TERMS FOR DIRECT FUNDED MISSIONARY MOU

These Terms are part of the Direct Funded Missionary Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”).  The complete MOU between IMB, Missionary, and the Church consists of the Direct Funded Missionary Memorandum of Understanding, Schedule A to that MOU, and these Terms.  Capitalized terms not otherwise defined in these Terms shall have the meaning given to them in the Direct Funded Missionary Memorandum of Understanding.

1. Baptist Faith and Message.

All ministry under this MOU will be carried out in a way that is consistent with and not contrary to the Baptist Faith and Message of 2000, and promotes IMB’s vision, values, and core beliefs.

2. Qualifications.

An IMB missionary is a disciple of Jesus, set apart by the Holy Spirit, sent out from the church, and affirmed by the IMB to cross geographic, cultural, and/or linguistic barriers as part of a missionary team focused on making disciples and multiplying churches among unreached peoples and places. The Parties agree that Missionary must at all times meet the qualifications for an IMB missionary, including but not limited to:

SPIRITUAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Vibrant personal discipleship: As they abide in God’s Word and walk in step with God’s Spirit, IMB missionaries bear fruit of an intimate, growing relationship with Christ.
• Evident personal disciple making: IMB missionaries are meaningfully involved in a local church in which they participate in leading people to faith in Christ, seeing new believers baptized in the church, and showing believers how to obey Christ, all with a view toward reaching the nations with the gospel.
• Call: The call to serve as an IMB missionary has been discerned within a local church and affirmed by that local church alongside IMB leadership.
• Commitment: IMB missionaries are devoted to the vision, mission, values, and beliefs of the IMB.

SOUTHERN BAPTIST IDENTITY

• Currently a baptized member of a Southern Baptist church
• Committed to and identification with Southern Baptists
• Conviction of truth as expressed in the current Baptist Faith and Message statement of the Southern Baptist Convention

HEALTH

Good physical, emotional, and mental health.

FAMILY

IMB missionaries model a godly family life and/or personal relationships.

CITIZENSHIP

Service is open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents of the United States.

OTHER

Education, experience, and other qualifications defined by IMB to match the particular assignment where the Missionary may serve.

3. Selection.

Once the assessment process is complete and IMB and the Church have agreed that an individual meets the above qualifications for an IMB missionary, IMB, the Church, and the Missionary will jointly sign the Covenant to Affirm the Calling of an IMB Missionary.

4. Training.

Unless the requirement is waived by IMB, Missionary will attend and participate fully in an IMB Field Personnel Orientation (“FPO”) session at IMB’s International Learning Center (“ILC”) prior to being deployed on the field. IMB also agrees to provide on-going training (excluding language training) once Missionary is deployed on the field as IMB determines to be necessary. The cost of this training will be funded by IMB.

5. Funds Provided by the Church to IMB for the Missionary Support Package.

Each year, IMB will provide Church with an annual amount of funds needed to cover the Missionary’s support package along with dates on which quarterly payments from the Church are due. IMB will annually re-calculate costs for the following year and notify the Church of the new amount with at least three months’ notice. Unless otherwise specified by IMB in writing, payments from the Church to IMB will be due ninety days prior to the beginning of each quarter. If the Church fails to make full payment by the due date and such failure continues for 10 days after written notice from IMB, then IMB shall have the authority to exercise any remedies available at law or in equity, up to and including terminating this MOU and requiring the Missionary sent by Church under this MOU to immediately return to the US.

Any funds the Church gives to IMB under this MOU become IMB funds under the discretion, control and stewardship obligations of IMB. Any assets purchased with these IMB funds are IMB assets to be used for IMB’s tax exempt purposes. Upon expiration or early termination of the MOU, any such assets will be retained by IMB. Assets purchased by a Missionary using their personal salary or other funds belong to the Missionary.

6. Lottie Moon and Cooperative Program Giving.

The Church agrees that it will maintain its current level of giving through Cooperative Program Giving and Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for the duration of this MOU and will not reduce that level in order to fund the financial commitments made as a result of this MOU.

7. Supervision/Accountability Structure.

Missionary will be accountable to IMB supervision for activity and performance under this MOU. IMB field leadership will provide annual evaluations of Missionary’s service and provide a summary of Missionary’s evaluation at the Church’s request. IMB will keep the Church apprised of the IMB field leader providing IMB supervision to Missionary. The Church will designate the Church representatives with whom it wishes IMB to correspond concerning Missionary.

