ON LEAVING WELL
STATEMENT
When a missionary is leaving a particular field, all parties—including the sending church, the field church, the mission agency, and the missionary—should work together to minimize disruption for ministry on the field and coordinate efforts to support the missionary throughout their transition. Open communication is key to assessing the wisdom and timing of the move before a decision is made.
Article Written by Noah Samuels“And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship.” - Acts 20:36-38
If missionaries could dream about what our departure from a particular field would look like, most of us would dream of something like Paul leaving the Ephesian elders. We imagine what it must feel like to have served faithfully for years, having invested in the local language, having built deep relationships, and having seen a healthy church established where there wasn’t one before. With our passport and boarding pass in hand, we imagine what it will feel like to embrace our local friends and co-laborers, many of whom we would have personally helped understand the gospel. Tears stream down our cheeks as we get one last glimpse of the people we grew to love before boarding our flight.
It’s an incredible vision for a missionary life that is well-lived. But it’s a vision that’s rarely realized.
This certainly wasn’t the kind of departure that our family experienced. Looking back on a decade of work in our city, we studied the language, saw good fruit among local believers and churches, and our family was doing well. We had no plans to leave, but all of that was unexpectedly about to change.
We had briefly left the country to process some essential paperwork when the borders were closed behind us. The COVID-19 pandemic grew, and what we thought would be a few weeks away turned into an indefinite period of being locked out of the city we loved. We didn’t get to give hugs, say goodbye, or pray with the people and churches we left behind. While we had no desire to depart, God had other plans. And our experience is not unique.
For two thousand years, missionaries have left for various reasons: medical emergencies, political unrest, agencies’ shift in strategy, team conflict, children’s education, and more. Some reasons are outside the missionary’s control (pandemics and persecution), while others can be anticipated and planned for (retirement). But regardless of why a missionary leaves the field, the decision to leave is usually complicated and confusing.
Contributing to this confusion is the reality that the missionary must sift through competing advice and directives from the various voices that speak into this decision. The missions agency points the missionary in a direction that aligns with their regional strategy. The sending church encourages a missionary in another direction as they seek to care as best they can for this family they have known and loved for years. The field church encourages them in yet another direction, as they understand the needs on the ground and have watched this family’s ministry up close.
None of the advice is necessarily wrong, but when these voices speak to a missionary in isolation, the missionary usually isn’t helped. While there isn’t a perfect solution to clear up confusion when considering a departure, there are practical steps to take and important principles to consider when leading a missionary from one field of service or stage of life to the next.
Practical Steps To Take
1. Work together to minimize the disruption on the field
Any departure should be felt by the people, ministry, and church(es) they are leaving behind. The pain of separation is evidence of a faithfully built bond. Missionaries, missions agencies, sending churches, and field churches must work together to encourage the faith of those involved in the ongoing work. This need is sadly often overlooked when a missionary leaves.
Sending churches in particular are prone to this. The excitement of getting a great family back can cause them to ignore the work they have done for years and the people they are leaving behind.
Mission agencies are prone to this. A shift in strategy or security concerns can cause agencies to make moves that don’t consider individual cases or contexts.
Even missionaries themselves are prone to this. Life and ministry can look greener on the other side of the ocean, so they can make plans and pursue opportunities without talking to the people their departure would most impact.
If a missionary is planning to leave the field, they should actively seek to protect and even promote the whole reason they went to the field in the first place: gospel work in a needy place. This requires listening and communicating with the field church, the team, and local believers on the ground in addition to their agency and sending church. There are many reasons why a missionary will sometimes leave quickly. This was certainly the case for Paul in places like Thessalonica and Berea (Acts 17:10, 14). But even when he had to leave in a hurry, Paul (and others with him) labored to protect what they had seen planted.
After hearing about how the church in Thessalonica was doing (1 Thessalonians 1:9), Paul writes them a letter saying, “But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face” (1 Thess. 2:17). So, what did Paul do? “…we sent Timothy, our brother, and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith…” (1 Thess. 3:2).
It may sound counterintuitive, but given that missionaries almost always leave their ministry, one of the first things a missionary should have on their minds is to identify and disciple someone to take their place, just as Paul did with the Ephesian elders. With this mindset, the disruption of transition will be minimized, regardless of whether the missionary has to leave unexpectedly or as part of a long-term plan.
2. Work together to maximize care for the missionary
There will undoubtedly be some difficulty during a missionary’s departure. Saying goodbye, packing up and moving, and adjusting to a new stage of life or vocation is always difficult. Missionaries are generally resilient, but they are not robots. Sending churches, missions agencies, and field churches do well to recognize this and work together to support missionaries during a challenging transition and hopefully into their next phase of life and ministry.
