MISSION TEAM COVENANT
The mission statement of Trinity Chapel Bible Church (TCBC) is to engage people in spiritual transformation through deepening intimacy with the Trinity and with others. (Eph 1:3-14). As part a mission team through TCBC, we believe that we are sent out in the name of Jesus Christ to share the gospel and demonstrate the love of God.
The goal of the mission team is to bring honor to Jesus Christ through all that we do and carry out his command to “love our neighbor as ourselves.” Our team is privileged to be guests of the country in which we serve and partnered with our brothers and sisters in Christ that serve as foreign missionaries. As their partners, we have been entrusted with the responsibility of representing them in the same manner as they represent themselves within the community. They have also entrusted us with the responsibility of representing them well among the people we will be serving.
Though we may come from a variety of life backgrounds, it is essential that all of us understand these purposes and goals for the mission team. We ask that each team member agree to certain principles of conduct while serving with the team so as to advance, and not detract from, our stated purposes. Those principles of conduct include the following:
1. As a part of the mission team, we will always put the good of the group before our own personal good. We will each participate fully in the ministry and will do all that we can to build a spirit of cooperation, participation, and service within the group. We will submit to the direction of our partnered mission organization and their leadership, as well as the project trip leader.
2. As partners with our missionary partners, we will always work to enhance their work and reputation. We will trust the missionaries with whom we work to know how we can best compliment and support their ministry.
3. The consumption of alcoholic beverages and the use of tobacco products have the potential to hinder our reputation and our witness in other cultures and with those who send us out. To avoid any possible problems, we will refrain from these activities while we are on a mission trip.
4. The emotional and physical strains of these trips, plus the close bonds of friendship and camaraderie which are developed through them, can lay the foundation for the development of inappropriate relationships. We will exercise extreme discretion, therefore, in our conduct towards members of the opposite sex within our team. We will always maintain the highest standards of sexual conduct.
5. The cost of the mission trip will be paid through Trinity Chapel Bible Church. The estimated cost of the trip will be available prior to the trip, but the final trip cost may not be available until the conclusion of the trip. Each person on the mission team is responsible for paying the full amount of the trip. Support or fund-raising is encouraged to help each team member finance the trip. Before engaging in any fund-raising opportunities or projects, we will first clear them with the leadership of the team to be sure that they do nothing to hinder our purposes as a team. We agree to abide by decisions that are made concerning the appropriateness of any fund-raising project.
6. Preparation for the trip is crucial to the group experience. With that in mind, we will make every effort to participate in all team meetings. We will all commit to be present for the final team meeting immediately preceding our departure unless absence from the meeting has been approved in advance. I understand that inadequate involvement in the team preparation meetings may disqualify me from participating in the trip.
By signing below, I commit to abide with this covenant and partner with Trinity Chapel Bible Church and the partnered missionary organization to minister in the name of Christ.