As I start this post, the “Whistle While You Work” song from Snow White keeps popping into my head, though I’m not sure why. Maybe that’s a sign that those in ministry should be singing “Debriefing as We Go” from now on and starting a new trend.
Okay, moving on from a weird start, the topic is important. Just as Christians are encouraged to “test everything” (1 Thessalonians 5:21), missionaries and those in ministry in general should always be testing their own words and actions. As we lay things out on the table in the light of God’s Word, the Holy Spirit has the opportunity to reveal the flaws, missteps, and areas where our motivations and words did not line up. No one is perfect in ministry, but that doesn’t mean we gloss over times we missed the mark. Debriefing and examination help us to put it all at the feet of Jesus with the aim of making us more like him and growing in our ability to make disciples of all nations.
I still remember my very first debriefing. It was after I’d spent two years in West Africa on a short-term mission assignment. I gathered with my fellow short-term workers (we were called journeymen) at our training site in the States for a week of talking, sharing, and reconnecting. That was the first of many such opportunities over my twenty-plus years of service, and I’ve learned a few lessons I’d like to share.
What debriefing is not.
I think there are several things debriefing sessions should not be. First, they should not be times when speakers are brought in to tell you how you should be feeling at this stage in your mission service. Nor is it a time, if this is on the field, when a supervisor or leadership takes up all the air by talking. If there is no opportunity for the person serving to speak and talk about issues, then it’s not really debriefing, it’s just another meeting or conference.
Secondly, debriefings are not meant to be solely about bashing the organization or colleagues. I get it. Many times, when people come from the field or have a chance to be heard, they think it means it’s time to let it all out. They’ve been hurt by decisions made or changes in the organization. They’ve clashed with colleagues, and unity was broken in the field team. While they may have valid grievances, true debriefings are for both finding release for such emotions but also for self-reflection. If hard questions are not asked in return, then it’s just a grievance session, not a debriefing.
Third, debriefing is not a time when one person or couple controls the narrative. Group sessions are meant for everyone to have an opportunity to share. If you’ve not been allowed or given the chance to talk, then you haven’t debriefed—you’ve just listened to others talk.
Finally, debriefing isn’t just about the bad stuff that happened or affected your ministry; it must also include the good, the praises. Even if everything was hard about your last term in service, where did you see God at work? What did he teach you through this? How have you grown in your faith, even as a result of the pain? A good facilitator of debriefings will help you see the good and give voice to that in the process.
Debriefing is good for the soul.
As Christians in service at home or abroad, we know the Bible. We know how we are supposed to deal with conflicts, how we are to confess our sins, how we are to seek reconciliation, how we are to play our part in the Body of Christ. While we know what to do, we don’t always do it. Our slates are no longer clean before God, we let bitterness over disputes break our fellowship with colleagues, and we drop the ball in being an active part of our mission team or local church. Stuff happens, and Satan loves to use disputes, hurts, and disagreements to sow his seeds of disappointment and distrust in the hearts of those serving in the harvest fields.
That’s why having regular debriefing sessions as a team or organization is important. Some things shouldn’t wait until the end of the term or a return to the States. We need to keep the team functioning well now. This is what debriefing can do. Whether it’s someone from the team or an objective outsider, the facilitator of a good debriefing session can help workers to share the struggles, remember the good things God’s done, and help work out the issues that are continuing to hinder the unity of the team and work.
Debriefings can and should be done as a group and also one-on-one. Sometimes, issues are very personal and not needed for group consumption. It may become evident that further counseling or guidance is needed. The debriefing is just one step in the self-evaluation process. It’s never the be-all-end-all for addressing needs. God can use the debriefing session to bring individuals and groups to the realization that there really is an issue. Not everyone sees their own problems. Sometimes a group of people can ignore there’s an issue because they’ve been working in silos for so long. A good debriefing is good for the soul of a person and group, because it raises the flag on something that needs further work.
Debriefings should be brief.
The whole purpose of debriefings is to share what you’ve learned or gone through in a specific time period of service. It’s not a time to discuss your entire career or childhood. What happened in the last two to four years that made you question your call or struggle with your faith? What was hard on your family or marriage? What team dynamics helped or hurt the group? What was the best thing God did in your life or through you this term?
All these questions can be answered with precise or short anecdotes. This gives everyone the chance to share and listen. It’s good to hear what others experienced, because it makes you realize you’re not the only one who struggled. Group sessions are crucial to reminding workers that we’re not alone in our journeys. Everyone goes through tough periods in service. It’s how we handle them that God can use us to encourage our fellow brother or sister. We learn from each other.
As stated earlier, debriefings are just one aspect of our growth as people in ministry. The debriefing may spur me to take time away for personal inspection, confession, and prayer. It may lead me to contact my supervisor or colleague and confess a wrong attitude or action and seek forgiveness. It may lead me to seek out a professional counselor to get help with a deeper emotional issue that the ministry has brought to the surface. Whatever it may do, debriefings are meant to help us along the way.
Think of them as the pit stops racecar drivers take while on the track. They pull in to get new tires, change out a spark plug, or grab some extra water. The debriefing is our opportunity for a tune-up. Am I hearing myself when I share with the group a complaint about a colleague? Was it really his problem or mine? Once I’ve dealt with the issue, I’m ready to pull back out onto the track of service.
Be thankful for, don’t dread debriefings.
When done well, debriefing sessions can be just what we need to get back on the right track in service. We want to have clean slates with God, ourselves, and our colleagues, and the debriefings can help that happen. They can also build us up by hearing and sharing all the great things God is doing around the world and in our ministries. We can all rejoice together as we hear of the harvest being gathered in. Even when hard things are shared and felt, be thankful that God brought it to your attention before it festered and caused damage to your faith and ministry.
I’d love to hear how God used a debriefing in your life. If you’ve never been to one, talk to your colleagues or organization about ways to make it happen. Keep communication open, whether it’s a formal debriefing or not, and God will speak and move to his glory.
Grace and Peace
If you missed the last Mission Monday post, click HERE, or check out these other posts on sharing hurts and praises: Telling Your Stories, Skilled Workers, To Speak or Not to Speak?, Getting Along, I Disagree, and But Not.