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It can be difficult to find a place to start when it comes to planning an international mission trip. Guest author, Reno Anderson, gives 3 tips on where to start with international missions for your small church, PLUS she tells how to get a true missionary experience.
If you are like me, you have been on a “missions trip” somewhere. Or maybe your small church took a group of adults or youth on a trip to another country to help with projects and share life experiences with each other, or maybe even help conduct a VBS or a camp for the kids!
After living and working in Malawi and Zambia for some years –– living in an African village and sharing life with people who lead different lives than I do –– and traveling to almost 40 countries while participating in long-term and short-term trips, I have much to share about effective missions and the difference between being a mission tourist and making a missional impact.
My views may be different than the norm.
Why?
Because many people don’t realize mission trips don’t always have to be focused on changing the way people are living.
They can, however, change the way you do.
An African friend once told me that the best thing Christian missionaries could do when they visited him was to walk alongside him, praying for him while he ministered to his people, learning what life was like for him and his church.
3 Fantastic Ways To Start A Global Mission Within Your Small Church
1. Find Out What The Actual Needs In People’s Lives Are
It is called a field-driven need.
Most missionaries or church leaders worth their salt will always let you know what is really needed where you plan to travel.
Ask them what they need instead of telling them what you will do when you get there.
In order to make a lasting impact on the people you are meeting, you must learn what their genuine needs are. You won’t know how to help them if you don’t listen to what their daily lives are like and take the time to understand their struggles.
2. Partner With A Local Church, Missionary, Or Pastor During Your Missions
The local church knows their community. They know if they can handle short-term mission trips filled with novice travelers of any age in their community.
Before just showing up, it’s important to make sure that your presence in the mission field is welcomed and supported. We don’t want to send youth groups to a country that doesn’t want them there at all!
Another great idea is to start a mission partnership team. This team will dedicate time to praying for missionaries and the cross-cultural ministry they’re a part of. This team is such a great blessing because you’re able to have an active role in global missions right where you are!
3. Be Polite & Humble
If you travel to another culture, be humble and respectful.
When you’re a part of international ministries, specifically when you’re entering a different country and culture, it is really important to study that culture a little bit beforehand. If you’re entering into these peoples’ daily lives for the first time, one of the most important first steps is to learn more about who these people are and how they exist in this world. Regardless of if you’re a part of a short term missions trip or a long term one, this is extremely important!
You don’t have to agree with everything, but making a fuss when you either don’t get the comforts of home or you have to eat unusual foods, is not going to win anyone to Jesus.
At the very least, learning the greetings in the local language goes a long way to making friends.
Practical Ways For You And Your Small Church To Experience New Opportunities
If you want a new missionary experience, try one of these:
- Go shadow a missionary for a month next year. There are so many fantastic internship opportunities out there! I encourage you to start looking into this!
- Volunteer for a month with local churches or Christian organizations that are already there and have a specific need for someone with your expertise.
- Consider a Vision Trip where you go to look and observe what is already being done in that community, walking alongside the local church. The primary goal of this would be to observe and learn as much as you can. Try to be a part of the planning process, meet new people, and allow God to change your life.
The best way to be mission-oriented intentionally and internationally is through long-term, sustainable programs that work alongside and empower community members to help themselves. I encourage you to answer God’s call in your life and step out into missions, whether that be on your own front porch or in the yard of someone in the Middle East or somewhere you’ve never been before. You are capable of making an impact wherever you go, the only thing that’s different is how you go about making that impact.
I recommend taking a look at this book called When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and even going through the online video study When Helping Hurts: The Small Group Experience that goes along with it.
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