STEM Team Policies
Here’s the menu of some of the STEM Team Policies that apply to all STEM Teams and all STEM Team Members:
- Cancellation and “Refunds”
- Doctrinal Statement Adherence
- Discounts
- Insurance
- Dress Code
- Adult-to-Youth Supervisory Ratio
- No Smoking/Drinking/Illegal Drugs
- No Dating
- Rights/Liability Release & Risk Acknowledgement
- Emergency Management Policies: Kidnapping, Ransom, Evacuation, etc.
1. Cancellation and “Refunds”
Refunds: Because STEM is a tax-exempt nonprofit organization, the Internal Revenue Service (I.R.S.) will not allow us to “refund” any contributions. Therefore STEM cannot refund any payments made for STEM Mission Team Trips; that’s because your Trip “payment” (regardless of who wrote the check) is actually a contribution which is pooled into a Team budget. Each Team budget remains under the full control and authority of STEM, and is used specifically for all expenses related to the given Team’s outreach.
Cancellation: A person who has to cancel for legitimate reasons (e.g., medical or family emergency) does have the option to apply their payment amount to a future STEM Team, or to designate another person to go in his/her place on the current Team (both options available for the twelve months from the date of the original Team's departure).
2. Doctrinal Statement Adherence
In the "oneness" spirit of John Chapter 17, STEM accepts several Christian “doctrinal/creedal positions” for our STEM Teams. Regardless of those “positions,” we still require all STEM Team Members to abide by our evangelical 9-Point Statement of Belief when joining a STEM Team.
3. Discounts
Families who join an international team and pay for three family members in full receive a 25% discount for up to two additional members (i.e., on the the 4th and 5th family members) on the "STEM Team Fee" portion of the total cost. Families are defined as parent(s) plus their biological or adoptive children, provided the children are financial dependents living in the family home.
Families who join a domestic team and pay for three family members in full receive a 20% discount for up to two additional members (i.e., the 4th and 5th family members) on the "STEM Team Fee" portion of the total cost.
4. Insurance
Each STEM Team member is personally responsible to provide their own respective insurance coverage of any and all types, including but not limited to, medical, hospitalization, life, disability, death, lost baggage, lost or stolen personal property, and any and all other insurance which a Team member may need or desire.
STEM purchases a very basic and limited “missionary travel” insurance policy for most overseas STEM Team Members (but not for domestic Team Members nor for any STEM Share Team Members). This limited policy acts only as a supplement to Team Members’ own personal health insurance policies (again, STEM requires each Team Member to have their own adequate health insurance and all other insurance). Currently the STEM-purchased policy specifies a $500 per occurrence deductible and provides some limited coverage for: accidental death and dismemberment, certain medical expenses, emergency evacuation/repatriation, return of mortal remains, emergency medical reunion, return of minor children, and certain interruptions of trip. However our insurer may change or amend their policy terms at any time, and this website paragraph may not adequately reflect those changes. STEM also reserves the right to change our insurer for any reason at any time. For more information, click here to download STEM Team Insurance Policy Provisions (an 8-page PDF file “STEM Int’l Program Summary Administered By Specialty Risk International, Inc.” that contains specific insurance details).
5. Dress Code
Most countries where STEM Teams serve have a more conservative approach to clothing than we are used to in the United States and Canada. As guests, we choose to respect our host receiving people by honoring their requests that our Teams wear modest and culturally appropriate clothing. Specific dress code details will vary from location to location. In some locations, women may be expected to wear dresses or skirts at all times with fully-covered chest and shoulders. Men often need long slacks/pants. Sometimes modest and conservative shorts will be O.K. for both men and women, but not always! We ask team members to remove body piercings (other than for a single pair of earrings for women), and to wear only the simplest jewelry (preferably no jewelry).
6. Adult-to-Youth Supervisory Ratio
For every minor aged 15 or younger, the ratio on each STEM Team needs to be one parental-approved adult for three minors (1:3).
For senior high groups aged 16–18, the ratio is one adult for four minors (1:4).
STEM Team Leaders cannot be factored into these ratios; each Team must provide their own adult supervisors.
7. No Smoking/Drinking/Illegal Drugs
STEM does not allow smoking, drinking alcoholic beverages, or use of illegal drugs. Team members who violate this policy are subject to being sent home immediately at their own expense.
8. No Dating
STEM has a “no on-field dating” policy. This includes newly formed couples and couples who are already dating. All forms of physical contact (hand holding, kissing, hugging, sitting on laps) are prohibited both in public and in private. This necessary policy helps us maintain integrity with our national host people, helps maintain team unity, helps you concentrate on your Team’s mission outreach activities, and also allows future STEM Teams to keep coming back to this field!
