I submitted my report to those who inspired the idea.
Without their prior efforts my attempt could not have
been possible. This is more than poetic rhetoric; it is true.
I am genuinely grateful to each person who contributed
to the study, and that includes the previous researchers.
This letter adds to those contributions, and I trust increases
the value of our work and Christian missionary enterprise.
-d3ennis
Dennis D. Davis
04 APRIL 2001

 

 

Thank you for the summary of your research on Singaporean missionary attrition. It certainly points to some weaknesses in the system. Some initial thoughts:

 

1. The true hypothesis of the study may be that human nature more often tends to blame others for failure than accept one's own part in it. That is true for the mission administrator as it is for the missionary. It is especially true in a "shame" culture though the Western "guilt" culture also employs this technique widely. In light of this human tendency, your findings are less surprising than the cooperation you received from the director of the mission agency.

 

2. On a strictly technical basis, the sampling method you used would create some concerns along with the relatively small sample size (although probably adequate if generalizability was limited to that agency). The Re-MAP study also had a disappointingly small sample and was drawn almost entirely from "sending churches" rather than sending "agencies." The global population of Singaporean missionaries is relatively small but a random sampling would have made your study stronger if you wish to apply it beyond the confines of the one agency you used.

 

3. On a more practical level, I wonder if the Singapore Evangelical Alliance might not sponsor a consultation on issues in agency member care (perhaps focused on "debriefing") or something to that effect, where these issues might be aired. This is a relatively new movement and frank discussions that draw attention to the need for adequate screening, practical pre-field training and field care/supervision for the missionary might help shed some light on these needs in a non-threatening fashion. Since I don't have the particulars on the agency in question, it would be relevant to describe what the agency does or does not do in terms of the above elements of missionary recruitment, training and field support. It is my conviction that adequate screening and adequate (largely non-formal) training for the missionary that emphasizes personal character development, inter-personal relationships and teamwork, and language learning techniques and culture learning/adaptation, will greatly minimize the potential for attrition.

 

Thank you for sending the study along and I will circulate it to our Re-MAP II team. Blessings.