Trip leaders are a non-negotiable for us. We have to place someone we trust in charge of each team. These leaders deal with logistics, of course, but our desire is that they share our vision of connecting their team members relationally. We believe that this relational connection is the key to a successful team and trip! Recently we asked one of our team leaders to share what he does with his teams. We hope his thoughts below give you some new things to think about. We are certainly gonna take his advice and pass it on to our other leaders.
Relationships are incredibly important to me. That’s why I’m involved in so many ministries at Buckhead Church. I feel that God has gifted me with the ability to interact with people for the purpose of encouraging them, motivating them, connecting them, inspiring them, and investing in them. My focus on globalX trips is first and foremost to create a unified team that is connected emotionally, spiritually, and relationally. I make sure that the team has already connected and is firing on all cylinders before we even start planning for the trip. I always reserve the first 3 or 4 meetings for team building, ice breakers, spiritual development (using the field guide), and personality tests. Testimonies are something that I believe are incredibly important. In my past experience, I believe that the team really gets to know each other when each team member is able to have space to share their personal story of coming to know Christ. One of my favorite ice breakers involves play-doh. I have each team member craft something about themselves or something they enjoy in play-doh and then share it with the group. It creates a very loose environment at the first meeting. That’s the other key. Creating a fun and welcoming environment for the team members. I also use the team retreat as a way for team members to connect. I try to do very little trip planning at the retreat. The weekend consists of team building activities, down time, prayer time, worship time, and testimonies. One of my favorite team building activities is based on a Food Network show called “Chopped.” I have the team members split into groups of two. Each team gets a basket of the same ingredients and then they have 30 minutes to create a meal that will be judged on a number of categories. This is a fun activity that my past teams have enjoyed. Other than the retreat, I also build in at least one, if not two, socials for the team prior to the trip. It’s usually something fun like bowling or a Braves game.
The last thing I will share with you is my reason for leading a trip this year. It was a tough decision to lead again this year. I was pretty burned out and felt like I needed at least a year off to recharge my batteries. I started asking God to provide guidance on whether or not I should lead again this year, but instead of praying selfishly, I asked God to let me know if He wanted me to go and why. Because a number of guys from my small group were interested in going and because of my desire to continue to pour into them as their small group leader, I felt God showed me the reason that I needed to go: to continue to pour into and disciple a group of younger men who have the potential to be rock stars for Jesus. I feel incredibly blessed to have 6 younger guys on this trip that are fairly new to faith and are all excited about this experience and what it might mean for their spiritual growth. I also plan on developing a true apprentice this year. That’s another reason why I feel like I’m supposed to lead this trip.
If I were to encourage other leaders on how to keep this year’s relational goal in the forefront of their mind, I would focus on the following:
1. For the first few meetings, focus on team building and ice breakers. Do very little trip planning. It’s okay to talk about the trip and get everyone started on support, but really focus on the team members getting comfortable with each other. Going through the globalX field guide helps this as well.
2. Plan socials outside of team meetings.
3. Use the team retreat as just that, a retreat. That time should be focused on team building, testimonies, and really getting a chance to develop that connection and unity that will be so critical when you go overseas.
4. Communication is key. Friends have told me that they have gone weeks without hearing from their trip leader. Communication needs to be there from the leader. That will keep team members informed and make them feel like they are in the loop.
5. Meet regularly (at least every other week). This is important. In order for team members to connect with each other, they need to meet often. I’ve had friends tell me that their leaders only schedule meetings once a month. In my experience, that’s not enough.
6. Invest in those that you feel might be seeking to grow spiritually and keep an eye out for opportunities to disciple your team members. This includes keeping an eye out for a potential apprentice.
At my team’s debrief last year, I remember sitting around a table at lunch and asking the question: “What will you remember most from this experience?” Every team member expressed how much they grew individually in their faith and how they all felt incredibly encouraged and loved by each team member. That’s a big win in my book.
Jeff
Mon, Apr 19, 2010
Mission trips