Member Orientation Program Curriculum Guide
Cultural Awareness ....................................................................................................................................... 2
Expectations .............................................................................................................................................. 2
Working Cross-culturally (also called Personal Values) ............................................................................ 2
The Four Culture Game ............................................................................................................................. 2
Coping with Cultural Stress ....................................................................................................................... 3
Multi-Cultural Teaming ............................................................................................................................. 3
Leave & Cleave .......................................................................................................................................... 3
Saying Goodbye ........................................................................................................................................ 4
Ministry Skill Orientation .............................................................................................................................. 4
Church Planting ......................................................................................................................................... 4
Disciple-Making......................................................................................................................................... 5
Teaming: Expectations and Accountability ............................................................................................... 5
Working with the national church ............................................................................................................ 5
Personal Development.................................................................................................................................. 6
Spiritual Life and Disciplines ..................................................................................................................... 6
Intentional Living ...................................................................................................................................... 6
Leading Your Family Cross-Culturally........................................................................................................ 6
Marriage in a Cross-Cultural Setting ......................................................................................................... 6
Going By Myself, But Never Alone ............................................................................................................ 7
Moral Purity .............................................................................................................................................. 7
Spiritual Warfare ....................................................................................................................................... 7
TCK Education- School Days or Daze? ....................................................................................................... 8
Reflection Groups ..................................................................................................................................... 8
Well Done.................................................................................................................................................. 8
SEND Structure & Practices........................................................................................................................... 9
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Member Orientation Program Curriculum Guide
History, Values and Structure ................................................................................................................... 9
SEND Mission Statement: Mobilize.......................................................................................................... 9
SEND Mission Statement: Engage ............................................................................................................ 9
SEND Mission Statement: Establish ......................................................................................................... 9
Safety & Security ..................................................................................................................................... 10
The Web and Security ............................................................................................................................. 10
Cultural Awareness
Expectations
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Description - This is an introductory session where we explore participant’s expectations for our
MOP program and then connect that to their expectations for their anticipated first 4-year term
of missionary service. When expectations for ministering cross culturally collide with the
realities of daily life and work in a foreign culture missionaries many times experience
disappointment. This session will help participants identify their personal expectations for
their first term and discuss healthy ways to deal with unmet expectations.
Objectives
1. Each participant will identify personal expectations for their first term of service as it relates
to a list of potential culture stressors.
2. Each participant will be able discuss ways to deal with unmet expectations.
Working Cross-culturally
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Description – What are our underlying values and priorities? What are the underlying values
and priorities of the culture we are entering into as missionaries? Using the “Basic Values
Inventory” from Ministering Cross-Culturally by Lingenfelter & Mayers, we will identify our
tendencies on 6 pairs of contrasting traits. We will discuss the various values represented in
these traits (e.g. time-oriented vs. event oriented, task oriented vs. people oriented) and the
necessity of learning to work together with people who have different values.
If the MOP includes an online component, much of this is covered in much greater detail in the
online course.
Objectives
1. To complete the “Basic Values Inventory” by Lingenfelter and Mayers.
2. To identify challenges faced when basic values collide on a multi-cultural team of
missionaries and national coworkers.
The Four Culture Game
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Description – This game gives the participant the opportunity to design and act out a certain
cultural rule. Each participant will be placed in one of 4 groups and each group will receive a
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Member Orientation Program Curriculum Guide
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printed Trait Description and an Instruction Sheet. Each group will then develop their own
cultural way of expressing themselves, following the instruction sheet and keeping in mind the
trait that is distinctive to their group. Each group will then visit the other cultural groups.
Objectives
1. To experience the cultural clash between people of different cultures
2. To assist participants in learning how to adapt in different cultural settings
3. To examine the scriptural connection between a person’s culture and their view of God.
Coping with Cultural Stress
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Description – This session begins with a card game called 5 Tricks. This game is used to facilitate
a discussion on culture and culture stress. After the game and initial debrief, we continue the
session with a discussion of the reality of culture stress, some signs of cultures stress, and ways
to deal with culture stress.
If the MOP includes an online component, much of this is covered in much greater detail in the
online course.
Objectives 1. To realize that different cultures perceive things differently, and/or play by different rules.
2. To realize that cultural differences may bring more of a “clash” when hidden amidst
apparent similarities.
3. To identify signs of culture stress.
Multi-Cultural Teaming
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Description - The objective of this session is to examine some of the factors in effective
teamwork when team members are drawn from varying cultural backgrounds. The session will
address the importance of sensitivity to SEND’s multicultural nature and increasing
internationalization, dimensions of cultural values that distinguish different ethnic peoples with
a view to understanding the impact of cultural differences on relationships in a ministry team,
and fundamental principles for effective multicultural teaming in the various contexts of SEND.
