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The Reentry Team: Caring for Your Returning Missionaries
Neal Pirolo is the director of Emmaus Road Intl. Having sensed that reentry support was the most neglected, yet greatly needed, he has given us this thoughtful study on how to care for returning missionaries. It is his heart's desire to see our missionaries better cared for.
- GenresChristian Non Fiction
319 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 14, 2019
Put yourself in this general situation:
You are a missionary. You return to your homeland after a year and a half of working for the Lord in what felt to be another world let alone another country. The place you used to call your "home" is not what you thought you knew it was. Suddenly you have culture shock at the selfishness of your land, you do not realize ideas and changes in ministry happened in your old church, the town you once lived in seemingly ages ago had settled into ways you never remembered. You love what the Lord had done in your life on the field and wanted to share with your church the amazing grace and love you saw in the place you went and you tell your pastor you want to speak to the congregation... but it is not appropriate to tell it not this week. It just isn't in the schedule. Next week the same statement by the pastor. The third week? You have just about given up. What can you do about telling others what the Lord has done across the ocean if no one in church (who are more settled in their own, personal and seemingly more-important matters. God is important but only if it is about them and their possessions) wants to hear it?
Is this a church they had once before known? Do the people within this place like to hear about what Jesus has done around the world or do they rather want to hear again about the time they sunk a hole-in-one at the Country club?
You start to sink into a deep depression, feeling that no one should hear your stories ever again. There is no reason to speak anymore. You feel like a fire that had once been passionate had the home church snuff it out.
Does this sound like a real thing? It pretty much is a generalization of what has happened to endless missionaries that have returned to their countries after they served world-wide. Finding out what was in this book was a huge eye-opener to my life. Never did I think I would see such a unique but important to know about perspective until I read these endless stories. The crazy thing about how urgent learning this subject is is also how much people go through life not knowing of it, because chances are you have not heard about this issue unless you have read this kind of book or are a missionary yourself.
This book is about the returning missionary who has to re-adapt to their old hometown and country and either serve within the church or prepare to leave again for another missions trip (whether it ends up being three weeks or another three years!).
Missionaries need prayer and especially need to be known how much they are loved and cared for by their home church or to any church they may end up turning to in another land.
A few things surprised me about this book. One was how I at first thought it was methodical as it goes over many steps and ways to help the returning Christian. I thought the book was getting silly in that aspect to the point I thought it was being pointless until I realized the patterns many of the stories were following what they were predicting about the missionary's stressful phase of life. We need to know these patterns- more importantly, before they can happen- because some Christians have experienced stress to the point they felt alone in their struggle. And others even ended up committing suicide!
Another part in this book surprised me albeit it was very brief. The author describes a "Holmes Stress Assessment Scale" that measures by a set number how much stress daily activities can create for a person. A total that adds up to 150 is considered dangerous for the person handling that amount of stress in their life. Well what a returning missionary goes through could register at up to 500 (!) which is predicted could cause illness (and miraculously that number was nothing compared to what the author found out his number was. And he was still alive!).
The stories cover specific cases including Missionary Kids how they go to such a foreign land before they are able to even understand fully what is going on. They need as much prayer (or even more so) as their parent leaders as they sometimes feel rejected both in their new country and in their homeland.
I hope if you ever have a heart for missions or are just curious about what it this specific subject is about, that you will read this book. This book may just make you open your house to a returning missionary. And by how I felt about these people, I really hope it will!
You are a missionary. You return to your homeland after a year and a half of working for the Lord in what felt to be another world let alone another country. The place you used to call your "home" is not what you thought you knew it was. Suddenly you have culture shock at the selfishness of your land, you do not realize ideas and changes in ministry happened in your old church, the town you once lived in seemingly ages ago had settled into ways you never remembered. You love what the Lord had done in your life on the field and wanted to share with your church the amazing grace and love you saw in the place you went and you tell your pastor you want to speak to the congregation... but it is not appropriate to tell it not this week. It just isn't in the schedule. Next week the same statement by the pastor. The third week? You have just about given up. What can you do about telling others what the Lord has done across the ocean if no one in church (who are more settled in their own, personal and seemingly more-important matters. God is important but only if it is about them and their possessions) wants to hear it?
Is this a church they had once before known? Do the people within this place like to hear about what Jesus has done around the world or do they rather want to hear again about the time they sunk a hole-in-one at the Country club?
You start to sink into a deep depression, feeling that no one should hear your stories ever again. There is no reason to speak anymore. You feel like a fire that had once been passionate had the home church snuff it out.
Does this sound like a real thing? It pretty much is a generalization of what has happened to endless missionaries that have returned to their countries after they served world-wide. Finding out what was in this book was a huge eye-opener to my life. Never did I think I would see such a unique but important to know about perspective until I read these endless stories. The crazy thing about how urgent learning this subject is is also how much people go through life not knowing of it, because chances are you have not heard about this issue unless you have read this kind of book or are a missionary yourself.
This book is about the returning missionary who has to re-adapt to their old hometown and country and either serve within the church or prepare to leave again for another missions trip (whether it ends up being three weeks or another three years!).
