RESOURCES
Skits & Testimony Prep
Vision
Find out what sort of talents team members have, as they could be hiding incredible abilities that the Lord wants to utilize.
Skits are just a tool to have on hand, should the need arise where they would be beneficial to utilize. Skits are performed to continue attracting a crowd or as an ice breaker in various settings. What follows is a description of different skits that are easy to learn and have been effective on previous mission trips. You can select which skits would be most appropriate for the crowd you will be ministering to. Remember, even though the skits are preliminary and are designed to be funny, make sure that the quality of them are top notch. They are still a huge part of the overall ministry presentation.
The Doctor Skit
This skit is silent with the exception of ailment noises and the final scream. A female walks out acting as a receptionist in a doctor’s office (gestures of chewing gum and typing). A male enters for his checkup (with no ailment). He proceeds to check in with her for an appointment, then walks to the other side of the stage and waits (gestures of reading a newspaper while in the waiting room). Patients with ailments (itching, sneezing, etc) enter one at a time, checking with the receptionist and being sent to wait with the first man. Each gradually give the man their ailment, and leaves cured. In the finale, a pregnant woman enters as the other did. The man who has picked up all the previous ailments sees the pregnant woman, stops and looks at the audience, then back at the woman before screaming and running off the stage. The pregnant woman shrugs to the audience with a confused expression on her face and exits.
Tips for doing the Doctor Skit
Do
Big, slow, controlled movements
Funny and realistic ailments
Pregnant woman must look pregnant
DON’T
Have pregnant woman come out screaming with labor pains
Have more than 4 ailments
Have the main character be a female
The Chicken Skit
This skit is very effective in predominantly religious cultures. If a translator is needed for this skit, be sure to fully brief them on what will be happening.
The skit consists of many interruptions. A team member begins speaking as if doing an introduction or testimony. As she/he begins, other team members come in two at a time acting and sounding like different objects/animals. When asked what they are doing, they explain what they think they are, and when asked why they think so, they give semi-realistic reasons of why one might think they are as such. Some commonly used interruptions are:
Airplanes----because their father owns an airport, because they like to fly
Chickens----because they eat corn, because they grew up on a farm
Monkeys----because they like bananas, because they like to climb
Bull----because they hate the color red, because they have four legs (two people form the bull)
The main person in the skit proceeds to say, “Just because you (state reason), doesn’t make you a (state object/animal).” Then say to audience, “Are they (state object/animal?)”. Emphatically the audience replies “NO!” You then say to them “I’m sorry, you are not a (state object/animal)”. They then exit the stage pouting.
The last two who enter will be acting as Christians. When asked, “Why do you think you are a Christian?” the responses could be, “because I go to church,” “because my parents are Christians,” or “because I read my Bible.”
The narrator replies as usual, but finishes the sketch with short explanation of what it means to be a real Christian (this should be very brief and uses as a way to introduce the rest of the program).
Tips for doing the Chicken Skit
DO
Connect with Ministry Partner to ensure cultural sensitivity
Christians should act pious and proud
Keep reason realistic (drinking gas is not a realistic reason)
Involve the audience
DON’T
Pray with the individuals on stage
Give an alter call
Have the Christian characters come out reading the Bible or lifting hands
Waste a lot of time between characters
The Heart Skit
The Heart Skit is performed by four different people (2 males and 2 females). One male and one female will be on the stage silently acting out the skit while the other two are on microphones talking for the two on stage (the male on the microphone does the voiceover for the female and female does the voiceover for the male). An idea of what to say is outlined below in italics.
The girl on stage acts out the following commands: la, la la…huh? What? You want me to give my heart to Jesus? Oh no, no, no. la, la la… huh? What? You want me to give my heart to Jesus? Ok… Girl motions as if to open a door over her heart, pulls out her heart, throws it up in the air, and closes the door. Where did my heart go? Looking in the air. When she sees it, she catches it and puts it back in her heart gleefully. Yea! A new heart! Glory to God!
The boy walks out on stage now and acts out the following commands: dum, da, dum. Whoa! Look at that beautiful girl! Watch this! Taps girl on the shoulder. Hey girl! You give your heart to me! The girl responds: no, no, no, no, my heart belongs to Jesus.
The boy walks around and thinks of a way to get her attention. Think, think, think, what can I do? Hey, I know, girls like flowers! He picks flowers and walks over to her, taps her on the shoulder. “Hey girl, flowers!” Girl responds with a smile, “I love flowers! They smell so good! Thank you!” The boy then proceeds. “Hey, girl, you give your heart to me!" The girl responds: “no, no, no, no, my heart belongs to Jesus.”