9. rights/liability release & risk acknowledgement
All STEM Team Members are asked to release certain rights and liabilities. Each Team Member will be asked to: waive his/her right to file a lawsuit in exchange for Biblically-based mediation; release all leaders and organizations from liability; acknowledge and accept hazards, risks, and other dangers associated with this mission trip; acknowledge and accept responsibility for all insurance needs; authorize STEM Leaders to make essential medical / emergency / hospitalization decisions if necessary and accept full responsibility for all such expenses including shipping your body home should you die; agree to abide by all policies, guidelines, rules (including Emergency Management Policies below); and agree to submit to all leaders and those in authority. (The complete text for this entire release is contained in the “STEM Team Registration Packet.” You can access the download link for this Packet on our home page; click on the STEM logo — upper right corner at the top of this page — to quickly go to the home page.)
10. emergency management POLICIES
In answering God’s Great Commission mandate, STEM sends short-term missionary volunteers around the world to take part in discipling the nations; many of these nations present greater risks than Team members are normally exposed to at home. Because STEM can never completely eliminate every risk or prepare Team members for every dangerous situation, Team members and their Sending Supporters and Sending Churches join regularly in prayer for God’s wisdom, protection, and guidance for every aspect of the STEM mission trip (pre-field, on-field, and post-field). STEM adopted certain Team-related emergency management policies to help reduce potential dangers and risks and to provide pre-established protocol for responding to certain emergency situations should they occur.
Some of STEM’s Team-related emergency management policies that are appropriate to publish on our website are:
- Crisis and Urgent Event Management
A. Crisis Event
It is the policy of STEM Int’l that only the Crisis Management Team (CMT) — formed by the STEM Headquarters Security Oversight Team, the On-Field Urgent Response Team (URT) Level 2, and other affected organizations — will manage a crisis through the Resolution and Recovery Phases. When a CMT is established, it is to be the only component “working” on that crisis. No action related to the crisis is to be taken without the authorization of the CMT.
B. Urgent Event Level 1 and Level 2
It is the policy of STEM Int’l that the On-Field Leaders (i.e., the combination of STEM Team Leaders, Sending Partner Leaders, and Field Facilitator Leaders) can activate an URT for an Urgent Event Level 1 or Level 2. An Urgent Event Level 1 or 2 may be upgraded by decision of the On-Field Leaders. When upgraded, the On-Field Leaders immediately report the now-Level 2 Event to and work with STEM Headquarters toward resolution. - Information Management
It is the policy of STEM Int’l that all information, intelligence, ideas, and suggestions relating to a crisis be directed to the Crisis Management Team at the earliest possible time. Any and all other persons with such information or with suggestions for the CMT shall forward the information or suggestions immediately to the CMT. During a crisis, only the CMT releases information and makes public statements about the crisis. No other person or organization outside the CMT is authorized to make any statement whatsoever that relates to an ongoing crisis. This includes statements to internal constituencies (staff, families, Sending Partners, etc.) as well as external constituencies (the media, extended family, other home churches, government agencies, etc.). - Payment of Ransom, Yielding to Extortion
It is the policy of STEM Int’l that no ransom or other extortion will be paid, nor should STEM nor any of our partners yield to other demands issued through hostage taking or extortion. - Negotiation with Kidnappers and Hostage Takers
The STEM Int’l Crisis Management Team (CMT) is the only authorized group to conduct negotiations, consistent with the limitations of other STEM organizational policies, as the CMT may deem necessary to save the life or lives and effect the release of any staff or team member abducted during official ministry outreach of STEM (i.e., during the STEM mission trip). The CMT may employ such consultants and negotiators, as it deems appropriate. - Notifications to Governments of Kidnapping and Hostage Taking
It is the policy of STEM Int’l to cooperate with legitimate government inquiries and activities in cases of kidnapping and hostage taking, when doing so is judged to be in the best interest of the hostage(s) and STEM Int’l and our partners. The decisions of when and how to make these notifications to government agencies shall be made by the CMT. - Evacuation Authority
It is the policy of STEM Int’l that decision-making authority regarding evacuation exists at the local entity level (On-field URT) and at the STEM headquarters’ leadership level (CMT, if assembled). In different circumstances, each of these levels may have access to information that makes evacuation an appropriate decision; so, each is authorized to act on such information and make a decision. The remainder of the organization, including our partners, will respect such a decision. This policy is multi-lateral: Just as headquarters will support the On-field URT’s decision to evacuate, so will the On-field URT support a directive from headquarters to do so.
