After the Trip Is Over: Making Short-Term Mission Trips Better

“All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name.” Psalm 86:9

We sat on the steps of our lodging in Guatemala cutting fresh pieces of mango to devour in between playing games of soccer on the nearby field. My friends and I had just experienced a week of ministering in orphanages and helping a local church serve their neighborhood in Guatemala City. I was a senior in high school on my first overseas mission trip, and I had the thought, “This might be as close to heaven as I’ll ever get on earth.” 

I have fond memories of all of the national and international mission trips I took as a teenager. Those short-term opportunities pulled me out of my comfort zone and introduced me to what a life of ministry might look like. I became aware of the great need for gospel workers around the world. Those trips were also the places where I began to consider if God might be calling me to full-time ministry.  

When I returned from those short-term trips, no one asked me how I would live differently in response to what I’d learned on the trip. No one offered to teach me more about God’s mission. No one asked me if I’d like to learn more about what full-time ministry might look like. But if they had asked, I would have said, “Yes!”

A majority of Christians who will potentially be sent out into full-time overseas ministry opportunities over the next decades are members of our student ministries right now. Creating intentional and strategic mission experiences for teenagers today will fuel future obedience to God’s mission to share the gospel with all nations. How can our short-term student mission trips better serve the goal of equipping the local church toward the long-term goal of sharing the gospel with all nations?

Student workers typically spend the bulk of time during mission trip preparation planning training sessions for the group prior to the trip and coordinating the ministry opportunities that will happen during the trip. But are we doing our students and our churches a disservice if we launch a trip without a plan to continue equipping students after the trip is over? What if we spent a little more time on a strategic plan to equip and encourage students after the trip is over?

Consider what small, achievable steps your student ministry can take to create a more thorough follow-up plan for students who want to take their next step in God’s mission. 

Here are some practical ideas to create a better follow-up strategy:

Build in response times for students while on the trip.

Some students may encounter Jesus for the first time and want to put their faith in Christ while on a short-term trip. Other students will experience great joy in serving and think, “Man, I wish I could do this full-time one day!” Meet them where they are. Then show them where they could go.

Ask the question, “Do you sense God might be calling you to full-time ministry in the United States or in another country in the future?” Consider making this question part of a response time while on your trip. 

Memorize the letters I.C.N.U.

Encouragement can be life-changing. While on your trip, share specifically with students how you witness God working in and through them. Do this by remembering and using the phrase, “I see in you…”

Create post-trip learning environments. Invite students to join you for an hour before or after your typical meeting time to process their trip experiences and also receive more education and equipping toward their next step in God’s mission.

To fill the time you can:

• Read and discuss a book together. (“Sent” by Heather and Ashley Holleman is a favorite among our high school students.) 
• Engage in an interactive curriculum together. (“Step In” by Global Frontier Missions is an unbeatable 5-week study.) 
• Adopt an unreached people group and pray consistently. (Prayercast and Joshua Project have excellent online resources to equip groups and individuals to pray for the unreached.)
• Share gospel conversations you are having with friends, families, and neighbors. Pray specifically for people in your community to know Christ and ask God for open doors for the gospel.

Go back! Short-term missions can bloom into long-term partnerships if they are built on relationships instead of “religious tourism.”

Talk about God’s mission constantly. Mission is not just something we do, but it’s our identity as the people of God. This vision for God’s mission is taught and caught!

What a privilege it is to help students discover their purpose in God’s mission. May our Spirit-empowered efforts in equipping the next generation bring glory to His name!