Presbyterians adopt rules for evacuation

Christian Century, Oct 11, 2000

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has approved guidelines for evacuating church missionaries who find themselves in hostage, war or unfriendly situations overseas. The Worldwide Ministries Division of the 2.5-million-member church introduced the new guidelines September 23 in order to formalize procedures for getting missionaries out of dangerous situations.

"Every situation is different, but we have needed basic guidelines to coordinate communication, to determine when there is an emergency and to balance the interests of the families and churches involved," said Marian McClure, director of the agency, according to Presbyterian News Service. There are between 700 and 900 Presbyterian missionaries overseas at any given time, and about half are full-time paid employees.

McClure said unstable situations in Colombia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and other global hotspots have put church missionaries in danger because of a "growing practice of hostage-taking." In the Congo, formerly Zaire, the church has stopped placing families with children because the situation has become so dangerous.

McClure said she will eventually propose the guidelines for all church staff who travel or work abroad. Among her proposals:

* Never pay a ransom in a hostage situation, and never yield to terrorist demands.

* Families of church workers who are kidnapped will be evacuated to a safe country, which will most often be the missionary's home country. The church will assign a staff member to work with the family during the crisis.

* A Crisis Management Team is in training for handling hostile situations, and the team will coordinate the release of information to families and the news media.

* Families will be evacuated within 24 hours after a situation becomes dangerous, and personnel who are involved will be eligible for church-sponsored counseling.