Friday, 10 June 2011
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Youth Mission Trips: Bad Idea?
I have so many good memories from youth mission trips. Getting closer with your friends and making new ones, and serving somehow in the community. We would do anything from painting someone's house, to helping at local food banks, to walking around neighborhoods handing out tracts. It wasn't always fun working outside in the hot sun repairing a fence, but we did it because we knew we were helping people and our youth group leader had asked us too. So anyway, it wasn't until after I was married and my husband and I were talking that we realized something. Nearly everyone (including ourselves) in our youth group were probably lost. I say that because, since it had been a good 3-4 years later, we saw where some of our fellow youth groupers were. Some were on drugs, some living in sexual immorality, but most were just not in church anymore and had no real interest in Christ. I know myself I was still in darkness when I was on these mission trips. So that raised a question. Should we take youth on youth trips at all?
Here we are, a church from a few states away (or maybe even another country away!), and we say we're bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but yet nearly none of us know Christ as our Savior ourselves! Isn't that...hypocritical? Aside from the humanitarian works, we never really shared the Gospel with people. Yes, as I said, we handed out tracts, but I don't know how I would've answered then if someone had asked me, "So what is the Gospel? Why did Jesus have to die for sin? Why do I have to accept him?" I didn't know the Gospel myself. How could I have told all those people they needed Jesus, yet I did not know him myself?
What do you think? Should we bring youth on trips if we don't think they're regenerate believers?
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About the Author
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- From: apb102088@xanga
- Name: apb102088
- About Me: Been married to my best friend for 2 years and we have a beautiful son. We are trying to finish school so that we can go to the mission field in 5-10 years so we can share the Gospel to those who have never heard.
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Comments (15)
I think they can be productive with the correct preparatory work done. For example, making sure everyone is saved--making sure everyone knows the Gospel. I don't think the problem is the mission trip itself, but the mindset that people have going into it--as if it would be a holiday of some sort.
That being said, I've never been on a missions trip, but I would love to one day!
The fact that your youth group had major issues doesn't mean teen missions trips are a bad idea!
As a teenager, my youth group preached the Gospel every week, and they were careful about who they allowed on trips. The team leaders required training for the team and were strict about what went on. I have been on four missions trips, and they were each life-changing in their own way.
Not all teens who grow up in church are going to stick as believers (unfortunately). That doesn't mean missions trips are not an amazing opportunity to learn about selflessness, see God change lives, and experience the blessing of giving.
May I also postulate--even if people on a missions trip are not where they need to be with God, God can still use them. After all, in the Bible, He used a donkey as a messenger. I'm not saying it's a great idea to intentionally bring a bunch of kids who don't understand the point and aren't serious with God, but even if someone who isn't perfect slips through, God can use them, and He might just use the trip to change their life.
Teenagers are in a strange place where they are not always sure about faith or able to understand it in an adult way. That doesn't mean they shouldn't be introduced to ministry opportunities by careful, godly leaders.
@llamalima@xanga - Thanks, I appreciate your comment!
@llamalima@xanga - Good point, and you'd love it!
@Pickwick12@xanga - Interesting! Thanks.
@apb102088@xanga - You're welcome :)
@Pickwick12@xanga - Mm, I like what you said about teenagers all being in a strange place with their faith. I don't think that those who are not Christian should be discouraged, I think one of the greater things in life is to see people truly changed by the Gospel. It may be productive for the seed of faith, as opposed to destroying it by any means.
I have youth students who haven't accept Christ yet have a deep passion for the poor and underprivileged. I take my kids to places like Uganda, Bolivia, Cambodia, etc, so you can bet those kids I mentioned wanted to go but I still don't let them, reason being? Missions is not a humanitarian endeavor. There's plenty of people to feed the hungry and to give money or build homes for those in need. We are to bring the light of Christ to these dark places. I read somewhere, "If we needed money God would have sent gold." The fact is we don't need these temporal "fixes", I mean how could we sleep knowing that we've fed them for one night but that they will continue to starve for all eternity. So what we do is we go in with food, building material but with the foundation of the Gospel. So No, I don't think it's prudent to send kids who don't know Christ to missions, this needs to be remedied at Church. I hope you and other do missions training, this means discipleship, daily devotion practice, evangelism practices and so on.
