Last week was so much fun Simply Youth Ministry is bringing it back!

Today from now until 7pmEastern time you can get the 3-part mission trip kit Prepare Go Live for 80% off! Here’s a clip from the product description:

Few things will bring the gospel to life for your students like heading out onto the mission field. Spending a day, weekend, or longer in service to God, for his love, and with people in need brings the calling of Christ vividly into focus. With this easy to implement 3-part missions trip curriculum, you’ll get everything you need to get your students ready (Prepare), devotions for the trip (Go), and follow-up materials (Live) to make their experience part of an ongoing, godly lifestyle. And what good would we be if we didn’t include helpful stuff for leaders to make the whole trip more fun for everyone? No good at all, so we’ve given you plenty.

JG

I’m excited to announce a new addition to the HSM Team! Hannah Pratt-Rich has been a small group leader the last few years and she recently accepted an offer to join our team part-time. She’s going to be working to help strengthen our pastoral care ministry to girls and has a huge heart for serve projects and missions. So excited she’s on the team!

JG

I’m excited to be travelling with our youth group on a mission trip to Costa Rica. The team put together this little prayer guide for the trip – thought it might be a good example of something you may want to do for an upcoming mission trip of your own. Would appreciate your prayers of course, too!

HSM Costa Rica Prayer Guide

Students: Please pray that the Lord will work in their hearts and minds as they learn how to do ministry on the Mission Field. Pray that they will grow in their faith as they minister to others in Costa Rica; that they will have open hearts and open minds to however the Lord might want to use them there. Please pray for good attitudes, energy, peace, and a gentle spirit. Pray for relationships with their peers and leaders. Pray that the students will rely on the Lord to help them know what to say and how to act when they may feel uncomfortable.

Leaders: Please pray that the Lord will guide us as we lead our students. Pray for energy and enthusiasm, wisdom, discernment, strength, peace, and patience. Pray that we would have open hearts and minds to all the ways the Lord will want to use us in the lives of our students and those we’ll be ministering to in Costa Rica. Please pray for our relationships with the students and people of Costa Rica.

The People of Costa Rica: We will be working with a number of people in Costa Rica (Pastors, teenagers, children, etc.). Pray that the Lord will give them open and hearts and minds to the message of Jesus we are bringing to them. Please pray that we would be able to help and love on them in whatever way possible.

Churches: Please pray for the churches we will be partnering with in Costa Rica. Pray that the help we give would be sustainable so that they can continue to grow in health and outreach even after we leave.

Events: Please pray that all will go according to plan, and when it doesn’t, that we would be flexible and ready for anything. Pray that the people of these events would see Jesus working through them and understand His love.

JG

The ‘Mission Trip High’ as I call it is no secret in ministry.  It’s that feeling people get after experiencing God in a unique way and they feel like they are spiritually on top of a mountain.  It’s a great feeling, but it certainly can be dangerous if it is not handled in the right way.  I think the enemy licks his chops when he sees Christians on that ‘Mission Trip High’ because he knows they are easy prey.

Most Christians who return to normal, everyday life after their mission trip or retreat do not prepare themselves for re-entry into the world and therefore fall prey to the onslaught the enemy throws their way as soon as they get home.  So what can we, as youth pastors, do about it? Here are a few ideas:

1. Make your students aware that life after the mission trip, or retreat, is going to be difficult. Let them know that the enemy will be waiting for them and will want to make them fall.  A firm realization that they are in the midst of a battle is a must.
2. Give them practical, user-friendly ways to spend time with God after the trip. It could be a devotional packet, a book, text message reminders, a prayer request list, or Bible reading; the point is that you are setting them up to succeed.  You are giving them the opportunity to meet with God on their time and encouraging the development of their spiritual disciplines as well.
3. Pray earnestly for your students after you get back from the trip. Commit time to surround them in prayer and let the Holy Spirit do his thing.
4. Follow up with your students in the days and weeks after the trip. Ask them how their experience on the trip has changed the way they live and serve God.  Reinforce the concept that discipleship = life change.  When we meet God on a mission trip or a retreat, or anywhere really, our response should be worship and a change of life that more closely aligns us with God.  This is an ongoing process and is not without its setbacks, so be sure to encourage your students to press on and when they fall to get back up and keep on moving closer to God.

