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Missionary Family
Family/Ministry Tension

Russell E. Ebersole, Jr., Vice-President of Missionary Ministries

One of the tensions facing today’s missionaries involves setting priorities.  Does family or ministry come first? How do we find a balance between our commitment to the family God has given to us and the ministry to which God has called us?

At the beginning of the modern missionary era, it was not unusual for missionary children to be separated from their parents by great geographical distances and for prolonged periods of time. This was often necessary because of health and physical dangers. Most people, however, felt that children were being sacrificed on the altar of God’s work.

We now live in a society where the family and its moral values are being eroded by attacks from every side. The proliferation of books on family-related themes, family conferences and seminars, and the explosive growth of home schooling all confirm that God’s people are extremely concerned about their families. This emphasis on the family has had a great influence on career missionaries, who are bringing new family expectations to cross-cultural missions.

The pioneer missionaries’ apparent willingness to sacrifice family for ministry in some cases has been replaced by a mindset where everything seems to revolve around the family with ministry taking a back seat.

Does this tension have to exist? If God has blessed couples with children and called them to serve Him overseas, He is surely able to meet the needs of their families while enabling them to serve effectively. Their homes and families can be a powerful testimony in their adopted land. One of the greatest impacts on a pagan society is made by the distinctively Christian home!

As you pray for your missionary families, ask the Lord to give them wisdom in balancing their God-given responsibilities to both family and ministry.