This document in Word format.

Objective: To assist team leaders in the process of on-boarding their new field members and ensuring a smooth and successful transition to effective life and ministry on the field. On-boarding is an intentional, individualized coaching/ training process by a supervisor to help new people become quickly effective in the basic competences needed in their new roles. This process begins at selection and carries on throughout the first year in the new role.
Scope: While the specific scope for a team leader is arrival to MOP-Recap (usually two years after arrival), many fields are implementing processes that begin after the completion of COP in order to ensure a smooth transition from the support discovery to language learning/cultural adjustment phase.
For: Team Leaders, Coaches, and Language & Orientation Coordinators

Each field has a different process and contact person for their pre-arrival missionaries.

• In Spain, the Area Director has developed a flow chart as well as four pre-field letters that are sent at specific intervals to their co-worker (on the wiki under Language & Orientation).
• In China, the appointees are placed into a discipleship group that meets virtually once a month. After they have completed MOP they are assigned a language coach who then interacts with them 2-3 times before their arrival on the field. Here is a description of the pre-field requirements and the content of the two Skype calls.

You will need to determine what your field is doing and what part you as the team leader need or want to play in this. You can see a sample flow chart can be found on the SEND U wiki.

The arrival of a new appointee is a monumental event in their life. It is important for you as their team leader to remember the excitement that first arrival to the field held for you. While it may feel like “one more thing to do,” it is important that the initial contact and first few weeks with your team member are given adequate time and attention. Most fields already have procedures in place for welcoming new co-workers. Below are categories you will want to flesh out for your specific situation. Feel free to add categories and specific tasks that are important in your context. You also need to designate someone to accomplish each task.

A good resource to use during this time is the document titled “Thrive in a New Place ” (weeks 1-9). Print out the questions a week at a time for your missionary and spend 1-2 hours each week going over their answers. The questions can also be used for them to use in personal journaling with them opting to share some or all of their answers with you.

Once the missionary is settled into their new home you will need to maintain consistent contact with them. There are coaching tools you can utilize to help these sessions feel more relational than perfunctory. On the resource page are two examples of reports that have been or are being used in China and Japan. You can also take some of the questions from the “Thrive in a New Place” or the other documents and create your own form.

You will also need to determine how you will help facilitate language learning for your new co-worker. There are examples of language reports on the wiki or you can utilize your field’s language and orientation coordinator or coach to come in as a subject expert.
In the beginning, it is also important to have your missionary complete the following activities:

• Review their definition of success they wrote up in MOP and reflect on its adequacy. Define what it would mean for them to be “effective”; Reflect with them your own process of becoming effective in ministry. What helped you? What hindered you?
• Keep a language/culture journal. Encourage the missionary to keep a journal of observations and questions about the culture.
• Fill out an IGP (an IGP guide is on the wiki); make sure there are language & culture acquisition goals
• Fill out a Motivation Plan. In addition to filling out the motivation plan, find out what motivates them in ministry. Find ways to engage them in ministry that enhances both their language acquisition and cultural adaptation. Have them use the Motivation Plan worksheet to flesh out their motivators.
• To enhance the learning of this phase you may want to add culture learning activities. Look on the wiki for links to activities. They can do these on their own, with nationals, or with other missionaries. Reflecting on them in their journal is an effective way to capture learning.

At this point, many missionaries will enter into some form of culture shock (if they haven’t done so earlier). This website gives a good succinct summary of the indicators of culture shock as well as some practical solutions. Duane Elmer’s book Cross-Cultural Connections provides a good overview with practical suggestions. The important thing for you as a team leader is to make sure your worker has a place they feel safe to vent some of these feelings without judgment.

Continue meeting with them on a bi-monthly basis. You may choose to continue to utilize a monthly report to track language progress and find out how the missionary is doing. There are several examples of reports on the wiki or you can create your own. In addition, you may choose to utilize a coaching question from the list provided or one you come up with. It is very important during this phase to continue to meet regularly with your missionary. Come back to their IGP regularly and have them evaluate their progress towards their goals. Twice monthly meetings with each individual are critical to maintaining trust and open communication. Don’t assume they are now adjusted and don’t need your help. This is a critical phase in adjusting and getting past culture shock and into a more realistic settled phase of adjustment.

At this point, most missionaries are comfortable with their daily routine in language learning and cultural adjustment. If you are using a separate language coach as a resource person, discuss with them an appropriate means of language evaluation. At this point the missionary should also review their IGP and establish new goals for the new year.

The mentoring relationship at this point is very important as you are mentoring them towards effective ministry once they are finished with full time language school. In addition, you are also modeling discipleship for them. Meetings at this point should continue on a monthly basis. This may be a good time to revisit expectations and motivation to push towards language and ministry goals.

Typically at the end of two years, missionaries begin the MOP-Recap program. This initiative is meant to help the missionary revisit topics and ideas they learned at MOP and assess where they are in their adjustment. During this time missionaries will complete an Intercultural Competency Scale assessment.

Missionaries are also paired up with a MOP-Recap coach. The missionary and coach will meet 6 times (usually via Skype) to help the missionary talk through their self-assessment and discuss transition into full-time ministry. Through the duration of this coaching series, the missionary will produce a written self-assessment that will be given to the coach and designated field member.