Are you always searching for mission trip volunteers? Then check out this wisdom from veteran youth minister Darren Sutton. Learn the 5 types of adults you need for taking trips with teens.
Our annual youth mission trip is just around the corner, and we’re pulling leaders out of our….directories. How did this happen again? I was so good at planning ahead this year. Then badda bing, badda boom, it’s summer!
Before you do anything you’ll end up regretting, pray. I know you’ve already been praying, and “pray first” is a Christian cliche. But when it’s crunch time, panic often takes over. Dependence on Jesus is the first thing to go. Jesus has studied your trip and knows all the ins and outs. But “you do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2).
Try looking at your problem through a new lens. Before scouring names, consider the types of mission trip volunteers you need. Knowing what you need helps you narrow down who to ask.
Depending on how robust your registration is, you may need more than five volunteers. If so, you’ll need to backfill with additional adults. If your registration doesn’t warrant five adult leaders, be judicious in your choices. Consider:
- What type of work will you be doing?
- How far will you be traveling from home?
- What types of personalities will lend additional cohesion to your adult leader team?
No matter how many adults I take on a trip, I always want these five mission trip volunteers somewhere in the mix, if possible.
5 Mission Trip Volunteers You Need
1. The Marginally Connected Parent
Find a parent you know…kind of. They’ve been on the fringe of your ministry for a while—amiable but uninvolved. Mission trips are a great way to connect reticent parents to the ministry (and Jesus!) in a deeper way. A fringe benefit: They get to see their kid in a different light, and vice versa!
One dad always arrived early to pick up his freshman son. Not early like, “C’ mon kid, I’ve got things to do,” but more like, “I kinda dig watching all this from a safe distance. It looks fun.” After building a relational foundation through conversation over a few weeks and learning his faith story, I was confident he’d be a great trip leader. So I invited him, and he agreed. The next year, he was a small-group leader. The mission trip was an easy onramp into something he was curious about but a little afraid of.
2. The Medically Trained Adult
Someone will get hurt, throw up, suffer cramps, or maybe something more serious. So it’s crucial to bring someone who can identify how serious the problem is and what next-level medical stuff needs to happen. Most of us dread sitting in the ER when an ice pack and a few ibuprofen will do the trick.
After 30 years in youth ministry, I’ve had plenty of “this isn’t as bad as it seems” moments and a few “this is way worse than I realized” moments. I’ve never been more grateful for a nurse than the day a sophomore was passing a kidney stone (his first). We were three steps from the bus leaving for a day at the amusement park.
The nurse recognized his symptoms (which I thought were a result of orange juice and Funyuns for breakfast) and directed another leader to stay back with him. The boy ended up hospitalized for three days; the stone had to be “removed” for him. That wouldn’t have been fun atop the world’s highest roller coaster.
3. The Small-Group Leader/Key Volunteer
We all have them. An adult in your ministry who probably can do your job as well, if not better, than you. That person loves Jesus, connects well with teenagers, knows how to serve, understands your blind spots, and is generally a God-send.
I’ve had at least two in every ministry I’ve led. I always take them both along as mission trip volunteers. Someone has to be my brain! And I need someone who can lead a small group, read a spreadsheet, ask the right questions to help me see what’s missing, and then drive the church van to pick it up. This year, one of my key leaders is moving out of state. After I recovered from my panic attack, I asked her to start training some other folks on how to be her (something I should’ve started a while ago!).
