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Regional Coordinator FAQ’s About the EFCC Board of Directors’ Decision to Lay Off Salaried ServeBeyond Missionaries

Feb. 10, 2025

On Jan. 16, 2025, EFCC Executive Director and the Chair of the Board of Directors (BOD) informed ServeBeyond missionaries that “…ServeBeyond will no longer be able to have missionaries who are salaried employees of the EFCC. If you are an employee of EFCC, this letter is notice that your employment with EFCC will end on April 30, 2025.”

This FAQ page provides a glimpse into the thinking of ServeBeyond Regional Coordinators (RC’s) about this decision. We are focused less on the content of the decision than how it and the process used in making it is impacting missionaries and ServeBeyond itself. We are not attempting to be insubordinate, control the narrative, or spread misinformation. Rather, our desire is to give a voice to the voiceless because neither missionaries nor RC’s have any significant decision making role in ServeBeyond. But RC’s do have the responsibility of caring for the missionaries in their regions as best they can. So we submit these FAQ’s as a way of trying to fulfill that responsibility.

Go here to view a pdf of these FAQ’s, then download if desired.

These FAQ’s are primarily authored by Dale Little but with significant input and edits from other Regional Coordinators.
1) Was the decision necessary?
It is not clear whether there are other solutions that other mission agencies have found. But given the research done as per the BOD’s Feb. 3, 2025 FAQ email, they deemed the decision necessary. We have little choice but to accept their decision. However, what does seem to be clear is that the lack of transparency in the decision making process has generated doubts in the minds of missionaries who are immediately and critically affected by the decision. The emotional toll has been high.

Read the Feb. 3, 2025, FAQ email from the BOD here.
2) How did this important issue become urgent?
Abuse, Harassment, and Molestation Liability insurance is important for organizations—especially in Canada and the USA. Here is a timeline of how this important issue of losing that coverage has been handled by the BOD.
  • Mar. 14, 2023: Home office received notice that abuse liability coverage would not be renewed in Oct. 2023 if overseas ministries with vulnerable persons were continued.
  • Apr. 2023: ServeBeyond and ServeCanada Directors were informed (consulted too?).
  • May 6, 2023: The BOD was informed of the problem and the BOD directed the Executive Director to provide options by the fall meeting.
  • Jul. 2023: It was decided (by who?) to allow the abuse liability portion of coverage to discontinue at renewal in Oct. 2023.
  • Sep. 2023: IMC members were advised (consulted too?).
  • Oct. 17, 2023: Missionaries were informed of this problem in an EFCC memo, but not in the usual ServeBeyond Family Memo. They were told to be careful, that it did not affect all missionaries, and that the BOD was working on it and would provide more information and training.
  • Nov. 17-18, 2023: The BOD was advised that the insurance was renewed in Oct. 2023 without the abuse liability coverage. As a possible solution the Executive Director advised separating ServeBeyond from the EFCC. The Executive Director was directed to research the problem and provide options for the next meeting. As a result, it was determined that setting up ServeBeyond as a separate organization but still connected with the EFCC would not sufficiently mitigate EFCC risks.
  • Spring 2024: The possibility of using a different insurer was bogged down by slow responses from the insurers.
  • Mar. 2024: The BOD opted not to reclaim abuse insurance coverage in Canada but not overseas because it was felt coverage should be preserved everywhere. It was decided to try to apply for insurance from a different company.
  • April 2024: Only one insurer was willing to provide coverage that would include abuse liability, but the requirements were not a viable option because each EFCC church would need to also apply for that insurance.
  • Jun. 2024: The problem was not mentioned in the Annual Report to the Jun. 2024 AGM.
  • Fall 2024: The BOD was informed that no other insurance option had been found so in Nov. 2024 the BOD made its final decision to lay off salaried missionaries. The BOD also decided that the risk was too great to delay any further and too urgent a matter to consult EFCC churches. Besides, there was potential for disagreement among the churches and the next AGM was too far away (May 2025). Missionaries would only be informed of the decision after other mission agencies could be found where they could transfer and so continue their ministries unimpeded and uninterrupted.
  • Jan. 16, 2025: ServeBeyond personnel were informed in writing about the problem and the BOD’s solution to it; namely, layoff all salaried missionaries effective Apr. 30, 2025.
  • Feb. 3, 2025: The BOD emailed FAQ’s to EFCC churches and (all?) ServeBeyond personnel. That email provides the information for this timeline.
So although the Executive Director became aware of this problem on Mar. 14, 2023, and the BOD on May 6, 2023, no final decision was made until Nov. 2024, and missionaries were not informed in writing until Jan. 16, 2025. The length of time it has taken to make a final decision about this important issue has probably contributed to the emergency now declared by the BOD. Had the final decision been made in a more timely manner there might be less urgency now. And if EFCC churches and perhaps missionaries been brought into the discussion, there might be less pushback now.
3) Who was consulted about this decision?
The Executive Director and the BOD seem to have made this decision without consulting the International Missions Committee (IMC), whose responsibilities include advising on ServeBeyond policy, or the ServeBeyond Director. Informing those parties is not the same as consulting them. The IMC Chair sits on the BOD but in this case could not have represented the IMC because the IMC was not consulted. And it seems neither EFCC churches nor missionaries were included in the conversation.

