Rachel Issitt works at Mattersey Hall Bible College as their mission co-ordinator. She also takes mission teams with her husband to various nations. Rachel and Edward would love to talk to you if you are an individual wanting to go on a short-term mission, if you are a church leader wanting to set up short-term missions or if you are a region wanting to organise a mission trip for your region.Please contact us at yourmissionoffice@googlemail.com Take a look at the website http://www.yourmission.org.uk/, here you will find opportunities to personally get involved on the mission field.
1) Always go under the leadership of the minister. This is the first step to success. Going under Godly authority is very important before embarking on a mission trip. The leader should be verified by their local church or organisation and have the ‘go ahead’ to actually plan and take a mission trip.
2) Choosing where to go If you are organising the mission yourself it is good to establish a contact through relationship, keep the e mails and phone calls going, make sure you have clear communication with your host and you feel comfortable taking a team to the particular ministry in question. If you don’t personally know the host, find a church or minister who does and get some background information from them.
3) It is always a good idea to do a pre-visit before the mission. If you are leading a mission trip, it is always a good idea to go to the location first and see the ministry you will be visiting. To go on a mission trip without having been first is very stressful for the leader. If the host happens to be in your nation before the mission trip it is a good idea to have a meeting with them before you go. If you can’t go on a previsit, make sure you have very clear communication between yourself and the host. You may need to ask the host to take some photos of their ministry and where the team will stay and send them by e mail. This way the leader and the team will be much better prepared. Remember that different cultures have different perceptions of what is acceptable in terms of hospitality. Your idea of comfortable accommodation may be very different to what the host is preparing.
2) Recruiting the Team All applicants should be given a pastoral reference. Application forms should be filled out by all including information about emergency contact details, a paragraph about why they want to go on mission, address, telephone number, insurance number, passport number, a section highlighting areas of ministry in which they excel. Depending upon the type of mission you are doing you may wish to set criteria for applicants, involving police checks if you are working with children or vulnerable adults.
3) Insurance, Medication and Travel Obtain insurance before you go. Don’t be tempted to travel without it, the consequences could be all too severe! Make sure you get information about all inoculations needed for the area you are travelling to and if you are the leader, pass on this information to the team in plenty of time. Some tablets and inoculations need to be administered so many weeks before the mission trip begins. In regards to travelling, passports must be in date 6 months after the last date of the mission trip. Some countries require you to apply for a visa, which can take several weeks to obtain. Build in time and prepare the team to have all the necessary documentation and medication ready.
4) Establish the aims of the mission
Communicate clearly with your host, establish the aims and activities in the mission. Always remember you are going there to serve their vision. The clearer you are about the aims of the mission, the smoother the experience.
5) Establish a Price for the Mission
Take into consideration the price of flights, airport parking, leader, transport in UK and abroad, accommodation, food, visas, inoculations, insurance and translators. This is a good checklist to have in terms of planning the mission and costing it.
6) Training the Team
Get to know the team and inform them about the aims and activities on the mission. Alert them to cultural sensitivities, dietary issues, church traditions in the host country and political issues. Prepare activities for the mission. Make sure the team has time to pray together and mix socially, especially if the teams are from different areas of the country. Train the team in understanding Biblical principles of mission and make them aware that God often does move powerfully in team members lives once they take the step into mission. It is important to establish some ground rules for the team before they go in terms of behaviour and your expectations of them. Taking a team can be very fulfilling and also quite draining. Personalities and issues come to light once you have embarked on the mission trip, it is good to encourage team members to respect authority, both yours as team leader and the authority of the host. Encouraging the team to talk with the leader about any issues, before involving others on the team, is a good principle.
7) On the Mission. To curb exhaustion, operate a two out of three sessions a day rule. Make sure the team are flexible to changing plans. Encourage the team to be fully engaged in the mission. The leader should make sure that each team member has ample opportunity to get involved in activities. Keep communicating with the host regarding plans and timetable. As a leader, keep communication open with the team about what is happening. They will feel empowered and secure if communication is open. Everyday have a time of briefing the team, praying about the mission and worshipping God together. This will help bond the team and encourages people to excel spiritually whilst they are on mission. All too often the human side of our nature comes out in times of pressure. Planning in a daily devotional slot is not a waste of time, I believe it is a necessity.
8) After the Mission. Research has shown that in order for team members to get the most out of their mission trip, they need to be followed up, have a time of debrief and encouraged to go on further missions. This follow up might include asking team members what God has taught them on the mission and what God has said to them regarding their place in the ‘Great Commission’.