What Missionaries Ought to Know
About a Member Care Consultation
(with the Koteskeys)

Follow this link for more specific guidelines

You may wonder what a member care consultation is like. This brochure is specifically about a member care consultation with Ron and Bonnie Koteskey. However, the questions asked and the information given here are the kinds of questions you should ask and the type of information you should obtain before a consultation. It is vital to know who is helping, how they help, what the cost is, and what will be held in confidence.

What is a member care consultation?

A member care consultation is when someone who understands the special needs of missionaries comes along side them on the field to bring affirmation, help, comfort, counsel and so forth. Although there are many different types of consultations, the New Hope consultation has particular emphases.

Prevention. We emphasize personal growth, development, and prevention of problems rather than attempting solutions to serious difficulties. We do not work with missionaries who have such serious problems that they should come home, nor do we go specifically to help in a crisis situation. Of course, if a crisis occurs while we are on the field, we will help.

Short-term. Since we deal with prevention rather than cure, we go only for days or weeks to help missionaries grow and develop ways to avoid problems. If possible, we also wish to have continuing contact with them, such as seeing them at conferences or having them spend a few nights in our home. Problems that are faced when they begin to develop are much easier to solve than are long-term difficulties.

Extra-agency. We work with people who do not have member care from their agency or who want to talk with someone outside their agency. We come alongside as friends from the outside to help people who do not feel free to discuss their situations with their supervisors. Usually agency supervision and member care given by the same individual do not blend well.

What is New Hope International Ministries?

New Hope International Ministries is an organization of volunteers who help missions in various ways. New Hope organizes short-term mission trips at least annually to Jamaica, Kenya, and Ireland, as well as periodically to other countries. It also raises funds for particular projects in these countries. Since no one receives a salary, 100% of all funds donated for given projects actually go to the projects. In addition, Ron and Bonnie Koteskey provide member care to missionaries outside of new Hope.

Who are the Koteskeys?

Ron and Bonnie grew up on small family farms in Michigan and Pennsylvania, and they met in 1960 while students at Asbury College. After both graduated, they married and continued their education at Wayne State University in Detroit where Ron earned his MA and PhD degrees in general theoretical psychology and Bonnie earned her MEd degree in elementary education.

Their three children are now adults, married, and raising their own families. Their two sons are pastors, and their daughter is a surgeon.

Bonnie has taught most elementary grades from kindergarten through sixth grade both in public school and in private Christian school, as well as teaching elementary education at Asbury College. She is certified in elementary education by both the state of Kentucky and ACSI.

Ron has taught psychology in Christian colleges for more than 30 years, mostly at Asbury College. He is author of numerous journal and magazine articles as well as half a dozen books including Psychology from a Christian Perspective, General Psychology for Christian Counselors, and Understanding Adolescence. If you want to know more about their thinking regarding missionary care, please see their web page at the URL on the back of this brochure or write and ask for a set of their brochures.

After going on a short-term mission trip to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary, they sensed God calling them to become more personally involved on a continuing basis in world missions. They make short-term mission trips nearly every year to do anything from lecturing in educational institutions, to seminars, to member care with missionaries.

Because his degree was in general theoretical psychology, Ron returned to graduate school at the University of Kentucky for post-doctoral training that makes him more effective in helping missionaries. He completed all the coursework and practicums in a respecialization program in Counseling Psychology as well as passing the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology. However, he did not do an internship, so he is not a licensed psychologist.

Who do they help?

Ron and Bonnie offer help primarily to three types of missionaries:

Missionaries who are independent, such as tent-makers or those sent out by independent churches.

Missionaries who are serving with agencies which have no one responsible for member care within the agency.

Missionaries whose agencies have member care, but the missionary wishes to talk with someone outside the agency.

 

They also offer help to different sized groups of people:
Individuals. They help individual people who want assistance in working on some problem area.

Couples. They help husbands and wives who desire to enrich their marriage relationship.

Families. They help whole families who want someone from the outside to help improve their family life.

Fields. They help entire fields under an agency when consultation is needed for personnel to work together better.

How do they help?

Ron and Bonnie view themselves as being in the "Order of Stephanus" as described in 1 Corinthians 16. Paul wrote that the household of Stephanus had "devoted themselves to the service of the saints…. supplied what was lacking…. refreshed my spirit" when they came to visit him. This is what the Koteskeys want to do.

Although they do seminars for a whole field as a means of getting acquainted, Ron and Bonnie believe they can be of more help interacting individually with missionary units. This usually means talking personally with individuals, couples, or families that want to grow. They do like to meet with as many people as possible in a given area. For example, they may see people from two or three different agencies as well as independent missionaries in a given city while they are there.

When requested, Ron and Bonnie do seminars for groups. At the present time they have seminars available on the following topics: Conflict, forgiveness, reconciliation, leadership, adolescence, and generational differences. Of course, they will develop seminars on other topics if requested.

Finally, Ron and Bonnie have missionaries in their home as their guests for several days. Missionaries on home assignment sometimes want to talk intensively about an issue for several consecutive days, so they may stay as guests in Ron and Bonnie's home.

What is the cost?

Ron and Bonnie are volunteers, so there is never any charge for their services, nor do they accept honoraria.
If sufficient funds are available in their New Hope account, there is no charge for their airfare. Of course, if full airfare is not available in their account, individuals or an agency may be asked to help with that cost.

Usually they ask that people receiving help cover their expenses while in that country. This would include transportation, food, and lodging. They are willing to stay in homes with missionaries, in vacant missionary homes, in guesthouses, and in hotels.

How is my agency involved?

Although they are not sent by your agency to "fix a broken missionary," Ron and Bonnie do not work behind your agency's back. The invitation must come from the group wanting missionary care, but the agency must approve the visit and cooperate--including agreeing to consider making changes in the mission itself. The agency, consultants, and missionaries must be in regular communication about what each expects, including clarifying issues of confidentiality and the way follow-up will take place. A one-page statement of the guidelines for a member care consultation with New Hope may be obtained from the Koteskeys.

How do I contact Ron and Bonnie?

The Koteskeys can be contacted via e-mail, telephone, or regular mail. They are happy to answer your inquiries, via e-mail if possible, since that is fast and costs virtually nothing.

Ronald Koteskey
Member Care Consultant
New Hope International Ministries