different spiritual disciplines with the purpose of deepening their intimacy with God and enabling the continued work of transformation is vital.
Some key recommendations from this research include the following:
- Further research into the field of spiritual formation as it relates to missionaries and those preparing for cross-cultural missionary service, as outlined above.
- Development of a toolkit of resources, including books, websites, and apps that missionaries, member carers and pastoral carers can access and update.
- Provide access to information about spiritual retreats, courses, and conferences that missionaries on the field or on home assignment could attend.
- Provide access to information and contact details for spiritual mentors and spiritual directors.
- Encourage mission candidates and currently serving missionaries to experience and become familiar with a range of spiritual disciplines so they can identify and develop those they find particularly helpful in their context.
- Bible colleges and agencies may wish to review spiritual formation courses offered, evaluating whether they meet the needs of mission candidates – particularly the need to gain experience and familiarity with a range of spiritual practices – and if not, what changes are practical given their contexts.
Conclusion
This research has helped to ascertain that currently serving missionaries are engaging in a range of spiritual practices to nurture their relationship with God – their connection to the vine. However, there are still unanswered questions that would benefit from further research. Nevertheless, this research does indicate that there is value in equipping mission candidates by exposing them to, and giving them opportunity to become familiar with, a range of spiritual practices that they may not have experienced in their local church context. Life on the field can look very different to life in their homeland, and devotional practices and routines that fed and nurtured the missionary formerly may not transfer well into the new context. Spiritual formation is key to the resilience, longevity, and effectiveness of the missionary.
Consequently, as access to resources may be difficult, missionaries need to be supported and resourced to continue the journey of spiritual formation throughout their time on the field. Providing a tool-kit of resources, encouraging attendance at retreats or spiritual formation courses or conferences on a regular basis, and providing opportunity for the missionary to reflect on their spiritual journey and discuss possible input to nurture ongoing growth would be very valuable. As missionaries are equipped and resourced to nurture and develop their connection to the vine, they are transformed into Christlikeness, developing the fruit of the Spirit which in turn feeds and nurtures their ministry life.
Karen Davison served fifteen years as a cross-cultural missionary, followed by seven years in missionary recruitment; preparing, training, and equipping candidates; and in member care. This article has grown out of research conducted in 2019 for her MTh degree, awarded in 2020.
NOTES
[1] The context of John 15 is set in the final words of Jesus to his disciples during the Last Supper and in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he was arrested.
[2] Richard J. Foster and Gayle D. Beebe, Longing for God – Seven Paths of Christian Devotion (Downers Grove: IVP Books, 2009).
[3] Ruth Haley Barton, Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, Richard Foster, M. Robert Mulholland Jr, James Bryan Smith and Dallas Willard are just some of the key authors on the topic of Spiritual Formation and Spiritual Practices. For books referring specifically to Spiritual Formation for missionary candidates and missionaries, see: John Amalraj, Geoffrey W. Hahn, and William D. Taylor, Spirituality in Mission: Embarking on the Lifelong Journey (Pasadena: William Carey Library, 2018); Evelyn and Richard Hibbert, Training Missionaries: Principles and Possibilities (Pasadena: William Carey Library, 2016); David Teague, Godly Servants: Discipleship and Spiritual Formation for Missionaries (United States: Mission Imprints, 2012).
[4] Diane Elkonin, Ottilia Brown and Samantha Naicker, “Religion, Spirituality and Therapy: Implications for Training,” Journal of Religion and Health 53, No. 1 (February, 2014): 122. See also: Updesh Kumar Archana and Rohtash Singh, “Resilience and Spirituality as Predictors of Psychological Well-Being among University Students,” Journal of Psychosocial Research 9, No. 2 (July–December, 2014): 228; Lydia K. Manning, “Enduring as Lived Experience: Exploring the Essence of Spiritual Resilience for Women in Late Life,” Journal of Religion and Health 53, No. 2, (April, 2014): 354; Donald Moss, “The Circle of the Soul: The Role of Spirituality in Health Care,” Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback 27, No. 4 (December, 2002): 285; Steven M. Southwick and Dennis S. Charney, Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life’s Greatest Challenges (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012), 81.
[5] William D. Taylor, ed., Too Valuable to Lose: Exploring the Causes and Cures of Missionary Attrition (Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1997). Note: ReMap stands for Reducing Missionary Attrition Project.
[6] Rob Hay, Valerie Lim, Detlef Bloecher, Jaap Ketelaar, and Sarah Hay, Worth Keeping: Global Perspectives on Best Practice Missionary Retention (Pasadena: William Carey Library, 2007).
[7] This research was conducted as part of a Master of Theology program through the Australian College of Ministries (Sydney College of Divinity) by Karen Davison BTh, MTh (2020) and supervised by Dr. John Robinson. For a copy of this research essay or a summary of results, please contact the author via email: karen.davison197@gmail.com.
[8] See, for example, K. Elisabet Högström and Heather Davediuk Gingrich, “Experiences and Utilization of Member Care in an International Missionary Sample,” Journal of Psychology and Christianity 33, No. 3 (Autumn 2014): 243.
[9] Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline; Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1992).
[10] Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices that Transform Us (Downers Grove: IVP Books, 2015).
EMQ, Volume 58, Issue 1. Copyright © 2022 by Missio Nexus. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced or copied in any form without written permission from Missio Nexus. Email: EMQ@MissioNexus.org.
