Across the church youth groups are in varying degrees of discernment and/or preparation for spring break and summer mission experiences.
Some are called mission trips, others are pilgrimages, and some are cultural immersions.
Each of these perspectives is a form of short term mission in which we are attempting to join God’s greater mission in a part of the world other than our own back yard.
I strongly recommend that all who are planning or even contemplating this sort of youth engagement to read the recent article from Youth Worker. Andrew Root, a professor in Youth and Family Ministries at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, offers a careful exploration about short term mission that may transform your event in the planning.
He concludes, ” They are not to be used as tools to move kids into religious commitment, but rather are opportunities to participate in tasting God’s future. It might be that in our small and insignificant actions of service we witness to God’s future, and by our witness—by taking action—we are pulled into participation.”
I am curious about your conclusions about the purposes of mission experiences. Share your thoughts in the comments below.
We will also be offering news of short term Episcopal Missions in which your youth group could participate this summer.
So stay tuned and let us know if you offer mission experiences in your neck of the woods. We want to make sure that all opportunities are on the Youth Ministry Network Radar.
Filed under: Mission Opportunities, Pilgrimages