“We’ve been going all these years — we’ve never had a problem there.”
Scotty Goldman said he’s heard those words many times from churches that are planning missions trips.
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But not too long ago in one of those frequently visited countries, teams dialed his number a lot.
“We had some criminal activity on one of our teams — they were carjacked and all of their passports and phones were stolen,” said Goldman, director of the office of global missions at the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions.
Around the same time, several other teams also faced problems there, such as a medical emergency and an airport shutdown after a volcano eruption.
Proactive rather than reactive
Goldman said his phone is always open for calls when teams need help, but preparation can prevent the need for some of those calls.
“Why would we want to take a chance on reacting to something if we can be proactive in knowing how to avoid it?” he asked. “What we’re trying to do is be proactive in knowing what to look for, whether it’s cultural, criminal or governmental.”
And when reaction is necessary, prior planning can make the wheels move faster, Goldman said.
That’s why the SBOM offers faith-focused safe-travel training for missions volunteers. The training can cover topics such as dealing with medical emergencies and preventing theft and kidnapping.
Three levels of training
The SBOM can arrange three levels of training for missions volunteers:
- Level A — This basic training takes about three hours and includes a video followed by a country-specific safety update that outlines specific threats in the location where volunteers will be working.
- Level B — This more advanced two-day training is for team leaders and those going into higher risk areas.
- Level C — The most advanced training, this weeklong training is for volunteers going to the highest risk areas.
Goldman said Level A is available to teams through video training sessions and Zoom calls. The SBOM hosts Level B training once a year, but churches can host their own class for groups of 12 to 24 people. The next one will be held Feb. 5–6, 2026 at Southeast Alabama Baptist Association in Dothan.
An additional benefit of safe-travel training is access to a 24/7 emergency response team who can help in times of crisis.
Goldman said he recently got three emergency calls in the same week — all different situations, all from teams that hadn’t gone through the training.
‘None of us are immune’
“We’re happy to help with any situation like that, but some of these things we could help with in a better and faster way if they had training ahead of time and if we knew they were going,” Goldman said. “We had to start from scratch on the fly.”
He said training is important because “we want them to be able to go safer and longer … none of us are immune to emergencies.”
In addition to helping with training, the SBOM can recommend travel agents and travel insurers experienced in missions travel. Goldman said his office also has dozens of resources, including team leader packets, planning timelines, checklists and legal templates on its website.
For more information and resources, visit a18c.org/resources.
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