36 R W O K C A E T R N LIS E C I A T CA PE R S E DE R C N A R E E S C LF AR E E S MASTER -----M ----- E U CARE R T U A A L C Career Development Gordon Jones For Mission Personnel Rosemary Jones “ I thought missionaries are expected to do the things A good job fit, they like least and for which they are least gifted.” This comment was made to us as we were sitting in the student serving with lounge at a seminary in Switzerland, chatting with a couple one’s gifts/strengths, of students about member care. We had told them that we found career counseling a helpful tool in working with col- ongoing training, leagues in Africa. By now, the interest was obvious, and the and willingness number of students around us increased from two or three to about a dozen. All agreed that the concept that we could to sacrifice use our natural gifts in mission work and find enjoyment all blend together and satisfaction in such work was a new thought! On the field, we sometimes have to perform tasks that to form resilient, we do not like, stepping in to do whatever is necessary to effective, help the group. However, if God has uniquely gifted each of us, then surely our normal expectation is that He wants and satisfied to anoint and use those gifts in His service. “Everyone has mission personnel. different gifts, and these differences create a broad spec- trum of Christian usefulness. As a general rule, God plans “As each one to put square pegs into square holes” (Foyle, 2001, p. 44). has received Some Current Realities a special gift, so use it to serve Few mission members have any career development plan. Indeed, the idea of using the word “career” and the one another, concept of career development in mission work almost as good stewards seem oxymoronic. At a time when the number of people wanting to make a long-term commitment to missions is of the manifold dropping and the number of short-termers is increasing, grace of God” we need to attract long-term career people more than ever. All mission personnel need opportunities to develop their (1 Peter 4:10). skills. Yet much money can be used for recruitment and mobilization, with little invested in the further develop- 369 370 doing member care well ment of mission personnel, especially At the other end of the career path, long-term workers and potential future there is an increasing trend for people to leaders. take early retirement in order to serve in “One of the basic challenges of a mis- missions as a second career—“the Finish- sion agency is to find a balance between ers.” Other people volunteer for missions its commitment to accomplishing evange- following normal retirement. Many of listic tasks and its commitment to care for those who join missions in later life bring and develop staff. Too frequently, the em- with them many years of experience phasis falls more on the side of the task, shaped by personal development and to the near exclusion of the people who training opportunities. This may leave the are needed to work on the task. Organiza- long-term missionaries feeling woefully tional practices which place task attainment lacking in skills, in contrast to the special- over staff development are considered a ties that these “later arrivals” are bringing. non-acceptable operating procedure in today’s business world, and rightfully so. Natural Gifts This should be especially true within the mission agency, considering the biblical Does finding a place in missions for exhortations to care for and honor one career development mean that we are another” (Shedlosky, 1992, p. 247). buying into the latest “trend,” reinforcing The cross-cultural adjustments for a “give me this, I deserve it” mentality, and those coming from the Newer Sending bypassing the values of service and sacri- Countries (NSCs) are just as enormous as fice? Not at all! There are enough frustra- those faced by Western missionaries go- tions, plenty of opportunities to die to self, ing to the developing world. However, illnesses, refusal of visas, and general sometimes their preparation is less exten- stress, without having to add to them the sive, and the sending agencies have less pressure of having to work consistently in corporate experience. There is a danger areas in which we are not naturally gifted. of their repeating our mistakes. Those of In describing the relationship between us from the traditional sending countries stress and natural gifts, we can think of a may have more opportunities for career continuum ranging from those tasks that development, change, and growth. We we do easily and well (natural gifts) to must recognize that people coming into those that we will always do poorly (see mission service from the NSCs may also Figure 1). The latter are the ones in which need help and encouragement in career we are all “fingers and thumbs.” We can development and change. all do tasks that are outside our areas of Multinational companies recruiting gifting for short periods of time. However, from universities are now also emphasiz- if we have to function really outside our ing opportunities for in-house training natural gift range for long periods of time, and development, along with the salary then this will drain our energy, increase and benefits package. Today’s young our stress, and cause many of us to begin adults rate personal growth opportu- to malfunction. nities and opportunities to develop their career potential as very important Figure 1 values. Some multinational profes- Relationship Between Natural Gifts and Stress* sional service providers have an in- house career management service. Natural Gifts Learned Skills Unskilled Such a service is totally confidential to Gifted Non-gifted the client and gives help with career development both within and outside (energizers) (energy drainers) (stressors) the company. * Adapted from work done by J. Warkentin with SIL Intl. career development for mission personnel 371 “Ducks swim easily in water, but they being true to themselves and can begin to still have to walk on land—and they do malfunction more quickly than some other that poorly. Such waddling is a normal and personality types. People with personali- inevitable cause of frustration. But al- ties who need to be needed, however, are though ducks can’t eliminate land excur- energized by serving and meeting needs sions, they don’t make backpacking a in others, and this motivation may enable major part of their activity. You can’t elimi- them to function outside of their natural nate your waddling, nor should you gifting. Others are “company workers,” attempt to do so. Just don’t make it a pri- who love to support the organization, and mary activity. We suggest the 60/40 rule: they can sometimes work outside their Spend at least 60% of your time in your strength area if “the company” needs help. areas of strength, as indicated by your They often feel very virtuous about doing natural talents, and no more than 40% of this, which is a reward in itself. your time in areas of non-strength” (Brad- In their book, The Truth About You, ley & Carty, 1991, p. 37). Miller and Mattson (1977, p. 43) stress the Obviously, there is a potential clash for importance of identifying what it is that the “willing servant” who tends to respond provides motivation. They suggest a to perceived need and does not pay suffi- method of looking back over life and iden- cient attention to God’s gifting and His tifying the motivating factor in each accom- plan to use our gifts. The same is true for plishment. They write, “Every time you willing teams, departments, and organi- accomplished what you enjoyed and be- zations that sometimes go after areas of lieved you did well, you achieved a result service that are beyond them. of great importance to you. You got some- thing out of what you did. That ‘some- Under-Performers thing’ is always the same.” People working in the wrong role are sometimes judged to be poor at coping Career Development and/or cultural adjustment. Relationships and Counseling may be fraught with tension. Yet when we are in the wrong job, it is normal for our Career development for Christians is a coping mechanisms to be affected, and so lifelong process of determining how we we do not cope well with all the other can most effectively use our gifts in for- pressures of cross-cultural living. warding the work of the Lord. It includes “The incompetence we see everywhere managing our own development, growing is not because people lack gifts, but be- in our understanding of our gifts, and cause they are not in the right place for adjusting to the changing needs and op- their gifts. They are not being stewards of portunities in God’s kingdom. what God has given them. There are plenty Career counseling may be best defined of gifts to do all the work that needs to be as a set of services designed to assist a done everywhere and to do all of it glori- person in the career development process. ously well—so well, in fact, that people The counselor can guide the client to a would go rejoicing from day to day over greater self-awareness through an assess- how much was accomplished and how ment process aimed at defining those well it was accomplished” (Miller & intrinsic motivators which ignite one’s pas- Mattson, 1982, p.