Steps to hosting a workshop at your church
I. Contact Gina Rollins to confirm dates for the workshop. We generally work six months to a year ahead on scheduling.
II. Identify and contact potential registrants. These would be people who have either already expressed an interest in missions as a career, or who have shown by life, ministry, and commitment that they have a global vision for reaching people with the good news of Christ. Think not only of people who have done missions trips, but those who are reaching out in the local community, who may have leadership skills, evangelistic gifts, or other gifts that have been evident to the church community. The earlier you contact people, the more likely they will be able to attend. Think months ahead, not weeks.
III. Decide the venue and schedule—either at the church or in another location (camp, conference center, public facility like a hospital or library meeting room). Sample schedules are available and we can make alterations to the start time to suit your needs. The length and composition of the workshop is not negotiable.
IV. Decide a cost. TEAM charges $65 per registrant, which covers cost of materials and testing that each participant will use. The church will be responsible for our travel costs to the workshop and the cost of our meals and accommodations while in your area. We don’t require motel accommodations. Factor in the cost of providing food for everyone, too (see VII. below). We are happy to invest the time and efforts of TEAM staff members into planning and facilitating your EXPLORE workshop. Any honoraria are at the discretion of the host church.
V. Identify a missionary who could also be a part of the workshop. This can be someone (or a couple) your church supports who is on home assignment, or a recently retired or returning missionary. Our preference is for someone who has been in church planting, but that is not a requirement. If you cannot locate someone who could come for all or part of the workshop and do a presentation (EXPLORE staff will contact them to give ideas for the kind of presentation that fits the EXPLORE format), TEAM would be able to locate a TEAM missionary who is in your area who could fill this role.
VI. Register participants. Instruct those who register to send their application to Gina Rollins either by e-mail attachment or postal main, along with a $25 deposit. Applications are available on our website or we can provide an e-mail version that you can print out. Registration fees paid in advance will be applied to the total cost of the workshop. Gina will keep in close contact with you as people sign up so that you know how many to plan for.
VII. Arrange for meals (if at the church—lunches and suppers; if at a conference center or some other overnight location, all meals) during the workshop. It usually means two lunches and two suppers, which can be simple, no-fuss meals. We have found that leaving the workshop to get food causes disruption and late start times for sessions; mealtime are also good interaction times. We take morning and afternoon breaks and ask that coffee and other drinks (juice or soda) and light snacks be available (granola bars, fruit, chips, etc).
VIII. Arrange for three private locations for the three facilitators to meet with individuals/couples after the workshop ends to conduct a debrief interview. Facilitators can conduct a telephone interview later in the week if a participant is unable to stay for an on-site interview. Out of this interview will come a summary report that will be read and approved by the participant before a final copy is sent to them and to a pastoral staff person or church leader of their choice.
IX. After the workshop, Gina will send an itemized invoice for expenses that also lists those who prepaid.
|
