The Shared Foundations Initiative

For too long, Member Care/People Care & Development for Global Workers has been operating without shared guidelines to shape our field. For many of us, this leaves us operating in isolation without access to the knowledge and experience of others in Member Care/People Care & Development, along with a lack of clear standards for vetting and training those who want to support global workers.


Through this initiative, we anticipate increased collaboration, consistency, and quality in care for cross-cultural ministers, leading to more of Christ’s love in their lives and in the communities to which they minister.

  • Through this initiative, we aspire to build shared foundations for Member Care/People Care & Development in Western-based sending organizations. We believe this would:

    • Add depth and clarity to understanding Member Care/People Care & Development roles

    • Provide a starting place for conversations with organizational leadership

    • Increase our capacity to move forward with confidence, guided by the best thinking in our field

    • Establish a foundation for collaboration, mutual support, and strengthening our collective efforts to help global workers thrive in life and ministry.


  • This initiative is being launched by the People Care & Development track of the Missio Nexus Leaders Conference in partnership with the John Powell Institute at Mission Training International.

    We see ourselves as catalysts, initial hosts, and stewards of this conversation, with the hope that it will truly become a shared effort within the Member Care/People Care & Development community. As we move forward, we anticipate that discussions will center on the organizational support needed to sustain it over time.

  • In 2025 we are taking two key steps: 

    1. We will gather an evidence-supported list of outcomes that contribute to the thriving of cross-cultural workers, created and endorsed by the Member Care/People Care & Development community. Find out more here.

    2. We will host a conversation within the Member Care/People Care & Development community to explore what it would take to establish a Member Care/People Care & Development Certification.

    We see both of these as avenues for learning what the Member Care/People Care & Development community desires going forward.

  • Over time, there has been an expressed need for shared foundations in Member Care/ People Care & Development to improve quality of care for global workers. This has been seen across organizations, global workers, sending agencies, and the leadership of Missio Nexus.  

    There has been an increase in resources, including the volunteer research team serving through JPI, supported by a Missio Nexus innovation grant. This offers a unique opportunity to thoughtfully engage the Member Care/People Care & Development community in this conversation.

  • Though there is a growing need for articulating Member Care/People Care & Development for all nations, we have made an intentional decision to start with Western-based organizations. This decision was made out of respect for the cultural differences that exist in how Western cultures understand and pursue well-being. It is our hope that once this initiative is established, it could be part of broader conversations with Member Care/People Care & Development from other cultural backgrounds. With this in mind, it is important to state that we do not assume that what is developed through this initiative would be immediately applicable in any context.

  • Our aim is to bring the community together to create a unified voice. We believe this is significant and has the potential to greatly increase our effectiveness in supporting global workers on the whole. Your voice and contribution are vital to this initiative. We hope you will prayerfully consider participating.

  • We sense God is moving us to create this Shared Foundation and is providing opportunities to do so. We are eager to see how He will use this initiative and we invite you to join us. 

    Here are two ways you can contribute: 

    1. "Thrive Outcomes" is an evidence-supported list that highlights factors proven to foster thriving for global workers. The goal is not to generate new information, but to gather and share the collective wisdom of those who both offer and receive Member Care & Development. The submission deadline is May 15, and you can find more details and the submission form here.

    2. In the Spring and Summer of 2025, we will be hosting online conversations about developing a People Care & Development Certification. These will culminate in a one-day in-person symposium on September 23, before the Missio Nexus Leaders Conference in Orlando, Florida. You are welcome to join any or all of these conversations. Please let us know your interest by emailing us.

Your participation is vital to this initiative. We encourage you to pray about how you might contribute and share this opportunity with others in your network.

The strength of this initiative is bringing our voices and wisdom together. May God take our five loaves and two fish and prepare a feast of life-giving support for the global workers we serve. 

The Shared Foundations Initiative Team