Adventures – Page 8 – youthworkers

Picking the Right Trip: A Lot Like Clothes Shopping?

June 17, 2010
Adventures
Logistics

Not all mission trips are created equal. Not all youth groups are the same. Picking the right trip for your group is a lot like finding the perfect pair of jeans (bear with me, guys). You may have to try on a dozen pairs before finding the one that fits. And if you just jump on board the first trip you find, you’re probably going to be the person at the party in the acid washed overalls–frustrated, shunned, and upset with yourself. Okay, enough with the shopping metaphors. The best strategy for finding the right mission trip for your group is to pick an...

What Jesus Did to Disciple (And What We Don’t)

June 16, 2010
Adventures
Discipleship

Discipleship is about more than Bible study and prayer. Yes, it includes those things, but it’s also about so much more. Jesus did a few basic things with his disciples that we don’t usually do (at least not typically in westernized, evangelical countries). These are things that are so fundamental they’re like blocking and tackling. Too many of us modern disciples haven’t gone thru the basics of training camp. Here they are: 1. He required and taught abandonment. This is necessary to acquire spiritual eyes and become more fully dependent on God and...

Becoming a Missionary in Your Own Community

A couple weeks ago, I came back from a missions trip to Haiti. It was a phenomenal experience, and although I hate to use the “life changing” cliche, I’ve decided that some things about my life at home are going to have to change. Call it a service high if you want, but I want to play a bigger role as a missionary in my own community. For me, that starts with a few simple tweaks and seeing what happens next. Make RelationshipsQuick– what’s the name of the barista at your favorite cafe? The guy behind the counter at the convenience store? Or even the couple that...

Selecting the Right Team for Your Mission Trip

June 10, 2010
Adventures
Discipleship

Here are some helpful tips from a blog about how to build the right team for your upcoming mission trip. Selecting your team will be essential to ministry success on the field. As you pray about putting together a group to serve on a short term missions trip, the following practical tips can help. 1. Select the right people. They need to be solid followers of Christ, flexible, adaptable and teachable. 2. Meet on a regular basis. Prior to the trip, you should meet monthly to pray, inform, and innovate. 3. Train the team members. Provide seminars by...

Youth Ministry: Programs Versus Discipleship

June 8, 2010
Adventures
Discipleship

There is something so cheap about a program that graduates students. Maybe it’s just that I don’t like to let go? Or maybe it’s just that I can’t reconcile the theological ramifications of shoving a copy of My Utmost for His Highest in a kid’s hands and saying, “Thanks for the memories. Have a nice life!” The way my youth ministry career has gone, in many ways that relationship is just getting started when they walk across the stage to accept their high school diploma. It’s not over, we’re just changing gears! And yet, the programmatic...

The Best Way to Make a Disciple

June 5, 2010
Adventures
Discipleship

I recently wrote an article for the Youthworker Journal called “The Best Way to Make a Disciple” (for their “Best of the Best” series). In the article, I argued that taking your youth group (or children) on a mission trip is the best way to disciple them. Here’s an excerpt from the full piece: Just as in the first century, discipleship for us begins with a journey. Taking your students on a trip that breaks their hearts and tests their faith in God may be one of the best ways to turn them into disciples. Call it a mission trip, a justice journey or your...

Author: Adventures