Hi Mission Leaders!
Welcome to this week’s Missions Monday—a quick dose of encouragement, practical preparation, and ideas to help you lead your team well as you prepare to serve.
You’ve taken an important step by reserving your mission trip. Now comes one of the most exciting parts: building the team that will experience it together.
It’s easy to announce a mission trip and wait for people to sign up. But some of the people who would benefit most from serving may never consider going until someone personally invites them.
This week, think beyond the usual mission trip crowd.
Consider students, parents, grandparents, young adults, couples, teachers, retirees, and others in your church or organization. Mission trips can be an incredible cross-generational experience.
Different generations bring different strengths. Younger participants bring energy and enthusiasm. Adults bring experience and perspective. Older participants bring wisdom, patience, and a lifetime of skills. Put everyone together, and you have the opportunity to build a pretty special team.
And remember: you don’t have to have everything figured out in your faith to join a mission trip.
Part of the mission experience is serving others, but another important part is what God may do in us along the way.
Some participants may come with a deep and established faith. Others may be asking questions, exploring what they believe, or simply looking for an opportunity to serve and experience something different.
There’s room for all of them.
Mission trips create opportunities to serve together, experience God in new ways, build meaningful relationships, and grow in faith—wherever someone may be starting from.
Church announcements, emails, social media, and signup tables are helpful, but a personal invitation can be much more powerful.
There’s a big difference between hearing:
“Our church is taking a mission trip next summer.”
and hearing:
“I think you’d be great on our mission team. Would you consider coming with us?”
That second invitation tells someone they are wanted and have something valuable to contribute.
Even if your trip is months away, now is a great time to recruit.
Once people know the dates, location, and cost, they can reserve the dates on their calendars, begin budgeting or fundraising, and start getting excited about serving.
You don’t have to fill every spot immediately. Start building momentum now and continue inviting people along the way.
Personally invite three people to consider joining your mission team.
Don’t just send them the trip information. Tell them why you thought of them.
“You’re so good with kids, and I think you’d be wonderful on this trip.”
“I’d love for our families to experience something like this together.”
“You’ve talked about wanting to serve more. I think this could be a great opportunity.”
Three conversations. Three invitations.
You never know where one invitation might lead.
As you prepare, remember that you don’t have to figure everything out on your own. Thirst Missions is here to help throughout the process.
Managed Missions Portal
Your portal is the central place for your trip information, team details, forms, payments, documents, and preparation resources.
[ACCESS YOUR MANAGED MISSIONS PORTAL]
Flights – WorldHopper Ministry Travel
When it’s time to work on airfare, WorldHopper Ministry Travel can assist with flights and group travel arrangements for your mission team.
CONNECT WITH YOUR THIRST MISSIONS CONSULTANT!
One of your best resources is your Thirst Missions – Mission Trip Consultant.
Your consultant is an expert on the location you’ve chosen and is here to personally walk alongside you as your trip takes shape.
Questions about ministries? Lodging? Transportation? Recreation? Your schedule? Team preparation? What to bring? Something unique to your group?
Reach out and talk with them!
Your consultant is a Thirst Missions staff member who knows your location and is available to talk live with you by phone or video call. You don’t need to wait until your next scheduled planning call. We want you to use your Mission Consultant as a resource throughout your preparation.
Jesus built His ministry around people. He invited ordinary people to follow Him, learn together, serve together, and ultimately be sent out together.
As you build your mission team, you’re doing more than filling spots on a trip.
You are inviting people into an opportunity to serve others, grow in faith, build relationships, and experience what happens when faith becomes action.
We’re grateful to be preparing for this journey with you.
Where Faith Meets Action.
The Thirst Missions Team