The boy will then walk away and think of another way to get her attention. He’ll make three or four different attempts (muscles, motorcycle, sing a song, etc.) and she will finally give in. When she does, she opens the door to the heart and gives it to the boy.
The boy then proceeds to take advantage of her heart, plays basketball with it, throws it up into the air, shoots it, stomps on it, etc. The girl looks at her tattered heart and cries (this is all narrated over the microphone).
The girl then hears from God again (as in the beginning) and throws her broken heart to God. It comes back whole again and she is happy. Then she hears God again: Huh? What? You want him to give his heart to Jesus? Oh no, no, no! He’s a mean boy. Huh? What? You still want him to give his heart to Jesus? Ok.
Taps boy on shoulder: Hey you! Give your heart to Jesus! The boy responds by laughing: You are crazy! Girl walks away. See, I told you God!
She hears again: huh? What? You want him to give his heart to Jesus? Shrugging her shoulders sighing, ok, I’ll try again. In a much nicer tone: Hey boy, God wants you to give your heart to Jesus. This time the boy responds and they throw his heart into the air together and wait for it to come back. When it does, he responds joyfully: Wow! A new heart! This is great!
Both characters point to the audience charging: you, and you, and you, and you, give your heart to Jesus!
Testimony/My Story
All team members MUST be prepared to share their testimony on the trip, even if they don’t have the opportunity to share it publicly.
A carefully prepared testimony, empowered by the Holy Spirit, can be of immediate and effective use in nearly every witnessing situation. It should be our desire to present Christ in such a clear, attractive, yet simple way that those who hear will not only want to know Him too, but they will also know “how” to know Him personally. A testimony should follow the following outline:
Life before Christ (one minute)
What is your background?
What were your life experiences?
How did you feel inside before knowing the Lord?
How did you come to realize you were on the wrong track?
How you became a Christian (one minute)
What led you to make this decision?
What was the turning point in your life?
How did it happen?
How Jesus impacts your life now (one minute)
What does you life look like now?
How has the Lord shaped/changed your life?
What does you new identity look like?
DO:
Ask the Lord to give you wisdom and guidance as you give your testimony (James 1:5-6)
Smile and be personable
Speak loudly and clearly in a natural, relaxed tone of voice (avoid speaking too fast or too slow)
Share it with loving enthusiasm in the power of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18)
Begin with an interesting, attention-getting sentence and close with a good conclusion
Communicate in such a way that others will be able to relate to your past and present experiences
Give enough details to provoke interest, but still keep it short, simple and to the point
Practice your testimony until it becomes natural
Challenge your young people to share from their heart and with passion
DON’T:
Use “Christianese” words such as: “accept”, “saved”, “convicted”, “converted”, “born again”, and “sin”. Though these words and phrases are normal to us, they are often misunderstood and consequently ridiculed by non-Christians
Be too wordy (no more than 5 minutes), beat around the bush, or emphasize how bad you used to be
Speak critically or negatively about any other individual or group
Give the impression that the Christian life is a “bed of roses”
Be afraid to share what God has done in your life. No one can argue with a personal experience
Preach—present your testimony, no a “preach-athon”
Use mannerisms when you speak such as: rubbing your nose, jingling coins in your pocket, swaying, clearing your throat, and using “uhs”, “ahs”, or “ums”
Scripture Resources & Prayer
Topical Scriptures
The following is a list of topical scriptures. You can use these to encourage yourself, other team members, or to share with those you’re going to minister to.
Authority
Deuteronomy 28:13 - “And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them.”
Joshua 1:5 - “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.”
Joshua 23:9-10 - “The LORD has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you.
Luke 10:19 - “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.”
Ephesians 1:19-20 - “And what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in heavenly places.”
Revelation 12:11 – “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”
Boldness
Proverbs 28:1 - “The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.”
Acts 4:13 - “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated common men, they were astonished. And they recognized they had been with Jesus.”
Acts 4:29-31 - “and now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus”, and when they had prayed the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.”
Ephesians 3:12 - “in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.”
Ephesians 6:19-20 - “and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am the ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”
Hebrews 4:15-16 - “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then draw near the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in the time of need.”
1 John 4:17 - “By this love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgement, because as he is so also are we in this world.”
Deliverance
Psalms 18:2-3 - “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.”
Psalms 18:19 - “He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.”
Psalms 34:19 - “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”
Psalms 91:14 - “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him. I will protect him, because me knows my name.”
Psalms 97:10 - “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.”
Psalms 146:7-8 - “Who executes the justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down.”
Psalms 107:20 - “He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.”
