A Mission Support Team (MST) is a small group of committed people who come together to care for their missionary in a variety of ways, striving to help meet their physical, emotional and spiritual needs. It is a group of people with whom the missionary can be open and honest, allowing them to see their needs and share their successes and failures.

Support teams help to make our missionaries feel understood. By providing them with a committed group of people who will show them practical love, support teams keep them visible before the congregation here at home and strengthened on the mission field.

The specific ways in which a support team goes about meeting their missionaries’ needs will vary depending on the specific personality and needs of the missionaries, as well as the personality and or creativity of the MST. This doesn’t mean that the MST does everything, but they do take personal responsibility to serve as that missionaries advocate at GABC.

Mission Support Team Leadership & Duties

MST Coordinator

• Oversees every team and team leader, the know-it-all of the MST
• Primarily responsible to regularly communicate and encourage of Team Leaders
• Meet monthly with Mission Ministers
• Sets large team meeting agenda and leads meeting quarterly
• Hold a Team Leaders meeting as needed
• Communicates regularly with the Missionary
• Find replacements for MST leaders who’s service ends
• Visit the Missionary once a year (personal trip)

MST Team Leader Responsibility

• Meet monthly with your team
  • After large group meeting individual teams meet if needed
  • Take minutes are the meetings and turn in to MST Coordinator
• Contact your team regularly to follow up on duties
• Communicate with MST Coordinator regularly with updates & progress
• Continue to find new people to serve on the team
• Visit the missionary once a year through mission trips or personal trips

MST Team Members

• Attend your teams monthly meeting
• Fulfill duties assigned to you and your team
• Recruit new members

*All teams support and help each other on projects and especially in prayer
 

Prayer Team

Goal: Develop a prayer strategy that meets the needs of the missionary and those who will be praying for them

Objectives:

• Meet monthly to discuss prayer strategy, updates, & changes
• Distribute the prayer needs & updates to the entire MST email group regularly
• Enlist as many people as possible to pray regularly for the missionaries
• Keep prayer needs in front of classes & individuals who have committed to pray
• Communicate intimate prayer needs with the MST only
• Inform missionaries of new prayer partners
• Communicate specific needs to the prayer team and update answered prayers
• Communicate with everyone as prayers are answered

Ideas for Prayer:

• Concentrated 20, 30, etc… days of prayer for a certain thing
• Encourage a period of fasting by the MST for a specific purpose related to missionaries
• Create a phone chain for urgent prayer requests
• weekly/monthly prayer calendar

Logistics Team

Goal: Help, encourage, and lead out in areas related to specific physical needs of the missionaries.

Objectives:

• Meet monthly to discuss progress and new options
• Help with packing and moving.
  • Enlist volunteers
  • Schedule times volunteers
• Research and discover practical information about the country and people group they will serve.
• Research Health Insurance options for the missionary
• Research Airfare to and from their place of service (will be on going)
  • Extra luggage costs for airlines
  • Shipping luggage/items
• Transportation for state-side visits
• Send messages on CD of our church services
• Find equipment and supplies needed that may not be available to missionary
  • Regularly communicate to be able to send items with mission teams when they visit.
• Research Visa needs and requirements
• Recommend or send new Bible studies.

Finance Team

Goal: To raise money that meets or exceeds the budget set by the missionaries

Objectives:

• Help the missionary create a budget
• Find creative ways to invite others to give to the mission in a one time gift or monthly
• Help manage & oversee the funds raised
• Remind contributors of their ongoing commitments through sending envelopes, notes, and letters.
• Keep missionary updated on giving details.
  • Send a donors list to Hospitality team to prepare thank yous.
• Meet with people and groups about supporting the missionary

Fundraising Ideas

• Garage Sales
• Sports tournaments
• Ask SMBS classes to give ongoing support
• Silent auctions
• Concession stands at GABC sporting events
• Benefit dinner

Communication Team

Goal: To provide a communication center for all those involved in the ministry

Objectives:

• Create and maintain a database of supporters, MST, & people wishing to be undated about the mission
• Be the promotion center for all materials the missionary would like to get out.
  • Help them create a quarterly newsletter
• Find creative ideas to make people aware of the ministry
  • Inform the church regularly via Imag, bulletin, postcards, etc…
• Create and maintain a website dedicated to the mission
• Create a web page to put on the GABC site that talks about the missionaries themselves and the people group they are trying to reach
• Help create a promotional video
• Help missionary stay up to date on technology while on the field
  • Computers, phones, etc…
• Encourage all MST to write letters to the missionaries.
  • Email the parents if possible
  • Hand written letters to the kids
  • Have your children send letters to their children

Hospitality Team

Goal: To create a platform for the missionary to share their stories, encourage the MST, and find creative ways to say thank you.

Objectives:

• Set up meetings and/or speaking opportunities prior to departure
• Set up and arrange speaking engagements when stateside
• Keep missionary connected to certain groups or individuals of interest
• Find homes for house meetings and receptions
• Find ways to say thank you to all donors

Strategy Team

Goal: To provide accountability, direction, and resources as they apply to the mission at hand

Objectives:

• Develop ministry strategies that compliment the vision of Green Acres and cooperating organizations.
• Help set and review goals and objective quarterly
• Aid in resourcing missionary to meet goals
• Report to the MST the specifics about how the missionary is accomplishing their goals