Missionaries need prayer and especially need to be known how much they are loved and cared for by their home church or to any church they may end up turning to in another land.
A few things surprised me about this book. One was how I at first thought it was methodical as it goes over many steps and ways to help the returning Christian. I thought the book was getting silly in that aspect to the point I thought it was being pointless until I realized the patterns many of the stories were following what they were predicting about the missionary's stressful phase of life. We need to know these patterns- more importantly, before they can happen- because some Christians have experienced stress to the point they felt alone in their struggle. And others even ended up committing suicide!
Another part in this book surprised me albeit it was very brief. The author describes a "Holmes Stress Assessment Scale" that measures by a set number how much stress daily activities can create for a person. A total that adds up to 150 is considered dangerous for the person handling that amount of stress in their life. Well what a returning missionary goes through could register at up to 500 (!) which is predicted could cause illness (and miraculously that number was nothing compared to what the author found out his number was. And he was still alive!).
The stories cover specific cases including Missionary Kids how they go to such a foreign land before they are able to even understand fully what is going on. They need as much prayer (or even more so) as their parent leaders as they sometimes feel rejected both in their new country and in their homeland.
I hope if you ever have a heart for missions or are just curious about what it this specific subject is about, that you will read this book. This book may just make you open your house to a returning missionary. And by how I felt about these people, I really hope it will!
December 31, 2020
This book could be considered a guide to relating to a certain kind of person you don't understand, who has unique needs. In this case, specifically missionaries. But there are many other life paths that are poorly understood by those who haven't lived them. I felt like I had a better understanding, could respond better, to missionaries experiencing re-entry after reading this book, though I don't know their experiences for myself. I might (more or less) randomly encounter a missionary, in a Christian setting. Missionaries encounter whoever they encounter in the places they go, also more or less randomly. So educating people better, in general, raises the chance that they will be responded to well. Something like this book could be part of a "continuing education program" for churchgoers. In addition, roles like recovering drug addict, caregiver, high school student (to name three at random) could be better understood by people in Christian communities, if books like this one existed for those roles. Structures of support could be intentionally built for those (and other) roles, just as they are for missionaries.
One technique that Pirolo uses is to present life stories and then ask the reader to really read them, and understand them. He understands the background of being a missionary as well, so he can provide a guide for processing the stories, according to patterns he has learned to see. His tone is challenging and compassionate. These all could be features of books for "being a support for people with unique and characteristic needs".
I usually avoid giving five stars on Goodreads unless I particularly like a book, usually if I've re-read it. This book could be a candidate for that someday.
One technique that Pirolo uses is to present life stories and then ask the reader to really read them, and understand them. He understands the background of being a missionary as well, so he can provide a guide for processing the stories, according to patterns he has learned to see. His tone is challenging and compassionate. These all could be features of books for "being a support for people with unique and characteristic needs".
I usually avoid giving five stars on Goodreads unless I particularly like a book, usually if I've re-read it. This book could be a candidate for that someday.
July 26, 2022
For 2000 it would have been a five star. 60% is straight stories from people who have gone through reentry which was so great to read and take in. I think it is a little dated at points, but the themes in each story still ring true and that was very helpful and encouraging for one going through much of that recently. Really aimed at churches, but I found it really life giving as the one in re-entry because of the stories and perspectives.
March 30, 2020
A good introductory resource for anyone working in Member Care among cross-cultural team members. Pirolo has offered a good philosophical base and seasoned it with practical tools and individual case studies. Highly recommend.
April 20, 2025
Update:
I've finished reading and still leave it rated at 5. It is very much a thought provoking causing you to self examine where you personally, your ministry leaders and your church fit in the re-entry process of returning missionaries. I could relate and fully understand many of the stories shared throughout the book by missionaries. In my opinion, it should be a reading requirement for all churches who send missionaries.
First thoughts:
I have only gotten to Chapter Three and having just returned from a three month mission placement overseas, I now have another perspective and fully agree with what the author is saying. If only our churches and leaders could understand, even a portion of what is in this book thus far, it would make an incredible difference for those returning. I'm sure there are churches that do and those churches need to be encouraged to continue. I appreciate that it is also speaking of those who are returning to the field after coming home to raise funds for their next time overseas. Onward, I go through the rest of the book......
I've finished reading and still leave it rated at 5. It is very much a thought provoking causing you to self examine where you personally, your ministry leaders and your church fit in the re-entry process of returning missionaries. I could relate and fully understand many of the stories shared throughout the book by missionaries. In my opinion, it should be a reading requirement for all churches who send missionaries.
First thoughts:
I have only gotten to Chapter Three and having just returned from a three month mission placement overseas, I now have another perspective and fully agree with what the author is saying. If only our churches and leaders could understand, even a portion of what is in this book thus far, it would make an incredible difference for those returning. I'm sure there are churches that do and those churches need to be encouraged to continue. I appreciate that it is also speaking of those who are returning to the field after coming home to raise funds for their next time overseas. Onward, I go through the rest of the book......
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews