Should my youth group train for our mission trip?

In our short term missions program, Kaleo is committed to being a blessing to our ministry partners and the people that we serve in partnership with them.  As a result, it seems obvious that we would want our mission teams well trained before they show up onsite for the ministry that they will be doing.  It seems to make sense that the more trained they are, the more effective they will be in the ministry that God has for them and the more of a blessing they will be to our ministry partners.

However, this isn’t always the case.  While some of our most “trained” groups are incredible, we have found that some groups that come with the most “training” actually end up being ineffective.  It took a while for us to figure out was going on.  It seemed that there would be a direct correlation between effectiveness and the training of our teams.  But what we discovered was that, while training IS essential for effective mission trips, the key is not just in being trained, but it’s what groups are being trained on.

Short term missions training needs to be a holistic approach that focuses the attention of the mission team just as much (if not more) on learning rather than simply on doing.  Similarly to a long term missionary, short term missionaries are going to another culture, ethnicity, demographic, etc… then what they are used to.  In each one of those settings, the needs of people are different, the values of people are different and the approaches of  ministries working with the people are different.  That’s why, effective training for short term missions has to involve teaching participants how to learn, just as much as how to do.  Don’t get me wrong, training on how to engage people in conversation, how to share the Gospel and your testimony, etc…, are invaluable tools.  However, equally important are topics such as how to listen, how to understand culture, how to learn from people different from you, how to observe points of conflict and points of contact to the Gospel in any given culture.  We also need to train our groups theologically on issues such as race, missions, humility, grace, compassion, and the implications of the Gospel on every aspect of our lives and ministry.

Additionally, for short-term missions to be effective, it has to be focused on meeting the needs and conforming to the purposes of the long term, on the ground, ministry partners.  We need to train our participants in how to serve humbly and graciously with on the ground long-term ministry partners.  Ministry is first and foremost about relationship.  It is about living life with people and loving them over the long term.  That is why Kaleo only partners with long-term on the ground ministries.  One of the most essential aspects of training is to train mission participants in how to humbly and graciously partner with the long-term ministries serving the people in the city year round.

So yes, training your group before your mission trip is essential, as long as we are training in a holistic way focusing just as much of what we have to learn as what we have to give.