Understanding Burnout Recovery Among Native-Born Korean Missionaries

In this timely book, Cho provides mission scholars, sending churches, and mission agencies with an understanding of Korean missionaries’ burnout recovery process.

Her study of Korean missionary burnout recovery included thirty-nine research participants who had experienced burnout in missionary service and who subsequently recovered. Participants reported a variety of physical, emotional, and spiritual symptoms, as well as relational difficulties experienced during burnout. Cho describes how their self-help approach, characterized by independent, religious self-effort, brought only temporary relief. Through self-care, however, they experienced genuine recovery. Self-care that leads to lasting recovery is holistic and grace-based, characterized by a correct understanding of the roles of God and others in their lives and engagement in authentic community for interdependent care.

This study also gives insightful recommendations to missionary member care systems, mission agencies, and other sending organizations in an Asian cultural context about how to care for Korean missionaries. It is also intended for counselors of home churches so that they can provide better member care for burned-out missionaries. Lastly, this study advances research into contextually appropriate paradigms and strategies helpful to cross-cultural missionaries in the area of both Korean missionaries and non-Western studies in missionary member care.

Hannah Kyong-Jin Cho has been working as a Member Care Specialist for CMF (Christian Marriage and Family) Ministries in nationwide. She graduated from the Cook School of Intercultural Studies of Biola University. Dr. Cho lives in South Korea with her wonderful husband and lovely daughter.