Summer Missions Trips

It’s never too early to begin thinking about summer trips and plans. In fact I like to be planned out by beginning of fall school year prior to the trip.  I think the main reason I like to do it this way is because if a trip is $1000 you can tell students that it will only take $30 a month to fund the trip.

I like to be strategic in my summer plans.  I love mission’s trips, but I think if you take one every single year they can get a little daunting.  Students need to go on mission’s trips in order to see a different side of summer.  They can stay home, go to camp, play with friends, sleep in, and play xbox. Or they can take a week out of their summer and help others.

I have found mission trips to be incredible life changing weeks.  Students see God in a new and very real way during their time away in the summer.  I believe that mission’s trips should be a staple of student ministry.

The following summer instead of recreating the mission’s trip from the previous year, which your students will want, because of the emotional connection they made, take your students to a leadership training seminar.  One organization that I endorse is Dare2Share ministries.  Use Dare2Share to help train, teach, and equip your students to vibrantly share their faith.

Finally, the following summer do something local.  Stay home.  Acts 1:8 says, “You will be my witness in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  Show your students how to effectively minister in their Jerusalem.  You’ve already taken them to Judea, and you’ve equipped them, now show them that ministry doesn’t need to be thousands of miles away.  Ministry is where you are right now!

If you create this cycle you will stretch your students each summer in a different way.  Yes, a mission’s trip will stretch your students, but by their senior year, if they’ve done a mission’s trip each year, it’s no longer a stretch, it is probably comfortable.  This rotation keeps students moving outside their comfort zone, which will stretch and grow their faith.

What is your current summer plan?  Have you been successful setting up a rotation of summer events?