What do mixing concrete, long trips, little sleep and eating unusual food have to do with real mission work?

Many youth groups take an annual short-term mission trip. Unfortunately, many people who go on these trips are misinformed. How can missions miss the biblical mark? Let's look at what characterizes a biblically grounded mission trip and explore specific guidelines to help us have informed missions.

Informed by Popularity

Not too long ago, I heard a very well-known preacher suggest we take youth on a mission trip based on the hit TV show "The Amazing Race." He said we should take a bus and stop at a different mission site each day. The kids never would know where they were going next. "How much fun this would be!" he suggested.

Multiple times, I have heard of youth leaders wanting to take their youth groups on an international trip to show them another culture, yet what happens is a transplanting of America to a different location. One group traveled all the way to an African country and then alienated themselves from the locals in every way imaginable, missing the opportunity to get to know the locals and be known by them.

Americans love to work hard and be productive, which can be very good qualities; but can our definitions of success and efficiency get in the way of God's plan? Why do we travel so far and use so much money to go on these trips? Is it to point at the concrete building we just constructed and feel good about ourselves? To see the world? To have fun? What informs our missiology? What do students take away from the mission trips that we lead?

Informed by Scripture

"When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His cloak. Immediately her bleeding stopped. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from Him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, 'Who touched My clothes?'" (Mark 5:27-30). Jesus was not willing for the woman to just have physical healing; He wanted her to know Him. He wanted conversation and communication so she could get to know Him. He wanted her to be in relationship with Him.

The Great Commission instructs Christians to go out and make disciples (Matt. 28:19). The very understanding of a disciple is relational in nature. The postmodern culture in which today's youth grow up encourages movement from one event to another, always to be busy. How can we make missions not just another event to add to our to-do lists? How can we make them truly connectional and biblical? Are we actually making disciples or just filling our schedules and padding our resumes?

In the beginning of the Gospel of John, an important question and answer exchange takes place, "Rabbi, where are You staying?' He said to them, 'Come and see'" (vv. 1:38-39). Throughout this gospel, we see this "Come and see; follow Me" theme. Jesus' teaching and His very life were focused on being in relationship with those around Him. This same calling is true for us today. We are called to go out into the world. While it is good to build things with our hands, may we remember the most important things being built are not those made with our hands. The relationships that develop when we travel and the fact that we are called to go in the name of Jesus are the valued fruit that is produced when we are sent out.