8. Crisis Management.

In a crisis, the Parties agrees that Missionary shall follow the guidance and decisions made by the IMB Crisis Action Team. IMB will keep the Church informed of the crisis situation and major decisions made by the Crisis Action Team.

9. Compliance with IMB Policies.

The Parties agree that Missionary shall comply with policies and practices of IMB with regard to IMB field personnel, including IMB’s Manual for Field Personnel, as amended from time to time. In the case of misconduct by Missionary, IMB has the authority to take action appropriate to the misconduct.

10. Term of MOU and Early Termination.

Unless otherwise agreed to by the Parties in writing, the initial term of this MOU shall expire on the last day of the Assignment Period (“the Expiration Date”). Should no action be taken to renew the MOU by the Expiration Date, this MOU shall lapse. The MOU may be extended upon mutual agreement of the Parties in writing. This MOU may be terminated at any time by any Party by giving written notice to all Parties; however, any confidentiality obligations and financial obligations owed by any Party to another Party under this MOU shall survive the termination of the MOU unless agreed to in writing by the Party to whom the obligation is owed.

11. Confidential Information.

The Church acknowledges that during the term of this MOU, the Church may learn or receive confidential IMB information. The Church agrees that all such information will be kept confidential by the Church for the protection of the Missionary, other IMB field personnel, and the IMB. In the event of a breach of confidentiality, IMB shall have the authority to take disciplinary action, up to and including termination pursuant to this paragraph, and require the Church to remedy any such breach of confidentiality. The Church shall be notified in writing of such breach of confidentiality and any disciplinary action being taken by IMB.
IMB acknowledges that during the term of this MOU, the IMB may learn or receive confidential Church information. IMB agrees that all such information will be kept confidential by IMB.

The obligations set forth in this Section shall survive this MOU indefinitely.

12. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution.

This MOU shall be governed by, construed and enforced according to the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, without giving effect to Virginia’s conflict of laws provisions.  The exclusive mechanism for resolution of any disputes concerning any aspect of its execution, implementation, interpretation or termination shall be a Biblical process that involves good faith negotiations, and if necessary, Christian conciliation (which may include mediation or arbitration or both) under the rules of the Institute for Christian Conciliation (see http://www.iccpeace.com/guidelines) conducted in Virginia.  Each Party irrevocably waives, on the basis of commonly held religious beliefs, any right to seek relief of any kind, legal or equitable, in the courts or administrative agencies of any government body, anywhere in the world, except that a Party may seek enforcement of an arbitration decision rendered by the Christian conciliator through the courts of Virginia or any other state where the Parties are doing business or have assets.  The terms of this Paragraph shall survive the termination of this MOU.

13. Notices.

Any legal notices to the Church required under this MOU should be sent to the Church’s main address. Any legal notices to Missionary required under this MOU should be sent to the Missionary’s mailing address or Missionary’s email address. Any legal notices to the IMB required under this MOU should be sent to: IMB, General Counsel’s Office, PO Box 6767, Richmond, VA 23230.

14. Assignment.

This MOU may not be assigned by either Party without the prior written consent of the other Party.

15. No Agency Created.

This MOU is not intended to create an agency relationship between the Parties for any purpose.

16. Entire Agreement; Counterparts.

This MOU and all support addendums represent the entire agreement between the Parties and supersedes any oral or written agreement, understanding, representation, discussion or other documentation to the contrary. This MOU may not be amended except in writing by the Parties. This MOU may be executed in one or more counterpart copies. Each counterpart copy shall constitute an agreement and all of the counterpart copies shall constitute one fully executed agreement. This MOU may be executed on facsimile counterparts. The signature of any Party to any counterpart shall be deemed a signature to, and may be appended to, any other counterpart.

17. Construction.

For purposes of this MOU, whenever the context requires:

1. the singular number shall include the plural, and vice versa;
2. the masculine gender shall include the feminine and neuter genders, the feminine gender shall include the masculine and neuter genders, the neuter gender shall include the masculine and feminine genders; and
3. the words include and including, and variations thereof, shall not be deemed to be terms of limitation, but rather shall be deemed to be followed by the words without limitation.