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Note: Marriage conferences/workshops must be directly connected to the job responsibility of the field worker (roles such as mentoring married couples or pre-marital mentoring) and the local church/ministry should be requesting that both spouses attend. See Non-Employed Spouse Attendance below.

In the ministry description on the form, add the specific name of the conference/retreat/event and explain why attendance was necessary as it relates to the ministry role.

The receipt should state:

• Name of the event and dates the event was held
• Cost of the event 
• Name and contact information for the organization or ministry that collected the fees. 

Event receipts must be itemized to show the event cost plus any additional charges for food or items such as T-shirts, etc. If this breakdown is not included on the receipt, write notes on the submitted receipt detailing the breakdown of costs included in the total amount. 

If a spouse is not employed or an associate with Reliant, their conference fee will be taxable and recovered through an ERB when the presence and participation of the spouse are requested by the local church or ministry.

Family can be instrumental in daily ministry activities and are encouraged to participate in specific family-friendly events. For children's expenses to be eligible for recovery through an ERB, a child must have resided in the home for at least half the year and is either:

• Under the age of 19 at the end of the year in which the event occurs;
• Under the age of 24 at the end of the year in which the event occurs and is a full-time student
• A child with permanent disabilities who relies on you daily. 

Reliant-approved ministry events where family participation is required and where the events are specifically geared to the education or care of the family as a whole or as individual members are eligible for recovery through ERB.

See "Travel Fees and Immunization" under the travel category above for what other related expenses can be reimbursed or recovered.

Personal supplies for a mission trip that are needed for that specific location (bug spray, sunscreen, swimsuit, specific clothing) are not reimbursable due to the personal nature of the expense. 

Reliant field workers are required to raise all funds through Reliant for any mission trip, even if the mission trip is sponsored by their local church or another ministry organization. (See Mission Trip Fundraising Policy for Reliant Missionaries.) 

For any amount over $75, a receipt is needed for all mission trip fees from the mission organization. In case of multiple or installment payments, submit a receipt for each payment over $75.

Please review Travel Notification Procedure and fill out the appropriate form for either individual or group travel. It is important that the Reliant office knows when and where field workers are traveling in case of an emergency in the ministry location—also review Travel Insurance.

Roles of Reliant field workers are often associated with unique demands and challenges that come with being a minister of the Gospel. Being able to take a day, or several days, away from the normal routine to pray, seek the Lord, plan for future ministry, and study the Word can be instrumental for staff.

Having the opportunity to take a spiritual/ministry planning retreat is not a guaranteed benefit. Spiritual and Ministry Planning Retreats need to be pre-approved by a supervisor and added to a Personal Development Plan at the beginning of each year. They should be required by the local ministry as part of developing the ministry of the field staff member.

Spiritual and Ministry Planning Retreats are not intended for general refreshment/relaxation/recharge time alone or with a spouse (Reliant's PTO policy better suits that purpose), nor are they considered an official Reliant sabbatical (see the Reliant sabbatical guidelines). 

All spiritual and ministry planning retreat expenses must be submitted on the spiritual and ministry planning retreat form. The expenses should be entered according to their individual expense categories. 

Mileage to and from a retreat location, lodging, meals, and a recreation activity (such as state park admittance, etc.) can be reimbursed with the following two limits:

• A maximum of 5 days is eligible for reimbursement per year, regardless of whether the retreat is quarterly, bi-annual, or annual. (The 5 days can be spread throughout the year.)
• $1,500 max total reimbursement is available for all travel and expenses related specifically to a spiritual and ministry planning retreat. 

If the spiritual retreat occurs within a sabbatical plan, there is no max amount/days cap.

A Personal Development Plan should be linked to the submission of expenses with the supervisor's approval.

Key Change to the Standard: All expenses for spiritual and ministry planning retreats are now submitted on a separate form.

Key Change to the Standard: A personal development plan is now needed to explain how the field worker will use the spiritual and ministry planning retreat to develop in their role as ministry-worker. Local supervisor approval is also required.

Key Change to the Standard: The total max amount is now $1,500 instead of $1,000.