Every voice in a missionary’s life is uniquely positioned to provide care in complementary ways.
Sending churches will often receive these missionaries from the field. This gives them an opportunity to provide immediate physical (vehicle, housing, and meals) and spiritual care (sitting under nourishing teaching, singing great hymns, and having good conversations with old friends). While not all difficulties can be eliminated in a missionary’s transition, sending churches can smooth out the landing in practical ways.
Missions agencies can think through the practical implications of a move. From shipping requirements to financial implications, most agencies are experienced in this process. They should help the missionaries anticipate and address difficulties.
Field churches, while feeling the weight of loss, can serve missionaries by informing those about to receive them. This is precisely what Priscilla and Aquila did for Apollos in Acts 18:27, “And when [Apollos] wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When we arrived, he greatly helped those who, through grace, had believed.” No one is closer to the departing missionary than those he is departing. It serves the missionary, the sending church, and the missions agency when the field church speaks into the spiritual state, needs, and context of departing missionaries.
Principles To Guide Conversations
If a sending church, field church, and mission agency are going to care well for a missionary, they must talk. Care comes best when relationships are built on clear understanding. These entities should have many conversations to make sure everyone is on the same page and everyone has all the information they need.
Consider the following questions to facilitate open communication:
Missionary: If you are considering leaving a particular field:
1. Have you talked to pastors and other church members on the field? How have you invited their counsel into a decision? As those who will bear the cost of your departure and know your current context, they have an active interest in what God might have for you next.
2. Have you talked to your sending organization about a potential field change? What implications might a move have on their ability to serve you (administration, strategy, teammates, etc.)? As those who often have a glimpse into larger regional work and strategy, your sending agency, aside from being your employer, has an active interest in your departure.
3. Have you talked to your sending church? Have you sought their insight into your motivations for a potential departure? As those who have known you the longest and likely support you financially, they have proven their relational investment to you, your family, and your ministry. They are uniquely positioned to help you examine and apply wisdom to your possible departure.
Field Church: If a missionary member of your church is considering leaving:
Have you talked with them about the needs on the field and how their departure may impact those needs? Have you talked to them about the timing of a move? Often, the timing of a move can influence things just as much as the move itself.
Have you talked with the missionary's sending church? Their longevity with this missionary could shape your counsel. As any church should do due diligence in shepherding their sheep into another fold, how can you encourage the sending church to receive this missionary?
Have you been able to talk with their sending agency? Sending agencies are more effective when they are accurately informed of the realities on the ground. How might you help the missions agency better understand the context and ministry a missionary is leaving?
Sending Church: If one of your supported workers is considering departing their field:
Have you talked to the missionary about this? Have you talked through the motivations for this move? If it’s a family, have you talked to both the husband and the wife? Have you talked to them about what might be next vocationally?
How might talking to the missionary's field church fill in some details of this potential departure? They will have the most up-to-date observations on how this missionary has been doing spiritually, physically, and emotionally. This will help shape your counsel.
Have you talked with your missionary's agency? An agency can help clarify a departure, and what the strategy will look like moving forward in this location. Ask the agency what the relationship with the missionary will be like upon their return. Ask practical questions about employment, benefits, and their responsibilities moving forward.
Missions Agency: If one of your global workers is considering a move:
Have you talked to the missionary and helped them think through what is wise for them and their family? Have you talked to both the husband and the wife? Have you helped them think through the practical implications of departing the field? Have you encouraged them to process this decision with their sending and field church pastors?
Have you talked to the field church and considered what impact this missionary's departure will have on the ongoing work? Would it be an opportunity for you to recruit a replacement to fill the void left by the missionary? Have you asked the field church how you can help the missionary leave well?
Have you talked with the missionary's sending church? Have you helped them think through what it might look like to receive a missionary back? Have you clarified how and when your relationship with the missionary will change as they transition back?
Even if a missionary, sending church, missions agency, and field church have completed all of the above, a departure will still be hard. All parties involved need patience and grace as they trust God's sovereign plan for this missionary and the work they leave behind.
Paul’s farewell to the Ephesian elders was not easy. It was bittersweet because he left well. Paul wept as he sailed away, but his love for the saints in Ephesus didn’t fade as his tears dried. Paul’s investment in the church didn’t stop when he left the city. He continued to write to them, and he even sent his beloved disciple Timothy to carry on the work. Even when the Lord moved Paul to other places, he still labored to build up the church in Ephesus.
Today, churches, mission agencies, and missionaries are wise to work together to do the same.