Psalms 33:18-19 - “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.”
Matthew 9:29 - “Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it done to you."
Matthew 17:20-21 - “He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."”
Mark 9:23 - “And Jesus said to him, "'If you can! All things are possible for one who believes."
Mark 11:22-23 - “And Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.”
Romans 5:1-2 - “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
Romans 10:17 - “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”
Romans 12:3 - “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”
Romans 14:23 - “But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.”
2 Corinthians 1:24 - “Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.”
2 Corinthians 4:13 - “Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, ‘I believed, and so I spoke,’ we also believe, and so we also speak,”
Healing
Psalms 30:2 - “O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.”
Psalms 42:11 - “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”
Psalms 67:1-2 - “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.”
Psalms 103:2-3 - “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,”
Psalms 147:3 - “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
Proverbs 3:7-8 - “Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.”
Proverbs 4:20-22 - “My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.”
Proverbs 17:22 - “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”
Isaiah 53:5 - “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
Redemption
2 Samuel 4:9b - “…As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life out of every adversity.”
Psalms 19:14 - “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
Psalms 34:22 - “The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.”
Psalms 78:35 - “They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer.”
Psalm 103:2-4 - “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,”Psalm 107:2 - “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble.”
Psalm 130:7-10 - “O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.”
Luke 21:28 - “Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Salvation
Psalms 27:1 - “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear; The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
Psalms 98:2 - “The Lord has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.”
Psalms 149:4 - “For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.”
John 5:24 - “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”
John 10:27 - “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
Acts 16:30-31 - “Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Romans 3:23 - “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
Romans 10:9-10 - “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 - “ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
Forgiveness
1 John 1:9 - “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Romans 10:9-10 - “ because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
Mark 11:23 - “Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.”
Matthew 21:22 - “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
Nehemiah 9:17 - “They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.”
Psalms 32:1 - “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.”
Psalms 130:3-4 - “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.
Romans 4:7-8 - “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”
Ephesians 1:4-7 - “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,”
John 1:12 - “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
Abuse
Romans 10:9-10 - “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
Matthew 6:10 - “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Colossians 1:13 - “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,”
Ephesians 5:8-13 - “for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 1Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible,”
2 Peter 3:18 - “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”
1 John 2:9 - “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.”
Galatians 3:13 - “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”
Ephesians 6:11-12 - “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
Personal Growth
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 - “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,”
Luke 6:28 - “bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”
Isaiah 54:4 - “Fear not, for you will not be ashamed;
be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced;
for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.”Isaiah 43:1 - “But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”
Romans 12:2 - “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Jeremiah 29:11 - “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Philippians 4:19 - “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
1 Perter 5:7 - “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
1 John 4:8 - “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
How to Pray
When you are instructing your team to pray, you can implement any of the following into your teaching. As we teach our team members how to pray, we are enabling them to make history with their prayers. We need to teach them that their prayers are influential and can shape the course of an individual’s destiny.
Prayer
Prayer is the battle
God is looking for people to pray for His people and the nations. Our prayers can move the hand of God.
To intercede means to go or pass between, to act between parties with a view to reconcile those who differ or contend, to mediate or negotiate
Pray with confidence
We are to approach the throne room of God boldly, with confidence (Heb. 4:16)
Pray according to His will and be confident that He will listen (1 John 5:14)
Romans 8:32 - “He Who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”
Pray with persistence
Ephesians 6:18 - “Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.”
Matthew 7:7- 11 - “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Pray with authority
Matthew 18:18-20 - "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you lose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there I am I with them.”
Luke 10:19 - “1 have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.”
Ephesians 1:19-21 - “...and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.”
1 John 4:4 - “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
Prayer Walking
What follows are some tips to use when sending your team out in prayer groups. When you send people out, make sure that you give them specific guidelines as they may not know how to pray. Take the time to prepare your group leaders on how to lead their group effectively when prayer walking.
Give each group an area of manageable size to prayer walk
Pray out loud in agreement
Pray with your eyes open-pray for the things you see & ask the Lord to give you His passion for the people and to express His desires through your spirit
Feel free to interact naturally with those whom you encounter. Be prepared for divine appointments
It is important to teach your team to pray specifically. When the blind men called out to Jesus on the street, Jesus called back “What do you want me to do for you?” (Matthew 10:51) Encourage your team to make explicit requests of God instead of blanket prayers. While you are researching your country, it will be helpful to compile a list of needs that are specific to the culture you are going to (spiritual, economical, political, physical, etc). You can then take this list and give it to the team to pray over.
Additional Resources & Activities
Intro
This section was designed to give you some resources to use for reference both prior to and during your trip. The information contained in this section is certainly not exhaustive. We just wanted to equip you with some basic ideas that have been used in the past. In this chapter you will find teaching moment ideas, game and activity ideas, topical scriptures and co-leading activities, among other things. As you come up with other ideas, in addition to what has already been taught, make sure you share them with your co-leader. Let’s glean from one another and not let any idea be wasted!
Co-Leader Activities
Outlined below are some activities to talk through with your co-leader. They are designed to aid in your communication so that you can work well together as a team. Take some time to talk through each activity prior to beginning your trip.
Activity #1: Get to Know One Another
Begin getting to know your co-leader prior to the beginning of the trip. These will help you get a feel for how you will work together. Also, there are some questions listed later in this chapter that could be helpful in your opening conversations and throughout the trip.
Behavioral Patterns: identify which behavioral pattern most closely describes you and find out which pattern most closely describes your co-leader (remember, these are not absolutes; you don’t have to identify with every word listed). Discuss how you and your co-leader will be able to complement each other as well as any problems you may foresee because of your different behavioral patterns.
Intellectual: organized, factual, detailed, neat, conservative, analytical, dogmatic
Emotional: spontaneous, introspective, warm, people lover, impulsive
Creative: imaginative, futuristic, idealistic, unpredictable, uncompromising, impractical
Doing: spirited, goal-oriented, dynamic, gives and demands loyalty, can find fault with those not as devoted
The following lists two opposite characteristics. Rate yourself where you feel you lie on the line (ex. if you are very organized, mark near the organized side, if you are not organized, mark on the right side, if you are partially organized, mark somewhere in between the two words). Find out where your co-leader would place themselves on the line and compare.
Organized Disorganized
Predictable Spontaneous
Frugal Spendthrift
Introvert Extravert
Detail Oriented Not Detailed
Homebody Adventuresome
Traditional Untraditional
Thinker Feeler
Serious Humorous
Reserved Affectionate
Peacemaker Argumentative
Morning Person Night Person
Activity #2: Creating a Team Vision
Take some time to discuss with your co-leader what your vision is for the whole trip. If you do not have a co-leader yet, begin thinking of these things and write down anything the Lord reveals to you. To be an effective captain, you must know what you want your team to look like by the end of the trip. Answer the following questions:
What do we want our team to look like?
How are we going to get them there?
What principles can we give them for life long success?
While you are talking about vision, discuss the following as well:
What do you want your co-leading relationship to look like?
How are you going to develop your group leaders?
How will you work together to ensure effective ministry?
Activity #3: Prayer Points
Prepare for your team by finding things that you and your co-leader can agree on in prayer and then hold one another accountable to do so. Find out specifically how you can pray for your co-leader, as well as find prayer points that you will both pray for with regard to your entire team, the country you will be going to, and the ministry that will be taking place.
Fun Questions
The following is a list of questions you can use however you see fit. You can use them to get to know your team members or co-leader, use them in a game with your team, or give them to your group leaders to use.
What is the most daring decision you have ever made?
Share your most appropriate embarrassing moment
Tell a funny story about a leadership experience you have had
What is your favorite country? Why?
Sing your favorite 80’s tune
Do a secret talent
What is your favorite quote and why?
Tell a funny school story experience
If you could only wear one color, what would it be?
If you could live in one place for the rest of your life, where would it be?
If you were a red balloon, would you want someone to hold onto you or let you go?
If you could be an animal, what would you be and why?
What is your middle name? What would you change it to if you could?
What is your favorite cartoon character?
How do you like your eggs?
What was the greatest prank you have played on someone?
If you were going on a trip, what would be the one thing you would take with you?
What is the most unusual job you have ever had?
What is the grossest thing you have ever had to eat?
What three things would you put in a time capsule that your descendants would dig up in 100 years?
Finish this sentence. . .”One thing I want to do before I die is. . .”
How would your life be different if music were outlawed? Movies? TV?
My most unique relative is…
Who is someone you admire and what qualities do you admire about them?
Team Building Ideas
At the beginning of the trip, have your team write a short letter that lists out what they want to see God do on the trip. Give it back to them right before they leave the country for reflection.
Challenge your team to bless others.
Gather your team together, tell them they cannot speak at all. Lead them to a special place and either have a very powerful team moment (such as with prayer or a strong teaching moment) or have a special activity planned that will simply be fun. Either way, they will remember this experience.
Special treats, outings, etc. are always popular when you can do it.
Write encouraging notes before the trip. Ask the Lord for the specific words to write. During the trip, you will find that the notes will just seem to “belong” to specific individuals. Give them as you feel appropriate.
