Episode
When Home Becomes the Mission Field (featuring Nate & Brittany Bruns)
- Podcast
- Life After Ministry
- Published
- Jul 14, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2269
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Summary
Missionaries spend years preparing to go to the field, but few are prepared for what it feels like to come home. After serving six years in Germany, Nate and Brittany Bruns share the unexpected challenges of returning to the United States, navigating reverse culture shock, raising third-culture kids, and rebuilding community. Ultimately, they discovered God was calling them to live as missionaries in their own country. Their story offers practical encouragement for missionaries, churches, and anyone walking through an unexpected ministry transition. Key Takeaways Reverse culture shock can be more difficult than moving overseas. Missionary transitions affect spouses, children, and the entire family. God often prepares leaders for future seasons long before they understand why. Returning missionaries bring valuable wisdom that can strengthen the local church. Waiting on God is an active posture of trust, not passive inactivity. Chapter Markers 00:00 Job loss, the desert season, and God's unexpected call to Germany 04:30 Reaching a post-Christian culture through relationships 07:15 When God said it was time to come home 11:15 Reverse culture shock and becoming strangers in your own country 16:00 Helping third-culture kids navigate transition 20:15 How churches can better care for returning missionaries 23:30 What America can learn from post-Christian Europe 26:45 Financial transitions and rebuilding support 30:00 Waiting on God and discerning what's next 34:00 The Bruns Tribe and engaging the spiritually disengaged 36:30 Encouragement for missionaries in transition If you're navigating a ministry transition, we'd love to help. Start a conversation with a specialist at Ministry Transitions . Learn more about Nate and Brittany's ministry at The Bruns Tribe .