This section is used to inform Grace members about security concerns for our Goers. We have listed some basic guidelines. Depending on your specific field of service, be sure to provide any further information to your friends and supporters. We also recommend this video.
High Risk Locations - In some parts of the world, gospel proclamation is restricted and phone calls, media, and other communications are actively monitored. In these high risk contexts, using secure communication can protect our Goer and their national partners. The impact of a security breach in these contexts can include kidnapping, theft, deportation from the host country, injury, extortion, and danger to the local church.
Low Risk Locations - In other locations, there is relative openness and little to no danger specific to missionaries. However, it is entirely possible for two Goers in the same region to have different, but equally valid, security concerns. For the most part, we will use the same security guidelines for all our Goers. Because the word ‘missionary’ is misunderstood in many parts of the world, we will use the term ‘Goer’ for all overseas Grace ministry partners.
We want to be wise with how we communicate about our Goers and the exciting things God is doing among the nations. The various mediums of public communication — social media, church website, email newsletter, support raising communications — each pose a unique security concern.
We want to err on the side of caution to avoid inadvertently putting Goers at risk. For this reason, the Global Outreach team has established the following guidelines for public communication involving Goers:
Do not publish anything personal without permission from the Goer and the Global Outreach staff, including quotes, stories, pictures, etc. of Pre-Launched, Launched, or Returned Goers.
Never publish locations (country, city, area); instead use regions approved by the Global Outreach team. Approved regions include:
Never publish or publicly share the last names of our Goers.
Never publish the name of a specific mission agency and/or organization in connection with any specific Goer.
Security Guidelines for Goer Communication (1).pdf
It is best to assume that our Goers live within a high-risk context. It is important to build trust with Goers and teams on the field by being careful in how you communicate information. As you communicate with Goers, pay attention to how they communicate ideas and mirror their wording. Always assume a level of security until your Goer speaks more freely; it is always preferred to speak with caution when communicating overseas.
If the Goers indicate that it is safe to speak more freely, it is better to shift from speaking conservatively to speaking more freely rather than vice versa.
The following list is meant to provide some general, but conservative, guidelines for language in written and spoken communication with Goers overseas.
| Please do NOT | Please DO |
|---|---|
| Mention their sending agency or organization by name | Say “your organization” |
| Use words like missionary, missions, evangelism, church planting, ministry, etc. | Use words such as “Goer” or “worker”, “work”, “outreach”, “fellowship” or “family” |
| Say their country or city name unless they indicate it is safe to do so | Say “your city/country”, or their region “Middle East”, “Southeast Asia”, etc. |
| Use words such as Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Bible, Qu’ran, etc. | Use less heavily religious words such as “believers” or “followers”, “cousins”, “majority religion”, “our book”, “their book” |
| Use language that could sound militaristic, such as “the armor of God” or “spiritual warfare” | Keep it simple, be thoughtful, consider paraphrasing |
| Say anything about the politics in their region, or anything negative about their country |