03 Sep 10 Things You Must Do Now To Prepare For Your 2024 Summer Mission Trip
Summer is over and the fall is already here. If you haven’t figured it out already, NOW is the time to start planning and recruiting for your summer 2024 mission trip. Here are 10 things you should be doing now, before its too late.
1- Contact and Begin Planning with In-Country Leadership
The calendar is moving fast. Now is the time to get things in motion. One of the biggest reasons for this is that people have already begun solidifying plans for next summer. Have you? It’s time to get after it!
2-Start working on Dates
See above. Dates are the hardest part of this in many respects. You’re going to need to zoom out into the future and understand what that calendar is going to look like for the people you want to recruit. Will there be graduations? Weddings? Other camps? It’s time to take a hard look at those things.
3- Recruit Key Leaders
Good leaders get pitched opportunities early. They also start planning early. If you wait too long, they will not be available to participate in your trip. Go recruit now!
4- Decide on a Profile of Your Ideal Participant For The Trip
Figure out who you want to recruit by making a list of age group, maturity level, etc. Do you want Fathers and Sons on this trip? Entire families? Or a group of highly mobile young career singles? Get with your core team and sketch out whom you’re targeting to invite.
5- Start Putting a Trip Budget Together
Take a look at plane fares, accomodations costs and so forth now. Participants will need to know how much money they will need to raise, or pay up for the trip. The budget moves around so you need to have a running spreadsheet set up early.
6- Begin to Study Options Around Travel and Logistics
Get out the maps and understand how your team will move around in-country and how much time you will need. You need to take into account traffic patterns, mishaps and the like. Will you be renting a car? Using public transportation? Now is the time to think about the size of your group and how you will move them around from location to location.
7- Align With Your Pastor or Mission Pastor
If you don’t have the blessing of your pastor at this stage, back up. Inform him of your plans and ask for wisdom, prayers, advice, support and assistance. Your local church will be blessed the more involved they are in your mission trip. Involve them. Your pastor is a key ally in this. Also, if he has reservations about your trip. Now is the time to understand those. Should you be taking this trip at all? Does your pastor have concerns about the purpose of the trip? Timing? The time to understand his reservations is now, not later after you’ve expended lots of time and money.
8- Decide On Key Outcomes For In-Country Participants and Trip Participants
This is another great consultation point with your pastor. You have two different audiences for your trip. You have in-country people you will hope to bless, and your team that you will be maturing and growing in their faith. Get clear on what those objectives are now. You’ll need to align with your in-country church leadership on the outcomes on that side. Keep in mind there will be believers and non-believers in-country with two separate sets out outcomes.
9- Identify Key Resources to Prepare Your Participants Mind and Heart
Get some resources together for how you’ll prepare your team for the trip. Will you teach them how to share their faith as part of their preparation? How about sharing their testimony? What are your plans for doing this?
10- Start Praying
Ask God to lead you. This is crucial. After all, its His mission. Enlist other to pray.
In Conclusion, now is the time to get after it for next summer. Don’t delay. God has great plans ahead but it starts with rolling up your sleeves and grinding now.