These are just a few of my thoughts, I’d love to hear yours.  Comment and let the discussion continue.

Cam Brennan is just finishing his first full year of Youth Ministry and is the Youth Pastor at Fellowship Bible Church in Gardner, KS.  He blogs regularly at www.anewgravity.com.

Ever wonder why people join your church? Here’s reason #8 based on research from 8,000+ new members at Saddleback over the past few years …

#8 – Missions
According to the results of surveys in our new member class – missions isn’t that important to potential members. If you’re looking to attract new people, having an amazing missions program doesn’t seem to make too huge of an impact on their decision to join. I would imagine that if this was a survey of long-time or mature members, the results would be far different.

Youth ministry application: Missions trips are an important part of a balanced  discipleship process and an experience most students would completely benefit from during their time in youth group. They may not be the thing that attracts new members, but I’ve got a feeling they’re really important once they get even somewhat involved.

JG

Are you leading a team on a mission trip this summer? You owe it to every person on your team to check out Razoo, a new website that can help you reach your fundraising goal faster and easier.

Kevin Weikel, Youth Pastor of First Church of Christ, Simsbury, Connecticut said of his experience on Razoo:

“Our goal was to raise $6,250 … Because of Razoo, we ended up almost doubling our goal, raising $11,657!  Gone are the days of going door to door with envelopes, Razoo enabled our group to email aunts, uncles, grandparents, and friends from all across the country.  We wouldn’t have raised nearly as much without Razoo.”

Razoo simplifies mission trip fundraising. It gives a mission trip team the ability to tell their story in a fun and easy way. It also keeps leaders organized and saves time.

Using Razoo:

• Helps you stay organized by keeping track of each person’s fundraising progress
• Saves time by covering all tax-deductible receipting
• Is easy to share with friends and family via email, Facebook, and Twitter

JG

I really liked Toby Rowe’s new book The Volunteer’s Back Pocket Guide to Youth Mission Trips ($4.99, Group Publishing). It is a simple guide to helping volunteers begin to understand what they’re about to get into when they said yes to going on the trip. Toby is a veteran youth worker with tons of experience through Group Workcamps and Group’s Week of Hope. He brings that wisdom and experience to the table and helps volunteers to understand what it means to be a good leader, how to have great conversations with students and where to look for God-moments along the trip. He also shows them how to be supportive of the leadership on the trip and how to bring back the stories of what you experienced to the church body and supportive families. All in all, a surprisingly strong resource in a little package.

My only complaint … is that there’s no way the book will fit into your back pocket! Not even close! I’m sure the function won here (better to write in notes or reflection) and it works better as an idea to keep these principles in your back pocket – but what a missed opportunity! Hahahah … still a great book. Pick one up and check it out, if you like it, maybe grab one for each of the leaders on your next mission trip.

JG

Even when I am traveling, I can’t seem to avoid seeing the world (or at least parts of it) through the lens of youth ministry.  My wife and I have had the opportunity to study at Jerusalem University College this past summer as part of some graduate studies I am completing.  On the exceedingly long and uncomfortable flight from San Francisco to Tel Aviv, I sat next to a young Jewish man named Michael.  He had on all the typical Jewish garb (skull cap or “kippah,” black and white clothes, etc…) that distinguished him from a shorts and T-shirt California ocean lover like myself (I must say that my long beard was quite fashionable in that context).

