Frequently Asked Questions
About Mission LaunchWill Mission Launch Work for My Team?
Yes! Mission Launch Team Training was developed through years of experience sending teams of all age groups, various evangelical denominations, and every possible mission you could imagine. It is general in nature for any short-term mission trip, giving you the opportunity to fill in facts and details needed for your specific trip. Mission Launch helps to train any type of team, doing any type of mission, going to any location worldwide! What Type of Training is Covered in Mission Launch? Mission Launch will prepare your team in many areas (spiritual, physical, cross-cultural, servanthood), using different methods of experiential learning (personal study, team building games and role-plays, DVD-based video, group discussions, and more). You can peruse the Table of Contents by visiting our Store and downloading a preview. How Are The Team Leaders Trained? Mission Launch Team Training is written as a curriculum and assumes that the team leader has never used the material before and has possibly never led a team. It literally walks the team leader through the meetings (“say this”, “discuss this”, “handout this”, etc.) and provides training tips throughout the Leader’s Guide, as well as DVD segments, to help the leader prepare for each meeting. These “Leader Tips" will give the team leader:
We also suggest holding a Leader Briefing: a one-on-one or small group where the short-term mission program leader can meet with his/her team leaders. In the meeting, the mission program leader can:
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About Team Meetings
How Many Team Meetings Are There?
International teams have 5 team meetings. Domestic teams have 3 team meetings. Throughout the years of leading short-term trips, we’ve found that an average of 5 team meetings will cover most of what a team needs for an international mission trip (3 team meetings for a domestic trip). Spreading out the training over several months and adding the self-study portion between meetings helps the training to stick - and disciples your team members along the way. Your training will become a disciple-making process, not just a one-time event! Depending upon the type of ministry you are planning (language classes, drama, construction, conference, etc.), you might need to plan additional meetings to cover the ministry/work portion of your trip. You’ll want your team members to commit to participating in all the team meetings without feeling too overwhelmed. When Should I Start The Meetings? We suggest the following timeline. If the meetings are closer together, there might not be enough time to complete the Self-Studies and Support Raising. If the team meetings are farther apart, your team will tend to lose momentum. For International Trips: Informational meeting: 14-15 weeks prior to departure Team Meeting 1: 10-12 weeks prior to departure Team Meeting 2: 8-10 weeks prior to departure Team Meeting 3: 5-7 weeks prior to departure Team Meeting 4: 3-4 weeks prior to departure Team Meeting 5: 1-2 weeks prior to departure Celebration Party: 2 weeks after returning home For Domestic Trips: Informational meeting: 8-9 weeks prior to departure Team Meeting 1: 5 weeks prior to departure Team Meeting 2: 3 weeks prior to departure Team Meeting 3: 1 week prior to departure Celebration Party: 2 weeks after returning home |
About Ordering
How Many Guides Should I Order?
The Leader Guide and DVD is designed to be used in conjunction with Team Member Guides in a group setting. You will need one Leader Guide/DVD for each team leader and one Team Member Guide for each team member who is going on the trip. Keep in mind that the Team Member Guides are not meant to be shared. Each team member should have their own Team Member Guide for each mission trip. They will be completing personal questions and journaling in their Guide; it will become a keepsake of the trip for them. Any children/teenagers traveling with their parent(s) should have their own Team Member Guide as well. How Soon Will I Receive My Order? Your items will usually be processed and shipped within 3-5 business days. We will contact you if any of your items are on back-order. We offer several different shipping options to meet your needs. What is Your Return Policy? Mission Excell offers refunds (minus shipping/handling fees) within 30 days. All returns must be in new, re-saleable condition. I Just Received My Training Guides from Mission Excell. Where Do I Start? Congratulations! You are on your way to training your team with excellence! Begin by reading through the “Leader Orientation” section of your Team Leader Guide. It will walk you through all you need to do before your first meeting. Schedule your meetings on the calendar well in advance. Prior to each meeting, read through the Meeting Prep and Meeting Notes pages, previewing any video segments that are to be shown during that meeting. How do most churches/organizations pay for the training curriculum? We suggest adding the cost of the team member manuals to the cost of your team members’ overall trip cost. When one considers the importance of doing short-term missions well and the potential discipleship within the team and with those to whom they are ministering - the financial investment is minimal. |
God bless you as you serve Him in short-term missions! Please contact us if you have any other questions!