Is Missionary Member Care in the Bible?
Short & Simple Summary
The very short answer is, “Yes.” The need for missionary member care is found in the Old Testament in Jonah’s life and his missionary service in Nineveh. Unfortunately, none was available from other people, and Jonah rejected God’s attempts. The need for missionary member care is found in the New Testament in Paul’s life during his missionary service in many places. Fortunately, the church at Corinth and the church at Philippi both responded by sending people to meet that need. Paul responded with great appreciation for the half a dozen individuals who came to provide what he needed. Here are the topics covered in the chapter.
Jonah: First Call
Jonah: Second Call
Paul
Stephanas
Titus
Epaphroditus
Timothy & Mark
If you want more detail and links to other sources, read on.
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The Bible contains many admonitions for Christians to love, care for, and build each other up. When asked what commandment was most important, Jesus said that the most important one was to love God with every part of your being, and the second most important one was to love others as you love yourself (Matthew 22:37-40; Mark 12: 30-31). These commands had been around for thousands of years (Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18), and Jesus was just reminding people of them.
The command for Christians was reiterated and expanded by Jesus and writers in the New Testament.
· Jesus said, “Love each other as I have loved you” (John 15:12).
· Jesus also said, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).
· James said that people were doing right to “Love your neighbor as you love yourself” (James 2:8).
· Paul told the church at Galatia that the entire law was summed up in “Love your neighbor as you love yourself” (Galatians 5:14).
· Paul told the Thessalonians, “Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).
Caring for each other is important for everyone, but it is most important for people serving in another culture. Those who have no one to care for them are likely to find life very difficult. The Bible gives examples of both someone who had no member care (Jonah) and someone who did have member care from several people and churches (Paul).
Jonah: First Call
God usually sent Old Testament prophets to speak to people in their own culture. However, God called Jonah to serve cross-culturally. When God called him into service, there was no one there in his home culture to help him process his call and prepare to go.
God’s call to Jonah in the first two verses of the book is detailed and clear. Unfortunately, Jonah did not respond appropriately. Chapters 1 and 2 show us both the bad and the good in Jonah.
· Jonah got off to a bad start by disobeying God. God told him to go east, but Jonah went west. He did this specifically “to flee from the Lord” (Jonah 1:3).
· When serious problems arose, Jonah did not even try to help, rather he went below deck to sleep (Jonah 1:5).
· However, he was honest with the crew and told them he was running away from the Lord (Jonah 1:10).
· His theology was correct when he referred to the Lord, the God of heaven, as the creator (Jonah 1:9).
· When the crew asked what to do, he told them to throw him overboard because the storm was his fault. He was self-sacrificing (Jonah 1:11-12).
· Jonah prayed a prayer of “repentance” from within the fish in Chapter 2. He ended with thanksgiving, a vow to the Lord, and an acknowledgement that salvation was from the Lord.
There was really no opportunity for member care in these first two chapters. Jonah ran from God without giving anyone a chance to help. People still do that today.
Jonah: Second Call
God’s call to Jonah in the first two verses of Chapter 3 is shorter with less detail. Fortunately, Jonah responded more appropriately. Chapters 3 and 4 show us both the good and the bad in Jonah.
· Jonah obeyed God and went east to Nineveh (Jonah 3:3).
· The first day there Jonah started into the city (Jonah 3:4).
· Jonah delivered God’s message (Jonah 3:4).
· His ministry was incredibly successful, resulting in the salvation of 120,000 people (Jonah 3:5-10; 4:11).
· He still had correct theology, knowing that the Lord was a gracious, compassionate, loving, relenting God (Jonah 4:2).
· However, Jonah became angry that God had not destroyed Nineveh as he had threatened (Jonah 3:10-4:1).
· In his displeasure, Jonah’s prayer became bitter and ended with him asking God to take his (Jonah’s) life (Jonah 4:3).