At different times throughout the flight, my aisle mate would pull out a little pouch containing his Tanach (Hebrew Bible) and a few other prayer accessories that were somewhat foreign to me.  He would recite the Scriptures, pray and kiss each item before putting it back into the small pouch.  As I looked around the plane, I could see that about 40% of the men were doing the very same thing.  For each of them, this was simply part of their daily routine and devotion to their faith.  For me, this was fascinating (and a bit convicting as my main focus was getting my headphones to work in both ears).

I asked Michael his story, being specifically interested in his upbringing as a Jewish boy and young adult.  He said that he had left his parents home at the age of 14 to study to be a rabbi.  He spent the next 7 years of his life devoted to studying the Tanach, Talmud and Midrash along with other aspiring rabbi’s.  I asked, “Does everyone want to be a rabbi when they are a teenager?”  He replied, “Of course!  But, most of us don’t actually make it to be a rabbi.  It is very hard, even if you just want to be a rabbi who does circumcision or manages Kosher laws.  I didn’t make it to be a rabbi, so now I am a jeweler.”

While it is easy for us to write off the values of other religions because they are different, I believe we have alot to learn from my Jewish friend.  What would the lives of our teenagers look like if our youth ministries instilled such devotion to our Rabbi, Jesus?

While in the Middle East, my wife and I were intentional about spending time with Palestinians in the West Bank.  It has been an eye opening, hope-filled with tears-kind of experience that I recently shared in more detail here.  Seeking the story of these often forgotten people, we met Milad and Minar.  They are a Christian Palestinian couple who were raised in Jerusalem and Bethlehem before much of the current political tension (i.e. building of “the wall”) came to a head.  While Milad is able to enter into Israel for work (although his 5 minute commute is now closer to an hour through check points), Minar is not.  As they served us a home-cooked meal at their parents home in Bethlehem, they had just entered their 12th day without fresh water.  They could be filled with anxiety, fear and tension (and at times they are), but instead they have chosen to participate in the hope of Jesus.

Three years ago they started a non-profit organization in Bethany that promotes peace and reconciliation in Palestine.  Every day they have 80-90 kids come running through their doors as they teach music, art and the value of community.  As my wife and I stood in a room filled with kids (whose stories shattered our hearts and narrow worldview) grinning from ear to ear as they sang songs (in Arabic) of hope at the top of their lungs, we saw Jesus.

What is it about living in oppression that stirs the hearts of Christians?  How can we keep from domesticating our youth ministries in the West so as to miss out on the life that Jesus called us to embody?

Although there are plenty of tensions in the Middle East, specifically Israel and Palestine, youth ministry has the ability to transcend the differences and develop devotion and hope.  Cheers to youth workers across the globe!!

Jon Huckins is a veteran youth pastor and public school teacher who is now on staff with NieuCommunities, a collective of missional church communities who foster leadership and community development. After much international travel and study in the Middle East, Jon focuses much of his writing and graduate studies at Fuller Seminary on ethics and social advocacy. His book Teaching Through the Art of Storytelling released in December ’10. He blogs, too: http://jonhuckins.net/

Been talking with a couple of youth pastors who are starting intern programs at their church – thought some of what I wrote for them might be beneficial to you as well. We’ve had some great experiences with interns the past few years – and right now we’ve got a couple of amazing team members that are doing some great things.

Background: the idea we’re running with right now is that interns go through a rotation to gain experience in their first year of the two-year internship. The rotation looks like this for one of our current interns on the high school ministry team:

1st Quarter: Youth Group
The internship kicks off with learning the basics of running a weekly program. The intern will learn how to create a youth group program from start to finish, as well as understand the heart and vision of the weekend services at Saddleback Church. They will be a part of a team, as well as adjust to the office environment and culture. This is a sink or swim start – the weekend rolls around every 5 days (we do services on Saturday and Sunday each week) so you have to get up to speed quickly. If possible, the intern will also learn some technical skills as well, like ProPresenter, iMovie, shooting dos and dont’s, etc.

