Hey y'all, full disclosure I'm not ordained or anything, but I do assist our youth pastor and his wife with lesson and activity planning, special events, chaperoning, and just in general try to fill in where needed in our church's youth ministry. I really love it!
Anyway, I'm looking for input regarding short-term youth mission trips, the kind where you travel to another city and stay for a week, camp out at a local church, and assist with service projects in the area. Our group just got back from our annual trip, it was my first one as a chaperone and I have mixed feelings about it, as do most of the other chaperones who attended. So mostly I'm just looking for thoughts and personal inputs that might help shape how we handle missions next summer. Here are some questions to get the discussion started:
-Does your church take a long-distance trip for missions, or do you focus more on local outreach? We drove 7 hours in 4 vehicles for our trip, and I couldn't help but think we could have had a similar experience an hour or two from home. But maybe the distance itself accomplishes something as far as getting out of comfort zones and such? We also do some local outreach during the rest of the year, but nothing seems to get the kids fired up like going out of town for the annual trip.
-Do you work with a youth missions organization, or free-lance by partnering with a local church, maybe a "sister church" within your denomination? My church is small and non-denominational so options are limited there, but it would be cool to work with a group whose mission statement is more focused on spreading the Gospel than random service projects (though I realize God can work and speak through service projects too).
-Do you allow any willing youth to go, or do you have some sort of age limit or maturity requirement? We allow anyone who wants to go, but it was quickly apparent that 15% of the kids were causing 90% of the stress and drama. Yet it did seem like God used the trip to work on the heart of at least one of the troublemakers, and I realize that ministry isn't about what's least stressful for me personally, but rather whatever God wants to accomplish, stressful or not. Still, I can't help but think that a minimum servant's attitude and basic obedience level would help our group to be more of a blessing to those we claim to be ministering to.
-And lastly, what are your personal experiences with youth missions trips, either as a youth or as an adult leading or chaperoning the trip? Did God use it to speak to you? Was it a pivotal experience in your walk with Christ? Did you come away with lessons that really stuck with you? Any stories and input you are willing to share is much appreciated! Thanks in advance and God bless!
Anyway, I'm looking for input regarding short-term youth mission trips, the kind where you travel to another city and stay for a week, camp out at a local church, and assist with service projects in the area. Our group just got back from our annual trip, it was my first one as a chaperone and I have mixed feelings about it, as do most of the other chaperones who attended. So mostly I'm just looking for thoughts and personal inputs that might help shape how we handle missions next summer. Here are some questions to get the discussion started:
-Does your church take a long-distance trip for missions, or do you focus more on local outreach? We drove 7 hours in 4 vehicles for our trip, and I couldn't help but think we could have had a similar experience an hour or two from home. But maybe the distance itself accomplishes something as far as getting out of comfort zones and such? We also do some local outreach during the rest of the year, but nothing seems to get the kids fired up like going out of town for the annual trip.
-Do you work with a youth missions organization, or free-lance by partnering with a local church, maybe a "sister church" within your denomination? My church is small and non-denominational so options are limited there, but it would be cool to work with a group whose mission statement is more focused on spreading the Gospel than random service projects (though I realize God can work and speak through service projects too).
-Do you allow any willing youth to go, or do you have some sort of age limit or maturity requirement? We allow anyone who wants to go, but it was quickly apparent that 15% of the kids were causing 90% of the stress and drama. Yet it did seem like God used the trip to work on the heart of at least one of the troublemakers, and I realize that ministry isn't about what's least stressful for me personally, but rather whatever God wants to accomplish, stressful or not. Still, I can't help but think that a minimum servant's attitude and basic obedience level would help our group to be more of a blessing to those we claim to be ministering to.
-And lastly, what are your personal experiences with youth missions trips, either as a youth or as an adult leading or chaperoning the trip? Did God use it to speak to you? Was it a pivotal experience in your walk with Christ? Did you come away with lessons that really stuck with you? Any stories and input you are willing to share is much appreciated! Thanks in advance and God bless!
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. What you had to say was good food for thought, though I find myself falling somewhere in the middle. This was my first official trip (I never did one as a teenager), so coming at it only from the perspective of a chaperone has me feeling like my perspective might be a little unbalanced. I might try to post a similar thread in teens or young adults to see if I get more response there. I appreciate your thoughts and input!