· Jonah ignored God’s question, sat down to pout, and waited to see what would happen (Jonah 4:4-5).
· Jonah’s anger spread to everything around him, even to the loss of the vine God had given to shade him (Jonah 4:6-9).
Jonah did not finish well. A member care provider may have been able to help Jonah deal with his anger and lack of love for the people to whom God had sent him. We do not know if Jonah was ever to deal with that or if he carried his anger to the grave.
Paul
In the New Testament, Paul, first missionary to the Gentiles, listed some of his stressful situations for us.
· Worked hard, labored, toiled
· Imprisoned repeatedly
· Beaten, lashed, stoned
· Constantly on the move
· Shipwrecked, a night in the sea
· In danger from own countrymen
· Danger in the city
· Danger in the country
· Danger from “false brothers”
· Went without sleep
· Hungry, thirsty
· Cold, lacked clothing
· Pressure of the concern for the churches
(2 Corinthians 11:23-28)
Paul obviously needed some member care, and he got it. He specifically mentions five people who were member care providers for him. These were Stephanas, Titus, Epaphroditus, Mark, and Timothy (Fortunatus and Achaicus also accompanied Stephanas on a member care consultation).
Stephanas
Near the end his first letter to the church at Corinth, Paul mentions “that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia” (1 Corinthians 16:15). Achaia was a Roman province in what is now the southern half of Greece, and Paul visited it on his second and third terms of service. Although Athens may have been the most important city in this province, Corinth was the capital.
Stephanas and his family were not only the first ones to become Christians in Corinth, but also they were some of the very few baptized by Paul himself (1 Corinthians 1:16). Paul noted that the members of this family had “devoted themselves to the service of the saints” (1 Corinthians 16:15). When the church sent people to do missionary member care, it sent some of its most experienced and valuable members.
Paul wrote, “I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you. For they refreshed my spirit and yours also” (1 Corinthians 16:17-18). Note that in this early missionary member care visit they brought what was needed, and they refreshed the spirits of those serving cross-culturally.
Titus
When writing to the church at Corinth again, Paul mentioned his need for missionary member care saying, “When we came into Macedonia, this body of ours had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fears within” (2 Corinthians 7:5). Many missionaries today could write this passage about themselves because serving God cross-culturally has changed little in this regard.
Again the church at Corinth sent someone to
provide missionary member care. They sent Titus, a good friend and co-worker
of Paul himself. Titus had served with Paul and was pastor of a church on
Crete. Paul wrote, “But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the
coming of Titus,
and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told
us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so
that my joy was greater than ever” (2 Corinthians 7:6-7).
In spite of the problems with divisions in the church and immorality there, the church at Corinth was very sensitive to the need for missionary member care. However, other early churches also saw the need and acted to meet it.
Epaphroditus
The church in Philippi, further north in Macedonia, realized that Paul was in need of member care. They sent Epaphroditus on a member care trip to see Paul. Paul wrote back, “I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs” (Philippians 2:25).
Epaphroditus is an example of missionary member care workers needing care themselves. Writing about him, Paul said, “For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow” (Philippians 2:26-27).
Timothy & Mark
Paul did not hesitate to ask for help. When he felt deserted and had few friends nearby, he wrote to Timothy saying, “Do your best to come to me quickly” (2 Timothy 4:9). Paul went on to say, “Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry” (2 Timothy 4:11). Finally, he asked Timothy to bring the coat he had left and his scrolls.
Paul recognized his need for missionary member care, felt free to request it from people he knew and trusted, accepted it graciously when it was provided, and thanked both those who came to meet his need and those who made it possible for a member care visit.
Note to the reader: If you have suggestions about other things that would better answer this chapter’s question, please email those to me at ron@missionarycare.com. In that email please tell me three things: (1) what you believe needs to be included, (2) links to relevant websites if available, and (3) how it better answers the question “Is missionary member care in the Bible?” I plan to periodically update and expand the book with these suggestions.