The rationale given by the BOD for not collaborating on this decision can be found in the Feb. 3, 2025, FAQ email from the BOD: (1) Collaboration would have been ineffective and inefficient; (2) there were no options to discuss anyway; and (3) the EFCC Constitution provides such authority in urgent situations:

6.3.13 Shall meet and make decisions that best serve the interests of the EFCC in the event that urgent matters, financial or otherwise, arise within the EFCC between Conferences.

Read the Feb. 3, 2025, FAQ email from the BOD here.

But we wonder whether the Constitution gives the BOD freedom to marginalize leaders (ServeBeyond Director) and committees (IMC) in making important and urgent decisions about ServeBeyond. It seems more natural for the BOD to work through these channels rather than circumventing them. And it seems reasonable for the BOD to consult with EFCC churches as much as possible about all important matters, even if those issues have become urgent.
4) Should the decision have been brought to an AGM?
A decision to change the essential purpose of ServeBeyond from sending salaried missionaries in order to serve “…in the birth and growth of healthy churches internationally” to instead partnering with non-salaried agents who are not sent, and therefore necessitating laying off salaried missionaries, is not just a policy change. Rather, it seems to invalidate and abandon the very purpose of ServeBeyond. The BOD seems to have minimized the importance of their decision. We think that its magnitude requires that it be brought to an AGM, whether regularly scheduled or a special session.
5) Why might missionaries feel that they should have been invited into some level of discussion about this decision?
Missionaries sign the following statement in the Personnel Agreement every year:

5. COOPERATION: I will cooperate fully with Mission Leadership who are placed over the work I am engaged in. When any decision is made that has a significant impact on my ministry, I can expect that my opinion will be sought, heard and taken into account by my leaders. I will abide by and do my utmost to carry out their decisions and assignments. I realize that official decisions cannot be ignored or disobeyed even if such decisions and assignments are not always fully to my liking or in full accord with my personal opinions….

So missionaries understand that they are not decision makers in ServeBeyond and that they need to abide by decisions made. But they expect to be invited to pull their chairs up to the table to discuss important decisions that affect them while the decisions are being made, even if they end up disagreeing with the final decision. At least their voices would have been heard and they might feel affirmed. It is not clear what level of cooperation is required of missionaries when important unilateral decisions are made about them but they are not consulted. Minimally, the BOD should expect pushback from missionaries. One of the best ways for the Executive Director and the BOD to shepherd ServeBeyond missionaries is to communicate with them about important decisions that affect their missionary lives and ministries.
6) When and how were missionaries informed of the decision?
The EFCC Executive Director and BOD Chair held three zoom meetings on Jan. 13, 2025: one with ServeBeyond Director, Managers, and RC’s, and then two more later in the day for ServeBeyond personnel around the world. RC’s and Managers were not invited to these last two zooms. The Executive Director and BOD Chair then sent an email announcement about the BOD decision to ServeBeyond personnel on Jan. 16.
Read the Jan. 16, 2025, BOD announcement here.

Then on Feb. 3, 2025, the BOD sent an FAQ email to (all?) ServeBeyond personnel and EFCC churches in order to “…answer as many questions as possible and to correct the misinformation which has been circulating.”
Read the Feb. 3, 2025, BOD FAQ email here.
7) In the fall of 2023 were not ServeBeyond missionaries told to contact their supporters about this problem?
The EFCC (BOD?) did send an email to missionaries on Oct. 17, 2023, informing them of a potential problem.
Read the Oct. 17, 2023, EFCC email here.

