Links to Recommended Resources
This page contains links to additional resources available on the Web.
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Member Care Providers
The following organizations provide member care either to missionaries in the United States or to missionaries on their fields.
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Barnabas International is a world-wide ministry of encouragement to missionaries, MK’s, mission agencies, pastors to missionaries and national pastors. It provides retreats, pastoral care to missionaries on the field, and sponsors Mu Kappa (a ministry to missionary kids). |
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Link Care Center has been caring for people since 1965. It offers counseling, pastoral care, and training to people in all walks of life, with a special emphasis on people in missions and ministry. Located in Fresno , California , it offers residential treatment there as well as on-field services abroad. |
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Marble Retreat is an interdenominational psychotherapy center serving ministers and missionaries in crisis. It offers a blend of spiritual and emotional approaches to touch the whole person. Located in the Colorado Rockies, people there have brought healing through Christ-centered brief intensive psychotherapy since 1974. |
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Alongside is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide professional spiritual, mental, and emotional care to missionaries and their families, to the end of promoting personal wholeness and ministry effectiveness. Its 2.5-week Renewal and Growth Sabbaticals are offered monthly in Michigan. |
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| Mission Training International |
Mission Training International has been developing and equipping cross-cultural messengers of the Gospel since 1954. It does this through pre-field training for both adults and children, debriefing and renewal for adults and children, an international congress on language learning, a member care workshop for adults as well as one for kids and family member care. |
| Heartstream Resources | Heartstream resources for cross-cultural workers serves missionaries and humanitarian workers through offering programs of restoration and renewal for those wounded or depleted in service, providing education and prevention programs for cross-cultural workers relative to effectiveness training, care, and well-being. It also assists agency leaders through education and consultation as well as conducting and applying research. |
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Valeo exclusively serves those sent cross-culturally by providing preventative and restorative care to strengthen their well-being in life and work. We develop emotional, relational, and spiritual health in our clients through debriefing, counseling, and psychiatric care. Our clients include individual global workers and families, and their organizations. Delivery of services occur primarily online anywhere there is an internet connection overseas, as well as, in-person in our Columbia, SC office and on-site throughout Indonesia. |
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| Narramore Christian Foundation |
Narramore Christian Foundation (NCF) is a global ministry whose mission is to meet the psychological needs of underserved populations based on the integration of psychology and Scripture. NCF’s website— http://ncfliving.org —offers resources for those in ministry that include Psychology for Living literature, counseling referrals, support services with NCF’s pastor to missionaries, on-field training seminars, doctoral education in Christian counseling in Manila, Philippines, and annual MK ReEntry Seminars for MKs/TCKs who have just completed high school and are returning to the USA or Canada. |
Member Care Resources
The following web sites provide additional resources similar to the ones on this web site, as well as links to other sites.
| Thrive | Thrive encourages and empowers Global Women and is their advocate. It provides care, resources, and community to engage and educate churches, agencies, and individuals to meet the critical needs of Global Women. Through on-line community, publications, and retreats it provides spiritual, physical, and emotional support to women serving overseas. |
| Cross Cultural Workers Resources | This web site has many of the same resources as this web site, but it more generic in nature and terminology. It may be more useful to some cross cultural workers in some settings. |
| Peter's Wife | Peter’s Wife contains help and encouragement for women living cross culturally. It is a place for women working outside their home culture to connect, encourage and help one another, and the Archives page is particularly helpful. |
| Member Care by Radio | Trans World Radio broadcasts short daily radio programs on missionary care topics to people serving in difficult places. Cross-cultural workers can listen to these as they are broadcast. This website also has archived many past programs in their Member Care Library. These programs can be heard online or downloaded quickly to a computer to listen to at your convenience or burned onto a CD to hear as you drive long distances. |
| Mobile Member Care Team | In addition to their providing member care for West Africa, the Mobile member care team has a good digest of member care materials on various topics in the communique section of their website. |
| Member Caravan | This site offers materials to support those who are interested/involved in member care and international work in the health care fields. It is especially oriented towards graduate students and others receiving/offering training in member care-related areas. |
| Global Member Care Network | Sponsored by the Mission Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance, the Global Member Care Network (GMCN) exists to resource, equip and connect internationally all Christian practitioners of member care at any level. It is a professional community in which mutual learning, training and sharing can take place. It is committed to developing the member care profession by setting high standards, advancing the kingdom of God, and glorifying His name. |
MK Resources
The following web sites provide additional resources particularly relevant to MKs (Missionary Kids) and other TCKs (Third Culture Kids), as well as links to other sites.
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Interaction works cooperatively in the development of programs, services and publications to provide and contribute to an on-going flow of care that meets the needs of third-culture kids (TCKs) and internationally mobile families. |
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Mu Kappa is a fraternal association for MKs. To a missionary kid, the phrase "MK" suggests a sense of identity and belonging, giving him or her a kindred spirit with other MKs. Mu Kappa capitalizes on that built-in belongingness and has organized in a formal way what MKs have always felt. |
Free Retreats for Missionaries
The following organizations offer missionaries retreats at no charge. These are times of spiritual refreshment rather than just vacation times, but missionaries basically chose their own activities with the approval of the organization.
| A Quiet Place www.aqpretreat.org |
Located in central Kentucky, A Quiet Place provides a place for spiritual, physical, and relational renewal for missionaries and others in full time ministry. Guests arrive on Sunday evening for a complimentary (including meals) five-day sabbatical with a self-directed program that concludes on Friday morning. Adults only. | |
| Quiet Place Ministries www.quietplaceministries.org |
Located in Michigan, Quiet Place Ministries does not yet own property, but it does rent cottages or cabins in quiet, peaceful settings for missionaries to have a retreat at no cost for lodging. Quiet Place Ministries provides places where families can spend time together with the Lord. Children are welcome (meals are not included). | |
| Missionary Care Ministry www.missionarycareministry.org |
Located in north Georgia, Missionary Care Ministry offers missionaries free lodging for up to a month in a guesthouse on 11 acres of land. This is intended to provide restoration to those who need to be encouraged and equipped to better proclaim the gospel. Singles, couples, and large families are welcome (some meals are provided). | |
| CleftRock Retreat Center www.cleftrock.org |
CleftRock Retreat Center is a sanctuary for those needing a time of physical rest and spiritual renewing. Located in southeastern Kentucky, cleftRock is nestled in the foothills of the Cumberland mountains. Just two hours from Louisville, Cincinnati, and Knoxville, we offer cabin retreats, hiking trails, and a resource center for missionaries and pastors. Missionaries and pastors stay free two nights. Food not included. | |
| More Than a Sparrow Ministries Chattanooga, Tennessee |
Located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, More Than a Sparrow Ministries has two cabins at which missionaries can stay free of charge. Information about our ministry is at https://www.facebook.com/MoreThanASparrowMinistries/ We require confirmation of credentials and/or reference letters in consideration of complimentary lodging for overseas missionaries. We also offer discounts for full time pastors. Please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further information and to make reservations. | |
| Harbor of Refuge www.harborofrefuge.org |
Located in north central Iowa, Harbor of Refuge provides a safe place for pastors and missionaries to come and be refreshed in body, soul and spirit. Guests can arrive on any day of the week and stay up to one week free. Children welcome. Please check out our website: www.harborofrefuge.org |