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Member Care Update--February 2017
Expanding the global impact of member care
Introducing the Missio Dei Model
Global Member Care
Overview
This Update features the newly expanded model for global member care. It emphasizes the missio Dei context for member care and adds a seventh sphere, Humanity Care. The original model (2000) and its updates (2011, 2013) have been used widely in the mission community to “guide and goad” member care practice. We are delighted to note that the model continues to emphasize Jesus Christ at the core of member care, including our relationship with Him, member care/mission workers serving Him, and His love for all people. We finish the Update with some personal reflections on the relevance and application of the model.
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Welcome!
Global Member Care--The Missio Dei Model
(MC-MD)
“The past 50 years has witnessed the steady development of member care practice in support of the Church’s worldwide mission efforts: growing numbers of diverse practitioners, networks, publications, tools, and other resources… Member care is developing its global presence and relevance, as colleagues connect with counterparts in other countries, disciplines, and sectors for mutual learning and joint projects.” Kelly and Michèle O’Donnell (2016)
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The new Missio Dei model (MC-MD) is designed to further shape and support the globalizing field of member care. It was first presented in September 2016 at the Middle East Member Care Consultation by Kelly (power point on member care history/directions). It was subsequently published in our member care article in the special issue on Psychology and Missions in the Journal of Psychology and Theology (December 2016).
The first five spheres are from the original model, developed in 1999-2000 by Dave Pollock and Kelly O’Donnell with some initial input from Marjory Foyle. It is featured in Doing Member Care Well (2002). The sixth sphere, Sector Care, was added in Global Member Care (volume two, 2013) and includes the sectors of mission/aid (primary), humanitarian, health, and human resources. The seventh sphere, Humanity Care, reflects the growing interests and involvements in wellbeing for all people. It surrounds the other six spheres and is itself contained within the missio Dei, that is, the overall work of God in the world through Divine, secular, ecclesiastical, missiological, etc. means. Here is an abridged description of the seven spheres.
Sphere 1. Master Care: The Flow of Christ
Our relationship with Christ is fundamental to our well-being and work effectiveness. Member care resources strengthen our relationship to the Lord and help us to encourage others in the Lord.
Sphere 2. Self and Mutual Care: The Flow of Community
Self care is basic to good health. Self-awareness, monitoring one’s needs, a commitment to personal development, and seeking help when needed are signs of maturity. Likewise quality relationships with family and friends are necessary…with those in one’s home and host cultures.
Sphere 3. Sender Care: The Flow of Commitment
An organisation’s staff is its most important resource. As such, sending groups—both churches and agencies—are committed to work together to support and develop their personnel throughout the worker life cycle. They demonstrate this commitment by the way they invest themselves…
Sphere 4. Specialist Care: The Flow of Caregivers
Specialist care is to be done by properly qualified people, usually in conjunction with sending groups. The goal is not just care, but empowerment—to help personnel develop the resiliency and capacities needed to sacrifice and minister to others.
Sphere 5. Network Care: The Flow of Connections
Member care providers are committed to relate and work together, stay updated on events and developments, and share consolidated learning from their member care practice. They are involved in not just providing their services, but in actively “knitting a net” to link resources with areas of need.
Sphere 6. Sector Care: The Flow of Common Ground
People with member care responsibility stay in touch with sectors that are relevant for their work. They are willing to cross into new areas to find common ground—emphases, projects, disciplines, and fields within related sectors—for mutual learning, exchanging resources, and developing skills. Crossing sectors includes a continuum of involvement which is carefully considered in view of one’s primary focus in member care: being informed by, integrating with, and/or immersing in a given sector or part of a sector.
Sphere 7. Humanity Care: The Flow of Common Good
There is a tremendous need to address major problems affecting the wellbeing of people and the planet. Both member care and mission provide many opportunities for strategic involvement—at local to global levels—by Christian colleagues who can leverage their character, competencies, and compassion. Those with member care responsibility in particular are encouraged to connect and contribute in our globalizing world in new ways for the common good while maintaining the focus on supporting the health, resiliency, and effectiveness of the diversity of mission personnel and their sending groups.
For more information:
--Spheres 1-5: Going Global: A Member Care Model for Good Practice, Doing Member Care Well: Perspectives and Practices from Around the World (2002)
--Sphere 6: Charting Your Course through the Sectors (chapter 2), Global Member Care (volume two): Crossing Sectors for Serving Humanity (2013)
--Sphere 7: Multi-Sectoral Member Care: Engaging Our World as Global Integrators, Journal of Psychology and Theology (Winter 2016)
Personal Reflections
Relevance and Applications for MC-MD
Global Member Care (GMC) continues its emergence and impact as an interdisciplinary, international, and multi-sectoral field. The latest expansion of the global member care model (MC-MD), now with seven spheres, is a reflection of GMC's growing influence. It points us to many new possibilities for connecting and contributing globally and for supporting mission personnel and their sending groups.
In addition to adding spheres six and seven, we have made three important adjustments over time to the five spheres of the original model from 2000. They are:
- a) “Specialist Care” is now “Special Care” (sphere four) in order to emphasize the various skills needed to support workers by both specialists and others with member care responsibilities such as field and team leaders;
- b) the need for supportive input for sending groups (sphere three), member care providers (sphere four), and member care networks (sphere five) themselves, in addition to the main focus on mission workers; and
- c) the reality that many Christian workers are not necessarily sent out by a sending group like a church/agency and they too need member care including support teams and local resources to back them up.
MC-MD is a tool for the member care and mission community. It continues to promote the growth and development of workers in the context of sacrifice and demanding work that often involves prudent risk. It also seeks to extend the global reach of member care and to encourage colleagues to track with developments in our globalizing world. Similar to the emphasis in volume two of Global Member Care, it is meant:
• To support mission/aid workers in their well-being and effectiveness
• To equip mission/aid workers with tools and opportunities for their work with others
• To equip member caregivers who directly work with vulnerable populations and others
• To support colleagues in other sectors via materials in the member care field
• To stay informed as global citizens about current and crucial issues facing humanity
For more ideas that can relate to the relevance and application of MC-MD, see:
• "Volume 2 Application" section on the website for the Global Member Care book series
• Global Integration: Addressing the Pressing Issues Facing Our World, Christian Psychology Around the World (March 2016)
• Personal Reflections on our global work, in the December 2016 Member Care Update.
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Member Care Associates
MCAresources@gmail.com
Member Care Associates is a non-profit, Christian organisation based in Geneva and the USA. We provide and develop supportive resources for workers and organizations in the mission, humanitarian, and development sectors. Our services include consultation, training, research, and publications. We also work in the areas of global mental health and integrity/anti-corruption.
Global Integration (GI)
GI is a framework that guides our work as we actively integrate our lives with global realities. It helps us to connect relationally and contribute relevantly on behalf of human wellbeing and the major issues facing humanity, in light of our integrity and core values (e.g., ethical, humanitarian, faith-based) for God's glory.
More MCA Resources
Global Portal for Good Practice (our main website)
Reflections, Research, and Resources for Good Practice (weblog)
Global Mental Health: A Global Map for a Global Movement (website)
Global Integration: Common Ground-Common Good (updates, materials, webinars)
Global Member Care: (volume one): The Pearls and Perils of Good Practice (2011)
(e-book version is available on Amazon)
Global Member Care (volume two): Crossing Sectors for Serving Humanity (2013)
(e-book version is available on Amazon)
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