To pay a ransom would expose remaining folks to the attacks of criminals. In its 150-year history, the Southern Baptist agency has never faced a hostage crisis or been asked to pay ransom. Most mission agencies have a no-ransom policy, although it is not always explicit. A confusing fact might come when you change the reality by the vocabulary you use. We do think it's appropriate to use funds to prepare for the possibility of hostage-taking among our missionaries.
Proper training can at least mitigate morale problems.
If you were to survey our missionaries, you would find they are overwhelmingly supportive of our policies on hostage-taking and ransom. In the midst of a crisis, however, you would probably find more diverse opinions from them. Mr. Kamerdiener says a hostage crisis takes on both a personal and an institutional dimension. To some extent, he advises, those should be kept separate. This kind of occurrence absorbs an agency's energy, especially if it occurs several time zones away.