In that email, missionaries were told: “The Board and its committees will continue to deliberate over this subject at their upcoming meetings.” And then missionaries were assured: “We will of course keep you updated on any more developments.”
  • Missionaries were told this did not affect everyone: “We recognize that for some the implications of this may cause you to reexamine your current role. We encourage you to reach out to your ServeBeyond or ServeCanada leadership if this is the case, or if you are uncomfortable with continuing in your current situation.”
  • But if desired, missionaries were encouraged to ask further questions: “Please feel free to reach out to… Director of Finance and Operations… if you have any questions.”
So although missionaries were notified about the problem, they were told it probably only affected some of them. They were certainly not told to contact their supporters. Instead, they were informed that the BOD would be working on the problem and were assured they would be kept in the loop. However, the next time they were clearly informed of this problem in writing was when they received their lay off notice on Jan. 16, 2025.
Read the Jan. 16, 2025, BOD announcement to missionaries here.
8) In the fall of 2023 was the BOD unable to contact the supporters of missionaries because the BOD has no access to supporter contact information?
Even RC’s can access the supporter and supporting church contact information of the missionaries in their region, so certainly the BOD can too.
9) Are only 20 missionaries affected by this decision?
According to the BOD’s Jan. 16, 2025 layoff announcement and their Feb. 3, 2025 FAQ email, 20 missionaries are affected. However, that might mean missionary households. A household is a single person or a married couple. So the number of salaried missionaries being laid off could be 20 households, or about 35-37 missionaries.

However, Mission Associates are also negatively affected, though not as directly. That is, if they decide to stay with ServeBeyond they will need to change their status to something like “agent” (no salary). And if they have been working alongside any of the laid off missionaries, they will have lost their colleagues or supervisors.

To imply that only 20 missionaries (households?) are affected seems to minimize the impact of the BOD’s decision upon ServeBeyond personnel.

Read the Jan. 16, 2025, BOD announcement to missionaries here.

Read the Feb. 3, 2025, BOD FAQ email here.
10) What are salaried missionaries expected to do in response to this decision?
Missionaries can transfer to another mission agency, resign, or retire. For those transferring, a list of other suggested mission agencies was given. Missionaries were initially told to directly contact any of the mission agencies on the list because those agencies were waiting to welcome transfers from ServeBeyond. Now it seems that missionaries transferring are required to work closely with the Executive Director in setting up the transfer.
11) Is a 3-month timeline for transferring to another mission agency realistic?
10-12 months for transition would be more realistic. Even if the transfer is expedited by the EFCC, each mission agency has its own onboarding processes to follow. It is our guess that no mission agency would permit monies to be paid out (e.g., salaries) until the new missionary’s account has adequate funds for such transactions.

An unimpeded transition is not only measured in time. Changing mission agencies also takes an emotional toll on the missionaries and their families. Even after financial details are worked out for a move to another agency, the sense of belonging or fitting in the new missionary “family” takes a lot longer to achieve.
12) When missionaries transfer to another mission agency, will 100% of their funds follow them?
Yes. One of the RC’s has received written verification of this. Some missionaries have been told, “…our intention is to transfer all funds to the new registered charity after final receipts and expenses are dealt with.” This means that after budgeted items (e.g., salary, housing, etc.) and reimbursable ministry costs are accounted for, the entire remaining balance will follow the transferring missionary. No “closing fee” will be charged.
13) Are missionaries finding the transition to another mission agency, resigning or retiring smooth?
Home office is helping missionaries with the essential logistical aspects of their transitions. But not all missionaries are having a smooth ride. Some are losing sleep, waking up with anxiety attacks, confused, disappointed, upset and even angry. They are distracted from their missional ministries, even some who have quickly decided on an action plan. RC’s also feel the emotional upheaval, some more intensely than others. Perhaps the predominant emotion is chronic sadness. We seem to have become wounded healers.
14) Was there a response from ServeBeyond RC’s?
15) What might the future of ServeBeyond look like?
The BOD seems to point toward a bright future for ServeBeyond as a project focused mission agency consisting of contracted agents. In that world, ServeBeyond will be in a good position to serve EFCC churches in their international missional goals. However, the reality on the ground might look different:
  • Short term teams sent by EFCC churches usually rely on ServeBeyond missionaries, who will likely have left.
  • Many projects are developed and led by missionaries who will have moved to other missions, resigned, or retired.
  • Personal relationships are usually at the heart of ServeBeyond missional projects. So when the missionary leaders of projects leave, the remaining project leaders might not have any compelling reason to stay either.
  • The projects that do remain will likely be ones that have had little contact with ServeBeyond missionaries.
  • Remaining ServeBeyond leaders and/or “agents” might be expected to reconstruct ServeBeyond into a project focused mission. But that might be an unrealistic ask of those who have watched their mission agency deconstruct.
So perhaps the BOD has minimized the change that is coming to ServeBeyond and exaggerated the future viability of the EFCC international mission arm. It is no surprise, then, that some think we are witnessing the beginning of the end of ServeBeyond.