Guidelines for Mission Experiences

A well-founded Mission Experience includes three distinct phases including Preparation, Insertion, and Return; or in simple language, Before, During, and After the Experience. These three phases are called the Missioning Process. Each phase has its purpose and adds value to the entire experience. If one of the phases is left out, it will produce a negative effect on the whole experience.

Preparation Phase is the period at the home base in which we prepare to meet with those who will be our hosts in mission. This phase will prepare us both individually and as a group, to meet God’s people with respect and sensitivity and a serious understanding of who they are. Plan on spending a great deal of time in preparation.

Guidelines for this phase include:

Mission Project Goals
Identify, study, and define the purpose of this mission experience so as to be able to develop a workable plan of activities during each phase of the experience.

Relationship with the Receiving Community
Communicate clearly so as to be able to collaborate with our hosts to support their projects since we are guests in their culture.

Invitation
Invite our community to participate in and support the proposed mission experience.

Discernment
Pray and reflect on how God is calling us to be a part of this mission experience.

Community Building
Commit ourselves to a process, including prayer, reflection, education, and team building during each phase of the experience, which will help us to develop into an authentic mission team.

Understanding Mission
Explore and develop a common understanding of the mission experience by learning about evangelization and mission spirituality through sacred scripture, official Church teachings, and other relevant sources.

Cultural Awareness
Study the culture, history, and present reality of the people we wish to accompany in this mission experience.  Learn as much of the language as time permits.

Commissioning
Ritualize a blessing to celebrate the sending-forth with our faith community, including family and friends.

Insertion Phase represents the actual time that we will be living with the people in their own culture as we planned in our preparation phase. During this phase our focus is upon building relationships that are mutual, empowering, and collaborative.

Guidelines for this phase include:

On-site Orientation
Look for additional information from knowledgeable local guides who can help the group to enter successfully into this cross-cultural experience.

Building Relationships
Demonstrate our understanding of the fact that mission is about building relationships and being present to each other, rather than simply being involved in doing certain projects and tasks.

Daily prayer, Reflection and Processing
Pray, reflect, analyze, and process as a community daily to support and help each other to understand and deal with what we have experienced in their culture and society.

Personal and Project Evaluation
Evaluate the entire experience individually and with the group as well as with the Receiving Community to strengthen the commitment of all who are involved and continue to improve the program.

Closure
Celebrate the end of the experience with prayer, rituals, blessings, and gestures of gratitude while team members prepare for their return or the next phase of the project.

Return Phase is when we have returned home. During this time we reflect on the experience to incorporate it into our life and mission here, reflecting also on the fact that we must now be mindful of our bonds, as missioners, to all our sisters and brothers around the world.

Guidelines for this phase include:

Group Reflection and Processing
Promote follow-up meetings of team members for prayer, reflection, mutual support and sharing the experience with the group as well as with all who will listen.

Telling the Story
Seek out ways to tell the story (each individual’s story as well as the stories of those we met) to our families, team members, the sending community, and even to the wider community. Photos and other pictorial information will help.

Live Mission Here
Identify areas of personal and group formation and determine how to continue to live these experiences here at home in a way that honors those we met during our mission experience.

Plan the future by reviewing evaluations and planning the next mission experience.