Do Short Term Mission Trips Really Work?

I have a meeting with a pastor this afternoon to discuss an upcoming spring break mission trip for his group. From the sound of it, many of the students haven’t had much missions experience. It got me thinking about how important it is for teenagers and college students to learn how to serve on a mission trip, to have their faith and worldview stretched to the absolute max. 

This season can be a busy one for us at Adventures In Missions (AIM). People start thinking about what they’re doing for the summer, and we tend to fill up a lot of our mission trips. As an organization, we’ve been doing everything we can (from new programs to discount pricing) to ensure that young people still have an opportunity to have a radical, life-changing experience in the mission field. 

Short-term missions catches a lot of flak and criticism these days (some of which is due). But make no mistake: a mission trip doesn’t only benefit those who are going on the trip. I used to be a skeptic of the whole STM fad, but that was before I started seeing people healed on these trips, before I started seeing churches planted in a week. I’ve seen so much long-term good come out of short-term experiences that I can’t help but believe in the effectiveness of mission trips that are done well. 

Every year, I hear stories from young people who have spent a week or a month or an entire summer in the mission field, and how that one trip changed the course of their life forever. Sending a high school or college student on a mission trip is an investment into their future; it’s a way of saying, “That is what’s important in life.” Not only that, it’s scriptural. If you really search the New Testament, you find that the precedent for missions isn’t long-term, but more often than not, it is short-term (three years or less). 

God can do a lot in a short amount of time. You just need to give him a little bit of room to work. 

If you’re a parent or youth leader, I urge you to consider making an investment a young person you’re influencing by sending them on a mission trip. The return will be immeasurable. If you’re still skeptical, I’ll connect you with parents and youth leaders who will testify to the importance of missions in the discipleship of young people. 

If you are that high school or college student, I challenge you to get in the game. Jesus didn’t teach his disciples through textbooks and coffee meetings; he used real-world practical experiences to show them how to live. Quit procrastinating and making excuses. It’s time. You know this. It’s time to discover Christ amongst the “least of these.” It’s time to see the dignity in the eyes of the poor you once pitied. And it’s time to understand how big God is compared to the box in which you have been placing him. 

For high school students and college-age young adults, I can’t think of doing anything better with your summer (or spring break) than serving in a place that is outside of your comfort zone. It really will be an incredible experience to look back on years later; please don’t put it off. You may never again have the opportunity. 

If you need help getting started, contact AIM. Don’t debate and question and then do nothing; find a way to go. Of course, I’d recommend our organization, but there are others, too, that would well be worth your time. If you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for and need an unbiased third party to help you in this decision-making process, I recommend the Right Now Campaign. 

If you know AIM and want to go on a trip with us, check out our short-term mission trips for students and young adults. 

Again, please go.