2nd Quarter: Volunteers
Our amazing group of volunteers is the very backbone and strength of HSM. Our volunteers are our “youth pastors” and this will be your chance to learn how to build a great team. The intern will learn how to interview potential volunteers, care for volunteers and help train volunteers. You will also help troubleshoot problems that arise, as well as learn basic mass email/communication functions by sending out the weekly volunteer email.

3rd Quarter: Missions/Events
Time to turn up the heat! Events is a nice way of saying the interns are going to work themselves to the bone helping to pull off summer camp. Summer camp is our largest and most important event on the summer calendar, and they’ll help lead the team that does it all. I’d expect a real challenge here, this is a monumental task perhaps greater in scope and size than most of what they’ll do in the future. Event planning, invoicing, accounting, budgets, registrations, money handling, and much more. Simultaneously helping plan a mission trip that will take place a month later. Hang on!

4th Quarter: Life Groups
About this time things in most all of the areas in our ministry come to a screeching halt. Except for one area – the one they’re going to be learning. Take a quick breather from the mission trip and know we’re heading straight into Life Group’s peak registration season. You’ll again be tasked with helping pull off event registration, and learn how to order supplies, pull off a parent night, troubleshoot group problems, pair adults and students, and more.

So that’s year one. We then move them into a specific leadership role for their 2nd year. Right now we have an intern who is responsible for all of our student ministry teams. She schedules camera operators, greeting teams, conference programming and more. She is doing a great job!

The simple idea is that interns will leave here with experience in different areas and be well rounded. We also want them to have developed some key particular strengths and strong leadership abilities along the way.

JG

I have spent the last season of my Ministry doing some retrospection, especially when it comes to my values and beliefs coming through in how we teach, what we teach and what we give platform time to. What I have discovered and been struggling with is that I do not feel called to be an overseas missionary neither short or long term. I see tremendous value in Missions, seeing the lost saved, and seeing people freed from bondage through Jesus. But I have been wrestling with whether not it’s okay that I feel no burden to go. But also, is this coming through in us valuing or not valuing global Missions to the extent we should as a Ministry

I am a Pastor in the Christian and Missionary Alliance denomination, which I suppose makes it stranger that I feel the way I do about Missions. My wife has been to Africa, spent time on the property that our Church owns there; she feels a burden for the people there that I don’t. I can fake it, but its just not there for me right now.

But what is becoming more obvious to me is that the burden that God has put on my heart is much narrower and more focused and I am feeling more and more that this is by design. When we teach our students about ‘the lost’ and ‘making disciples of all nations’ we often talk about overseas, but for me the reality is there are 4000 ‘lost’ teenagers within 15 minutes driving from my office. I find often times Churches will spend a lot of money on overseas projects, yet we forget the brokenness that exists in our own communities.

What if we invested more resources on this Missions field, the statistics prove its worth it in that about 75% of people who give their lives to Jesus will do so before High School is over. How is this not the most urgent thing we can do as the Church?

God has called me to be a Youth Pastor, he has given me a focused passion for seeing the lives of the students in my community transformed by the power of Jesus. I don’t apologize for, or try and explain why I am not going to Africa this summer. Missions trips and Missions work is powerful stuff, but it should be for people who are called to be there, who will take what they have seen and start a movement of change. The last thing a Missions trip needs is someone on vacation.

Please don’t think that we don’t promote missions, I have several volunteers that have been Missionaries, or been overseas short-term, they lead the charge, and they lead from authentic, God placed passion for ‘the lost’ outside of our community and country.

This is my burden and my passion, the High School Mission Fields we work in are dangerous, volatile and hostile but they are frontline of where God is moving, I am leading this charge in our ministry, from a place of authentic, God place passion for these students. My calling may be narrow, but focus is good, and its hard to be great a lot of things.

Geoff Stewart is the Pastor of Jr & Sr High School for Journey Student Ministries at Peace Portal Alliance Church and regularly contributes GUEST POSTS to MTDB. You can, too! See how right here.