Youth Mission Trips – Knowing the Why, Not Just Where?

Are you taking time to ask WHY, not just WHERE? I believe the biggest mistake a youth worker can make when planning a mission trip for their students is by NOT asking WHY.

As youth worker’s, we’ve all received in the mail brochures and postcards from short-term mission organizations asking us to bring our teens to their mission trip. You may have even received something from me promoting TIMS. And for many of you, you’re still looking for ideas as to where you’ll take your students this year. As the Director of TIMS (Teens in Missionary Service) at the Christian Retreat Center my first responsibility is not the logistical planning of our yearly work camps. My primary focus is leadership and youth spiritual development and my desire for each youth worker and student that attends a week of TIMS is for them to truly understand the WHY of mission trips and not just the WHERE.

When I speak to youth workers about planning their summer mission trips many times the conversation starts with; “I’m praying about where, when & how much.” It’s not often I hear; “I’m praying about why to go on a mission trip.” Of course location is very important as you don’t want to load your students on a plane bond for Afghanistan to minister to the Taliban hiding in caves (though they need Jesus also). I’m sure you’d have parents knocking down your office door because they want to “have a chat” with you. But location and cost should not be the first and only factor when planning your mission trip. You need to consider why you’re taking your students on a mission trip.

Recently I had a conversation with a youth leader that told me they are going to Haiti for their youth mission trip in 2010. When I asked why he chose Haiti and why he’s doing a mission trip he responded with; “it’s where all the youth groups from our denomination go.” Basically he chose the location and the reason why for one reason…it’s what everyone else is doing. This is just one of many answers I’ve received when I asked youth workers for their reason “why” on the subject of mission trips.

So why should I take my youth group on a mission trip?

• Unity: As your students are placed in situations that pushes them to work together it builds strong bonds that carry over once you return home. Jesus’ desire for your students is that they will become unified as a powerful team as they unleash the gospel wherever they go. When your students are united they will pray for others, encourage others, work together in humility, and glorify God. “I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” – John 17:23
• Compassion: Mission trips are a great way to have your students become more aware of the needs of others. Whether overseas or right in their own backyard there are people with spiritual and physical needs. Their motivation for going on a mission trip should NOT be based on location (“they have awesome beaches!”). They should be motivated by compassion. Jesus knew that people needed what he brought them, both the message of the kingdom and physical needs; he came for our good, not his own. “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” – Matthew 9:36
• Grow Deep: Many times I have heard stories of teens that shared how God became more real and personal to them as a result of the mission trip. Also, many teens have put their faith in Christ as a result of attending a mission trip. “Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” – Colossians 2:7. Will your mission trip have a spiritual impact on your students? Will they come home talking about how God worked in their own personal relationship with Jesus? Or will they only talk about the beaches, the hangout time and/or the site seeing?
• Change their View: Whether overseas or stateside, your student’s will experience a new culture and their view on the world and perspective on life will change and grow. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” – Acts 1:8. The media, schools and yes…sometimes even churches can paint a wrong picture of the world. Our teens need to see the world as Jesus does, a world with lost and broken hearts. For most teens their perspective of the world is based on bottled water instead of muddy water gathered from miles away, violence is seen only on TV shows and videos games instead of on their streets, and bibles can be freely bought in a variety of colors and designs instead of smuggled in a variety of methods and people.
• Kingdom Building: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28:19-20. Some times we can lose track as to the purpose of a mission trip. If we’re not careful it can become all about meeting physical needs, but at the core of every mission trip we are called to bring the gospel wherever we go. We can build houses, collect food and clothes, but if the gospel is not presented then our mission has failed. This is why at TIMS we say; “The physical work is secondary to the primary spiritual work of the gospel.”
  

Location and cost are important but I believe if we start focusing first on the “why,” God will honor our decision making process by sending us where he calls, whether it’s overseas or stateside. So as you start planning your youth mission trips begin by asking “why” before thumbing through the pile of brochures looking for the right place.

Youth Ministry & Camp Ministry – A GREAT Combination!

After a little more than a year of joining the CRC team as the new TIMS Director I’m in awe as to what God has done with TIMS, the youth leaders & teens that have attended, the speakers & worship leaders, our neighbor we serve, and my own personal & ministry life. I took a look back and come across the post below that I wrote shortly after accepting joining CRC. I’m discovering that Youth Ministry and Camp Ministry is a GREAT combination.

A New Direction in Youth Ministry (My job is changing but not my mission) - originally posted on 9/15/2008

Some of you have been pondering, curious and even asking me what in the world am I doing. Over the past two months I have been visiting several different churches and every time I’ve gone I’ve left little information or none as to the reason for these trips.

First let me apologize if you have felt in the dark lately, but don’t worry your days of curiosity are over. If you thought my travels and visits have been for speaking purposes…well that’s incorrect. If you thought they were for new interim positions with IYM…that’s also incorrect. The purpose for these trips/visits was for possible new youth ministry positions. Over the past year I have known in my heart God was beginning to lead me in a new direction of youth ministry, but the question that plagued my mind all this time was; “what is that new direction going to look like?”

So after several interviews, lots of prayer, counsel from wise friends and moments of being still and listening, God made his plan clear to me last week. On Thursday afternoon I accepted the full-time position as the new TIMS (Teens in Missionary Service) Program Director at CRC (The Christian Retreat Center).

For almost two years now I have built a relationship and a love for CRC. Most of you know my role at the camp has been as their speaker for Teen week, Staff week, and the T.I.M.S. weeks. It was during those T.I.M.S. weeks that I saw a real and deep need for the program. The need to convey and teach what the programs main focus and purpose is built on. No…it’s not built on building houses, yard work or fixing a broken porch. The number one priority of the T.I.M.S. program is to share the truth of the gospel with the surrounding community. The T.I.M.S program is not about meeting the physical needs alone, it’s about meeting a greater need. My friend Greg Stier recently wrote in a blog post…“Again I do believe we as Christians should feed the poor but if that’s all we do we are missing the point. It would be a shame to let somebody go to hell but comfort ourselves with the thought that at least they had a full stomach.”

The logistical details of my ministry may be changing but my mission is not. My goal is still to reach the world for Jesus one teenager at a time. Now I know many of you will have questions and I encourage you to post them right here on my blog. I recently had someone who disagreed with my decision (I’m sorry but I follow God not man) tell me; “camp ministry is NOT youth ministry. I can’t believe you’re giving up youth ministry.” In which I quickly and nicely replied…”Give camp ministry a try for just one summer, then come back and tell me it’s not youth ministry.” Youth ministry is not something that is only done within the walls of our church buildings on Wednesday nights. Just ask some of my fellow youth workers out there that are neck deep in the trenches of youth ministry (you know who you are).

Am I giving up being a speaker? No Way! God continues to open doors and give me opportunities to preach to teens and one of those places will be at CRC. I will continue to teach the weekly Soul Fuel small group time (Matthew House) and I’m looking forward to leading a new youth workers network that is starting up in the Central PA area as we focus on building Deep & Wide Youth Ministries. So am I excited with how things have turned out? Absolutely! Why? Because God has placed me where I can use all my gifts, talents, and experiences to reach a large number of teens and equip youth workers from all over to build deep and wide youth ministries. God has placed me where His will lines up with my hearts desire and that’s the right place to be.

I pray you are just as excited about this new direction God is taking me, and I pray you will support me in prayer. Several months ago I told God that I was submitting myself completely and that I was willing to broaden my borders. At the time I thought broader borders meant moving to another town or even another state (New Mexico, Missouri, and Maryland were on the list). I’ve been reminded that God’s borders are much larger than state lines.

TIMS2010 Promo Video