A Narrative Inquiry into the Burnout and Sabbatical Experiences of Missionaries

The purpose of this study is to gain an in-depth understanding of missionaries’ experiences of burnout and recovery during sabbatical year and to provide insights for Christian counselors seeking to support them. For this purpose, the narrative research method of Clandinin and Connelly was applied to analyze data with three-dimensional narrative space of time, relationship, and place in mind. Participants were three married missionaries with more than 10 years of experience in oversea missions. The results showed that burnout was largely due to cultural stress, conflicts with locals and peers, and concerns regarding children’s education. During sabbatical, they also faced financial and educational challenges, along with unresolved field-related conflicts. Spiritual recovery such as ‘restoration of the first heart’ was found to be important in strengthening motivation. Based on results, implications for member care and Christian counseling were discussed, and the significance of the study and follow-up research were suggested.