Jeff Thompson | Youth Missions Insider

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts Oh no… Paperwork!

I know that we just mailed the individual participant forms for everyone going on a mission trip with our ministry this summer. So… if you’re going with Group Mission Trips this year, check your mail they should be there by now.

Regardless who you’re serving with this summer, it is time to start gathering the info necessary to organize and provide a safe mission trip for every person attending. Here’s some helpful tips to help you do that well.

Take time to get it right. If the organization that needs your forms will be scanning them, they could require blue or black ink, writing in all caps within the boxes, or filling in the circles completely. Spend a few moments before you hand them out so kids and parents know what’s required. Remind them. And give them the right color pen. Most organizations require the original forms with original signatures—not faxes or photocopies.

Know the due dates…then back-track two weeks. There are good reasons why organizations need your paperwork by a particular time. If you fail to do that, you might not be able to participate. Try telling THAT to your kids and parents: “Um, we can’t go because I didn’t send our stuff in on time.” So play it safe. Whatever date the forms are due to the organization, require your young people to give them to YOU two weeks before. That allows a little grace period for that one family that ALWAYS misses the deadline. It also gives you a last chance to look through them to make sure everyone filled out all the required places and signed in all the right places.

Remember privacy laws regarding medical information. HIPPA laws require health and medical information to be kept locked up and viewed only by those who need to know it. While it’s important for you and other adult leaders to know one of your students has a certain medical condition, it’s not allowed for you to share that with any of the students or other parents—even as a prayer request. Under the Health Information Privacy Portability Act (HIPPA), you can be sued for sharing such information with the wrong people. And this HAS happened in churches before. Shred these forms when you’re finished with them.

Have a forms and information night…that everyone must attend. If you’re going on a mission trip or other major excursion, you’ll likely need to distribute and collect a small forest of paperwork. If so, announce several months in advance—so everyone can get it on the calendar—the date of the required “Parents and Youth” night to talk about the trip. Announce this several times so it sinks in. Tell people to bring their insurance cards, birth certificates, passports…or whatever it is you have to have. As people arrive, hand them the paperwork to fill it out right there. If forms need to be notarized, have a notary available. Have another adult collect the paperwork and double-check that everything is filled out properly and all the signatures are included. If something’s missing, hand it back to the person to make the corrections. You should also talk about other important aspects of the trip while you have everyone there. Have this well in advance of when the forms are all due…because I guarantee a youth won’t show up, or a parent won’t show up (“I didn’t hear about this!”), or things will happen.

Make copies for your own records. Before you send everything off in the mail (so it arrives on time), make a copy for your own records. You might need to know the information during the trip, or you might need to have a back-up in case it gets lost in the mail or something. I always kept all these forms in an accordion file that I could take with me on the trip. I had everything I needed from forms to vendor agreements to hotel reservations to everyone’s T-shirt size. If we needed it, I had it. Right then. Right there. You’d be amazed how much easier this makes your life.

Hope this makes dealing with the mountain of paperwork associated with taking your group on a mission trip just a little easier.

Add Comment March 20, 2012

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts The Future of The Church and Youth Ministry

This week Simply Youth Ministry Today had a couple great articles from Kurt and Josh about the Future of Youth Ministry.

The Future of Youth Ministry

The Future of The Church

Two things jumped out from these acticles:

1) Kurt gets it right when he says that youth ministry will move to being less “professional.” We talk to a youth leader, virtually every day, who were full-time and are now part-time or were part-time and are now volunteer leaders. It’s just a fact of life youth ministry is facing…

2) I really appreciated Josh’s acknowledgement of missions as an integral part of preparing students to be the future of the Church. We believe that whole-heartedly and love when others preach that message as well.

If you like what you read in those articles, please subscribe here. It’s a great great read!

Add Comment March 17, 2012

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts Mission Trip Worship Planning Schedule

Several weeks ago we posted about how planning a mission trip is more than just the details – it’s also planning for the spiritual growth of your students. To further help you develop and implement those planning steps, I’d like to give you our planning schedule for preparing the times of worship and devotion for our mission trips.

9 months from the trip

Chose the overall theme, scripture verses, and daily themes for the week.

6 months

Finalize the actual worship sessions for each day of the week. For us that means a morning and evening time for each day of the week. For you that could mean on gathering each day.

