For over 75 years, CMF International has worked to transform lives worldwide using culturally relevant, effective, and reproducible mission strategies. With teams in 24 countries, our missionaries plant multiplying churches, welcome students into community, engage the marketplace, and empower the poor.

You can read more about CMF at www.cmfi.org.

Global Residency is an opportunity to live and serve alongside CMF teams around the world while being intentionally formed for a life of ministry. Whether taking a post‑graduate step or integrating the experience into an academic program, residents join the daily rhythms of life, community, and gospel-centered service in another culture. Residents serve between four to ten months with established CMF teams across global fields, including campus ministries, church planting teams, sports and medical ministries, community development initiatives, children and youth outreach, business as mission efforts, and more.

You can read more about Global Residency at www.cmfi.org/Residency.

CMF prides itself on facilitating a positive residency for your child. CMF handles all logistics to ensure a safe, effective experience for your child. We do this through training your child on how to raise support as well as processing their budget, airfare, visa, housing, meals, transportation, and all field arrangements with CMF missionaries. The residency begins and ends with training at Pre-Departure Orientation (PDO) and Debrief in Indianapolis.   

Each resident has an individualized budget based on the location and timeframe on the field. All funds raised cover your child’s entire residency, including a passport, visa, immunizations, training, airfare, field and ministry expenses, and much more. Though a residency is unpaid, CMF’s dedicated staff assist your child and provide support raising training, materials, an online giving link, and access to partner reports.

CMF is accredited by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). The ECFA annually audits the way CMF funds are received and spent as an organization. You can be assured that the money your child raises for Global Residency will be used appropriately. Every partner with your child will receive a tax-deductible receipt from CMF. 

Because all financial gifts given to CMF are tax-deductible, CMF cannot return financial gifts to partners or your child due to IRS regulations. Instead, your child’s funds can be kept in their account for up to five years to participate in Global Residency or longer service with CMF in the future.

Additionally, your child can choose to designate their funds to another CMF resident, missionary or project, or the Residency Scholarship Fund. If your child does not serve after raising support, CMF will send a letter on their behalf to partners to share this information.

Your child’s safety and wellbeing is our priority. While we cannot guarantee they will not encounter illness or challenges, CMF takes every reasonable step to minimize risks.

CMF closely monitors the stability of all countries where we serve. If a location is unsafe, we simply do not send residents there. CMF leadership receives daily updates from our teams, the United States government, and other security sources to ensure current, accurate information.

Throughout their service, residents are mentored by experienced CMF missionaries. These mentors provide clear safety guidelines and will help your child navigate their surroundings with wisdom and care. Your child will not be navigating a different country alone.

Before your child leaves, we will equip them with thorough health and travel safety training, so they are confident and prepared for a variety of situations. For additional safety, CMF provides supplemental travel medical insurance that covers international emergencies, evacuations, lost luggage, travel delays, and more. This policy works alongside your child’s primary health insurance; your child will pay for care upfront, and any covered expenses can be submitted for reimbursement after Global Residency.

It is a CMF policy for residents to have a personal credit card for emergencies. This is rarely needed, but it is required. If medical care is necessary, missionaries will ensure your child receives proper treatment. In the event of a serious injury, CMF will arrange transport back to the United States for continued care.

Housing for residents is thoughtfully arranged by their host missionary. Depending on location, team size, and ministry context, your child may stay with CMF missionaries, a host family, in a hostel, or in a shared residence. In every case, their safety and well-being are our priority. Residents are never placed alone or asked to secure their own housing.

CMF missionaries serve in full-time ministry and host residents alongside their regular responsibilities. To help them stay focused on their ministry, we do not share their contact information, including phone numbers and email addresses.

If you have questions about your child’s residency, please ask them first—They are being trained to take ownership of their experience from application through completion. If they cannot answer, the Residency Mobilizer is happy to assist you over phone or email.

Yes. Communication will vary by location, as technology access differs between urban and rural CMF fields. It is helpful to expect weekly updates, not daily contact through text or calls. We encourage residents to be fully present in ministry while they serve. Continuous contact can be distracting and create a greater sense of homesickness and culture shock.

In the event of an emergency, CMF will contact you right away. Your child has already provided us with their emergency contact information so we can reach the right person without delay.

A dedicated Residency Mobilizer oversees your child’s residency from start to finish and is available at Residency@cmfi.org for any questions or concerns.

Your child’s residency is, above all, a learning experience. They will grow in their understanding of the people, language, and culture of their host country, gain hands-on experience in missions, see God’s work around the world, and discover more about themselves as they are stretched and used by Him. For many, a residency is life-changing, shaping future decisions and ministry involvement. We believe God will use this time to deepen their faith and broaden their worldview.

Your encouragement and support play a vital role. Your child has prayerfully chosen Global Residency, and we trust God has equipped them to fully embrace the program. We are committed to providing a rich, meaningful residency and are excited to see all God will do in and through them.

Thank you for allowing them to serve with CMF and Global Residency.