{"id":1678,"date":"2012-10-08T21:59:45","date_gmt":"2012-10-09T01:59:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.missiondiscovery.org\/?p=1678"},"modified":"2021-09-23T16:54:25","modified_gmt":"2021-09-23T20:54:25","slug":"choosing-mission-trip-3-things-consider","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.missiondiscovery.org\/news\/choosing-mission-trip-3-things-consider\/","title":{"rendered":"CHOOSING A MISSION TRIP-3 THINGS TO CONSIDER"},"content":{"rendered":"
When Mission Discovery began in 1991 there were only a few agencies like ours focused on taking groups on short term mission trips. Of the agencies that surface to the top in search engines under our key search term\u00a0“Mission Trips,”<\/a>\u00a0how do you know which to select?<\/p>\n Here are three things to consider when choosing an agency to fulfill your team’s call to serve those in in need.<\/p>\n Does the agency have a core belief that lines with the “Great Commission” of Christ. The focus of Mission Discovery is unique in the world of short term missions. We believe that you have a story to tell. Your story is powerful because it is the story of God’s work in your life. Mission Discovery training helps each participant tell his or her story in a way that communicates clearly the message of Christ.<\/p>\n Secondly, does the agency have a record of delivering what is promised in written trip descriptions. The agency you work with must be willing to share contact information of past church leaders who can give a report of how the agency performed.<\/p>\n Lastly is leadership. Ask who are the leaders of the trip you are considering, and how many years of experience they bring to the mission trip.<\/p>\n Some other things to consider are financial transparency, whether or not the agency is a not-for-profit (there are actually some for-profit short term mission agencies out there).<\/p>\n A good place to look for financial information on a non-profit mission agency is at\u00a0ECFA.org<\/a>. Agencies seeking transparency in finance are members of ECFA. Membership requires an annual audit. We also like\u00a0GuideStar.org<\/a>. There you can download a non-profit’s 990 IRS information. A 990 is a bit of a play by play of an agencies financial year.<\/p>\n Just one more thing. Some agencies like Mission Discovery raise money that comes alongside the fees you pay for mission trips. We have a fundraising goal each year. What this means is that you can expect to receive more on a Mission Discovery trip than you paid for! Ask the agency you are interviewing if they staff raise support. If the answer is yes you will benefit!<\/p>\n