Maybe it’s heresy for a youth worker to say this, but I’ve actually never been on a missions trip with a missions organization, like Group Workcamps, Global Expeditions, or Youth Works. It’s not that I’m opposed to them — it’s just that the Lord has always provided other personal connections to serve, both in the US and overseas.

Based on my experience, there’s several benefits to organizing your own missions trip.

1. Total flexibility. You’re in charge of the dates, where you go and what you do there, how long you stay, and everything else you can think of.

2. It’s cheaper. Since we’re not paying to support a missions organization, the cost of the trip is whatever we need it to be to cover expenses and not a penny more.

3. Serve according to your gifts. You can tailor the trip to the specific gifts and talents of your teenagers. Got lots of singers and kids who love to share Christ with strangers? Or do none of them sing and talking to strangers is like a Fear Factor mission?

4. Push the teens without breaking them. You can create a missions experience that will challenge them, but not push them over the edge. Since that breaking point is different for every group, so a one-size-fits-all trip may be too much for one group, but not stretching enough for another. Only you, their youth leader, know where that point is.

Again, there’s there’s nothing wrong with using an organization to plan and coordinate your missions trip. But if you’re considering a trip on your own next summer, these might be some reasons to give it a try.

One of the things that worked really well on our missions trip to Belize last month was assigning a responsibility to every teenager on the team. We made these assignments based on gifts and talents of each student. I highly recommend doing something like this for your future mission trips. Most of these responsibilities had at least one guy and one girl working together. This really helped streamline our communication, made sure items were in the right spot at the right time, and made everyone feel like they were part of the team. Our teens did an awesome job at taking ownership for each area they were assigned to. I’m really proud of them!

Communicator: Keep the team current on what is needed at the meetings, keep the church updated on the progress of the team, and maintain home contact during the trip. (That was my job.)

Work Coordinators: Make sure all the stuff gets done in order for us to live. Organize efforts for bag lunches, clean-up, and make sure we have everything we need before going to a ministry site and again when leaving.

Encouragers: Make sure we “do everything without grumbling or complaining” and be available to team members when needed. Let them know they are appreciated and valued. Guard the morale of the team.

Team Assistants: Assist adult leaders by leading tasks and communicating for them as asked.

Ministry Coordinators: Make sure presentation and programs are planned and executed in an orderly and excellent fashion.

Photographers: Record images that capture the spirit of the team, the people, the culture and the sights of Belize to help us remember and to share the experiences with those back home.

Prayer Coordinators: Make sure the team is “praying without ceasing.” Take the initiative to bring the team together for prayer. Keep a prayer journal for the team, including requests, praises and answers to prayer.

Public Relations: Make sure we leave a good impression wherever we go. Prepare “thank you” notes for people we visit.

Sound Coordinator: Oversee sound equipment, including transportation from location to location, as well as projectors, setup, tear-down, etc.

Drama Assistant: Organize dramas and practices. Oversee equipment transportation, organizing props, setup, putting them away afterwards, etc.

Puppet Assistant: Organize puppet shows and practices, including puppet and stage transportation, setup, tear down.

Song Leader Assistant: Assist the music leaders. Help lead music, teach hand motions, generate excitement for the songs.

Crafts Assistant: Organize VBS crafts, including materials transportation. Make sure everyone has the proper materials, teach others on the team how to lead the crafts, check inventory, etc.

Bill Allison of Cadre Ministries just released his latest free resource called, “10 Mission Trip Land Mines.” I read over it and plan to use it with my own youth group before we head to Belize in two weeks. Short-term mission trips can definitely leave a lasting impact on both students and the people we travel to reach, but they have the potential to have a very negative impact, as well. Bill Allison says this:

The fact is that there are a lot of mission trip land mines buried just beneath the surface, waiting patiently, for you or someone from your group to make one wrong step. Shouldn’t you know where these land mines are buried so you can avoid stepping on them?

The PDF also contains a checklist to help your team to avoid the land mines and an training session outline to use with your teens.

If your youth group is going on a missions trip this summer, I highly recommend you read this free resource from Bill Allison and Cadre Ministries.

Download “Ten Mission Trip Land Mines”

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“Open Mic” Skypecast today

As usual, the Life In Student Ministry Skypecast is today at 1:00 PM central time. It’ll again be an “open mic” time for you to discuss whatever is on your heart and mind concerning youth ministry. If you have questions, stories, issues, ideas, or concerns that you’d like to discuss with other youth workers, bring it to the Skypecast today. I’ll see you there! More Skypecast info here.