Team devotions:

Before you arrive to training, we would like you to prepare 3 short (10-20 minute) devotions to lead your team through while you are overseas. 

We ask team members to prepare and lead devotions for two reasons:

• It encourages team unity;
• It allows you to be active in sharing your faith, which will cause both you and your team to grow in your relationship with Christ. 

Please bring materials and an outline for each devotion with you to training. Your team leaders will go over them with you to help make sure that you are set up to succeed in this effort. 

What is a team “devotion?”

A team “devotion”, in the CTI context, is simply a time set apart for your team to intentionally learn about and grow closer to Christ.  It is usually led by one person and lasts no longer than 20 minutes.

Don’t Stress Out About It:

Some of you might react quite negatively to the idea of leading others in a time of devotion, while others of you might be energized by the prospect of sharing with your team. While we do want you to take this responsibility seriously, we don’t want you to get stressed about it.  Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Team devotions are often a source of growth for both those who participate and those who lead.
• Your team will share the load of leading devotions.  Everyone on the team will take turns leading. 
• The best devotions are subjective (i.e., what God is teaching you) rather than objective.
• You are an expert on this subject.
• God often teaches us lessons that we can pass on to others. 

A Few General Guidelines:

• Keep your devotions Christ-focused!
• Use Scripture as much as possible.

Some Ideas for Content:

• Share what God has been teaching you through your personal devotions
• Lead the team in a time of prayer for something/someone specific
• Lead the team in a time of worship
• Read a passage from a book that God is using to show you something new
• Share a story about a “God-moment” in your life
• Share something God taught you from a message/devotion you heard someone else deliver.

Pray for guidance, ask for help and remember:  this is as much about your own relationship with Christ as it is about your teammates.