Leader Expectations

Thank you for your interest in partnering with Spiritual Life by leading an International Service Project (ISP). As you consider leading, we want you to know how important the role of ISP team leader is to our students and our program. ISP team leaders have a unique opportunity to mentor students in their spiritual journeys and mobilize them to faithfulness to God’s global mission. We realize that partnership is a two-way street. So, in addition to having expectations for you, there are things that we all want to see and things you can expect from us.

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Together we long to see:

• God glorified through the redeemed worship of every people group on the planet.
• The kingdom of God realized in our lifestyles and relationships across ethnic, geographic, and generational boundaries.
• The gospel of Jesus centralized in our hearts and ministry.
• The body of Christ mobilized to fully engage in God’s global mission through the direction and empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, CBU Mobilization will strive to:

• Keep God’s glory among the nations as the focus of our ministry by:
  • Building a program focused on joining God’s global work and not on advancing our individual and program agenda.
  • Mobilizing leaders and participants to engage in ISP from a biblically-informed passion for God and obedience to his commands.
• Live out kingdom values in the way we relate to all people by:
  • Loving and serving all people across boundaries such as ethnicity, geography, and generation.
  • Mutual submission to Christ within the family of God resulting in relationships of healthy communication, accountability, and conflict resolution.
• Engage in ministry through ISP that supports our field partners’ strategy by:
  • Working together with our field partners to design service projects that fit the capacity of our teams and contribute to their team strategy.
  • Learning and employing methods and ministry tools that our field partners suggest.
  • Avoiding unnecessary burdens (financial, emotional, relational) on our field partners.
• Take responsibility for the ongoing discipleship of our participants and leaders:
  • Selecting potential team leaders and participants based on an assessment of their spiritual, physical, emotional, and relational fitness for the role.
  • Preparing our teams and team leaders through extensive, biblically-based, and practically informed training.
  • Setting attitude and behavior expectations through a team covenant that honors God, our field partners, other team members, and the local culture.
  • Providing formal and informal, post-field discipleship processes for participants and leaders.

And we expect ISP Team Leaders to:

• Meet the following pre-requisites as someone who is:
  • A growing disciple of Jesus Christ.
  • An active participant in an evangelical Christian church.
  • Willing to lead in ministry that aligns with the Baptist Faith and Message (2000).
  • A faculty member, staff member, or alum of CBU.
  • Approved by CBU’s administration (and, if employed by CBU, approved by his or her supervisor).
  • Equipped to lead an ISP team through prior service or completion of ISP Leader Training.
• Accept the following responsibilities:
  • Lead a team of CBU students in a two or three-week international mission opportunity, including:
    • Working with CBU Mobilization to train the team.
    • Supporting students through their support-raising process.
    • Communicating with field workers and CBU Mobilization to plan team travel and ministry activities.
    • Overseeing the team’s activity on the field in coordination with the local field workers and in accordance with CBU policies.
    • Managing team finances.
  • Participate in Leader Trainings and ISP trainings as set forth on the 2023-24 ISP Leader Info and Next Steps form.
  • Communicate regularly with field partners, copying Mobilization on all correspondence.
  • Contribute 50% of the ISP trip cost and meet all financial deadlines. Team leaders receive a 50% scholarship for the other half. Leaders are strongly encouraged to model support-raising for their teams.
  • Mentees support-raise the total cost of the project.
• Demonstrate the following values and competencies:
  • Strong character — modelling Christ-like character in interaction with students, fellow leaders, and fieldworkers.
  • Relational intentionality — developing your student leader by meeting regularly to strategize, assign tasks, and mentor him or her.
  • Faithful shepherding — loving, serving and caring for your ISP team of 8-10 students by motivating and preparing them to engage in God’s global mission.
  • Healthy accountability — providing encouragement and accountability to assist team members in reaching support-raising goals.
  • Good stewardship — managing budget and expenses on the field to wisely steward God’s resources.
  • Missional focus — supporting fieldworkers in a way that assists and strengthens their long-term ministry
  • Abiding in Christ — prioritizing the team’s individual and corporate Bible study and prayer.
  • Postures of learning and trust — encouraging personal growth and team unity on the field through daily debriefing and consistent conflict resolution.