Don’t just prepare people to go.
Make disciples who make disciples—before, during, and after their trip.
Your short-term mission trips are about to be MORE effective and transformational than ever! Our Team Leader’s Manual and Team Member’s Manual just got a major update.
Since 2010, hundreds of churches and organizations have trusted CULTURELink’s training process and utilized our curriculum.
Over 3500 leaders have been equipped, mobilizing teams to 141 nations. Thousands of teams have been discipled and prepared to serve cross-culturally.
Fieldsites receiving CULTURELink-trained teams consistently comment on how these groups are better prepared, more servant-oriented, and have a deeper impact.
What’s New?
- Instructions for conducting virtual team meetings.
- Refreshed Seven-Step Process and Short-Term Missions Impact sections.
- More inclusive language for domestic (U.S.) and non-Western short-term teams.
- New version of the cross-cultural questionnaire.
- More robust “What’s next?” ideas for returning team members.
- Clearer directives for team members to apply the concepts they’re learning.
- More concise examples and stories that point to desired outcomes.
- More detailed tips and tools for leaders and senders.
What Hasn’t Changed?
- The same systematic, interactive, holistic process to guide teams before, during, and after their trip.
- An approach that values excellent experiences for Goers and deep impact for Senders, while emphasizing a servant’s posture toward Hosts and fieldsites.
- Spiritual depth and life application of the devotions in each training session.
- Thorough instructions for facilitating meetings and conducting team-building exercises.
- The focus on making disciples of those who make disciples of all nations.
What Others Have To Say About The CULTURELink Discipleship Process
From Senders
“I highly recommend CULTURELink and their training curriculum for short-term mission teams. Their resources are rooted in sound biblical teaching and are designed to equip participants to make disciples who, in turn, make disciples of all nations. Their training process fosters both spiritual growth and practical skills, ensuring teams are prepared to share Christ’s love effectively and multiply disciple-makers wherever they serve.”
Dr. Bruce MewbourneProfessor, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
From Fieldsites
“CULTURELink has been a great resource to equip and train groups that come to Costa Rica through Atlas Travel and Study Abroad. Team members come prepared to serve rather than to be served. They understand the importance of being flexible and teachable. CULTURELink also provides important information for those returning from a trip to go back to “normal” life and how to process what they’ve learned from another country and culture.”
Andy GordleyAtlas Travel & Study Abroad, Costa Rica
“CULTURELink’s curriculum-based training has been transformational for our church. It has helped us equip short‑term teams with deep discipleship and intercultural tools. We highly recommend CULTURELink to any church seeking to serve global missions with wisdom, spiritual depth, and measurable outcomes.”
Matt RussellMissions Pastor • Powder Springs, GA
“CULTURELink has been a great encouragement in preparing me for ministry as much as for eternity. I first went through their discipleship process while preparing for a short-term trip. This training eventually led me into full-time cross-cultural missions. Thank you for this training and all the wisdom shared that added to my preparation and deeper focus on Jesus.”
Shelby MarmolejosRTS Missions, Dominican Republic & Haiti
“I've been on over 30 mission trips before experiencing CULTURELink. I wish I had their training years ago!”
Team LeaderFBC Woodstock (Georgia)
“I have received and led over 60 teams in Kenya. I can confidently say the CULTURELink model made more of an impact than anything else because of their approach to discipleship and emphasis on honoring the local host.”
Adili KeaMinistry Liaison • Mombasa, Kenya
“The Team Member’s Manual is wonderfully laid out and all topics are clearly explained. The instructions in the Team Leader’s Manual are detailed and it has great supplemental resources to support the Member’s Manual.”
Missions MobilizerFort Wayne, IN
“We had spent over a month working through pre-field orientations to be long-term cross-cultural workers before encountering CULTURELink. Their tools and discipleship process are BY FAR more practical, beneficial, and useful than anything else we've been through so far.”
[Name Withheld for Security Reasons]From: Little Rock, AR • To: Unreached Peoples
What’s in the Team Leader’s Manual
CULTURELink‘s curriculum is unlike any other short-term missions training material. The Team Leader’s Manual is your roadmap for the discipleship journey on which you will guide your team through their Team Member’s Manual.
Every section contains detailed, step-by-step instructions to make your preparation easier and take your training deeper. We provide you with outlines and tips to make your meetings more interactive (even virtual meetings). Inside this linear and systematic training manual are tools to help you set up your trip, plan with your host on the field, and prepare your team with greater depth.
The Team Leader’s Manual will equip you to facilitate long-term growth in your short-term missions team members through in-depth study, team-building exercises, and cross-cultural preparation.
The Team Leader’s Manual is divided into the following five sections:
Section 1
Leader's Orientation
Leader’s Orientation
This opening section sets the stage for our entire training model. While the “task orientation” in which most leaders operate in is necessary for leading a team, we emphasize people development. Our entire approach to short-term trip leadership can be summarized in one word: Discipleship.
Section 2:
Short-Term Missions Impact
Short-Term Missions Impact
How are your short-term teams maximizing their impact on the field? How can you add value to the Senders (church/organization and friends/family back home) and Hosts (field site leadership)? We believe in a WIN-WIN-WIN approach and provide the tools to help you think through the entire process for everyone involved.
Section 3
The Seven-Step Process
The Seven-Step Process
This section explains our “best practice” guidelines for anyone mobilizing teams. We outline every step of the process: choosing a field site and deciding on a short-term mission project, publicizing your trip, selecting a team, training participants, preparing them for re-entry, and many other logistical issues that must be considered when leading a team.
Section 4:
Training Sessions
Training Sessions
Each of the ten training sessions is outlined and can be easily followed by the leader. Devotions, objectives for each meeting, room set-up, materials needed, team building ideas, and assignments for the next meeting are provided. The Team Leader’s Manual corresponds with the Team Member’s Manual, ensuring that teams will be discipled spiritually and practically. These sessions are outlined in the Team Member’s Manual overview.
Section 5:
Appendices
Appendices
This section is full of relevant articles and practical tools for team leaders to use with their teams. We include resources such as a sample trip application, sample team policies, how to help team members debrief after they return, emergency issues, insurance and travel recommendations, sample release of liability form, and more.
What’s in the Team Member’s Manual
Facilitate long-term growth in your short-term missions team members through this enriching and interactive curriculum. The content will help you equip team members to serve with humility and confidence. As you disciple your STM teams through this process, they experience long-term transformation and make a deeper impact in the community where they serve.
The Team Member’s Manual is divided into 10 training sessions that correspond with the Team Leader’s Manual. Each session includes spiritually rich devotions, practical articles, team-building components, collaborative worksheets, debriefing questions, and interactive assignments. CULTURELink helps your teams grow in their cross-cultural understanding, team development, and healthy engagement as they learn together.
The 10 training sessions are: