MISSIOLOGY

LECTURE 37

FURLOUGHS

The following references will appear throughout this lecture:

PC - Sending Forth Labourers by Paul Chappel ( Lancaster , CA )

HK - Life and Work on the Mission Field by Herbert Kane

GW - Greg Wagoner ( Tanzania )

DH - David Hosaflook ( Albania , IFB)

Pastor Warner’s comments are in italics

DEFINITION

The dictionary defines furlough as “a leave of absence from duty, granted especially to a soldier.” The military person gets a month’s leave for every year of service.

Some have compared a furlough to a “paid vacation” and “absence from duty”. Is it wrong for them to have a paid vacation? Other types of workers get one. But, a year’s paid vacation might be a bit excessive…

Some see missionary furloughs as glorified vacations away from one's duties and responsibilities. GW

Everyone is entitled to a bit of R&R, but one shouldn’t forgoe their responsibilities in the matter.

If you know anyone who suggests that furlough is a glorified vacation for undeserving candidates, remind him that a furlough must be earned. And... if he would like to try one of these "glorified vacations" he must first punch the foreign field clock. I am quite confident that a full term of cross-cultural experience may change his outlook on a missionary's "home assignment"! GW

I suspect that the term “home assignment” is currently in vogue because missionaries and their organizations want to emphasize that missionaries who are temporarily back in their home countries are still working and doing ministry. They are not on vacation. Instead of a ministry assignment on the field, they have been assigned to do ministry in their home country for a while. GW

A “Home Assignment” sounds as though it is referring to someone ‘assigning’ them to do this; if the Mission Board, or Home Church is assigning it, so be it…if the Missionary is assigning themselves to do this, then it would be a misnomer.

Such a change in terminology may clear up some of the misconceptions which arise during a missionary's time away from his cross-cultural ministry. GW

A furlough (home assignment) is what it is called when a Missionary (whether Board sent or Home Church sent; whether still with a Mission Work, or with an independent autonomous church) leaves His field of calling and goes back to America to spend an extended period of time for resting, visiting, reporting, and marketing.

It is not supported in Scripture; though, it is not blatantly anti-Scriptural either.

Why not take on Paul’s viewpoint on Missions?

Phil 4:11-13 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

TERMS OF 4 YEARS

The typical furlough plan of IFBs is 1 year every 4 years of service. The 4 years of service is typically referred to as a term. It is a non-Scriptural entity; ‘terms’ don’t line up well with the Bible in that Bible Missionaries did not have a set or standard time on the field prior to returning to their sending church (if they returned at all) .

4 years is a reasonable time to come back and visit, rest, refresh, etc.. But, there is no mandate for this.

Pastor Marty Wynn of Lighthouse Baptist Church in Columbus, GA stated the following concerning their ‘Missionary Furlough Policy’:

“To insure proper stewardship of mission funds entrusted by God, we do hereby adopt the following guidelines for supporting a missionary while on furlough:

1. Accrued Furlough Support. For each year (i.e., 12 months) that a missionary remains on the field, he/she will earn three months furlough support. (Herein known as the 12/3 guideline). This means that if the missionary is on the field for a full four-year term, then oneyear of furlough support will be granted.

2. Withheld Support. If a missionary returns from the field prior to a full-term fulfillment, support will be based on the 12/3 principle, as stated above. If the missionary returns to the States after serving one-year, then three months support will be granted. Further support will cease, until the missionary returns to the field. For instance, if after one year, the missionary returns for six months, then three months will be non-supported months. The 12/3 calendar begins each time the missionary returns to the field. Thus, the twelve months must be an uninterrupted sequence, and not a collective series. In order to not place undue hardship on extreme cases, each case will be reviewed by the mission council. If extenuating circumstances such as family death, or certain illnesses are present, support may be continued beyond the 12/3 guideline. No exceptions will be granted without council approval.”

Interestingly, Furloughs use to come every seven years, but in this jet age they now occur much more often, usually once every four years. The length of furlough often depends upon length of service, with a longer tenure allowing for longer furloughs: anywhere from 4 months in the beginning, to 12 months if high tenure. HK

I would be much more likely to give a longer furlough to someone who has spent a longer period of time out on the field (without having a furlough). However, how much time does the average Missionary need in order to rest, refresh, visit, etc.? A year?! What person in America takes a year off from their work duties?!....

SHORTER TIME LENGTH

There are many valid reasons for trips to the USA, including family and financial needs, health issues (curative and preventative), personal vacations, and ministry opportunities to promote or teach missions. These trips should be efficient like “pit stops in the race for souls.” DH

It’s a race! The stops need to be quite efficient indeed, just like a Daytona 500 race’s pit stops. Go, go, go, go, go!

Hurry up and take your break…. Souls are perishing; Christians are backsliding; go, go, go!

Overseas deployed military personel get 1 month off per year; that would equal 4 months per 4 years. Why should a foreign based Missionary get more than the lost folk in our well structured military?! GW

I support this philosophy; 1 month per year, and accrue it to not be used until at least the 2 year mark; ideally at the 4 to 6 year mark. Thus, after 4 years, take a 4 month break. To get a year off, you would need to do 12 years without a furlough!

God set in order a ‘day of rest’; one out of 7; maybe choose Monday, or Saturday as your ‘days off’…vacation days…rest and relaxation time . Or have a yearly Sabbath…52 divided by 7 equals about 7…that is, take a total of 7 weeks off per year. This seems more in line with God’s design in the Bible; but does God allow for ‘accrual’?

Some missions groups arrange for their workers to have a ‘mini-furlough’: 2 to 3 months every 2 years. The Sudan Interior Missions uses charter flights every June and September to transport the missionaries back and forth. This enables them to return home every 2 years for a short time rather than every 4 years for a longer period. By using charter flights, it cuts the cost in half. Also, the timing is such that children’s schooling is not interrupted. HK

You could arrange for Summer ‘interns’ to come to oversee the work while the ‘Missionary’ is away on their short Sabbatical.

WHEN TO TAKE ONE

The frequency of furloughs should be determined by the Missionary and his sending church. Some may need to come home more frequently and for less amounts of time, and some may choose to stay on the field for periods of 6 years or more and then come home for a full year. PC

Thus, the Mission Board should have absolutely ‘no say’ in this matter. But, they often have a huge say. If the Missionary is sent out of the church, but is now pastoring an autonomous indigenous church, then his approval should come from his church plant, not his sending church. However, if he is really in a ‘ Mission Work’ status, then his authority is his sending church. It never is solely up to the Missionary. However, the Missionaries desires should be met if at all reasonable and possible.

Board sent Missionaries usually have a required furlough (must abide by the guidelines concerning it).

I believe all Boards require a furlough after a certain number of years on the field. They want to prevent burnout, and they also feel the repsonibility for their Missionary to report back to the supporting churches.

Be sure that you do not plan your work on the field around your furlough. Rather, plan your furlough around your work. Beware of leaving a church just because it is furlough time. Many church plants have been aborted because a Missionary-Pastor left to early. PC

Thus, don’t just leave at the ‘4 year mark’. See what is conducive; it might be at the 3 year point…or the 5 year… or the 2.4 year, etc..

A good time for a furlough would be once you have turned over a church plant to a National pastor.

This way there is no disruption of the ‘work’; however, it might take longer than 4 years…what happens if it takes 8?!

It would be wise to have a fellow Missionary come and ‘oversee’ the work while you are gone. The problem is finding one that is available; a possibility is having a multi-pastor church send one of theirs; but,they need to follow your guidelines, which might make it hard to find one.

1 Cor 16:15 I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)

BENEFITS OF A FURLOUGH

By Phil Gavila

Missionary Furlough

In spite of talk now and then that furlough is a waste of time I propose why I think it is a gift from God:

A. Benefits to the Churches

1. They receive a personal report from the man they support.
2. They are stirred in missions by his preaching.
3. The pastors can question him as to specifics.
4. Young couples answer the call to the field under his preaching.
5. Couples who have answered the call can receive orientation as to language training, deputation, or culture shock.

B. Benefits to the Missionaries

1. They can visit their parents while they are still living.
2. They can re-gain their physical health.
3. They can receive additional training.
4. They can gain a vision from other men of God.
5. They can raise more support to combat inflation.
6. They can obtain new equipment.
7. They pick up new ideas and fresh methods to stay out of ruts.
8. They can acquaint their children with their national heritage.
9. They can gain an objective view of themselves.
10. They can understand better the wishes of pastors and churches.
11. They can acquaint themselves with their pastor and home church. Acts 14:26-28.

12. Health check ups

13. Social and cultural edification

C. Benefits to the National Churches

1. It provides an objective view from a distance of the weak links in the national church.
2. New Testaments and literature can be obtained from them.
3. The quality of a missionary’s work is tested during his absence.
4. Native leadership develops during his absence.

A Missionary on furlough is much more a blessing to those churches he speaks at than when he was on ‘deputation’, for he is now an authority on the issue, not just speculating and dreaming. HK

A study done by the Missionary Research Library of New York shows that more missionary recruits are influenced by Missionaries than by pastors, parents, Sunday School teachers, or anybody else. This being the case, the Missionary on furlough occupies a strategic place in the Missionary movement. Without his influence, the number of recruits would be considerably lower than it is. HK

The purpose of a furlough is not simply to give him a break from the hard life ‘on the field’, but to prepare him for another term of service there. HK

If that is kept the goal, then a furlough will be put to good use; it will be as short as possible in order to accomplish the long-term goal. Just how long does it take for one to get ‘prepared’ (reset) for the next ‘term’?...

REPORTING

It is an old custom that missionaries return to their sending church and report and share about their work. Paul and Barnabas were sent out from the church in Antioch (Acts 13). After their first missionary journey they returned to Antioch and reported what God had done through them and abode there a long time with the disciples ( Acts 14:26-28) DH

This is true, but Paul and Barnabas only reported back to their ‘sending church’, not every church that had helped them in some way while they were on their ‘mission’. And, furthermore, they had completed their ‘mission’…evangelize and get churches started and then work on getting pastors for them all. The Scriptural teaching from Acts 13 is for a Missionary to report back to his sending church once he has accomplished his mission (commission). For some, the mission is to go out and plant churches and don’t come back…for others, they have been given authority to exist as a pastor of an independent church and thus do not need to report back to an higher authority.

Though, it does teach that after a mission is completed, it is ok to abide there a long time with the disciples…i.e. the home church (maybe a year or more, until the next mission). This teaches a principle of rest and recuperation…a reset.