I was 17 years old when I went on my first mission trip. I went with my church to the inner city of Chicago. We stayed in a rescue mission and I slept in a cot right next the the homeless people who had been lucky enough to get a place at night. It was [...]

Summer is almost here and soon we will be leaving on our mission trips. Mission trips are all different, some churches have great experiences while others just survive them. I believe that pre-trip training is a key to getting the most out of our summer mission trip. When I am training teams I try to [...]

Your summer trip will only be as good as the staff you bring with you.  You have two options.  You can find volunteers like some youth pastors do – wait till the last minute, run a cheesy ad in the bulletin and take any warm and willing body, or you can be intentional about it.  [...]

As I spend time in youth ministry I notice two different kinds of student service. The kind that engages with student’s hearts, and the kind that is forced on them because of their age. Having students serve their community is good and often produces maturity. When students see real needs, they don’t usually have to [...]