Member Care

After several years working in a dangerous and war-torn country, Steve & Emily, along with their three young children, were at the brink of a physical and emotional meltdown. Their children were struggling with serious issues, one of their friends and colleagues was just gunned down by militants, and their mission organization was considering shutting down all operations in this country due to the extreme violence. Steve and Emily were agonizing over the direction God had for their family in the midst of it all. They were in desperate need of Christian guidance, counseling, and rest. They, along with many other families, have found just that at Cornerstone Counseling and The Well Member Care Center in Chiang Mai, Thailand – and a free stay at The Dwelling.

What we do

Member Care consists of care for Christian workers, in the form of: debriefing, counseling, pastoral care, assistance with relational or team issues, raising kids, Marriage enrichment, etc., so that long-term workers can stay strong and more effective as they reach the world with the love and truth of Christ.

Did you know that 25% of full-time Christian workers quit and go home every five years for preventable reasons? Stat from “Worth Keeping” by Rob Hay et al (WEA), 2007

Stress, fatigue, burnout, team/family/marital conflict, and lack of training and support are some of the common causes leading to unwanted missionary attrition.

The Member Care staff in Chiang Mai believe that God’s heart is to help His workers stay refreshed, focused and united to reach all nations.

How we can help

One of the values of Member Care is to remind people that they need Master Care, to hear what Father is saying. We can get so busy that we forget to do this and sadly this can result in good people getting burned out and leaving the field. It is far better to be preventative rather than curative. Our goal is to be effective listeners so we can help others on their journey with Father to see His glory revealed in all the earth.

A friend recently asked for input on a decision that was needed to be made. There were two options and either one was good. One would benefit more financially and the other would serve others sacrificially. We wrote back and encouraged her that she needed to hear what Father was saying. Sometimes, He asks us to do things that don’t necessarily make sense to our own understanding, but there is great peace in obedience. We got an email in response that thanked us for our encouragement to seek Father on the decision. Out of doing that a call on her life was reconfirmed and she was able to make a decision with joy and peace.

Sheep Dogs

Sheep Dogs Int’l, a ministry of YWAM Chiang Mai, offers the following workshops and consultations to long-term Christian teams, leaders and organizations:

• Leadership Development
• Team Development
• Coaching/Mentoring
• Problem Solving Facilitation
• Strategic Planning
• Defining Mission/Vision/Values
• Staff retreats and debriefs
• Teaching in Training Schools
• Process Engineering