Five lousy reasons to do summer missions
(for my youth pastor friends)

It’s that time of year again. Last minute planning for the winter youth retreat has been replaced by thoughts of summer. How about a summer mission trip with the youth group?

Before you e-mail your favourite missionary or ministry in Mexico, here are a few lousy reasons to do summer missions that are worth your reflection.

1. Others are going.

You’ve been hearing reports from other youth groups in town that their last short term mission trip (STM) was amazing. Now teens from your group are thinking of joining the youth group across town on their mission trip. You’ve got to head this one off at the pass. Time to get a mission trip of your own organized before your whole group goes south (and leaves you up north).

How about praying for a strategy? Disciples of Jesus are invited to join Him on His global mission. Where does that mission begin? It should start with the teens in your high school and the homeless in your city. Going cross-cultural can begin on your local university campus or native territory. If your mission isn’t happening at home, don’t export it. A well-thought out international STM usually takes a year to plan. Pray through a mission strategy for your youth group that includes local, national and international discipleship in mission experiences.

2. The parents of my teens are bugging me.

You’ve heard from a few parents that it would be “really good” if you planned an STM for their kids. You’re thinking this might come up in your next performance review. Time to start planning? Maybe not.

How about bringing this up at the next parents’ meeting you schedule and discern together whether it’s your youth group that is interested in taking mission to the next level, or just a few parents. There are some great STMs the parents could serve on (with or without their teens). Regardless, it’s always a great idea to get the parents involved in the prayer, planning and experience of an STM, rather than trying to pull it off yourself.

3. An STM will look good on my resume.

What church wouldn’t be impressed with some cross-cultural mission experiences on a resume? How about God? God is impressed with obedience. When we stand before His throne and protest, “Did we not go on missions in your name?” we will be reminded it’s all about the will of the Father.

Just because we have the finances and time to cross the world doesn’t mean it’s the Father’s will. The need doesn’t constitute the call. Galilee was full of needs that Jesus walked right past. His goal was to obey the Father. It should be ours as well.

4. It would be awesome to visit my missionary friend.

Yes, it would. But scheduling an STM to cover your costs to get there is probably not the right way to go about it. In addition, a divided focus will distract you from your primary goal of discipling your youth through the experience.

The open secret about STM is that most of the value is experienced by those who go to serve, not those on the “receiving end.” By trying to pull off a mission trip by themselves, most youth workers are so exhausted by the time the STM rolls around they have little left to give their teens.

How about serving with an experienced STM organization that takes care of the pre-trip discipleship training, has excellent staff present to organize the assignment experience, and then leads your group through a quality debrief where you discover how to apply what you have learned in your home setting? (Check out Youth Mission International’s SOAR program at 1-877-YMI-INFO or Youth Mission International). You might not get to visit your favourite missionary but a well-planned STM experience will transform your youth group and save you from burnout.

5. I’ve always wanted to visit Africa.

Watching World Vision television specials can do that to you. However, it’s a bad reason to get a bunch of teens to raise tens of thousands of dollars to join you.

What’s STM all about? It’s about discipleship; about learning to walk with God, become like Him and serve in His Kingdom. This is not a vacation. This will cost you. There is no such thing as “short-term” in God’s mission. Instead of squeezing God into your Africa box, how about aligning your heart with His, and begin teaching your teens to listen and obey the voice of God. All of life becomes an adventure of following His mission.

Mission isn’t first a location; it’s a relationship. It’s His mission. Find out where He’s working and where He’s inviting you to join Him.

Randy Friesen began Youth Mission International in 1989 and now directs the short-term ministries division of MBMS International (which includes YMI), which facilitates STMs for about 1000 people a year. He is completing doctoral research on the impact of STMs on the values and beliefs of young adults. He lives in Waterloo, Ont.