What is a Mission Trip?
Mission trips are a way for Christians to serve the world around them. Usually, they are done in groups, either by churches or Christian organizations and can be as short as 1 week or last up to 2 years and beyond. The purpose of these trips is usually service-oriented: helping people with jobs like construction, medical care, teaching children English, and more. This article will talk about what mission trips are and how you can get involved!
What makes a Christian Mission Trip unique?
A Christian mission trip will have a focus on outreach. Sharing the Gospel with people, whether they are receptive to it or not, is part of what makes a mission trip so fulfilling. The opportunity to share the Gospel with people living in poverty and other struggling circumstances helps us learn about being selfless, loving others more than ourselves, and shows God’s love for humanity through our actions!
Outreach activities could include Children’s Bible School, community service, building homes in impoverished areas, sharing meals with the homeless, and much more. These are just a few examples of what outreach activities could be.
What is the purpose of a Mission Trip?
There are three pillars of a Mission Discovery mission trip that all volunteers should know before joining.
We go as Learners
We never enter into another community to “fix” them. We go to learn from them, about their culture and what they need the most help with. Remember, this is not about us!
We do not go to another community as a “savior”. The people of the communities we serve are capable, strong and intelligent. We simply come alongside them with our time, energy and resources to help something happen that would otherwise remain impossible for an individual or family on their own.
It is never about us! It’s always about the people we serve. We are there to share God’s love, not to get recognition for what we did.
We go as Servants
We are there to serve the community that we’re in, whether it is through construction or medical care. We want to be able to help improve their quality of life and make them feel loved!
We leave a community better than when we got there. Whether that means building homes, teaching English in a classroom, or painting the outside of a church- our goal is to be selfless and help others with their greatest needs!
We go as Storytellers
We share our stories. People want to know how we came to Christ. We share what God is doing in our lives and how He is working in us and through us.
When we go into a mission trip we want it to change everyone involved: our volunteers, those who are served, as well as ourselves.
We hope that when we get back home, we can inspire others to go on a mission trip and serve. We want people who hear about our stories to understand how impactful it is for us personally and also in the lives of those around us!
Summary
Mission trips are an important part of growing as a Christian. Not only do you learn what it means to be selfless and put others before yourself, but you also grow as a person in learning how to listen. You learn about other cultures and their traditions by actively engaging with them. Mission trips are unforgettable experiences that help shape your faith and can change the world!
One final piece: When you go on a mission trip, it’s important to come back changed! You will learn so much about yourself and others in the process. Be open to this change and embrace what happens when we give up control of our lives and follow God’s plan for us instead!
–Definition: a Christian mission trip is a short-term voluntary service experience for youth and adults who want to share their faith with others.
Mission trips are defined as experiences where Christians go out into the world to help those in need, whether the needs are physical or spiritual.
Mission trips are designed to help individuals grow in their personal relationship with Christ while also learning about other cultures and how they can love on the communities around them!
-Mission Discovery Trip Pillars: We go as learners, servants, and storytellers!
-Explanation: a mission trip is an organized community service effort done by Christians and churches, usually lasting for one week or more. Churches and organizations provide people with the opportunity to make a difference in communities through short term mission trips.
-Summary: there are three pillars of a mission discovery trip that everyone should know before going on a Christian mission trip. They include being selfless, learning from the community you serve, and sharing God’s love with them! We help improve the quality of life in communities through our time and energy given to serving others in their greatest need.
