Ministry Trip Planning
Identifying and Qualifying Host Leadership
The cooperation of in-country host leadership is absolutely critical to a ministry team’s effectiveness. The competence of the host in providing for the on-site needs and guidance for the ministry of the team can make or break the team’s success. For this reason careful consideration needs to be given to identifying and determining the acceptance of the person who will host the team on-site. There are typically two main types of hosts: missionaries and national leaders.
Missionary hosts:
If site and type of ministry selection is made on bases other than the specific invitation and prior arrangements of a missionary, trip planners must not assume that the missionary at the location will automatically be able to/or capable of hosting the group.
There are missionaries whose responsibilities and interests preclude their willingness to be hosts. The missionary may not be able to provide or arrange for housing, transportation, and/or other requirements the group may have. Team leaders must determine definitively when and if a missionary is available to be the on-site host for the team. This must involve:
- Specific and detailed communication with the missionary in question
- Specific and detailed communication with Global Missions staff including the appropriate Regional Coordinator
A further and very important question to be asked and arrangement to be made concerns the handling of funds that will be sent ahead or brought by the group to provide for expenses and ministry needs on site.
National Leader hosts:
Some very serious mistakes have occurred and great harm to the Church has come when ministry teams have not ensured that the national personnel they have chosen as their hosts were capable of the hosting tasks necessary for a successful team ministry. Well-meaning international persons have invited teams to their country but did not have good standing with the Church or have promoted projects which proved divisive or otherwise detrimental to the Church in the host country. On the other hand many of the Church’s national leaders are experienced hosts for a variety of ministry teams and have strong records of hosting highly successful ministry teams.
It is therefore essential that team leaders of proposed ministry teams determine definitively whether specific national persons are appropriate as hosts for the particular projects to be undertaken. Team leaders must further determine definitively when and if a particular national is available to be the on-site host for the team. This must involve:
- Specific and detailed communication with the qualified national leader in question
- Specific and detailed communication with Global Missions staff including the appropriate Regional Coordinator
An important question to be asked and arrangement to be made concerns the handling of funds that will be sent ahead or brought by the group and then provided for the group expenses that the host will deal with.
Return to Trip Resources Page
Ministry Trip Planning
Identifying and Qualifying Host Leadership
The cooperation of in-country host leadership is absolutely critical to a ministry team’s effectiveness. The competence of the host in providing for the on-site needs and guidance for the ministry of the team can make or break the team’s success. For this reason careful consideration needs to be given to identifying and determining the acceptance of the person who will host the team on-site. There are typically two main types of hosts: missionaries and national leaders.
Missionary hosts:
If site and type of ministry selection is made on bases other than the specific invitation and prior arrangements of a missionary, trip planners must not assume that the missionary at the location will automatically be able to/or capable of hosting the group.
There are missionaries whose responsibilities and interests preclude their willingness to be hosts. The missionary may not be able to provide or arrange for housing, transportation, and/or other requirements the group may have. Team leaders must determine definitively when and if a missionary is available to be the on-site host for the team. This must involve:
- Specific and detailed communication with the missionary in question
- Specific and detailed communication with Global Missions staff including the appropriate Regional Coordinator
A further and very important question to be asked and arrangement to be made concerns the handling of funds that will be sent ahead or brought by the group to provide for expenses and ministry needs on site.
National Leader hosts:
Some very serious mistakes have occurred and great harm to the Church has come when ministry teams have not ensured that the national personnel they have chosen as their hosts were capable of the hosting tasks necessary for a successful team ministry. Well-meaning international persons have invited teams to their country but did not have good standing with the Church or have promoted projects which proved divisive or otherwise detrimental to the Church in the host country. On the other hand many of the Church’s national leaders are experienced hosts for a variety of ministry teams and have strong records of hosting highly successful ministry teams.
It is therefore essential that team leaders of proposed ministry teams determine definitively whether specific national persons are appropriate as hosts for the particular projects to be undertaken. Team leaders must further determine definitively when and if a particular national is available to be the on-site host for the team. This must involve:
- Specific and detailed communication with the qualified national leader in question
- Specific and detailed communication with Global Missions staff including the appropriate Regional Coordinator
An important question to be asked and arrangement to be made concerns the handling of funds that will be sent ahead or brought by the group and then provided for the group expenses that the host will deal with.
Return to Trip Resources Page