A missiological study of culture shock experiences of the Sheepfold Ministries' Missionaries in Kenya with implications for training at Center for Missions Training.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe the culture shock experiences of TSM missionaries in Kenya as they adjust to work among the Muslim people. The findings of this research are to be used to improve on the missionary training by TSM through the Center for Missions Training (CMT). This is because missionary training should be relevant to needs in the field. A relevant training will enable missionaries to be more effective in reaching the Muslim people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Twenty TSM missionaries were interviewed and the findings were used to make recommendations for training and missionary care concerns. From the findings of this research, it is concluded that TSM missionaries suffer culture shock, which hinders their adjustments and effectiveness in their work. Even though most of them did not recognize or acknowledge suffering culture shock, this researcher found some oftheir experiences as expressions of culture shock especially in their early days among Muslims. Some of the missionaries' culture shock experiences took long to deal with thus continuing to affect their productivity. This research identified various causes of culture shock, which included world-view conflicts, unfamiliar cues, economic factors, religious factors, language learning, identification in the field, relationships and personal factors. This research therefore recommends that training of missionaries should bring a better understanding of the concept of culture shock. CMT should identify with the above causes of culture shock and prepare missionaries to adjust accordingly in their field of ministry. Missionaries should be prepared in order not to be surprised when they encounter experiences different from those they experience in their home culture. This researcher also recommends that CMT should give more time and focus on anthropological courses. This should give adequate preparations on world-view understanding and development of a cross-cultural perspective among missionaries. On-field orientation and culture shock seminars should also be strengthened in order to enable missionaries to adjust from culture shock. These recommendations can also be used by other missions sending missionaries among Muslims in Kenya and Africa.