Taking responsibility means taking time to get acquainted with short-term training resources and making sure they are available for team members. If the budget does not allow individual purchase of materials for each team member, then place a set of books in the church library. The team leader is responsible. Preparation must entail more than Uncle George's slides of his fourteen trips to Haiti. Balanced preparation considers the local church's mission vision, the sending agency's policies, and the receiving church's goals.
Team leaders can prepare volunteers by encouraging spiritual growth.
They can guide team members in the development of positive team relationships with each other, missionaries, and local people on the field. Training should also include cross-cultural instruction. Effective training requires input from many perspectives. The volunteer is responsible. A commitment to go is a commitment to preparation.