Heirborn MissionsMissions Team Description & Policy

By Brett Starr adapted from a document by Richard Brown Student Ministries Prof. @ LibertyUniversity

WHAT IS THE MISSIONS TEAM?The Missions Team is a ministry team consisting of adults andstudents who are an outgrowth of the student ministries of FirstFederated Church. Our purpose will be to equip our youth for Kingdomservice (Ephesians 4:12) through emphasizing personal growth,ministry training, teamwork, & then fulfilling our team's specificmission. Our mission will change each year from place to place. Ourplan is to fulfill Jesus' command of Acts 1:8 by rotating each yearthrough a two year strategy combining a number of local missionopportunities throughout each year (Jerusalem-same country and area;same culture) with each year as follows: Year 1) a national trip(Judea/Samaria-same country; different culture), and year 2) aninternational trip (Outer Parts-different country; differentculture).

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF BEING ON A MISSIONS TEAM?How can I limit this to a simple list. Only the Lord God knows howHe can use this in the life of each team player. But here are somethat come to my mind:

· The spiritual disciplines learned through the weeks of teamtraining.

· The training skills learned for ministry.· The opportunity to discover and use our God-given spiritual gifts

and talents.· Learning how to be a team and work on a team in the midst of

stretching circumstances.· The personal satisfaction that comes from an accomplished task.· The exposure to Christian ministry. This includes ministry

experience as well as other Christian leaders. Although everyonemay not enter "full-time" vocational Christian ministry (i.e.pastor/missionary), hopefully all will see the need and get a brieftaste of "full-time" Christian ministry.

· In keeping with the above, the growth and exposure of each teamplayer in developing God's view for the entire world.

· The blessings we will be to the lives we touch. The encouraging ofother believers and evangelizing of those who need Jesus Christ.

· Knowing that we are acting out Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15, Luke24:46-49, John 20:21 and Acts 1:8

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE MISSIONS TEAM?The missions team is for those who seriously want to minister JesusChrist to others, who are currently active in Heirborn StudentMinistries, who are currently between 9th - 12th grades, and who willcommit themselves to our teams requirements.

 

WHAT ARE THE TEAM REQUIREMENTS?We have seven basic areas which will be necessary to being on theteam:

1.Attend All Training SessionsIt is here the team meets, trains, plans, and shares how their

assignments are doing. You may miss only one meeting2. Work projects

We will be doing work projects on to help fund our trip.3.Assigned reading

We will have assigned reading materials. Each year's team willhave a specific selection of books and/or literature to read andthen will turn in a one page report.

4.Scripture MemoryThere will be assigned Scripture verses to be learned by each team

member.5.Quiet Time Journal

To encourage the faithful growth in God's Word and intimacy withHim, we will have each student commit to daily reading the Word,prayer and maintaining a QT journal.

6.Faithful to attending Wednesday and Sunday Heirborn StudentMinistries events and activitiesWe want this team to rise and become the leaders of HSM. They needto be active in the community life of our student ministry. Theirfaithful attendance is needed.

7.Ministry PreparationWe also need to be preparing for our ministry roles which eachstudent will be involved in during the mission project. This maymean learning a certain drama, preparing a costume, learning asong, sharing a testimony etc. We will also require students to beinvolved with the Childern’s Ministries Summer Sports Camp, fromJune 19th to June 23rd.

This training is intended to be direct, disciplined, and in someways, difficult. We are finding out those who are serious about thetrip and those who are not. The student who completes this trainingis showing our whole team:· They are sincere in their motives for being on the team.· They are serious about this team and its mission.· They are saying to the team "you can count on me!"· They are growing and developing into a closely knit unit.· They are learning Christian disciplines which will benefit theirentire life!· They are gaining ministry training right here before they get tothe mission site.

Do we expect the team to be perfect? Hardly. Are we committed toexcellence? Absolutely! We also will require signed parentalpermission as well as filled out release and/or medical forms asneeded. We will also need to gather the needed paperwork and medicalattention.

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 ARE THERE ANY FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS?"Basically, what's it gonna cost!?" Obviously each trip's cost willdepend on the trip itself (location, purpose, etc.). How themissions project will pay for itself will be through:• 20% aided by the Missions Dept. of FFC· Personal funds· Work projects and donations· Support letters to families and friends (who are and are not a partof First Federated Church)

I want this aspect of the team to be as low-key, tactful, Biblical,and sensitive as possible.

CAN ANYONE BE DISMISSED FROM THE TEAM?Hopefully this will not even have to arise, but yes. If we find astudent is not fulfilling his or her responsibilities in the trainingand/or is not being a positive team player, the student will forfeithis or her place on the team. During the training, the team willarrive at developing its own "team covenant" (guidelines on teaminter-personal relationships) which each student will agree tomaintain. I have never had this problem, but we must be up frontwith this.

WHAT IS THE STRUCTURE OF THE TEAM?While the Pastor of Student Ministries will be seen as the overseerof the team, there will be two specific leaders on the team: thedirector (logistics), and the shepherd (spiritual growth). These twoleaders will be very responsible to the success of this team. Theteam will be encouraged to direct their questions, concerns, ideas,etc. to the appropriate responsible person.

WHY WOULD YOU TAKE A TEAM SO FAR AWAY WHEN THERE IS SO

 MUCH TO DO HERE?Good question! And it's inevitable someone will ask this questioneach year a team prepare to leave. Allow me to offer some answers:· As a youth ministry, we already are committed to reaching our

"Jerusalem" of greater Des Moines and are actively pursuing this.· While we need to be active in reaching the Des Moines area, it also

is vital to stretch our students outside of their comfort zones andput them in situations where they are not comfortable; thus, havingto rely on God's strength even more than usual.

· We also need to teach our youth that "God so loves the world" (John3:16).  This means all people groups, all nations, all cultures.They need to experience first hand the needs and hurts of ourworld.

· We want to develop world Christians. Although God has blessedAmerica, GOD is NOT American.

· Ask yourself, Was Jerusalem totally reached before the people leftto move into Samaria with the gospel? Was Antioch totally reachedbefore Paul & Barnabas left to take the good news into Asia Minorand Europe?

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"We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom,so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end Ilabor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me." - The Apostle Paul (Colossians 1:28-29)

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