Nothing has the power to transform your teenagers’ lives better than an outside-my-comfort-zone mission trip or service project. Outreach is the lifeblood of a thriving youth ministry, and serves as a microwave for life-change.
What You’ll Find
The Missions and Service section provides guidance, inspiration, and ideas to help you find or create life-changing experiences for your youth ministry. You’ll find stories of epic triumphs and epic fails, along with how-to’s that will aid you in planning a trip/project, fundraising, recruiting volunteers and even post-trip follow through.
Camp will always have a special place in my heart. My Mom would not have a relationship with Christ if it weren’t for entire summers spent in the hills of Massachusetts. It is the very place my ministry career began. In high school I worked at a day camp for the disabled.…
Summer is a wonderful thing. Birds sing louder, flowers bloom brighter, and the alarm clock rings later. Summer is also a time when students can take a break from the daily grind of their own crazy-busy lives and give extra attention to their hearts and their faith at summer camp.…
Can we let you in on a little secret? It’s surprising – shocking, even – and you’ll probably find it hard to believe. But it’s true. Ready? Schools want us on their campuses. I know, I know, you’re not sure if you believe it.…
I can’t believe how many opportunities I’ve wasted taking students on mission trips. I know I’m not the only one. Mission trips are an amazing idea…but what we tend to do with them (or not do with them) is the real issue.…
In 1983, I was 7 years old. My second grade teacher at Mira Mesa Christian School asked a question that made my little heart race. “Would any of you like to invite Jesus into your life today?” My mind quickly went to the amazing stories I’d heard about Jesus.…
You’ve likely heard the debate about mission trips. On one hand, books and blog posts have cited their potential to do more harm than good. A handful of people with significant platforms have argued that it’s better to send money and prayer-fueled encouragement than a short-term team to do tangible work the locals can do themselves.…
A serving experience is likely in your future. It’s no secret that many youth groups take part in an annual spring, summer, fall or winter mission trip. You can either throw students into these opportunities, or see the time between now and then as its own opportunity of preparation.…
A guest post by Aaron Kirkpatrick at RethinkingYouthMinistry.com offers this compelling thought against involving youth in “service projects”: A project is a job. A project is an assignment. A project is something that must get done, regardless of whether you actually want to do it.…
You likely have an opinion about the poor. You may have even served the poor. Do you have an understanding of the poor, though? “When you are broke, you can’t plan ahead or shop sales or buy in bulk. Poor people wait to buy something until they absolutely need it, so they have to pay whatever the going price is at that moment.…
Yesterday I posted a letter that I shared with students before a big youth conference. Part of the takeaway (I hoped) was to give you a template to use on your trips. The other takeaway is how I see that letter now, fourteen years after I wrote it; It had at least one huge blind spot in it.…
