Reliant has taken a deep dive into MTD Health recently. Here’s what we found: It takes only a few small pieces of effort to turn a struggling missionary field worker into one that’s thriving in MTD. That effort entails identifying the missionaries people that need help, giving them the space/time to focus on MTD for a season, then walking alongside them during that time through weekly group coaching. 

The newly released MTD Health Indicator is allowing allows us to quickly identify who isn’t thriving and give them the time and coaching they need to get MTD back on track. We know coaching cohorts are an effective means of getting seasoned missionaries people back to health. And, as MTD health increases, ministers’ lives are changed, their marriages healed, and peace restored. 

Intro to MTD Cohorts

Coaching cohorts are intended for seasoned missionaries Reliant field workers who want to raise more funding. The objective of this weekly, one-hour group call is to guide missionaries in creating and achieving specific goals to increase their MTD health. The cohort provides camaraderie, structure, accountability, and encouragement around an 8-week focused time of MTD. 

Cohort members are asked to commit to making at least 20 financial asks during their 8 weeks. Coaches seek the goal of : seeing financial progress for every person in the cohort, helping members gain a better foundation for MTD, and empowering members with the tools needed to continue MTD after exiting the cohort.

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Per call, cohort coaches can expect to spend about 15 minutes of prep time, one hour for the call, and 15-30 minutes after the call. 

Total time , per weekly call: 1 hour and 30-45 minutes. 

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1. Shared Knowledge: We all have something we do well in MTD. The cohorts are a place to share that knowledge; for support-raisers to teach one another. The coach facilitates this conversation , and fills in gaps where needed. But, mainly, the cohort is teaching the cohort. 
2. Accountability: Updating the group each week on what they said they were going to would do often provides the motivation needed to reach goals. 
3. Camaraderie: People work better when they know they’re not alone. Coaches ask questions to bring out obstacles group members are facing and help work toward solutions. When group members can hear how others are overcoming the same obstacle, it builds camaraderie and strengthens resolve. 
4. Structure: Cohorts provide structure during what can be a very unstructured time (raising new support). This structure ministers to the individual both by reducing stress and keeping them focused. 

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1. Hour-long calls (video or voice) are at the same time weekly, for 8 consecutive weeks. 
2. A cohort member opens in prayer. 
3. Discussion is facilitated through: 
   1. There is no single “expert.” As the coach, you don’t bear the burden of having all the answers. Instead, you’re encouraging the cohort to answer each other’s questions. You’ll fill in the gaps when needed. (You’ll also have access to resource pages that have been curated from the last 3 years of seasoned missionary field worker cohorts. These are written topically, so you can send them directly to missionariesthose you coach.) 
1. Six update questions at the beginning of the call. These are the same each week. 
2. Creating weekly action items and encouraging accountability
3. Q&A time
4. Sharing of knowledge, strategies, and motivators
5. Teaching time 
4. The coach ends the call in prayer. 

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