How to Follow Up after a Short-Term Missions Trip

AUGUST 8, 2023   |   2 MINUTE READ
DAVE JACOB, DIRECTOR OF MOBILIZATION

Summer is winding down, and many of us have returned from a short-term missions trip somewhere around the world. After groups return, it’s important for team leaders to follow-up and debrief the trip with the participants. Here are a few questions to consider:

1. How did God speak to you during the trip?
2. How did our team make a difference in the lives of people where we served?
3. What might we do differently?

Often, participants’ lives are changed during a missions trip. But how can we ensure that this trip wasn’t just one item on someone’s bucket list? For lasting change to occur in the lives of the participants, missiologists recommend leaders follow up for at least twelve months afterward. This could mean that the team meets once a month to reminisce and discuss the long-term impact of the trip.

On her blog, author Jeannie Marie recommends discussing the following questions:

1. “What challenged you most culturally, spiritually, emotionally or physically?”
2. “How did you experience God here?”
3. “What moment stands out as endearing and significant?”
4. “What difference will your new insight make for society, for your family, for your life, and for the lives of others?”
5. “What is the invitation from God moving forward, from this experience?”

It can also be helpful to coach participants in a one-minute, five-minute, and thirty-minute story plan to share on their return. Often, well-meaning friends ask, just hours or days after coming off an intense and probably chaotic experience in another culture, “How was the trip?” Being prepared with an answer that fits the situation can make this question less overwhelming.

Finally, it’s important to help trip participants set goals after returning from the trip. For example, a student might return from a trip and feel like God is calling them to serve long-term on the missions field. Leaders can walk with the student, helping them to set the appropriate goals and keeping them accountable to help ensure they return to the field in the future.

Proper follow up after a short-term missions trip is an important discipleship opportunity that can impact the kingdom for years to come.

ACTION STEPS

PRAY: Take the Luke 10:2 Challenge! Set your alarm every for 10:02 a.m. every day as a reminder to pray for God to send more workers to the harvest fields, just as He commands us to pray in Luke 10:2.

GO: Are you ready to plan your next missions trip? See what opportunities are available to you today at www.wgm.org/short-term. We can’t wait to see where God leads you!

Author Bio: Dave Jacob serves as the director of mobilization at WGM, is the founder and director of Gospel Mobilization, and is the author of It’s Your Call: To a Missional or Missionary Life. Dave and his family served as missionaries in Northern Asia for seven years.