Purely by His grace,
@llamalima@xanga - Absolutely. Very well said.
I saw this post in the vote section, and went to the original post. I commented, that I have been on the receiving end of the mission trips. I have been staff at an inner city mission that was routinelyone of the place that churches sent youth groups.
Some of the kids that went were unsaved. The youth group leader, would often give out these slips of paper with the gospel writting on it, and possible questions and answers. th kids would present the gospel through drama, or music,or reading from these papers. often, if the reader was unsaved, long about the 20th time of repeating the gospel over and over and over again, it would actually sink in and the youth group member him or herself would be saved. I have no issue with unsaved youth going on mission, as long as it is done well, and has plenty of supervision. What better way of bringing a youth to christ, then taking him or her on a trip, to see God at work?
They have the general right idea; I think "service projects" would be a good idea.
But no, I don't think youth should go on real mission trips; your youth is a time that should be spent growing and training. Honestly, a true mission trip will face someone with a lot of spiritual warfare and we should be wise in who we subject to that.
I think doing work in your local community under the guidance and leadership of the Church is a great way for them to grow and train; but a full fledged mission trip isn't a good idea. I'd agree on that point.
Wow! Great Post and Great Comments! Pretty sure I recommended every one of 'em.
I never got to go on mission trips as a teen so I can't answer from personal experience. However, if 20 teens are seen working for the Lord even if they are not really sure Carlton Heston to make an impromptu speech in public; but think of the courage to ask a six year old to just say a nursery rhyme in public. I totally agree with ProudToBeAChristianFruitcake - There are probably almost as many people in the church that need to understand God as in the public. If one of those missionary kids find God then the trip is a success.
I'd like to just respond via the Bible:
Phillipians 1 says:
15It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.
Basically Paul here has heard reports of people going out and spreading the gospel through selfish means or from selfish motivations. I don't know why you'd go on a mission trip if it were not to share the gospel, unless there are selfish motivations behind them. Such motivations could be to hang out with friends, see the sights, have fun, etc. And the point Paul was making was whether or not the intentions of the heart are pure, the gospel is still being preached and people are hearing it anyways, and that is something to celebrate and look forward to. That is something to be happy about because the fact of the matter is, that some people are still hearing the gospel, even if some don't know the gospel yet. Either way, the gospel is being preached a few more times than it would have been if the trip had not been made. I think that's more important, the preaching of the gospel, than is trying to discern whether or not someone is saved.
But, I will say that whatever stage we're at in the Christian journey, even if we fall away from the faith, I'm convinced that this occurrence is part of God's plan for our lives. We may fall away from the faith, or we may get momentarily sidetracked from being as faithful as we could be, but is that not an opportunity for God to use such circumstances for us to know him more? My point is, ANYTHING can be a seed for God to reach us, and God can use ANYTHING he wants to show us how much he loves us and is devoted to us. I sincerely think you should take youth on mission trips, because not only are the people you're ministering to hearing the gospel, but also, some of the youth may be hearing the gospel as well, and that is yet another opportunity.
I would totally recommed bringing the youth on missions trips to create believers. Truly the youth can make a huge impact on these communities. Many villages rely on these groups of students visiting every year. I totaly agree with regenerating believers because alittle faith can surely change a lot more than you'd expect in 3rd world countries.
If anyone here is interested in teen abroad missions trips i would also recommend checking out this website for Global Leadership Adventures-
http://www.experiencegla.com/
they are an amazing organization devoted to bringing the teens to countries in need, and building leadership skills that students can use for the rest of there lives. I personally grew a person going here ,and now I am an ambassador for the trip to Guatemala, and i plan to go to Africa this year, i really wouldnt change the experience for the world. I would deffinitely recommend teens going on these trips and bringing belief and faith to the communities that truly need it. Its all about the changes being made(: