MKs – past, present and future challenges.
This article traces the changes that have taken place in the understanding and care of Missionary Kids (MKs) globally during recent decades. It also explores the changing trends and challenges for MKs in the 21st century.
MKs – PAST (a personal reflection):
I was born on the border of India and Nepal to Australian missionary parents, during the post-World War Two boom of evangelical missionary activity, but also during the tumultuous years of global political reversal – what Ralph Winter describes as ‘The 25 Unbelievable Years’ - 1945-1979, that saw the demise of the colonial era replaced by a wave of newly independent sovereign states – India being the most populous of these. I grew up knowing that I was a Missionary Kid, an ‘MK’, and all the MKs I knew were like me: ‘western’, or more accurately, white, Anglo-Saxon and protestant, and all from predominantly Christian countries that had been sending missionary families to the colonies (sometimes described as ‘From the Christian West to the heathen rest’) since the time of William Carey at the end of the 18th century.
The typical experience of MKs in the mid-20th century was that their families served in remote/ rural settings, usually long-term (i.e. 20 years or more) with furlough intervals of 5-6 years, and the entire education of MKs was at boarding schools that had been established to cater to the mission communities in the various countries or regions of service – this was almost the only schooling option, other than return to the home country. Like most MKs of that time I returned to my passport country to complete my schooling and continue to university. This was a daunting and bewildering experience for me (and for many of my contemporaries); there was little understanding of, or support for MKs as they struggled to find their place and their identities in what was essentially a foreign place.
The sad reality is that MKs hardly rated on the agendas of mission care, and this is not surprising given that member care of missionaries hardly rated on mission agendas. It is my view, supported by my review of mission literature in the 20th century , that missionary member care (as it is now widely known as) did not appear on the agendas of missions until the early 1990s. Furthermore, this occurred as a result of the three International Conferences on MKs (ICMKs) held in Manila, 1983; Quito, 1987; Nairobi, 1989. It was at these conferences that the missions community (still predominantly western) was confronted with the painful reality that some MKs and their families were hurting and, in some cases, damaged as a result of their experience of living and serving cross-culturally. These conferences had a powerful impact on the missions (western) community and were the catalyst for attention and care focussed not only on MKs but more widely on their families and cross-cultural workers generally. The three ICMKs gave birth to missionary ‘member care’ as we now know it.
I grew up not realising that I was a Third Culture Kid (TCK) – a term that is now widely used both in the missions and the wider cross-cultural/ ex-patriate communities. From rather obscure beginnings in the research of Dr. Ruth Hill Useem studying expatriate families in India in the 1950s, TCKs have become the subject of numerous books and websites.
The first two ICMKs in Manila, and Quito rarely used the term TCK, and even in Nairobi in 1989, the term only appeared in two of the conference resolutions, referring to ‘MKs/TCKs’. These conferences were about MKs. Within ten years, when Joyce Bowers compiled and edited Raising Resilient MKs (1998), despite the title, there was a shift towards defining and using the more comprehensive term TCK, of which the MK is a subset. Pollock’s ‘Being a Third-Culture Kid: A TCK Profile’ (Bowers 1998: 45-54) marks a watershed in the wider awareness and usage of this term. Pollock & Van Reken’s The Third Culture Experience – Growing Up Among Worlds (1999, revised 2009 and 2017) remains the definitive textbook on TCKs, with their widely accepted TCK definition:
The TCK is a person who has spent a significant part of his/her developmental years outside the parents’ culture. The TCK builds relationships to all the cultures, while not having full ownership in any. Although elements from each culture are assimilated into the TCK’s life experience, the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of similar background (1999:19).
The two overarching realities inherent in the TCK experience that are common to all TCKs are:
The typical experience of MKs in the mid-20th century was that their families served in remote/ rural settings, usually long-term (i.e. 20 years or more) with furlough intervals of 5-6 years, and the entire education of MKs was at boarding schools that had been established to cater to the mission communities in the various countries or regions of service – this was almost the only schooling option, other than return to the home country. Like most MKs of that time I returned to my passport country to complete my schooling and continue to university. This was a daunting and bewildering experience for me (and for many of my contemporaries); there was little understanding of, or support for MKs as they struggled to find their place and their identities in what was essentially a foreign place.
The sad reality is that MKs hardly rated on the agendas of mission care, and this is not surprising given that member care of missionaries hardly rated on mission agendas. It is my view, supported by my review of mission literature in the 20th century , that missionary member care (as it is now widely known as) did not appear on the agendas of missions until the early 1990s. Furthermore, this occurred as a result of the three International Conferences on MKs (ICMKs) held in Manila, 1983; Quito, 1987; Nairobi, 1989. It was at these conferences that the missions community (still predominantly western) was confronted with the painful reality that some MKs and their families were hurting and, in some cases, damaged as a result of their experience of living and serving cross-culturally. These conferences had a powerful impact on the missions (western) community and were the catalyst for attention and care focussed not only on MKs but more widely on their families and cross-cultural workers generally. The three ICMKs gave birth to missionary ‘member care’ as we now know it.
I grew up not realising that I was a Third Culture Kid (TCK) – a term that is now widely used both in the missions and the wider cross-cultural/ ex-patriate communities. From rather obscure beginnings in the research of Dr. Ruth Hill Useem studying expatriate families in India in the 1950s, TCKs have become the subject of numerous books and websites.
The first two ICMKs in Manila, and Quito rarely used the term TCK, and even in Nairobi in 1989, the term only appeared in two of the conference resolutions, referring to ‘MKs/TCKs’. These conferences were about MKs. Within ten years, when Joyce Bowers compiled and edited Raising Resilient MKs (1998), despite the title, there was a shift towards defining and using the more comprehensive term TCK, of which the MK is a subset. Pollock’s ‘Being a Third-Culture Kid: A TCK Profile’ (Bowers 1998: 45-54) marks a watershed in the wider awareness and usage of this term. Pollock & Van Reken’s The Third Culture Experience – Growing Up Among Worlds (1999, revised 2009 and 2017) remains the definitive textbook on TCKs, with their widely accepted TCK definition:
The TCK is a person who has spent a significant part of his/her developmental years outside the parents’ culture. The TCK builds relationships to all the cultures, while not having full ownership in any. Although elements from each culture are assimilated into the TCK’s life experience, the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of similar background (1999:19).
The two overarching realities inherent in the TCK experience that are common to all TCKs are:
- High mobility resulting from the parents’ movements away from their own culture/s and the consequent ongoing travel inherent in the parents’ lifestyle.
- Immersion in a cross-cultural context, i.e. growing up in a different culture from that of the parents.
There are several consequent experiences that result from this mobile, cross-cultural lifestyle which may not apply to all, and/ or they will apply in varying degrees, depending on the circumstances:
- Distinct differences from other children in the host culture – linguistic, ethnic, and cultural.
- An advantageous lifestyle (or at least perceived to be, compared to children in the host culture).
- Belonging to a system or organisation such as a mission, the military or diplomatic corps or a multinational company.
- Expected repatriation to the parents’ culture/ country at some point, usually not later than for entry to tertiary education.
Because of these influences there are several common characteristics in TCKs – not necessarily found in all TCKs, there will be varying degrees of significance depending on the age and duration of being in the host culture, and the degree of immersion in the host culture, and of course the individual personality and how each TCK processes the diverse cultural influences in his/her life. Pollock and Van Reken discuss these characteristics in terms of their potential benefits and their potential challenges. The TCK is typically:
- Highly mobile, sometimes described as a ‘global nomad’: this is a given and a major factor in the rapid increase in the number of TCKs globally.
- Unresolved grief and loss: frequent farewells and transitions are an inevitable consequence of high mobility, and these are often sad and painful events. It is not surprising that there is a disproportionate level of unresolved grief that accumulates in the life of a typical TCK.
- Bi/multi lingual: speaks more than one language, often fluently, although there is a noticeable change in this characteristic as more TCKs tend to live in urban centres, attend international schools and move predominantly in the expatriate sub-culture – thus limiting the extent to which they engage with and are influenced by the host culture, especially in terms of learning the local language.
- Aware of and sensitive to different cultures: children are as adept at picking up cultural cues and clues as they are at learning new languages – it happens subconsciously.
- Flexible and adaptable: TCKs adjust well to changing and unpredictable surroundings. Their global mobility makes them used to variety and change and they accrue a wide range of practical life skills from an early age.
- Able to relate quickly and easily to other TCKs: this mysterious ‘sense of belonging… to others of a similar background’ is well described by Pollock and Van Reken (2009: 23-26) there is an instant rapport and sense of belonging and similar experiences.
Since Dave Pollock’s death in 2004 Ruth Van Reken’s ongoing research and writing about the broader complexity of cross-cultural mobility and exposure is reflected in the diagram below. MKs are a subset of TCKs, and TCKs are a subset of Cross Cultural Kids (CCKs), which includes several other sub-groups. Pollock and Van Reken (2009: 31-36) describe the changing CCK and TCK scenario in detail.
Van Reken and Bethel’s Cross-Cultural Kid diagram, http://www.crossculturalkid.org
MKs - PRESENT (the new millennium):
The MK experience in the 21st century is very different from mine in the mid-20th century, and has evolved since 2000 in several significant ways:
- Improvements of communication and ease of international travel result in today’s MKs being far better connected with extended family and the passport culture. I only visited Australia twice during my growing up years and communication was limited to occasional airmail letters, whereas our youngest son, born in 1996, has had more frequent visits to Australia, albeit for shorter durations, and communication via the internet and social media, resulted in him being far more connected to his passport country when he made his ‘re-entry’, and he remains far better connected to his friends he grew up with – now scattered around the world.
- Increasing mobility of parents means MKs today are more likely to live in several cultural contexts, and these are more likely to be urban settings where the MK moves primarily (if not exclusively) in the expatriate community. This will affect the degree to which interaction with the host culture occurs (e.g. less language acquisition).
- However, the most dramatic change is in the nature of MKs themselves, and this is driven by the obvious demographic shift in global mission personnel. The decline of ‘western missionaries’ from Old Sending Countries (OSC) and the increase of missionaries from New Sending Countries (NSC) in Asia, Africa and South America is an obvious reality. Most apparent are the 20,000 Korean missionaries because they serve in over 170 countries, with 17,675 MKs , but numerically they make up less than half of the Indian cross-cultural missionaries represented in India Missions Association (50,000 plus -https://www.imaindia.org/#home), with an estimated equivalent number of MKs. The typical MK today is no longer ‘western’ – white Anglo-Saxon Protestant, but Asian or African or South American.
This new reality is clearly evident in most of the MK schools and other international schools where MKs are educated and can be illustrated by Hebron School where I was involved from 1996 to 2015. In 2002 when my older son graduated there were just 4 Korean students in the school and only one in his class; in 2015 when my youngest son graduated there were 70 Korean students and 8 (20%) in his class. Other similar schools have much higher proportions of Korean MKs enrolled, some as high as 40%. In addition, there are growing numbers of MK students from other Asian countries as well as Africa and South America, whilst numbers of students from Old sending Countries continue to decline.
Having been closely involved with Korean and Indian MKs since 2004 I have been able to observe the following challenges that face families and MKs from New Sending Countries:
- Language issues on the field – especially for those working in multi-cultural teams and international missions.
- Education issues include the medium of instruction (usually English); the curriculum (usually Western); and the need for long-term planning to ensure a smooth transition into higher education.
- Funding resources are generally more limited, and this is a particular challenge in terms of the cost of education in both the traditional MK schools (with their western curriculum and heritage) and secular international schools.
- The need for better training and orientation for cross-cultural service (e.g. transitions) and the need for educational planning for their children.
- Understanding and preparing for transitions generally, and the ‘Re-entry task’, (first highlighted by David Pollock at the Nairobi ICMK in 1989), need much more attention for NSC families and MKs.
My research of Korean MKs’ needs in 2009 highlighted the following features:
- The three main challenges parents of Korean MKs (KMKs) face are:
- Instilling Korean language, culture and identity.
- School and university education choices.
- Preserving relationships at home and with extended family in Korea.
- The three main challenges KMKs face as they grow up are:
- Korean identity confusion and conflict – ‘Too foreign to be Korean and too Korean to fit in with foreigners.’
- Korean language deficiency.
- Fears about the future – ‘Where and with whom they will spend the remainder of their lives doing what, are concerns of all young people. What’s different for KMKs is the scale at which they ponder these things. Which continent? Which country? What race?’.
- The three main needs to be addressed by Korean mission agencies are:
- Strengthening educational provisions for Koreans in the field – starting schools and sending teachers.
- Providing MK support personnel/ staff workers in Korea.
- Educating parents and churches to better understand the needs of KMKs.
- The three main issues KMKs face on return to Korea are:
- Settling into mono-cultural Korea and putting down roots there.
- Having to choose between university in Korea or overseas.
- Having to decide whether to remain in Korea or go overseas.
