The following was included in a report I prepared recently for the FBI.
“Overall, (the negotiation for the release of missionary hostage Phyllis Sortor) along with (another case resolved in 2014) reflect a very positive model of how, in a hostage case involving private US citizens; the family, employer, TPI and FBI can work together. There are certainly some areas in which improvements can be made, but these two cases represent a quantum leap of progress in partnership and breaking down artificial barriers that affected past cases. I will speak positively of this model to my audiences (faith-based sending agencies – “employers”) and I believe this model can be replicated in other sectors.”
I’m posting this blog as a supplement to a webinar for missions executives and leaders that I’m presenting today. Although it is lengthier than a typical blog, the issue is sufficiently important and time-critical that I hope you’ll read and consider the entire document. At the conclusion are several options for action that I also hope you’ll give very careful attention to.