Objectives
1. Express the significance of the corporate SEND value of “unity in diversity” for mission
relationships;
2. Explain different dimensions of cultural values in communication and decision making and
their impact on relationships and team ministry;
Leave & Cleave
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Description - We live in an interconnected and fast paced world. As missionaries we are called
to enter into a new culture and engage with the people in that culture in order to build
meaningful relationships with people for the sake of the gospel. How do we do that in a world
where email, Skype, texting, Facebook and cheap flights make it difficult to disengage from our
own home culture? How do we avoid the temptation to seek to meet all of our emotional
needs in the expatriate community or in our home country, rather than through friendships in
the host culture? With the incarnation of Christ as a starting point, this seminar examines the
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Member Orientation Program Curriculum Guide
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pressure our connected world brings to us and discusses principles of servanthood that can help
missionaries leave and cleave.
If the MOP includes an online component, much of this is covered in much greater detail in the
online course.
Objectives
1. To examine the incarnation of Christ and identify qualities of Jesus’ life and ministry that can
guide our entrance into a foreign culture.
2. To discuss how instant communication will both enhance and inhibit a missionary’s
acculturation process and list some boundaries they would like to put in place for
communication back home.
3. To identify the stages of cross cultural servanthood and illustrate those stages from Christ’s
life or from servants they know.
Saying Goodbye
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Description – Moving and saying goodbye are frequent occurrences for missionaries and their
families. How do we deal with the grief and loss that are a normal part of missionary life? How
do we help MKs deal with the pain (our own and our coworker’s children)? This final session
takes a look at these issues and offers some practical advice on being proactive in the frequent
changes we confront as missionaries. We spend some time as a group practicing saying
goodbye to each other and responding to any last minutes questions.
Objectives
1. To identify the unique experiences encountered by missionaries that produce feelings of
grief and loss.
2. To discuss healthy principles for saying goodbye and practice a healthy goodbye as we
conclude our program.
Ministry Skill Orientation
Church Planting
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Description - This session casts a vision for facilitating church planting in our context and reviews
what Ephesians 3:8-12 says about the centrality of the Church in God’s overall plan. This session
concludes with an interactive presentation of the Scoggins and Rockford church planting phases
using the NCE plant analogy. The interactive presentation will facilitate the retention of the 6
basic Church planting phases.
Objectives
1. Each participant will have a deeper appreciation for the role of the Church in God’s plan for
reaching the world.
2. Participants will be able to list the 6 Church planting states.
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Member Orientation Program Curriculum Guide
Disciple-Making
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Description - So many of us feel like we do not have the gift of evangelism but through this
session each person will realize they can do life on life discipleship that will lead to taking people
from where they are to where God wants them. The purpose of this session is to show how
relationship building is discipleship, which can become evangelism, as God through our lives and
through his Word will bring others to himself.
Objectives
1. To give each person tools that can be used in building relationships, that will bring people
into a relationship with Jesus Christ through life on life discipleship.
2. Each person will understand how they can do evangelism through discipleship.
3. Each person will understand how they can disciple others into a relationship with Christ and
in turn those they disciple will have the tools and the desire to disciple others into a
relationship with Jesus Christ.
Teaming: Expectations and Accountability
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Description - SEND International is committed to teaming, but teams in SEND vary greatly in
style, function, size and leadership. This session will explore expectations we have of our future
team, and discuss the challenges that we face in creating functional teams on our different
areas. We will seek to understand the role of the team leader and why team leaders are often
reluctant to serve in this role
Objectives
1. To identify personal expectations new missionaries have in the area of teaming
2. To discuss challenges that missionaries will face in working on teams
3. To compare the different types of teams in SEND
4. To identify teaming principles through a team-building exercise
Working with the national church
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Description – Where possible, SEND seeks to partner with the existing local churches in the host
culture rather than starting our own “SEND brand” of churches. We work with and serve these
existing churches to assist them in their church planting efforts. These partnerships provide
many unique opportunities for SEND, but also present some unique challenges, particularly to
new missionaries who are seeking to find their place of ministry alongside national pastors and
existing ministries.
Objectives:
1. To identify the reasons why SEND partners with existing national churches and some of the
challenges that come with that partnership
2. To develop a plan for how missionaries will learn more about the host culture church
3. To develop a plan for how missionaries will seek to establish their credibility with the host
culture church
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Member Orientation Program Curriculum Guide
Personal Development
Spiritual Life and Disciplines
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Description - These sessions are an interactive, discussion-oriented focus on participants walk
with God as a missionary, or maintaining and nurturing an ever-deepening intimacy with God
while serving as a missionary. These sessions conclude with a Day Alone with God scheduled
during the second week.