I believe that these are representative of and apply equally to the current NSC mission movement. What many of the NSC mission communities have in common are features that reflect the prevailing situation in western missions (in which I grew up as an MK) in the mid-20th century, such as:
- a strong preference for church planting and Bible related ministry, often regarded by supporters (church and individuals) as more authentic missionary work;
- missionary service was long-term and often ‘for life’;
- home assignments were few and far between; finance was very limited;
- MKs went to boarding schools throughout their school years and then returned to the ‘home’ country for their higher education whilst the parents remained on the field up to retirement.
- Sacrifice, deprivation, and hardship were all part of the cost inherent in missionary service, as was the separation of families – and undergirding all this was faith and trust in a sovereign God who protected and blessed his servants.
This was the general pattern of OSC missions up to the 1970s and I see this former ethos and approach to missionary service reflected in the current Indian and Korean (and other NSC) mission scenarios. What is needed is that the lessons that western missions took more than 150 years to learn regarding the ‘flow of care’ for missionaries should be learnt much sooner in the Indian and Korean and other NSC contexts. Ma sees the potential mutual benefit to be gained:
Korean [and NSC] mission communities have much to learn from the history of western Christian mission. Even if Christianity in general, and the missionary movement in particular, have consistently decreased in the west, the western church has much to offer in preparing the new churches for mission. If everyone is honest enough, sharing of the West’s missionary mistakes will be especially useful, so that the new mission churches will not have to repeat them. The emerging missionary churches can assist the weakening West by bringing their spiritual dynamics to its churches. For this, immigrant communities in the West have the potential to play a critical role in the re-shaping of global Christianity. With varying sets of gifts, both the West and the ‘rest’ are called to closely partner for God’s mission. We are acutely reminded that mission is not ours but God’s, and we are simply his partners (Ma 2009:11).
MKs – FUTURE (the emerging wave of care):
I am greatly encouraged to see the rapid progress made in understanding and supporting NSC MKs – especially in South Korea. There are three MK support organisations in Korea: KOMKED, MK CONNECTION, and MK NEST, the latter being established by Mrs Ruth Baek. Most Korean denominational and interdenominational missions have one or two MK ministry personnel. There are several programmes to support KMKs such as Summer camps, scholarship, MK prayer meetings and KMK Networks. There is now the provision of practical information about university admissions and hostel accommodation, consultation, debriefing and counselling, care during holidays and advice about National Military service etc.
Much progress is being made in India too. Since the first Indian MK camp sponsored jointly by India Missions Association (IMA) and Interserve in 2005 these are now being held regularly in different parts of India by individual missions, MK schools and other organisations such as Missionary Upholders Trust (MUT). There is a growing awareness of the needs and challenges of MKs amongst mission agencies and more intentional efforts to support families and MKs in their journeys – especially as they transition from the cloistered mission community and become Adult MKs in the wider world.
This encouraging progress is seen more widely in other NSC mission communities (for example in Brazil – but this is beyond the scope of this article). For me, the most encouraging development that augurs well for care of NSC MKs in the future, is the emergence of the Asian MK Network, founded in April 2012 by a group of 11 young adult MKs from Hong Kong (1), India (3), Japan (1), Philippines (3), Singapore (1), South Korea (1), and Taiwan (1). Their foundation statement reflects their Asian distinctives as well as their desire to support fellow Asian MKs in their journeys. Here are some excerpts from that statement:
We are ethnically Asian, often influenced by at least three cultures – our home culture, multiple fields, the Western culture and a plethora of religious backgrounds… Asian MKs also face the challenges of maintaining their mother tongue, returning to mono-cultural contexts for some, and fitting into predetermined roles.
As the Asian mission scene is evolving and growing, we are an emerging phenomenon that seeks to be better understood, supported and connected.
On the field, maintaining open communication with parents help Asian MKs embrace their cultural origins and foster a healthy balance between their ‘Christian missionary community’ and the transient local context.
Educational institutions need to be equipped to support MKs’ wholistic education needs, and partner with agencies and parents in order to help develop and cultivate growth amongst the diverse Asian MK population:
Much progress is being made in India too. Since the first Indian MK camp sponsored jointly by India Missions Association (IMA) and Interserve in 2005 these are now being held regularly in different parts of India by individual missions, MK schools and other organisations such as Missionary Upholders Trust (MUT). There is a growing awareness of the needs and challenges of MKs amongst mission agencies and more intentional efforts to support families and MKs in their journeys – especially as they transition from the cloistered mission community and become Adult MKs in the wider world.