5 months

Test each and every message and worship experience with middle school and high school students to see how what we are prayerfully planning communicates to teenagers. For you that could mean a “dry run” with your leadership team of adults to get feedback.

4 months

Finalize any tweaks to the worship sessions and write the daily devotions that each person can chose to use during the trip.

3 months

Create all media and presentation files to use during the daily worship sessions.

2 months and right up to the trips

Time for making sure all the rest of the details are ready before the trip!

This schedule may seem really aggressive but we’ve found it gives our team plenty of time to take care of the other details – projects, lodging, food, youth group preparation, etc… And the same should be true for you. Planning out the worship services and devotions for your trip during the same time of year that you plan the other details will give you that extra time in case any aspect of your trip needs extra attention or further planning.

Please feel free to use a schedule like this to help make sure your group is prepared. We’d also love to know what you think about the schedule. Or please tell us your planning schedule.

Add Comment March 16, 2012

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts Skateboarding and the first mission trip…

My middle son loves skateboarding. He’s only 10 years old but he skates every single day that he can. After school. All weekend. He’d skateboard after dark if we’d let him. When he first started, he was scared of falling… of getting hurt. It kept him from doing things he know he could do but he was afraid. Now, he really wants to learn new tricks. He’s overcoming his fear and is willing to try new stuff even thought he might fall. It’s inspiring. It’s fun to watch. And I’m really proud of him.

Well… you may be asking, “What in the world does your kid skateboarding have to do with a mission trip?”

It has everything to do with it!

Taking your kids on a mission trip for the first time is scary.

You don’t know what to expect.
Your students could get hurt (literally).
Your kids could end up frustrated because so many mission experiences are unknown.
Things could go different than you expected and your group might be frustrated with you.

So many what if’s…

And then, you take them on that first trip… Things may have gone differently than you planned. A lot of unknown things happen. Your youth group didn’t know exactly what to expect. And – God did amazing things! You witnessed each other part of God’s plan to change the lives of the people you served. God didn’t just work in the lives of those you served. The students in your ministry were completely transformed by the experience. Some have learned that life isn’t about things – they’re now less materialistic. Some actually started their relationship with Jesus on the trip – serving someone else helped them understand Jesus loved them. Your group came back stronger and bonded together.

The best part is now you know that it will be even easier to try your next mission trip. You’ve witnessed the change it makes in both those who are served and in your group.

Just like my son skateboarding, once he knows he can do something he wants to try something even harder and new…

Add Comment March 15, 2012

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts We’re at SYMC!

We’re hangin’ with our friends and partners Simply Youth Ministry and Group Magazine at Simply Youth Ministry Conference. Last night everything started off really fun. Tornado warnings. Francis Chan. Shane and Shane. and 3,000 youth leaders doing the robot…

If you’re here in Louisville this weekend. Please stop by and say “hi”!

1 View Comments March 3, 2012

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts Parents just won’t let go

We’ve recently posted about the difficulty of getting students to commit to a mission trip here and here. But it’s an issue that many of you face as you try to finalize the people who will attend your mission trip this summer. Let’s address one more of the reasons kids don’t commit – Parents not letting go.

I have a teenager that calls my house “home”. I make him wear pads when he rides his skateboard. I make him wear shin guards even when he’s just playing a pick-up game of soccer. He takes his cell phone with him to school “just in case” he needs us. We (parents of teenagers “we”) are a protective group of people. I never did or had any of the things I just listed I do for/to my son. And yet… I “make” him. However, I consider myself a pretty “easy-going” parent. I don’t make my kids wear helmets when they ride bikes. Only my teenager has a cell phone not his two younger brothers. Etc…

But all of us in youth ministry have dealt with or are dealing with a parent who just can’t seem to let their child go on the mission trip. It doesn’t really matter what the reasons are. They simply don’t think it’s a good idea or safe for their child to go with you.

Here’s how you can help them feel more comfortable.

1) Be Professional: I’ve said this before but it bears repeating. Parents can’t possibly trust you or put their kids in your hands if you come across to them as a sloppy, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants, make-it-up-as-you-go-along leader. Why would they trust you with their child? Here’s a couple specific ways you can appear to be professional (even if you’re not really there yet).

