Editor’s note: This post was originally published on September 25, 2016. In light of the string of destructive tornados that hit Louisiana on February 7, 2017, we wanted to refresh and bring this post to the forefront. We hope it provides practical advice for ministry when devastating events like this occur in your area.…
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.…
The enemy of outreach… is outreach. It seems like every church has some advocate for its “outreach.” This could be a person in an official ministry role, be it paid or volunteer. In some situations, the pastor is the primary advocate (especially if he/she has a spiritual gifting in this area).…
I like it when people pick up the tab for my food. A guy named Doug approached me years ago when I transitioned into a church as its youth pastor. He’d been a faithful student ministry volunteer and wanted to start a friendship with me.…
Mission trips can be very heavy on logistics. Where you go. Where you stay. Who you serve. How you serve them. What you eat. How you get there. And many more details… Ugh. In the mountain of all that info, it’s easy to miss planning and preparing for what may be the most important thing that will happen on your mission trip.…
So now that you’ve decided to take your group on a mission trip, the task of planning the trip and bringing everything together begins… There’s the travel to and from the location. The breaking down of your bigger group into smaller teams that will serve together.…
