About Care & Development
Forging a culture and developing a structure that empowers teams and staff to thrive in sustainable and effective ministry. This begins at recruitment and continues throughout their entire time serving with us. Touch-points and rhythms will provide oversight, protection, and accountability, while permitting freedom and encouraging self-maintenance.
Care functions fall under these spheres of care:
Five permeable spheres, which are able to flow into and influence each other.
Master or God Care: Care from and care for the Master—the “heart” of member care. We train ourselves to seek what we need from God as we pursue Spiritual Vitality.
Self and Mutual Care: Care for oneself and for relationships within the team, expatriate, home, and national communities—the “backbone” of member care. How we care for each other displays healthy relational models to those we serve.
Sender Care: Care from the CMM, its leadership and the Care & Development Team, from recruitment through retirement—“sustainers” of member care
Specialist Care: Care from outside specialists, which is professional, personal, and practical— “equippers” of member care. We will do our best to connect our staff with helpful resources for any challenge or concern. *note that the lines are most permeable between Sender and Specialist care. The CMM serves in many of the specialist roles, but also recognizes there are circumstances that require outside professional care.
Network Care: Care from international member care networks to help provide and develop strategic and supportive resources—“facilitators” of member care. Our C&D Team will continually receive insight, wisdom and equipping from this global network of cross-cultural care givers and experts.
Ways we will develop, prepare, care for, and support our staff
Preparation:
SRS Bootcamp and support coaching
Temperament/personality/giftings
Mission Training International's COMPASS pre-field training
Pre-field Counseling
Identity training — initial and ongoing
Stress Management
Best possible placement based on giftings, skills, experiences, passions, temperament, team dynamics, etc.
Touch-points
Visits — every team should be visited two to three times per year by staff, leaders, and/or specialists
Calls (see Rhythms below)
Care packages
Routine debriefing
Cerny Smith Assessment — cultural stress adjustment assessment tool
Alignment, vision, effectiveness and role clarity drive all touch-points
Retreats/Gatherings
Tools/Resources
Categorized library of resources and modules based on the Flywheel Alignment Check. Team leaders and staff can access and utilize resources for specific needs in personal and professional development, providing alignment and oversight with freedom. Flywheel Topics include:
In addition to general health resources, we also have a library of Cross-Cultural resources including topics such as:
Identity (also helpful for stateside assignments)
Third Culture Kids (Children who spend a significant portion of their developing years outside of their passport culture)
Rhythms
Top down approach. (Staff-wide events tapering down team scheduling and individual rhythms. We don’t want to just add another thing to the schedule, but be mindful of overall rhythms and only add what will enhance our staff and teams.)
Regular meetings with mentor, accountability partner or accountability group
Flywheel Alignment Check - a personal development tool that works best when reviewed and updated every 8 weeks. Staff are allowed a half day every 8 weeks to prepare for this meeting with accountability partners or mentor. You can then discuss responses, insights, useful resources, action steps and appropriate accountability.
Cerny Smith Assessment - a cultural stress management tool we are using to help staff discover the external sources of their stress and apply strengths to their challenge areas. A baseline assessment will be done by a certified coach prior to launch and then again after landing (within the first six months) At minimum this tool would be used annually, with more frequent follow ups as appropriate.
Routine Debriefing with a Care Team Member is recommended every quarter but we realize everyone has different needs. We will adjust rhythms on an individual basis while still maintaining accountability. This is not the same as counseling for trauma or complicated situations. It is an opportunity to pause and reflect on your journey, dealing with the implications of cross-cultural life and ministry.
Regular personal retreat days/weekends/getaways are recommended.
Work-life balance is encouraged with comp days from travel, conferences, trainings, etc. This is determined by your team leader, but should reflect a healthy and intentional plan during demanding seasons of ministry.
All new teams serving cross-culturally will have a 6 month gathering for debrief, renewal and equipping called Rest2Run.
Considerations
Focus when launching: When every new person launches to the field (not just when new teams are launched), adequate time must be given for them to focus on transition to the new team and culture. Before being expected to succeed professionally, staff must be encouraged to succeed personally and spiritually in their new environment in the following areas:
Loving the Lord
Loving your family
Loving your team
Learning the culture
Launching a movement
Values
Confidentiality: privacy is crucial to providing safe environments to be forthcoming and transparent.
Non-authoritative: Care Team personnel are not in authority over staff, and therefore will not approach interactions from an evaluative stance, but a supportive one.
Vision Driven: all Member Care interaction is infused with and reinforces the mission, vision, values of CMM.
Personal: training and equipping in focused areas of health and effectiveness can be customized for gatherings and during visits by Care Team specialists.
At the heart of what we do lies a core belief that we can do hard things, but we don’t have to do them alone. We aren’t going to be looking for reasons to bring you home, but instead helping you to thrive on the field. We aren’t risk adverse or driven by comfort, but we will prioritize spiritual, emotional and physical health. Our rhythms and structures are driven by the awareness that serving God on the frontier has challenges. By creating frequent and regular opportunities to process those challenges, being honest about how we are doing, we bring sin out of the darkness, so it is not allowed to grow unchecked. Touch points, rhythms and resources are structured to provide accountability, while permitting freedom and encouraging self-maintenance.
Health and effectiveness are on the hearts of our leaders. It’s worth celebrating that we serve God from within an organization that places an exceedingly high value on each member’s health and effectiveness in their role. The Care and Development Team is here to come alongside and support our leaders in providing the best environment for you to thrive in your ministry. Effectiveness and overall health go hand in hand. That is why the Board, the Executive Leadership, the Global Services Team, your Team Leaders AND the Care and Development Team will continue to pursue rhythms and resources that will strengthen and equip you for all facets of life and kingdom work.
