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Page History
In addition to ministry skills and strategy, cross-cultural ministry requires a high level of flexibility, interpersonal skills, and personal resilience. For someone to enter into this type of ministry environment without being equipped is irresponsible at best, but at worst can be extremely harmful to the worker and those close to him or her.
We have partnered with two great organizations that have decades of experience preparing workers to successfully make the transition to a foreign context. We require all our international workers to attend one of these trainings before launching, unless a ministry has arranged for its team to receive this training in another way.
For married couples or families with children, pre-field training will not only give you the tools you need as an individual but will equip your family with common words and language to talk about the often hard-to-articulate struggles of culture shock and life overseas. This is not just an investment in your ministry, it is an investment in the health and success of your family on the field.
| Center for Intercultural Studies | https://cit-online.org/ |
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| Based in North Carolina Offers 4-week EQUIP cross-cultural training program 2-week option Language Acquisition Course Nursery for 0-2; Age-appropriate cross-cultural curriculum for children ages 3-17. Apartment-style housing (Some meals provided, but access to your own kitchen for meal prep) Extended online learning and support available once you are on the field |
| Missionary Training International | https://www.mti.org/ |
| Based in Colorado Offers 4-week COMPASS program that combines cross-cultural training and language acquisition Nursery for 6 weeks-1 year; Age-appropriates cross-cultural curriculum for children 2-17. Dorm-style housing (All meals are provided in the cost) |
A few of the Covered Topics include:
- Culture Shock & Transitions
- Cultural Adaptation
- Managing Expectations for Overseas Life & Ministry
- Healthy Team Dynamics
- Stress Management
- Healthy Life Rhythms
- Tools for Cross-Cultural Study
- TCKs (Third Culture Kids)
- Language Acquisition
Please see the websites above for more detailed overviews, scheduling, and pricing. You may need to pay a small deposit to hold your spot, and then the remaining balance can be billed directly to Reliant and paid from your MTD fund. All costs for travel, food, and lodging are reimbursable. Reach out to international@reliant.org with any questions.
Common Objections
We understand that there may be multiple reasons why you don't want to attend pre-field training. You are not the first! Here are some of the common reasons people want to opt out. Please take some time to read through these if you have similar concerns.
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We understand that every dollar you have raised toward your ministry is important, and that you want to be a good steward of the funds that both God and others have entrusted to you. We believe that investing your money into proper pre-field equipping will make your donor's investment go further, by increasing your capacity and effectiveness in ministry and giving you the tools you need to personally thrive overseas. It can be especially expensive if you have a family, but your kids will highly benefit from the curriculum as they face their own challenges overseas. |
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We know you are excited to get to the field. We are excited for you too! Even if pre-field training means that you have to delay launching by a month or two, we believe it is the best use of your time. We have yet to hear from a long-term missionary who regrets not getting to the field a little bit earlier. On the other hand, we have talked to multiple missionaries who regret not launching in the right way. |
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Even if you have been on multiple mission trips or spent time overseas, we believe you will find value in attending pre-field training. One of the things we hear over and over is that it really "normalizes" the struggles that you face as a long-term missionary and gives you the grace and tools to work through them. Additionally, there is a good chance that you don't know what you don't know. We ask you to humble yourself under the instruction of those who have gone before you. |