Objectives:
1. Remind participants of how critical their walk with God is to their success and fruitfulness as
missionaries and have them do a self-evaluation.
2. Motivate participants to commit to making intimacy with Christ their number one priority,
to resolve to be like Mary (rather than Martha), and to develop a plan for how they will do
so.
3. Provide participants with practical suggestions for how to nurture intimacy with Christ on a
daily basis.
4. Help participants prepare for a meaningful Day Alone with God.
Intentional Living
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Description - How is it possible for you to get everything you need to do, done? By living
intentionally you will be able to give order to your life and work as a missionary. The material
will be divided into 5 basic topics: 1) Start with your Heart; 2) Understand your shape; 3) Identify
the Big Rocks; and 4) Sharpen the Saw and 5) Develop a Rhythm.
Objectives
1. To assess oneself in terms of self-awareness, and realize where one needs to grow in this
area
2. To begin the process of identifying one’s key result areas in life and ministry.
3. To identify a couple of key rhythms necessary for intentional living.
Leading Your Family Cross-Culturally
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Description - This session will examine the dynamics and habits of life that promote healthy
family life in the cross-cultural mission setting.
Objectives
1. To describe the missionary family “on mission” in terms of the values and habits that define
it.
2. To identify the habits of family life that promote a healthy and fruitful ministry family.
Marriage in a Cross-Cultural Setting
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Description - This session will identify key habits of successful marriages in cross-cultural
settings that promote continuously growing and God-honoring marital oneness as a platform for
a fruitful missionary career.
Objectives
1. To identify God’s purposes in biblical marriage
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Member Orientation Program Curriculum Guide
2. To identify key habits of successful marriages in the missionary setting.
3. Reflect on the impact of personality type, season of life, and attitudes toward change on
their marriage.
4. Sense freedom to seek help needed in dealing with transitional stress on their relationship.
5. Identify one or two habits for development in the coming year.
Going By Myself, But Never Alone
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Description - Often one of the greatest fears for men and women who are single and
considering cross cultural ministry is the fear of never finding anyone to marry. As we honestly
look at the statistics, the reality creates even more angst. However this session will be a time
for singles to celebrate what God has done and is doing in our lives. We will affirm our belief
that God has a good plan for us as we remind one another that along with God’s leading is also
His provision for all our needs- including companionship, fellowship, and relationships. The
blessings of being single will be affirmed and the challenges looked at realistically. We will
consider how we will live our lives as we wait for God to provide a spouse or not. Further, we
will discuss how to keep our hearts and minds pure in our service and ministry. If we have time,
we may even broach the subject of what to look for in your “missionary mate.”
Objectives
1. Engage in developing a “theology of singleness” based on the truth of scripture
2. Understand the blessings and challenges of single life while living cross culturally
3. Be encouraged to trust God to meet all his/her needs, in accordance with HIS perfect will
Moral Purity
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Description - This session will focus on the various aspects of sexual purity for singles and
married couples, explore reasons why maintaining sexual purity might be harder for
missionaries than for Christians living in their home country, and help the participants begin to
develop a strategy for maintaining their sexual purity.
Objectives 1. Identify sexual or other issues from their past that they should consider discussing with a
trained counselor.
2. Understand the dynamics of sexual temptation.
3. Recognize the dangers inherent in Internet Pornography.
4. Understand why moral purity is often harder to maintain for on-field missionaries.
5. Value the importance of having accountability partners that one can be completely honest
and transparent with.
6. Develop a strategy for maintaining internal moral purity as individuals in their thought and
emotional life.
7. Develop a strategy for maintaining external moral purity in their relationships with others
either as a married couple or as a single.
Spiritual Warfare
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Member Orientation Program Curriculum Guide
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Description – Many missionaries engage in work in another culture with little or no experience
and understanding of Spiritual Warfare. Since many come from a western world view that is
blind to many of the phenomena and realities of the supernatural world, this isn’t too surprising.
The reality is that many missionaries will face spiritual warfare like never before once they arrive
on the field. This session will look at spiritual warfare in the ministry of Jesus, levels of spiritual
warfare, the realities of spiritual warfare in new converts, and have a panel discussion with
SEND International missionaries who have served in a variety of countries. An extensive outline
and list of resources is provided.
TCK Education- School Days or Daze?
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Description - This session will review the many options for educating missionary children in
areas where SEND works. Each educational option presents challenges and rewards and
impacts family and ministry life. Also to be explored are issues related to assessing children’s
achievement, dealing with specific learning needs, and other suggestions as to how to navigate
the school years with your children.