Team Building Exercises
What follows are a few games and activities to use during lag time or team time. You can find more ideas by looking through group-activity books, the internet, and by asking young people if they have any other ideas.
Yurt Circle
ïGroup size: an even number of people
ïInstructions: This activity requires each person to depend upon one another in order to accomplish the task to start activity, have everyone stand in a circle holding hands at arm’s length. Count-off each person by “one" and “two”.
Have all the “one’s ” lean out and all the‘ ‘two’s” lean in while trying to remain together still holding hands as a circle. Slowly, have them switch turns leaning in then out:‘ ‘One’s lean in and‘ ‘two’s” lean out, then vice versa. Repeat the process. Have fun!
The more people lean out, the more their weight must be balanced by people leaning in for the circle to hold its shape. Some people will put more of their weight in the circle while others will be more cautious. When the risk-taking individuals find themselves paired up with their more cautious individuals the results can be humorous as well as instructive. At the end of this activity, you can thank your group for leaning out and leaning in with each other. That is what teamwork is: supporting your teammates and letting yourselves be supported. Both require trust and full participation. Remind them they will need this today as they work together as a team.
Mergers
ïGroup size: any
ïInstructions: Lay squares (construction paper or foam pads work well) on the ground, one per person, in a random pattern. Tell the group they are now going to do a problem-solving initiative. There are only three rules to this initiative:
Rule 1: You must keep one foot on a square at all times
Rule 2: Your feet can never touch the ground
Rule 3: When the facilitator says “change” everyone must move to a different square
Keep repeating rules one and two over and over. Make sure to state them just as they appear above. Every time you tell them to change, take up a square so there are fewer and fewer squares for them to stand on. Soon there will be only one square left and they will have to get creative. As you continue to repeat rules one and two, it will suddenly dawn on at least one member of the group that if they sit down on the ground they can all have their feet on the square at the same time and be within the rules. The key is their feet can never touch the ground. Eventually they will figure out that the rest of their body can, it just takes a little “out of the box” thinking!
Traffic Jam
ïGroup size: any
ïInstructions: This is an excellent problem-solving initiative. Divide your teams into two sides. Their goal is to trade sides within the rules you provide. Everyone must move so that the people originally standing on the right-hand stepping stones are on the left-hand stones, and those originally standing on the left-hand stepping stones are on the right-hand stones, with the center stone again unoccupied.
Set-up: Each team should be standing in a single file line facing each other. Each team member should be standing on a square. There will be one unoccupied square in the middle, between the two teams
Rule One: Only one person can move at a time. After each move, each person must be standing on a stepping stone.
Rule Two: You are permitted to step forward into an empty space or to step around someone who is facing you into an empty space.
Rule Three: It is illegal for anyone to move around someone facing the same way or to move backwards around someone.
Blinded Fetch
ïGroup size: teams of two and assign one person on each team to be blindfolded
ïInstructions: Once all chosen players are blindfolded and teams are established, the instructor puts out several tennis balls or other objects. Each team is to stand back from behind a designated line and instruct their teammate where the ball is by yelling out instructions. If a player finds the ball, they are to return to the team while still blindfolded and they receive 3 points. If another person with a blindfold tags them, that team receives 1 point. Continue playing until all balls are collected, the team with the most points wins.
Leader Honor Code
As an essential part of the Church on the Move family, you have a responsibility to develop and exhibit mature Christian behavior. This should be a basic premise of your desire to serve at COTM.
While serving the Body of Christ at COTM, you pledge to abstain from all appearances of evil and conduct yourself in a manner that does not bring reproach on the cause of Christ. In both attire and behavior, you should strive to demonstrate Biblical standards in all situations. Our conduct should never be an embarrassment to Christ, but should exemplify the best qualities of a mature believer and servant-leader.
Exemplifying the highest moral commitment, COTM leaders & Go Teamers are to maintain a disciplined life of Bible reading and prayer. You must also refrain from such things as:
Dishonest gain
Illicit drugs
Pornography
Sexual immorality (sexual activity outside of biblical marriage)
Drinking alcohol in excess or becoming impaired. We ask that our leaders & Go
Teamers abstain from offering alcoholic beverages to others, promoting the consumption of alcohol on social media platforms, and guard carefully the use of alcohol in public settings.All behaviors which might cause Christ to grieve and others to stumble
By providing an example in speech and action, we encourage others to grow in Christ and become servant-leaders themselves. This is a way of life measured by the heart and commitment of each leader & Go Teamer in the COTM family. We should regard it as an essential part of our development, not as an imposition or restriction.