1. To establish policies for the proper management of funds raised and expended for Short Term Missions Trips.
2. To establish policies and procedures for the overall operation of the Short Term Missions Teams
3. To train the beneficiaries of the short term missions to win souls for Christ.

Matthew 28: 18 – 19 (NIV) And Jesus came and spoke to them saying, “All authority has been given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
 
Acts 1:8 (NIV) “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and you shall be witnesses of me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and in the end of the earth.”

1. The Pastor of Colonial Baptist Church provides executive and spiritual oversight for the Short Term Missions Committee, i.e. it’s management and programs
2. The Chairperson of the Missions Committee has administrative responsibility for the Short Term Missions Committee operation and initiatives.
3. The Chairperson of the Short Term Missions Committee provides immediate oversight and operation of the committee as related to  the mission of Colonial Baptist Church
4. It is the responsibility of all participants on the short-term mission team to participate in all training sessions, demonstrate fiscal responsibility by meeting their financial obligations, prepare themselves spiritually with prayer and bible study prior to and during the trip, participate in all aspects of the missions experience, and adhere to all the standards of conduct as an ambassadors of Jesus Christ.

1. Participation in a short-term mission trip requires maturity and spiritual commitment to serve as a disciple and ambassador of our Lord Jesus Christ
2. The Short Term Missions Committee will provide education, training supervision and spiritual preparation for missionary volunteers prior to, during and after mission trips. All missionaries are expected to attend all training and spiritual preparation sessions unless in cases of emergency or other extenuating circumstances  Absenteeism exceeding two training sessions require consultation with the Chairperson, Short Term Mission Committee for disposition
3. All participants must participate in prayer meetings in preparation for the Missions trip. Participants must be prepared to pray individually and collectively before and during the Missions trip. If participants refuse to pray collectively with the team, they would not be allowed to participate on the Missions trip
4. All missionaries should be able to demonstrate their ability to witness to a lost person prior to going on a Missions trip
5. At the discretion of the Short Term Missions Committee, missionaries will be prohibited from participating on a mission trip due to lack of compliance with any of the above requirements.

1. Colonial Baptist Church Short Term Missions committee will establish a budget for the necessary expenses of the mission team before and during the missions trip
2. Expenses relating to short-term mission trips may be funded partially by free will donations by members of Colonial Baptist Church. The funding will be consistent with the tax-exempt purposes of the church. Individuals wishing to participate in the trip must submit the required deposit by the required time indicated by the Short Term Missions Committee. The deposit demonstrates a good faith effort that he/she is participating in the trip
3. All interested missionaries are expected to furnish monies sufficient to cover their mission trip costs including the required deposit. A presumption of   lack of personal commitment will be made for any missionary who demonstrates a lack of effort to meet his/her financial obligation.
4. Free-will donations from friends who are not Colonial members may contribute to support mission trip fees.  Donations should be submitted to Colonial Baptist Church, identifying the mission activity on the memo line of the check or church envelop.  Example: Short term mission trip to New Orleans
5. All funds received for Short Term Mission trips become the property of Colonial Baptist Church and will be used at the discretion of Colonial for missionary activities.  If not needed for the current Missions trip, funds will be used for a subsequent mission trip  Eliminate the double period after activities and add period after trip
6. A participant, wishing to cancel his/her registration and receive a refund, may do so up to sixty days after submitting his/her deposit. The Short Term Missions Committee will establish a different deadline for any registration accepted within 60 days of the mission trip. However, all participants who cancel their registrations are encouraged to not seek a refund.  Instead they are asked to allow the Short Term Missions Committee to transfer their registration deposit to another person on the Missions team, utilize for mission trip expenses, or retain for a future missions trip.
7.  The payments by mission members are deductible as charitable contributions if the trip involves no significant element of personal pleasure, recreation, or vacation. The church will recognize these trip contributions as charitable contributions.
8. Donations submitted by Colonial members will be reflected on their annual financial statement.  Non-Colonial members may receive an end of year financial statement.
9. According to the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability the Missions Committee, the potential trip participant should refrain from any inference that the contributions will be paid as expenses to or for a particular worker. This is a fine line, but one that should be carefully observed.
10.   Solicitation of funds from Colonial members, except if they are family members, is prohibited.  Colonial members may give free will donations.   Funds may be solicited from friends, colleagues, etc as long as they are   non-Colonial members.  Missionary team members should remember that they are soliciting for the Missions team and not for themselves. All members should only use the solicitation letter provided by the Short Term Missions committee. There will be no refunds even if a team member receives more than their trip costs.  The Missions Committee will transfer the excess tax-deductible funds to those in need, cover additional trip costs, or retain for a subsequent missions trip. Once received by the church, all funds belong to Colonial Baptist Church. According to the IRS, contributions are solicited with the understanding that Colonial Baptist Church has complete discretion and control over the use of all donated funds
11. Anyone receiving any reimbursement for legitimate ministry expenses approved by the Missions committee, must produce the relevant receipts to the Committee without exception no later than 60 days after the mission trip concludes
12. If parents/guardian contributes to Colonial Baptist Church Short Term Missions Committee with a preference for their children’s legitimate trip expenses, these contributions are not generally tax deductible (assuming the minor carries out the church’s trip purposes). In addition, if the contribution is for the child’s personal expenses, these contributions are not tax deductable.
13. Ear marked gifts: if a donor submits a contribution exclusively for a particular recipient, this donation is generally considered an earmarked gift.  An earmarked  gift does not qualify as  a charitable deduction and should not be accepted (or acknowledged as a gift if accepted) by a charity sponsoring a short-term mission trip. An earmarked gift is a transfer that is intended to benefit an individual, not the charity. It is a transfer over which the charity does not have sufficient discretion and control. In the short-term mission trip context, if the charity accepted a gift restricted for a particular trip participant, the charity would not have the freedom to use the funds for a trip participant that fell short of the financial goal for the trip.

1. The Missions Committee will assign trip members to programs and project locations based upon an  assessment of each individual’s skills, training, and the specific needs of the Missions Committee
2. If a trip participant is a minor, the minor must actually provide services to carry out the purposes of the trip. The age of the minor and the minor’s development may be important factors in determining the minor’s capability of provide services to the team.
3. During mission trips, all Missions team members must  rise early for prayer and bible study and every evening, members will meet again for prayer and reflections
4. All mission team members must be flexible as the leader follows Christ’s leading. Schedules may change at a moment’s notice
5. Mission team members must participate in all activities of the mission trips, which include witnessing, gospel tracts or bible distribution, praying, teaching, counseling, serving, cleaning, cooking, preaching, singing, etc. when called upon by team leaders.
6. Participants will not be allowed to attend the trip if they are only going for one aspect of the mission trip and not the entire mission trip experience. For example, a participant cannot just attend for cooking, teaching or administration of vacation bible school, driving the vehicles, etc. and ignore all the other activities. All participants must be willing to participate in the entire mission’s trip experience or they would not be allowed to attend the Missions trip.
7. All members must demonstrate a level of Christian character  and exemplify biblical teaching of Colonial Baptist Church
8. All participants must receive a copy of this policy and sign stating their understanding of the policy prior to going on the trip. In the case of a minor, parents or guardians must be responsible for reading this policy and signing that they understand and will abide by the policies.