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FastTrack Program
Sending missionaries to the field is very exciting, but it can be an enormous and difficult task. For some, that period of time when a team is making final preparations to leave can be particularly stressful.
Let’s say that you have completed the accreditation process and you’ve been accepted as a missionary. You’ve now been raising support for 13 months and you’re about 70% done. You’ve been making presentations and trying to raise support while you’ve also been: organizing your personal affairs, spending time with extended family members, tending to your immediate family, engaging in on-going fellowship and ministry activities, putting together a home support team, . . . and trying to hold down a full-time job. And let’s also say you find out from your agency that you only have 3 months to get to the field before the government there refuses your visa. The pressure is now on to complete the deputation process. What do you do? You pray, you stew, you get on the phone and call for help. You fret, pray some more and finally you turn to your missions director only to have him report that there’s nothing he can do!
We think there is more that can be done in these types of situations. We think the sending church can provide practical ways to make getting teams on the field more effective, efficient, and less stressful. We have developed the FastTrack Program as a means of expediting the sending process when the pressure’s on to get you there in a hurry.
What is the
FastTrack Program?FastTrack is a program designed to help certain qualified members of an accredited missionary team speed up the process of getting to the field.
How does FastTrack help?
FastTrack helps by making it possible for some missionaries to be employed by the church while they complete the tasks standing in the way of their departure.
What is the FastTrack program trying to accomplish?
The goal is simple: make sending a missions team quicker and less stressful when the timing of their departure is of critical concern. By paying team members to raise support we reduce their distress and we shorten the time it takes to leave because not having to work a regular job frees time for the job of support raising.
How do I figure out if I’m a candidate for FastTrack?
The FastTrack program is not for everyone. Some won’t need it, others may. Contacting the missions director is the place to start. And of course the elders make the final decision. Here are a few important considerations:
 | Are you able to show strategically good cause for hastening your departure? |
| Have you raised about 70% of your support? |
| Are you able to provide written records of your pledges and receipts? |
| Are you willing to provide detailed information about your personal finances? |
What are the nuts and bolts of the
FastTrack program?We set up a series of meetings and interviews to determine your need and to clarify your proposal. Once the missions staff is satisfied there is sufficient reason to qualify you for FastTrack, and if you’ve done all your paperwork, the missions director discusses your case with the elders. If the elders agree, your plan is documented and set in motion. Once you are on the payroll, you work to complete your preparations to leave, meeting regularly with the missions director as you go. You’ll be considered a full-time Xenos employee, but because of the limited duration of FastTrack, you won’t receive normal full-time benefits.
It’s important to note that negotiations regarding FastTrack take place well before you reach your last months of support efforts.
How long does it last?
FastTrack programs can vary in length. The idea is to hasten the process of getting to the field, so your FastTrack process will be for the least amount of time necessary. Keep this in mind; it’s easier to terminate FastTrack than it is to get an extension. Here are some important questions to ask?
| How urgent is my need to get to the field? |
| How limited are FastTrack resources? |
| How hard am I willing to work to get my support raised? |
| How far do I have to go in my fund raising? |
| Will I be ready to leave as soon as the last fund raising dollar is pledged? |
What are my responsibilities?
| Provide information as needed. |
| Meet regularly with the director and set weekly goals. |
| Help determine FastTrack goals. |
| Put in 40 hours/week raising support and working on goals. |
| Do not work another job while in the FastTrack program. |
What are Xenos’ responsibilities?
| Provide a regular Xenos payroll check on the same payday as other Xenos employees. |
| Provide supervision and oversight. |
| Encourage you and pray for you. |
If you’d like more information about the FastTrack program, call the World Ministries Director at 614-823-6500