This encouraging progress is seen more widely in other NSC mission communities (for example in Brazil – but this is beyond the scope of this article). For me, the most encouraging development that augurs well for care of NSC MKs in the future, is the emergence of the Asian MK Network, founded in April 2012 by a group of 11 young adult MKs from Hong Kong (1), India (3), Japan (1), Philippines (3), Singapore (1), South Korea (1), and Taiwan (1). Their foundation statement reflects their Asian distinctives as well as their desire to support fellow Asian MKs in their journeys. Here are some excerpts from that statement:
We are ethnically Asian, often influenced by at least three cultures – our home culture, multiple fields, the Western culture and a plethora of religious backgrounds… Asian MKs also face the challenges of maintaining their mother tongue, returning to mono-cultural contexts for some, and fitting into predetermined roles.
As the Asian mission scene is evolving and growing, we are an emerging phenomenon that seeks to be better understood, supported and connected.
On the field, maintaining open communication with parents help Asian MKs embrace their cultural origins and foster a healthy balance between their ‘Christian missionary community’ and the transient local context.
Educational institutions need to be equipped to support MKs’ wholistic education needs, and partner with agencies and parents in order to help develop and cultivate growth amongst the diverse Asian MK population:
- Diverse Asian backgrounds result in different competency levels, therefore schools need to provide curriculum that caters to all, and teach from an unbiased global perspective.
- It is essential for schools to be equipped to accept MKs for who they are as individuals and prepare them for impending changes and related emotional needs within a caring environment.
- Agencies and parents need to work together to plan ahead and gain insight to their MKs educational and personal development.
Churches need to provide pastoral care to MKs in a spirit of non-judgmental acceptance and love, acknowledging that they are different and that they may not have a typical understanding and experience of church.
There is also a need to view the missionary family as a whole unit. We strongly believe that the focus on results should not be at the expense of the well-being of the missionary family unit (i.e. children should not be sacrificed on the altar of ministry).
Mission organizations should consider setting aside dedicated personnel to be involved in the lives and development of Asian MKs and help them feel valued.
We believe as Asian MKs we have a rich spiritual and cultural inheritance, combined with a wealth of cross-cultural experiences, and that investing in our potential will enable us to fulfil all God created us to be in this world and in His Kingdom.
There is also a need to view the missionary family as a whole unit. We strongly believe that the focus on results should not be at the expense of the well-being of the missionary family unit (i.e. children should not be sacrificed on the altar of ministry).
Mission organizations should consider setting aside dedicated personnel to be involved in the lives and development of Asian MKs and help them feel valued.
We believe as Asian MKs we have a rich spiritual and cultural inheritance, combined with a wealth of cross-cultural experiences, and that investing in our potential will enable us to fulfil all God created us to be in this world and in His Kingdom.
CONCLUSION:
As long ago as ICMK Nairobi, 1989, Resolution VII recognised the ‘particular family and MK needs of the missionary force in the two-thirds world… and to convene a consultation for the two-thirds missionary family needs.’ This is yet to happen, but the ‘Global MK Summits’ hosted by the Global Mission Church in South Korea in 2016 and 2017 are a positive move in that direction, and it is my hope and desire that the next such gathering will provide a larger forum for Asian MKs, and their carers, to gather and make an impact in much the same way as the ICMKs of the 1980s.
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
Barclay, J.S., ‘Indian MKs – a fresh exploration’, ACSI World Report, 3rd Quarter, 2008:1-9
Barclay, J.S., Families in Cross-cultural Ministry- a comprehensive guide and manual for families, administrators and supporters, D. Min. dissertation, ACT, 2010.
Bowers, J. M., (Ed.) Raising Resilient MKs, ACSI, Colorado Springs, 1998.
Chan (Ho), P. C., ‘Understanding the Needs of Asian MKs’, in Bowers, Raising resilient MKs, 1998: 330-342
Crossman, T. Misunderstood – the impact of growing up overseas in the 21st century, 2016.
Ho, P.C., Rice, Noodles, Bread or Chapatis – the untold stories of Asian MKs, 2013.
Interserve India/ Indian Mission Association, Indian MKs – a fresh exploration, 2005.
Ma, J., ‘A Critical Appraisal of Korean Missionary Work: Challenges for Western and Global
South Missionaries’, Encounters Mission Ezine, Issue 30 September 2009; http://www.redcliffe.org/standard.asp?id=5868
Moon, S. Missions from Korea 2014: Missionary Children, IBMR Vol 38 #2 April 2014: 84.
Pollock, D.C., ‘The Re-entry Task’, in Tetzel B. & Mortenson,P., Compendium of the ICMK 1984, ICMK, West Brattleboro:395-411.
