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YOUTH MINISTRY
Making Mission Trips Meaningful
by Lori Crowe Burgess
With advancing technology and air travel possibilities, Christ’s call to “preach the gospel to every nation” is becoming a reality. Missions education now extends beyond the typical missionary presentation of pictures and stories to providing youth with opportunities to travel abroad and actually become the missionaries. Mission travel allows students to look into the eyes of the people, experience their culture and listen to stories first hand. Students are allowed to experience social justice issues and evaluate global needs. A well-planned mission experience has the potential to change the lives of youth and their worldview. Following are eight tips to planning an effective mission experience for youth.
Prepare!
Preparation is key! Decide nine months to a year in advance whether your group will minister domestically or internationally. Create networks with local and international mission agencies to find creative group opportunities. Evaluate your students and decide what type of mission experience will benefit the whole group. Some trips may involve construction work while others may involve relational ministry objectives. Mission trips should be planned with age appropriateness in mind as well as the emotional and spiritual maturity of students.
Lead!
Help students take ownership by establishing a leadership team within the youth group. Create specific positions for each team leader. Positions might include activities chair, supplies chair, and relations chair. For example, the activities chair is responsible for coordinating various activities that the group will be responsible for during the trip. The supplies chair is responsible for organizing efforts within the church to collect various ministry items. The relations chair serves as a liaison between the church and the youth, educating the congregation about ways to be involved in the upcoming mission trip. Allow students to be creative and invent leadership positions that help the group plan a successful experience.
Educate!
The most effective mission workers are those who have a previous knowledge of the culture and socio-economic environment in which they will be ministering. Spend ample time the weeks prior to the trip educating students of cultural differences and etiquettes. Discuss various issues involving the people with whom they will be working. Have students research articles and/or Internet sites that relate to the social issues of the culture.
Theologize!
Effective ministers are those that know why they minister. Spend time discussing biblical truths focused on God’s call to build the Kingdom of God. Have a missions forum and discuss with students the importance of going to learn from others. Attempt to eliminate unhealthy philosophies of “we’re going to give them something.” Help students understand the importance of holistic ministry, involving ministering to the whole person.
Pray!
Prayer is essential to every ministry endeavor. Spend time with your leadership team and the entire group praying for the trip. Be creative in your prayer times. Decide on a specific time of day for students to program their watches or cell phones to call them to prayer for the trip. Have a special prayer time involving the group and the congregation the Sunday morning prior to the trip. Assign each student a prayer partner in the congregation that agrees to pray for that student while on trip. Have students write down specific requests that relate to their mission experience. This is an effective way to connect the younger generation with the older in a way that benefits both groups.
Connect!
Create a daily devotional for the group to read while on the mission trip. Encourage students to reflect each day on their encounters with others and opportunities to minister. Find a time at the end of each day for students to relate their experiences back to the group.
Inspire!
Help connect the students through creative outlets. With the help of Internet-savvy students, create a blog and/or website for the students to check daily. Update the blog or website several times a week with inspirational quotes, pictures, and informative material. Use the website to offer students educational articles relating to the mission trip and other links.
Debrief!
Be intentional in leading students through a time of debriefing. Immediately after the trip and for at least two weeks thereafter, discuss the effectiveness of the experience and ways that students grew in their faith. Find ways to incorporate experiences from the trip into their understanding of the world and their culture.
Lori Crowe Burgess graduated from McAfee School of Theology (Mercer University) with a Master of Divinity in 2004. Lori is currently serving as a freelance writer for various publications and ministry curriculums. She also serves as a missions consultant for churches; working with women of all ages.
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