More than 6000 missionaries quit every year, primarily for reasons that are preventable. Perhaps the biggest reason missionary care IS necessary is the wide-spread misconception that missionaries are indeed self-sufficient. They, like any other members of the body of Christ, need the application of one-another principles found in scripture.
Agencies usually specialize in the practical and technical aspects of training and sustaining its members. They often assume (and prefer) that the sending churches will provide pastoral care. When the church assumes that the agency is doing the work, often no one ends up providing the necessary spiritual support missionaries need through their careers.
The last 15 years have seen an incredible growth in the availability of missionary care programs. Mission organizations themselves have created or expanded member care departments. Parachurch organizations which focus on specialized care have also sprung up. Paracletos is different in that we exist to equip, encourage and enable you to do the ministry of caring for the harvest force. We believe the local church is the largest untapped resource for missionary care.
Paracletos was formed as an independent organization so that its services can be available to all members of God's harvest force. As a neutral, unaffiliated entity, missionaries often feel more comfortable sharing their hearts with us. We have hosted missionaries from New Tribes Mission, TEAM, Pioneers, Campus Crusade and Jews for Jesus, among others.
Currently our staff consists of just Dave and Irene Lewis. They were trained by New Tribes Mission to be church planters among an unreached people group. Their primary qualifications include their gifts of hospitality and shepherding, and stem from their personal experience. Please see their bio for more details.
Some attrition is expected and unavoidable. Examples would include retirement, political crisis on the field, and completion of their project. There is a range of other reasons that can be anticipated and dealt with preemptively. Such would include educational needs of missionary children, marital conflict, lack of financial support, moral failure, and conflicts with teammates. Often, with the right care in place, missionaries struggling with such issues can find solutions that enable them to stay on the job.
Even more important than God's plan to evangelize the world is his intention to conform his children to the image of Christ. As the Apostle Paul so aptly put it, nothing compares to the value of knowing Christ, not even working for Christ. In order to run our race with endurance we must fix our eyes on the author and perfecter of our faith. That, in a nutshell, is good spiritual hygiene, and it is equally important for those who are sent as it is for those who send them.
We have no set fee, though there is a suggested donation of $25 per night per adult, which includes three meals. Our experience has been that missionaries will often not avail themselves of retreat opportunities if the cost is prohibitive. We desire to remove that hurdle so that anyone can come and get the rest and encouragement they need.
At this point it is entirely by the donations of individuals and churches who share our concern for the harvest force. Paracletos is a registered non-profit which issues tax receipts for appropriate gifts.