How can ministry workers in the field receive member care for trauma counselling?

Our Christian Ministry Maven for this episode is Patricia Jehle, a university instructor in Switzerland and a business coach. Often the questions of why and how to find member care for overseas ministry workers and missionaries are real and pressing.  Patricia Jehle addresses the issue of critical incident trauma often experienced by ministry workers and how to find help. Patricia points out the why and options for missionary and other ministry workers receiving member care while they serve in remote locations. Our Ministry Maven responds to this listener's request:

"One of our close missionary partner families were brutalized by thieves in their own home several years ago. I had to get them to hospital and then arrange for their evacuation home. Now I can't sleep through the night and constantly have nightmares. I can't seem to focus. My ministry is suffering. I know I'm suffering...

Today's question comes from a pastor, and is: "How can I maintain a good rapport with my family when I'm so busy leading this church?"

Our Christian Ministry Maven for this episode is Patricia Jehle, a university instructor in Switzerland and a business coach.  Patricia points out the why and how of making your family a priority when involved in a busy ministry. In this QT4CM episode she outlines a strategic approach for sustainable work life balance:

• Take time to reflect and assess your personal and professional values.
• Prioritize "God first, your family second, and your ministry third.
• Reframe ownership and responsibility for success:  It is God's ministry, not yours.
• Organize conversations with family and ministry stakeholders to clarify expectations.
• Proactively set home and work boundaries.
• Schedule time first for God and family in your daily agenda, then add work tasks.

Click the green play button to listen to Patricia:

Dr. Lyndon Wall of Refresh Ministries points out that burn-out is often predicated by a loss of hope.

Dr. Wall prescribes six remedies to recover your hope and prevent burn-out.

First, ask yourself — What is my understanding of my call to impact the world?  See if you can write it out in a sentence. Second, ask — What is my hope level of this happening?  Rate on a scale of 1-10:  One meaning little hope, 10 fullness of confidence. Third, ask — How has your ministry experience affected your belief in yourself, other people and God?  Has there been a sliding toward negative attitudes in any of these three categories? Fourth — Consider the difference between faithfulness and impact.  Which was your calling to?  Often when we are called to a certain ministry, we add our own assumptions about how that ministry is going to change the world.  When our assumptions don’t pan out we move easily to despair. ...