Standards of Excellence for Mission Teams

 The Seven Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission

1. GOD-CENTEREDNESS
An excellent short-term mission seeks first God’s glory and his kingdom, and is expressed through our:
Purpose — Centering on God’s glory and his ends throughout our entire STM process
Lives — Sound biblical doctrine, persistent prayer, and godliness in all our thoughts, words, and deeds
Methods — Wise, biblical, and culturally-appropriate methods which bear spiritual fruit

2. EMPOWERING PARTNERSHIPS
An excellent short-term mission establishes healthy, interdependent, on-going relationships between
sending and receiving partners, and is expressed by:
Primary focus on intended receptors
Plans which benefit all participants
Mutual trust and accountability

3. MUTUAL DESIGN
An excellent short-term mission collaboratively plans each specific outreach for the benefit of all
participants, and is expressed by:
On-field methods and activities aligned to long-term strategies of the partnership
Goer-guests’ ability to implement their part of the plan
Host receivers’ ability to implement their part of the plan

4. COMPREHENSIVE ADMINISTRATION
An excellent short-term mission exhibits integrity through reliable set-up and thorough administration for all
participants, and is expressed by:
Truthfulness in promotion, finances, and reporting results
Appropriate risk management
Quality program delivery and support logistics

5. QUALIFIED LEADERSHIP
An excellent short-term mission screens, trains, and develops capable leadership for all participants, and is
expressed by:
Character — Spiritually mature servant leadership
Skills — Prepared, competent, organized, and accountable leadership
Values — Empowering and equipping leadership

6. APPROPRIATE TRAINING
An excellent short-term mission prepares and equips all participants for the mutually designed outreach,
and is expressed by:
Biblical, appropriate, and timely training
On-going training and equipping (pre-field, on-field, post-field)
Qualified trainers

7. THOROUGH FOLLOW-UP
An excellent short-term mission assures debriefing and appropriate follow-up for all participants, and is
expressed by:
Comprehensive debriefing (pre-field, on-field, post-field)
On-field re-entry preparation
Post-field follow-up and evaluation