Pollock, D.C., ‘TCK Profile’, in Bowers, J. M. (Ed.) 1998, Raising Resilient MKs: Resources for Caregivers, Parents, and Teachers, ACSI, Colorado Springs: 45-53.
Pollock, D. C. & Van Reken, R., The Third Culture Kid Experience - Growing Up Among Worlds, Intercultural Press, Maine, 1999 (2nd edition 2009).
Pollock, D., Van Reken, R. & Pollock, M., The Third Culture Kid Experience - Growing Up Among Worlds (3rd edition).
Dr. John Barclay는 인도에서 선교사자녀로 태어나 1950~60년대 인도와 네팔에서 성장했다. 결혼 후 호주 인터서브 소속으로 네팔에서 사역(1988~1996)했으며, 1996~2015년에는 수년간 헤브론스쿨의 교장으로 섬겼던 인도에서 주로 사역했다. 2004년부터는 여러 아시아국가의 선교단체와 국제학교를 방문하며 'Transition'과 재입국 등의 주제로 세미나와 워크샵 등을 주재하고, 국제인터서브 Family & TCK 사역담당자로 섬기고 있다.
2010년 Australian College of Theology에서 타문화권 사역자 가족에 대한 논문으로 목회학 박사학위를 받았다. 최근 몇년간 John은 New Sending Countries, 특히 인도, 한국 및 다른 아시아 국가에서 온 MK의 새로운 물결을 지원하는데 특별한 관심을 보이고 있다.
* 위 글은 2018년 8월 GP선교회 매거진 '글로벌파트너스'에 실린 번역본의 원문입니다.
Barclay, J.S., Families in Cross-cultural Ministry- a comprehensive guide and manual for families, administrators and supporters, D. Min. dissertation, ACT, 2010.
Bowers, J. M., (Ed.) Raising Resilient MKs, ACSI, Colorado Springs, 1998.
Chan (Ho), P. C., ‘Understanding the Needs of Asian MKs’, in Bowers, Raising resilient MKs, 1998: 330-342
Crossman, T. Misunderstood – the impact of growing up overseas in the 21st century, 2016.
Ho, P.C., Rice, Noodles, Bread or Chapatis – the untold stories of Asian MKs, 2013.
Interserve India/ Indian Mission Association, Indian MKs – a fresh exploration, 2005.
Ma, J., ‘A Critical Appraisal of Korean Missionary Work: Challenges for Western and Global
South Missionaries’, Encounters Mission Ezine, Issue 30 September 2009; http://www.redcliffe.org/standard.asp?id=5868
Moon, S. Missions from Korea 2014: Missionary Children, IBMR Vol 38 #2 April 2014: 84.
Pollock, D.C., ‘The Re-entry Task’, in Tetzel B. & Mortenson,P., Compendium of the ICMK 1984, ICMK, West Brattleboro:395-411.
Pollock, D.C., ‘TCK Profile’, in Bowers, J. M. (Ed.) 1998, Raising Resilient MKs: Resources for Caregivers, Parents, and Teachers, ACSI, Colorado Springs: 45-53.
Pollock, D. C. & Van Reken, R., The Third Culture Kid Experience - Growing Up Among Worlds, Intercultural Press, Maine, 1999 (2nd edition 2009).
Pollock, D., Van Reken, R. & Pollock, M., The Third Culture Kid Experience - Growing Up Among Worlds (3rd edition).
저자소개
Dr. John Barclay는 인도에서 선교사자녀로 태어나 1950~60년대 인도와 네팔에서 성장했다. 결혼 후 호주 인터서브 소속으로 네팔에서 사역(1988~1996)했으며, 1996~2015년에는 수년간 헤브론스쿨의 교장으로 섬겼던 인도에서 주로 사역했다. 2004년부터는 여러 아시아국가의 선교단체와 국제학교를 방문하며 'Transition'과 재입국 등의 주제로 세미나와 워크샵 등을 주재하고, 국제인터서브 Family & TCK 사역담당자로 섬기고 있다.
2010년 Australian College of Theology에서 타문화권 사역자 가족에 대한 논문으로 목회학 박사학위를 받았다. 최근 몇년간 John은 New Sending Countries, 특히 인도, 한국 및 다른 아시아 국가에서 온 MK의 새로운 물결을 지원하는데 특별한 관심을 보이고 있다.
* 위 글은 2018년 8월 GP선교회 매거진 '글로벌파트너스'에 실린 번역본의 원문입니다.
