Twelve Sessions
International hosts have long acknowledged that good pre-departure training as well as post-return debriefing, by an experienced leader, make all the difference between a great team and a troublesome group. While not exhaustive, the following twelve training sessions work as a great foundation for STM teams engaging cross-culturally for two or more weeks.
Although some of the following training issues are simple and straightforward, others may seem more complex. Feel free to Contact Mark Crocker for information on best practices in training and fun experiential team development.
Week 1: Starting strong.
1. Why do we go?
a. Presence – Avoiding the hero mentality
b. Joining in God’s redemptive story for the widow and orphan
2. Trip details
a. Affirm the team leadership
b. Outline the projects
c. Scheduling
d. Show recent video/pictures
3. Sharing your story
a. Have each team member introduce themself to the team and explain why you want to go. (approximately one hour)
b. Affirm each persons spiritual journey
4. Financial/Fundraising issues.
a. How to submit donations
b. Team bookkeeping policies
c. Explaining the budget
d. Explaining receipting, reimbursements and refund policies
e. Fundraising event approval
f. The fundraising letter
Week 2: Getting connected. Team building
1. Make a meal from scratch together (destination specific)
2. Icebreakers
3. Destination specific information
4. Assign the destination study parts to team members
5. Alumni or Nationals share their experience and understanding.
Week 3: Living in community (daylong or weekend event)
1. Passive:
a. Avoid videos, and one person speaking. Leave lots of room for personal interaction.
b. Bring and play games
c. Cook together
d. Pray together
e. Hike together
f. Serve together.
2. Active:
a. Structured ice-breaker games, community building games
b. Personality teaching and team interaction on the types
c. Pursue tougher issues that could lead to future team conflict.
3. Behaviours as we live in community. Respect for those we serve and for our team.
Week 4: Spirituality
1. Spiritual formation
a. Gods fingerprints in our experiences and relationships
b. Our authentic response? Our hopes, worries and where we wrestle.
2. Our personal spiritual narrative. For anyone on the team whether they self-identify with a specific faith or not.
a. Our spiritual journey over a lifetime of changes
b. The spirituality of other team members
c. The spirituality of those we servei) What prayer looks like
ii) What worship looks like
iii) Congregation response
Week 5 through 7: Practical ministry preparation
CAUTION: Many of the following issues may require a certain degree of expertise and experience. Use the appropriate and available resources. Contact Mark Crocker for support as required
1. Understanding the difference between Relief and Development
2. True partnerships are more than financial pipelines
3. Public speaking
a. Telling your spiritual narrative
b. Working with translators
4. Simple and Profound Social Development
a. Clean Water Initiatives
b. Grief work
c. Abuse issues and Recovery
d. Hygiene
e. HIV/AIDS awareness and stigma reduction
f. Micro-finance Initiatives
g. Notes on Construction
h. Home based care
i. Sport and Recreation Initiatives
j. Infrastructure
5. Leadership Development
a. Practical skills for leaders
b. Training volunteers
c. Medical expertise
6. Destination Specific Spirituality
a. Public prayer and laying on hands
b. Spiritual warfare
Week 8: Relationship building and mending
1. Conflict resolution
2. Effective communication
Week 9: Cross cultural training
1. Expectation check
2. Cross-cultural issues your team will deal with
3. Body language
4. Symbols
5. Our inherent racism
6. Dependency/Paternalism
Week 10: Final things (All day Saturday session)
Casual session, lighter on teaching. Answer questions.
1. Culture shock
2. Team building activities
3. Leadership lessons – making and breaking your leader
4. Additional time for practical ministry preparation.
5. Review the teams group work on the destination study
6. Review team expectation guidelines
7. Review practical ministry preparation
8. Review packing and baggage restrictions.
9. Affirm the growth of the team, readiness
Week 11: Final Team and Primary Supporters Commissioning
1. This party should be very relaxed and casual in tone
3. Serve snacks
4. Include primary team member supporters
a. This provides comfort to family members as they meet the team, especially the team leader.
b. Have the team members introduce themselves to the other family members and friends.
5. Director of Missions or Senior Leadership Team representative to pray for and commission the team.
Week 12: Saturday debriefing session AFTER RETURNING
1. In this all day session, it is vital that there is sufficient time to spend time as a team
2. Discuss an appropriate evaluations strategy
3. Discuss and normalise Re-entry stress
4. Remind and normalise Reverse Culture Shock
5. Review and reflect on Personal Value Changes
6. Review the ‘what now’ issue. Take time to remind participants of how easy it is for changes to become normalised and insignificant if there is no appropriate framework to continue value changes beyond the experience.
7. Complete a ‘Note to Self’
Call or Email Mark Crocker for training and team development.