- Plan as far in advance as you can. Most mission trips take 6 – 9 months to plan really well. You can do it in less but it just compresses the schedule.

- Make sure you know the details of your mission trip. Parents care about the big stuff – the “major” basics. Where you’re going. Where you’re staying. What you’re doing. Who you’re serving. Be as specific as you can about these big things.

- Bring along other great adults leaders with you on the trip. This is especially important if you are a younger youth leader. Parents will like the fact that you understand the importance of mature leadership.

2) Have an end result in mind: Parents that are reluctant to let go of their kids will be more likely to let them go if they see a concrete benefit for their child. Be sure to to spell out exactly what you believe students will receive as a result of attending the mission trip. A new perspective on life. Leadership experience. Less materialistic. A closer relationship with Jesus. Tell parents what their kid gets by going with you on the mission trip.

3) Have a safety plan: This should be basic but it’s very important to a protective parent. Have plans, back-up plans, and “then what” plans. Here’s some basic things to include in a safety plan.

- Supervision: what’s your adult to student ratio. 1 to 5 is good but no less than 1 to 7. How many adults will be serving with the youth when your at the project.

- Driving: How do you chose drivers? Do you charter buses with professional drivers? What about insurance?

- Medical Issues: Release forms. Insurance information. Nearest hospital or urgent care to your mission location. Make sure you cover these things.

4) A “What-If” List: Another name for this is the “worst-case scenario list”. The best way to plan this list is to think through everything that could possibly go wrong on your mission trip and what you’d do about it – step by step. Vehicle breakdown. Food issues. Serious injury. No supplies for projects. Death. Take the time, in advance, so you won’t have to think if something like this happens. You’ll have a plan.

None of these four steps are going to guarantee that a parent who struggles with letting their kid go will suddenly let them. But it will take you four big steps in that direction. Overcoming the fears of parents is not a easy or one time thing. It will take time. You’ll be proving yourself over and over again to them. These ideas will help.

Add Comment February 28, 2012

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts More stories of teenager’s lives changed

One of the greatest parts of being involved in youth missions is the stories of how God uses the experience to change a teenagers life. This article in a local newspaper from Omaha, NE gives a great example of this. The best part of this story… the students say directly the biggest difference was in their relationship with Jesus. How cool!

In their own words… Omaha World-Herald

If you haven’t considered taking your youth group on a mission trip, I hope stories like this will help you understand why we believe it’s so important.

Add Comment February 27, 2012

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts The first step in my new relationship with Jesus

This is Caitlin’s story of how a mission trip changed her life:

When I heard about the mission trip, I was so excited. All year long, I look forward to our mission trip opportunity. It is always a chance for me to grow closer to God. It’s the perfect chance to connect to Him. Over the week, I not only made a relationship with Christ, but also with the people I served with. I felt such a deep connection to God over the week. He impacted me to finally want to create a lasting relationship with Jesus. This week has been my favorite mission trip so far. I made friends from other states and built stronger friendships with people in my church. I honestly feel like this week was the first step in my new relationship with Jesus.

Another great story of how a mission trip can help a teenager encounter Jesus. This is what God does in literally hundreds of thousands of people lives every year through a mission trip.

If you haven’t made your plans for a mission trip yet this year, we’d be honored to help you find a place to serve and give your students an opportunity to encounter Jesus like Caitlin. Visit groupmissiontrips.com

Add Comment February 24, 2012

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts Growing up too fast and staying young too long

Kurt Johnston, over at juniorhighministry.com, had a really interesting post earlier this week about youth ministry and students and societal pressures.

Too Old, Too Soon; Too Young, Too Long

As Kurt admitted, this is an issue that we all know about but we aren’t sure what to do about. It’s becoming a personal issue for me. My oldest son turned 13 a couple weeks ago. Something about that age has made me take notice of things. What he watches. What he listens to. What he and his best friend talk about as I drive them to school each morning. What words does he use? How does he dress? It’s evident to me that he’s feeling some kids of “pressure” to be too old, too soon.

But… how do I prepare him for adulthood without stretching him beyond just being a kid? How do any of us in our ministries safely do that? That’s a great topic to discuss with your ministry team. How do you keep kids form growing up too fast and prepare them to be adult followers of Jesus?

