18 months prior
Develop the partnership between the church/organisation/ministry you are visiting, the mission agency and your congregational leadership.
Determine who has responsibility for negotiations with the overseas church/organisation/ministry leadership with regard to your short-term mission.
Begin negotiations with the mission agency to determine that your aims and objectives do actually fit within the strategy and plans for long term mission in the region you will be visiting.
Decide the purpose of the trip and determine clear and realistic aims and objectives.
In your church services and bible study groups introduce some teaching about mission and God’s plan for the nations.
12 months prior
Begin advertising in the church for people interested in joining the short-term mission.
Hold a meeting to outline the tour aims and objectives and the likely cost of the tour.
Explain the kind of skill set required of people applying to join and what the selection process will be.
Encourage the church to pray regularly for the people group the team will be working amongst.
Negotiate with your travel agent to determine possible costs of the trip – airline tickets, insurance,
Develop the total budget for the trip – will church staff travel free; will there be costs to run the program overseas eg purchase of materials
9 months prior
Finalise the short-term mission team selection
Begin fundraising to cover some of the costs of the trip
Collect a non-refundable deposit from team members as part of their payment plan to cover their trip costs.
Ensure team members have a valid passport (valid means able to be used for 12 months from the date of departure) or that they immediately begin the application process to obtain a passport.
Finalise the dates for the team training and ensure all participants selected understand the importance of participating in the team preparation meetings.
Determine the personal and spiritual development opportunities for the individuals involved – and work with the leadership of the local church you are visiting to determine how it might consider the same issues.
Up to 6 months prior
Work on fundraising to cover some of the costs of the trip.
Finalise the short-term mission team selection if you have not completed this already.
Visit your doctor or travellers medical clinic to get advice about injections required – some of these require long lead times to finish the course of treatment.
Begin visa application process
Teach team members how to do theological reflection and encourage them begin this practice so they are experienced at it before departure.
Finalise bookings for airline tickets and check if you if you need to purchase travel insurance now or if this can wait another few months.
Continue to receive financial contributions from team members towards their trip payment plan.
Continue the pre-departure training program
Maintain the prayer ministry
Ensure you have a crisis management plan in place that is understood by the church leadership, the mission agency and the national church.
Distribute a packing check-list so that team members know what additional items they might need to purchase prior to departure eg mosquito nets, special clothing
Up to 3 months prior
Purchase travel insurance if you have not already done so.
Let the travel agent know the final list of names so they can confirm the group booking with the airline.
Ensure team members know what kind of money they will need to have access to overseas – e.g. can they use their existing bank cards to withdraw cash; should they have travellers cheque or US dollars.
45 days prior
Collect final payments from team members for the trip payment plan and pay your travel agent.
Have your travel agent check for special (cheap) airfares with shorter ticketing times
Confirm the program for daily on-field devotions so that team members have time to prepare if they are going to be leading a devotional time.
Two weeks prior
Organise transport to the airport for the group
Confirm all participants have a passport; required visa’s, insurance
Start anti-malarial treatment if required
Clarify your accommodation for the first night upon arrival.
Ensure you know who is going to collect you from the airport – or how you are going to get the group to the first night’s accommodation.
Register each person at the Federal Government Smart Traveller website http://www.smartraveller.gov.au so in the event of an emergency or natural disaster in the country you are visiting the Federal Government can assist you to get out.
Confirm you have the emergency contact details for tour members’ next of kin and the out-of-hours contact details for your church leaders and mission agency leaders.
Collect the contact emails for family members and church leaders who will receive weekly email updates while you are overseas.
3 days prior
Confirm your flight bookings
Confirm airline has confirmation of your excess baggage allowance
Check the weight of your bag and make sure everything you want to take fits in.
Pack your ‘survival kit’ hand luggage in case your luggage is lost in transit - toiletries; change of clothing; medication etc
Departure Day
Arrive at the airport at least two hours before flight – some airlines require you to arrive 3 hours before flight
Spend some time praying together
Before you walk out of your house check you have your passport and airline ticket
During your short-term mission
Commence the debriefing process by having the first debriefing session before you depart for home (this may involve the missionaries or you have been working with).
Each day have a time for team members to connect with one another on a spiritual level – give people opportunities to talk about how they are feeling; spend time praying and reading the bible together.
If possible arrange a weekly email from the short-term mission leader to the ‘weekly email list’ so that parents and church leaders know the team is okay and where they are.
Serve the people you are seeking to minister amongst.
Be flexible – when you arrive it might not be possible to do the task you were anticipating doing – remember to smile and do whatever needs to be done.
Think about what you can learn from the people you are working amongst that might impact your church’s ministry at home.
Returning from your short-term mission
Remind people of the debriefing schedule that you have in place and implement it.
Organise opportunities for team members to share their stories with the congregation and other groups that may be interested e.g. at their school, service clubs, other nearby churches, events organised by the mission agency.
Facilitate professional counselling for team members who may be struggling with culture shock or other psychological issues that were raised by participating in the short-term mission.
Evaluate the short-term mission taking into account your goals; the relationships with the mission agency and the partners on location.
Work with your partners (mission agency/national church etc) on a strategy of program development that will provide direction and assist you in your shared ministry in the years to come.
Encourage team members to write thank you letters to people who supported them financially or in prayer.
Formally report back to the church leadership about the short-term mission and discuss what might need to be ‘next steps’ for team members to continue growing in their discipleship.
Continue to pray for the people you ministered amongst – don’t forget them.
Meet together with the short-term mission team members six months after the team has returned – check in on how people are going spiritually, remember to pray for the people you ministered amongst.