3 Key Takeaways
- Mission Trips Can Be Bad: People sometimes go on mission trips with their own agendas, which does more harm than good.
- Ways to Have a Successful Mission: There are steps you can take to make sure the mission trip you go on is impactful to the community.
- Join a Mission Trip: You can partner with a church or missions organization to go on a short-term mission trip of your own.
Introduction to Mission Trips
In the Great Commission, Jesus commands us all to “‘go and make disciples of all nations … (Mathew 28:19).’” There are many different ways believers can follow and fulfill this commandment. One of these ways is to go on a mission trip. Mission trips are intended for believers to travel to new places and share the love of Christ with unbelievers. Most mission trips are short-term and last about a week.
Mission trips are inherently good, but they can be harmful if they are done with the wrong intentions and poor planning. If done correctly, mission trips can allow the light of Jesus to shine in the spiritually darkest places.
Why Mission Trips Can Be Bad
Selfishness
One of the reasons mission trips can be perceived as bad is because people might go into a mission trip with their own agenda. It is important to be flexible when going into a mission trip because plans can change quickly once you’re on the field. Understand that the needs of the people you are trying to reach and the field workers you are partnering with may be different than what you had initially planned. People can go into a mission trip with the wrong heart posture and get upset when plans shift, which can do more harm than good. Remember that you are there to serve others and reflect the love of Jesus to those who don’t know Him.
Some also argue that when short-term teams come in, it can distract the long-term missionaries who live in the country. This can be true if the short-term teams come with their own agenda and do not consider what is most helpful for the people they are serving. It is important to have a partnership with a long-term missionary or church in the area you are going to so you know how to better serve the community.
No Follow-Up
Because short-term missionaries do not stay on the mission field for a long time, it’s important for them to partner with long-term missionaries or local believers. Some short-term missionaries will go somewhere for a week, do a lot of work, and then leave, never to be heard from again. If there’s no one to follow up with those who heard the gospel, then those who accepted Christ or want to learn more won’t have someone to disciple them or continue watering the seeds that have been planted. A missionary or church in the area should be there to help the people grow in their faith.
How This Can Be Fixed
Intentions
Going into a mission trip with the right heart posture will transform the experience for everyone involved. A mission trip is intended to serve others and not to benefit yourself. Pray for God to soften your heart before you go so that you can better serve. Philippians 2:3-4 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.” This is one verse you can reflect on before going on a mission trip. You can also pray for God to give you a heart of humility so that you will put the needs of others before your own.
Communication
Before going into the mission field, communicate with long-term missionaries or local believers who are already there. They can tell you what the needs of the community are and how you can best serve them. Once you figure out what they need, you can be trained with the right tools. It is also important to listen to the field workers you are partnering with. If they tell you to do something that is different than what you originally intended to do, it is important to listen to them and trust their judgment; they know the people and the culture better than anyone else.
Follow-Up
When going on a short-term mission trip, have a follow-up plan in place before you go. You should make sure that there are believers in the area or a long-term missionary who will be there after you leave. It is important that someone is there who can answer any questions new believers might have and guide them in their faith. The organization you go with should have a follow-up plan already in place. If not, you may want to consider going with a different organization.
Join a Mission Trip
Mission trips can be harmful if the team goes in with the wrong intentions. When a team goes in with the right heart posture and a plan that aids in the work of the long-term missionaries on the field, you will see people come to Christ in all nations—even in the most unreached places. If this is something you want to do, you can go through your church or a mission agency to help you get started. An experienced organization or church will be able to guide you through the process and connect you with people who live in the area full-time. At East-West, mission trips are focused on evangelism, and teams deploy throughout the year. There are trips for adults, students, and women. Click here to learn more about mission trips through East-West.