Kurt mentioned these ideas are going to be part of his Junior High Ministry workshop at Simply Youth Ministry Conference. If you’re going to be at SYMC take advantage of this opportunity to dig deeper.

Add Comment February 23, 2012

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts Planning a Mission Trip is way more than details!

Mission trips can be very heavy on logistics. Where you go. Where you stay. Who you serve. How you serve them. What you eat. How you get there. And many more details… Ugh. In the mountain of all that info, it’s easy to miss planning and preparing for what may be the most important thing that will happen on your mission trip.

Your students encountering Jesus in new and powerful ways.

Let’s quickly make sure we agree on a few things (I’m sure we do, just double-checking):

The goal of youth ministry overall is to help young people grow closer to Jesus.
As youth leaders we’re always looking for the best method to “transport” our students closer to Jesus.
Missions are one form of “transportation” that are remarkably effective.

OK, do we agree? If so, then…

In order to make a mission trip most effective you need a clear idea of where you want your young people to go… and how to help create that environment on the trip for Jesus to work.
Having a well-developed plan for a deep spiritual experience is key to reaching your ultimate goal. This is true whether you build the experience or you select an experience built by others.

To get started here’s several questions to ask to help shape the spiritual growth goals you have in mind as part of your mission experience.

Where are my students and adults at spiritually?

- individually

- the group as a whole

How do the following issues impact your times of worship or spiritual programming.

- the location of the mission trip

- the geography (urban, rural, jungle, hotel?)

- the travel required to get to your mission location

- the stories and background of those you’ll serve

- the type of service or outreach you’ll be doing

Where would I like my participants to be at the end of this trip? In terms of

- knowing God more?

- understanding service more?

- personal faith / salvation?

- understanding compassion?

- or what else?

Now, look at all the answers to those questions, and you’ll begin to get a picture of the spiritual aspects and possibilities of your mission trip. Use all of this thinking and information to come up with a top spiritual goal of trip. Then apply this thinking and goal to the following aspects of your mission trip…

The Before…

Preparing the hearts of the congregation you’re leaving behind

- Make your spiritual expectations clear and realistic to other ministry staff, pastors and parents.

- Emphasize spiritual goals as equally important as the service part. This will help others understand why you’re focusing so much on this aspect.

- The more realistic and clear you are, the greater support you’ll get before, during and after the trip.

The same applies for your students and adults who are participating in the trip

- Let them know what to expect

- At the same time, don’t give away the best parts

- Prepare pre-trip devotional content that prepares everyone for the experience.

The During…

- Do what you planned to do AND be prepared for the unexpected

- The more you’ve carefully planned, the better you’ll be prepared to experience and process God’s unexpected events. The things you should plan for:

Devotions – daily during the trip

Worship time – at least daily

Times of debriefing and reflection – if not daily several times during the trip

Special Note:

Asking good questions is a great way to help people dig deeper and encounter Jesus — the hard work is preparing them in advance. An example from our ministry: a couple years ago we did a foot washing experience as part of worship during our mission trips. After the experience, we planned a time for small groups to debrief. We started out with pretty standard questions, “How did this feel?” What was difficult or easy about the experience?” But it never felt like we were helping people dig deep. Then we came up with this question — “How would this experience have been different if Jesus was sitting in your circle?” That changed everything. The level of depth and interaction caused by that single question was amazing. Students really began to think about how Jesus might have handled a situation or how He would’ve acted or what He would’ve said. Pretty cool…

The After…

- Post- trip devotions — be sure to create “space” for people to continue processing the experience after it’s over. A great way to do this is through personal devotions that give participants a chance to focus on what happened and how it has changed them.

- Post- meeting and celebrations — plan times for the entire group to get back together. One more way to keep the experience top-of-mind and help make decisions made during the trip “real” now that everyone is home.

Reunion for everyone a couple months after the trip

Celebration worship service for all who attended.

Give a report to your church of the mission trip experience. It could be at a worship service, a board meeting, etc…

Implement local, ongoing community service. The service doesn’t need to end just because you’re home. There are needs right in your town.

It’s easy to get caught up in the mountain of details just to make a mission trip happen. My encouragement to you is to take that little extra time and focus on that other part of the mission trip. The God changing lives part. You won’t regret do a little “detail” work in that area. I promise.