Objectives 1. Each participant will articulate which educational option will be used within his/family.
2. Participants will think through expectations for how children’s school option will impact
their first year on the field.
3. Participants will be able to ask general questions about ongoing preparation to assist them
as they take children overseas.
4. Participants will be provided for a list of resources on TCK life and education.
Reflection Groups
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Description – Sometimes participants can walk away from an intense training program like MOP
and be overwhelmed with information. Over the course of our two week training program
participants will meet in small groups several times to get to know one another better, ask
questions, and reflect on what they are learning. This is an informal time for sharing and prayer
led by the staff of the International Office of SEND.
Objectives
1. Discuss challenges presented in daily sessions and the participant’s response to those
challenges.
2. Encourage one another in prayer as participants
Well Done
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Description - We all long to hear those cherished word “well done, good and faithful servant.
Come and share your master’s happiness.” But what does it look like to do your ministry “well”?
What serves as authentic measures of “success”? We will see that missionaries define success
differently and that one’s understanding of success change over the life of a missionary career.
A study of Paul’s measure of success in his apostolic ministry will guide us in our development of
a personal definition of success for our first term of service.
Objectives
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Member Orientation Program Curriculum Guide
1. To discuss various ways that missionaries define whether they have been successful or
not
2. To study the Apostle Paul’s markers of successful ministry.
3. To write out a personal definition of success for the first term
4. To recognize that SEND U serves to help SEND missionaries become effective
SEND Structure & Practices
History, Values and Structure
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Description - This session opens with a reminder of what lies at the core of SEND: seeking and
saving the lost (Luke 19:10). This brief overview of the origins and growth of SEND International
highlights key turning points in the mission’s history. A discussion of what our values look like in
action is followed up with what it means to live in covenant community. A brief description of
our structure is included.
Objectives
1. To establish the framework for why we do our work
2. To understand the rich heritage from where we have come
3. To get acquainted with our core values and be able to articulate what they look like in
action.
4. To be able to describe what it means to be a covenant community on task
SEND Mission Statement: Mobilize
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Description - What does it look like to mobilize a person into missions? What are our biggest
opportunities? Or biggest barriers? How can everyone be involved in mobilization? This
session will include an interview with Phil Baur, our US Director. It will also describe SEND’s
strategies for mobilizing non North American missionaries onto our teams.
Objectives
1. To clearly understand what mobilization all involves
2. To gain a vision for “internationalization”
SEND Mission Statement: Engage
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Description - We will never establish reproducing churches unless we are effective at engaging
the unreached. Through case studies and group discussion, we will examine what effective
engagement looks like. Special attention will be given to understanding the various components
of a typical journey to Jesus.
Objectives
1. To gain an understanding of what all is involved in effective engagement
2. To be able to describe a typical “journey to Jesus”
3. To determine what makes up an effective gospel presentation
SEND Mission Statement: Establish
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Member Orientation Program Curriculum Guide
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Description - We are not trying to bring “church in a box” to every people. There is no “one size
fits all” when it comes to how people gather and worship our LORD. Yet there are some
common markers of a faithful community of Christ. What are those? This seminar will help
articulate some irreducible minimums of church and illustrate how you can pursue establishing a
reproducing church.
Objectives
1. To be able to articulate our key objectives in church planting
2. To gain some insight on what the process of church planting looks like
Safety & Security
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Description - Why do we devote a 2+ hour session to Safety and Security? Our manual states
that, “SEND International believes that our members are our greatest resource. In the
fulfillment of our mission and commitment to our membership, SEND International endeavors
to provide our members with security resources and knowledge to enable them to function
effectively as Christ’s servants.” This session highlights policies and procedures to keep you and
your family safe while living abroad. We touch on travel, evacuation, government registration,
and our Child Protection Policy.
Objectives
1. To be familiar with our Safety and Security Manual and Child Protection Manual.
2. To understand safety precautions while traveling and living abroad.
3. To know the procedures to follow and whom to contact in a crisis situation or when one
learns that a child is at risk.
The Web and Security
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Description - The Internet is both an excellent tool for communication with our donors and
potential candidates, and a significant security risk, particularly for the missionaries that work in
creative access country. In this session, we will seek to present a healthy balance between the
need for caution and the need for effectively using send.org and other Internet media (blogs,
Facebook, etc).
Objectives:
1. To recognize both the seriousness of the security risk, and the significance of the
opportunity to mobilize and inform through the web.
2. To be reminded of the potential and responsibility of using send.org to inform donors
and prayer partners
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