How to Lead a Youth Missions Trip
note: this month on the blog we’ll be focusing on different components of leading a short-term missions trip for youth that bears lasting fruit. Make sure to check back in for more.
Student ministers seek to help students worship God, love people, and make disciples. We hope that our regular gatherings are structured to facilitate and fulfill these goals. Short-term mission trips can be some of the best avenues for teaching students these things.
Missions trips can provide students with opportunities to serve God, grow closer together, and discover their callings. But how do you lead one of these effectively, making the best use of your time and empowering your students to minister well?
Here are a few principles to keep in mind during your next youth mission trip.
Begin with Prayer
There is nothing that we can do apart from the power of God. Every day, before your day starts, begin the mission with corporate prayer, personally and with your students. Here are some good things to pray for:
Boldness: In Acts 1:8, Jesus tells the disciples that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them. This power is what helps them share the gospel. It is what gives them confidence to minister in new contexts: because they know God is with them, enabling and fueling their ministry. We need the Holy Spirit’s power and boldness to share the gospel, and our students do, too. Let’s ask for it!
Gospel Encounters: Whether you are digging wells, running a VBS, or serving your home community, the goal should be to encounter lost people with the gospel. Sometimes this is through the events we are putting on or the activities we are running, but other times, conversations with people during travel, breaks, or at mealtimes can bring profound fruit. As we are sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading, we should desire more opportunities to share our faith. Are we praying for the Lord to show us the people He puts in our path?
Safety: In all you do on the mission, pray for safety in travel, interactions with people, and world events. This becomes especially important in international contexts, where unforeseen situations can drastically alter schedules and limit your opportunities. As the leader of your group, you are responsible for bathing every detail in prayer.
There are many unpredictable aspects of these trips, so being “prayed-up” is a great way to set the tone for each day.
Communicate Well
We have all heard it said that “failure to plan is planning to fail.” Before each day begins, and even the night before, your group needs to know what to expect; it is a good idea to take the time to communicate the day's vision. Talk about the activities, strategize the setup and teardown instructions, and go over travel plans and the schedule so everyone knows where they need to be and what they need to be doing.
This helps students to prepare their hearts and minds for what God has for them. Let them mentally prepare for ministry before you throw them into it. For many students, nothing is worse than being told they must share their faith on a moment’s notice. If your plans include praying for people and sharing your faith in the park, let the students know. If you plan to be off-site for the day, let your students know so they are prepared and can pack accordingly. Your goal should not be to surprise your students (or students’ parents) with anything. Lay out the plan each day and execute it. Why cause unnecessary stress that will cloud their eagerness for ministry simply because you don’t want to tell them plans ahead of time?
Hold Plans Loosely
You should strive to effectively execute what you have communicated to your team, but also make sure not to be so rigid that you miss opportunities to minister as the Spirit leads. This past year, our summer high school mission trip was to New York City. As with every mission trip, coffee is a must, so I took our team to the Starbucks a couple of blocks away. We were in a tight window and needed to get back to the mission house for training, but while we were waiting for our orders, a man approached us and began asking questions (our southern accents make us stick out).
We were then able to turn that everyday conversation into a gospel conversation. For the first time in this man’s life, he heard the good news of Jesus Christ. While he did not respond in that conversation, a seed was planted. If we had been too strict about the schedule, we might never have gotten that opportunity. While we were in a tight window, it was also important for us to be open to the Holy Spirit's leading. This was a helpful reminder to our team that ministry doesn’t just happen within the budgeted timeframes: sometimes God answers prayers through unexpected conversations.
Pause for Reflection
At the end of every day, make space for students and leaders to share a story about what they encountered. Even if you all saw the same things, they all likely have a different perspective on the success and struggles of the day. Allow your students time to reflect on how they saw God move on the mission field. These debriefing sessions can be a huge encouragement to your team.
Here is a list of a few questions that you can ask to get the conversation started:
How did you see God move today?
What challenges did you face today, and how did God use them to stretch your faith?
Did we work well as a team today? Is there any conflict with a teammate that needs to be resolved one-on-one?
What is one thing God has taught you today about trusting Him as you seek to serve Him well?
What would it look like to bring the same urgency to sharing the Gospel with you at home?
These moments often become great discipleship opportunities, where you, as the youth leader, can walk them through the highs and lows of ministry, approaching difficult subjects, practical challenges, and spiritual burdens.
Point to Christ
Missions trips are about serving the Lord through supporting ministry partners, but they should also spur us into worship. In fact, for the spiritual health and energy of your group, you should allot time every day for meditating on Scripture and prayer (and worship through song, if you have capacity). This does not have to be limited to the mission house or the hotel you are staying in; meet on the job site, at your partner church, or in a local park. Through prayer, reading God’s Word, and times of celebration for what God has done, you remind your team of why they are there: to glorify God as they make Christ known.
It is important that we do not forget that God graciously uses imperfect messengers to bring people to life all around the world! Not every short-term mission trip will see a large influx of people coming to Christ, but as we seek to be faithful in the opportunities available to us, our students can grow stronger in their faith, deepen their worship, and discover their callings together.
May we, as youth leaders, seek to empower the next generation to step boldly into the Great Commission, trusting God to work through their lives to make His Son known.