Excellent mission team prep

The standards of STM excellence that our committee compiled a few years ago is a good place for anyone
interested in the subject to start. Here is Standard #6: APPROPRIATE TRAINING. More people should look at all seven of the standards as a basis for assessing the quality of their projects.

An excellent short-term mission prepares and equips all participants for the mutually designed outreach, and is expressed by:

6.1 Biblical, appropriate, and timely training

6.2 On-going training and equipping (pre-field, on-field, post-field)

6.3 Qualified trainers

In all our STMs, we strive to employ biblical, appropriate, and timely training for all participants (senders, goers, receivers) which equips them to implement the mutually designed program (1 Cor. 9:25-27; 2 Tim. 3:16-17). We acknowledge that relevant training will benefit all STM participants, fostering understanding, growth, and spiritual fruit while helping to prevent offense, damage, and poor stewardship. We further acknowledge that training should take place during each stage of the STM (pre-field, on-field, and post-field) by qualified trainers, and that regular evaluation of training results should take place. Although training is unique to each mutually designed outreach, there are some training ‘norms’ (below) that usually apply to all participants (goers, senders, receivers).

6.1 Biblical, appropriate, and timely training

We pledge to provide on-time biblical and appropriate training for all participants (senders, goers, receivers) emphasizing the character traits, knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential for effective ministry in an intercultural context. The outcome of such training should result in a clear understanding of how to correctly do the task or assignment while maintaining effective relationships with other participants. We further pledge to have our participants agree to follow all guidelines, policies, and training the given STM requires.

Sending Supporters

Our STM assures that sending supporters are trained for one or more of these six primary sending

supporter roles:

(i) Prayer supporters

(how to intercede for given goer-guests and all aspects of the STM during the pre-field, on-field, and post field stages)

(ii) Financial supporters

(how, where, and by when to provide financial support)

(iii) Logistical supporters

(how to make arrangements during the pre-field process to provide any needed logistics help during the STM process)

(iv) Emotional supporters

(how to provide moral and emotional enouragement)

(v) Communication supporters

(how to call, write, or produce communication to the other ‘back home’ sending supporters and all others with whom the goer-guests need to stay in touch while on-field)

(vi) Re-Entry supporters

(how to meet with the returning short-termers and ask ‘intelligent questions’ in an emotionally safe environment; how to help steer goer-guests to appropriate referrals or assistance if there are unresolved issues or certain unmet needs)

Goer-Guests

Our STM assures that goer-guest leaders and goer-guest followers are trained in these six primary areas:

(i) Cross-cultural training

(such as cross-cultural theory, comminucation, and simulation games, simulated settings; host culture/people specifics; language training and rehearsal; re-entry training)

(ii) Personal preparation

(such as biblical basis for mission; purpose of outreach; MISTM theory; goer-guests’ responsibility to all participants; personal spiritual preparation; team covenant development; team building/team spiritual preparation; prayer and spiritual warfare training; debriefing; follow-up training and integration)

(iii) Logistics training

(such as airline or other round trip travel arrangements; travel documents; prescriptions, immunizations, health, and hygiene; on-field housing, transportation, food, dress and site orientation; packing; risk and liability issues; customs and immigration; policies [cancellation, dating, smoking/drinking, photos and video, personal CD players, begging, etc.])

(iv) Intended activities preparation

(including training for and rehearsal of the mutually designed on-field activities)

(v) Financial preparation

(such as budget development; fund-raising plans, money management, and funding deadlines)

(vi) Additional items unique to the given STM

Host Receivers

Our STM assures that field facilitators and key intended receptor leadership are trained in these ten primary areas:

(i) Logistical support for goer-guests

(ii) Program delivery support for goer-guests

(iii) Identifying our strategic field activities leveragable through goer-guests

(iv) Blending our field-supplied leadership with their sending entity-supplied leadership

(v) Risk management and security issues for goer-guests

(vi) Cross-cultural training (grasping the goer-guests’ worldview)

(vii) Recruiting from goer-guests for field needs

(viii) Outcomes follow-up

(ix) Relational issues

(x) Reinforcing issues or concerns and other pre-field training during on-site orientation (such as cultural issues, appropriate conduct, purpose and philosophy of the outreach, explanation of risk management and security issues, and other items agreed to in the mutual design of the outreach)

6.2 On-going training and equipping (pre-field, on-field, post-field)

We pledge to provide such training during the entire STM process:

• Pre-field (many of the items listed above)

• On-field (ongoing training, re-entry training, debriefing)

• Post field (debriefing and follow-up)

6.3 Qualified trainers

We pledge to provide trainers who are experienced and knowledgeable in the items listed above, and who can provide effective training and facilitate beneficial learning. We pledge that our training program will implement timely and thorough evaluation of the STM training as a means of improving our training program.