Meetings: You are expected to meet regularly as a team to build unity together and prepare for the team’s ministry responsibility. High functioning teams typically meet 6 to 8 times together in advance of the trip. The guiding principle is once per month for teams meeting 5 or more months leading up to the departure date and twice per month for teams meeting 3 to 4 months in advance.

Attendance: You are expected to be at all meetings unless cleared in advance with the team leader. Missing 1 meeting is usually acceptable. Team members who miss 25% of the meetings may be asked to step down for the current year's team.

Virtual attendance: Special exceptions can be made for team members living outside the Seattle area to join team meetings virtually. As a guiding principle, 1 or 2 meetings in person is critical to bond with the team. Since team chemistry is critical, this decision will depend on the make-up of the team and will be at the discretion of the team leader.

Personal Growth: You will need to be meditating on the promises of scripture, to know key truths that you will rely on during this experience and that will shape your prayers (2 Tim 3:16-17). Short-term trips will stretch you beyond what you think you can do so your spiritual walk with the Lord is critical (Joshua 1:8-9, Psalm 1).

Prayer: Establishing a habit of dependence on the Lord in daily living is imperative in the Christian walk, and more so in global ministry.  You need to learn to pray always, seeking the Lord’s guidance in everything (1 Thes 5:17, Luke 18:1).

Prayer Team: Your team will build a list of people who commit to regularly pray for your team, the global partner, and the ministry being performed.

Personal contribution: Individuals going on the trip will give a minimum of $500 toward the trip, with 20% or $100 due at the first meeting; the remaining balance can be paid anytime no later than six weeks prior to the departure date. Families give a maximum of $1,000. These contributions are tax deductible.

Church contribution: The elders of the church approve to pay up to 1/3 of the cost of approved trips from the church General Fund.

Support raising contribution: The team will work together to raise the remaining cost of the trip. If the team doesn't raise enough money by a pre-determined deadline before departure, additional fundraising activities or cancellation of the trip will be considered at the discretion of the Outreach Pastor.

Support letters: The most effective way to raise support is a direct and personal request. We focus on support letters as the primary method to raise funds. A letter can explain how the donor is partnering with the team through their prayer, encouragement, and finances. Each team member will provide 35 names and addresses of friends and family who you will send support letters to and ask to contribute to and pray for your team (households of more than one team member will provide 50-75 names). Children of parents going will not be expected to send out letters. However, families should recognize that this will make fundraising more of a challenge, and more names will help. Every donor will be sent a personal thank you from the respective team member who sent the original support letter, and an invitation to a post-trip recap.

Non-refundable donations: All funds received are for team expenses and will not be refundable to the participant or donors should they not be able to participate in the trip, unless the trip is cancelled.

Fundraising alternatives: Additional fundraising activities outside of support letters must be approved by the team leader.

Airline Tickets: The posted dates of the trip are approximate. Actual dates may be shifted by a few days before and/or after the posted dates to secure the best airfare. Your plans should remain flexible if a slight change in dates is required.

Personal Travel: The team’s travel experience begins and ends at CBC. Airline tickets are purchased on a group basis. Individual travel arrangements outside of the planned team itinerary is not permitted, except when reviewed and authorized by the Outreach Pastor prior to the purchase of the team tickets.

All team members agree to come under multiple levels of authority.

As followers of Jesus Christ, everyone shall come under His authority as outlined in scripture. This authority shall be executed through the leadership of CBC.

While training for and traveling on a trip, the team leaders have the authority granted to them to oversee the activities of the team members for the well-being of all individuals and the effective ministry the team is sent to accomplish.

When the team is engaging with the Global Partner on location, the CBC Global Partner has authority to direct team member activities, working in conjunction with the designated CBC team leaders.

This authority shall include, but is not limited to, team member behavior, speech, clothing, methods and tools used for ministry, travel and transportation.

By applying for and being selected as a team member, you agree to come under these authorities while training and traveling with this team. Repeated failure to come under authority may result in this member being removed from the team. If the team is in their travel phase, this may result in the team member being sent home early at their own expense.