Definition: The total amount of money Reliant must raise, through the fundraising efforts of Reliant missionaries, to have sufficient funds to cover budgeted compensation and expenses for a Reliant ministry fund. Support goals are most often expressed as monthly budgeted amounts, “e.g. $4,500 monthly.”
The support goal for an employed missionary is determined by the Missionary Resources department based upon the analysis of the Support Goal Calculator (available on StaffNet). This worksheet is completed by the employee at the beginning of the MTD process. Requests to change a support goal may be made by completing a new Support Goal Calculator and must be approved by Reliant.
Recurring gifts are considered either "current" or "non-current." A current gift record is one in which the donor has fulfilled their intent by faith to contribute to Reliant within the time frame given. Gift records are marked “non-current” if a contribution is not received within these time-frames:
"Special gifts" (e.g. single-occurrence contributions) do not qualify as recurring gifts, and therefore, are neither current nor non-current.
All Reliant employed missionaries are designated with a fundraising status. (This status appears on Reliant’s staff website). Initial MTDThe first phase of employment with Reliant that focuses entirely on the MTD process until the ministry is funded at 100% current. For their success, standard ministry job responsibilities are generally not permitted during this phase in order to focus the Reliant missionary completely on the support raising process. Completed with Release to Assignment. Sustaining MTD(Formerly “released”) The most common status for Reliant missionaries once they have completed their initial goal. This status assumes that the primary job description of the Reliant missionary or pastor is focused on their local ministry but that they are retaining a regular percentage of time (typically no less than 10%) of ongoing MTD responsibilities. Active MTDStatus for missionaries who are executing an MTD Action Plan. This is common for full-time missionaries who are stepping out of local ministry responsibilities to return to significant MTD responsibilities. Some new Reliant staff who have been given a special exception to the Initial MTD status will be placed directly into Active MTD status. Accruing MTDStatus for missionaries who are focused on MTD but who are not drawing salary from the account in order to build a balance. International missionaries start in this MTD status. |
Missionaries involved in the Initial MTD process are assigned an MTD Coach. The coach is responsible for supervising and guiding an employee through the MTD process. Coaches must have completed MTD training themselves and are assigned by local churches and confirmed with Reliant. In the event the local church or ministry does not have a suitable MTD Coach, Reliant will provide one from another location until coaches can be trained in the current location.
The missionary and coach must establish a regular coaching appointment. It is the responsibility of the missionary to keep the coaching appointment and to notify the coach as soon as possible if a scheduling conflict or unforeseen circumstance prevents the employee from fulfilling this obligation.
Those in the Initial MTD phase are required to report the number of weekly appointments and other data for the benefit of Reliant and their MTD coach. This report is required for accountability and success, as well as Reliant’s records and datakeeping. This report must be completed and submitted on Reliant’s websites. Failure to submit weekly MTD timecards and reports is cause for discipline up to and including termination.
Others not in Initial MTD may still be required to submit MTD timecards or reports due to MTD health and/or local supervisor requirements.
Most employed missionaries must receive "release to assignment" approval in order to engage in ministry duties beyond the MTD responsibilities originally identified in an MTD job description. Release to assignment approval is based upon an ministry fund meeting or exceeding 100% of the support goal approved by Reliant, according to Reliant's records. The support goal is measured by Reliant using current recurring gifts only.
International missionaries, in addition to the requirement of 100% recurring funding, must also meet a minimum account-balance requirement. This is currently established at three times the monthly goal amount.
When an employee believes they have exceeded their Reliant-approved support goal, they must complete the Release to Assignment Form (found on StaffNet) and submit it to the Missionary Resources department. Reliant will determine if an employee is eligible to be released to assignment and notify the missionary. Employed missionaries should continue raising support as their primary job responsibility until they have received release-to-assignment approval.
After missionaries have completed the initial support raising phase and exceeded their support goal, they must continue to raise support as part of their normal job responsibilities. A general rule of thumb is for employees to spend 10% of their employed hours per week on MTD, i.e. four hours per week of a 40-hour work week. Those with more donors should spend more time. In addition to the regular prayer letter and reporting requirements, examples of what this time would consist of are:
As part of the program for MTD success, employed missionaries involved in the Initial MTD process must attend occasional online Follow-Up Webinars sponsored by Reliant. Exceptions based on performance or strategy can be requested via the current policy (available on StaffNet).
Local churches or ministry supervisors are permitted to mandate a Reliant employed missionary attend a Follow-Up Webinar at any time, regardless of MTD status. In addition, all missionaries are welcome to attend and audit a Follow-Up Webinar any time they desire. This is common as a training “refresher.”
Employed missionaries are responsible for maintaining incoming contributions through ongoing MTD efforts (“Sustaining MTD”) while assigned, as measured by total percentage of monthly support goal, ministry fund account balance and other MTD health indicators.
Reliant local ministry supervisors or Reliant may require an employed missionary to return to a primary job description of MTD at any time in order to keep a ministry fund fully funded, but especially in cases of decreasing MTD health indicators.
For example, falling below 85% funded is considered adequate to mandate partial or complete reassignment of job responsibilities to MTD, but this is not the exclusive indicator.
The determination is made by local Reliant supervision in cooperation with Reliant.