How to Plan a Mission Trip

So, you’re ready to bring a team on a mission trip, but your missing one crucial element—a team! Here are the best steps to take to recruit team members and get people excited about the opportunity to serve on a mission trip.

1. Announce the Opportunity

   Take advantage of the tools at your disposal to get the word out! Start by planning an informational meeting for anyone who may be interested. This could be after church on a Sunday, mid-week before youth group, or whatever time/place works best. Then, before your event, get in front of people to pique their interest in coming to the info meeting. A few of the most effective ways are:

   • During the announcements of a Sunday morning church service (See EM Media Resources for Teams for available photos, pre-service slides, videos to share, and more)
   • Getting in the church bulletin or weekly email
   • Printing out posters to hang in places where people will see them
   • Texting/emailing friends, family & acquaintances

   Through all of these efforts, it's best to collect the contact information of the people interested! Use a Google Form or other free service to create a simple “I’m interested!” sign-up that you promote through the means above. This will give you a list to follow up with about your informational meeting. (We recommend collecting Names, Email Addresses, and Phone Numbers here.)

   NOTE: We also recommend communicating that it’s okay to attend the meeting even if someone has not filled out an interest form to not inhibit people from attending.

2. Create an Official Trip Sign-Up Form

   You will want this in place before your informational meeting so attendees have everything they need to sign up. This form collects all the information you need to adequately plan for the trip. We recommend collecting:

   • First and Last Name
   • Birthdate
   • Email Address
   • Phone Number
   • Question: Which part of this trip are you most excited about? Nervous about?
   • (Optional) Small trip deposit
3. Host an Informational Meeting

   This is your chance to cast a vision for why people should consider serving on a mission trip! Some pieces that should be part of this meeting:

   • Your personal heart and excitement for this opportunity for your community
   • Video or slideshow about the trip (see: EM Media Resources for Teams)
   • Information from missions organization/partners about the trip that may interest people
   • Q & A with attendees to address concerns or fill in knowledge gaps
   • An official sign-up form with a firm deadline for signing up! (NOTE: Don't set this deadline too far in the future, as you want people to consider the opportunity and commit while they are interested.)
4. Communicate Info from the Meeting Again

   After the meeting, communicate this information again in a couple of ways!

   • Send an email to everyone interested with the info shared at the meeting, including links to any helpful videos/slideshows.
   • If accessible, email your entire church congregation or youth group with this information in case anyone is interested but was not able to attend the meeting.
   • Ask to present during church announcements (or have it included) a couple of times before the decision deadline—communicate the deadline and link/QR code to sign up!
5. Collect Sign-Ups/Register for Your Trip

   After your deadline day has passed, review your sign-up information and make plans to either, 1) move forward with the group you have or 2) repeat the steps above to communicate the opportunity to your community a little longer before locking in the team.

   Once you have enough participation for the trip to be a reality:

   • Communicate/Register with your Mission Trip Organization (like EM)
   • If serving with Experience Mission, communicate to your church/youth group/general community that additional participants may still join the trip up until 60 days before trip (or until your travel plans are locked in) through occasional reminders that the trip is officially happening and prep has begun.

Don't miss:
EM Media Resources for Teams

For youth teams, you will need responsible adult leaders to help lead your mission trip. Recruiting team leaders early on can be a huge help through the process of planning and leading a trip. Experience Mission does not have specific requirements for ratios regarding adult leaders and chaperones, as we know each group is different and you are the one who knows your team best. However, we typically advise a 5:1 ratio for middle school teams and a 7:1 ratio for high school teams. We have found it also is helpful to have at least one male and one female leader present.

As you prepare for the trip, we encourage you to utilize our Pre-Trip Meetings Guide as a way to help everyone stay informed (adult leaders included). By keeping your leaders engaged and excited about the trip, you will have a team of people who can help take some of the details off your plate.

Pre-trip...

• Planning fundraisers & events
• Collecting sizes & order t-shirts
• Organizing tools or children’s ministry supplies
• Helping collect and organize paperwork
• Researching a fun activity to do together at the end of your trip

During the trip...

• Taking photos or post updates online
• Leading small group sessions
• Leading morning devotionals
• Spending relational time with students and help them engage with the community
• Driving students to worksites and supervising projects or outreach ministries

On EM mission trips, Experience Mission field staff also play a major role in leading your team. Before you arrive, our staff procure all the food and any necessary materials for work projects. Once you arrive, we introduce you to local partners and help your team learn your way around the community, as well as organize all meals, the daily schedule, work projects and outreach opportunities.

At the end of each ministry day, when EM field staff are present, we also help your team process their experience during “Team Gathering”—a meaningful time of worship and reflection. We want you to have the time to invest in your team members while also keeping them motivated and helping them embrace all ministry opportunities during the trip.

We know sometimes the most tedious part of planning a mission trip can be collecting and submitting the paperwork—so we want to help you stay organized!

For EM teams, start by signing in to your MyMission Account to see what is required for your particular location in the Things We Need From You section. In some communities, local partners may have their own organizational waiver, background check, or other forms required before your trip, which will also be included in this list.

Often the biggest challenge is simply getting students (or parents!) to complete necessary physical or online forms in a timely manner, so here are a few simple tips to help you stay ahead of deadlines:

• Print out instructions for team members and parents—organizing everything they need to do for your organization and any ministry partner organizations into one simple packet. Consider including an introductory page explaining any special instructions and giving a clear deadline.
• Double check to make sure you have included EM documents and any additional forms from local partner organizations.
• Consider setting deadlines 2-3 weeks ahead of when you actually need items completed! Chances are you will have a few stragglers.
• Make several announcements during team meetings and via email, and consider sending a text reminder to parents and students about the deadlines as they get closer. You probably already know what form of communication works best for your group—but the more clear reminders, the better! (Whatsapp groups work great for group text communication across different phone platforms.)

Don't miss: MyMission Online Account Sign-In

If you are leading a group of youth or school-aged students, good parent communication will be important for the trip to go smoothly. Most likely, your youth are eager to sign up for a mission trip and then jump on the bus or plane—no questions asked! Parents, on the other hand, probably have a long list of questions about safety, pricing, communication, and the weekly schedule.

A mission trip can be a transformational event in the life of a teenager or young adult, so by providing parents with good information, planning well, and removing as many obstacles as possible, you are paving the way for a really important experience.

NOTE: As you plan each of your Pre-Trip Team Meetings, we suggest providing parent handouts or sending a recap email to help them stay informed about about deadlines, fundraisers, and important details. Although parents may not necessarily attend the meetings, do your best to make sure they are hearing all the highlights.

1 WEEK OUT: Remind parents about the drop-off time and make sure they have any relevant emergency contact numbers.

FIRST DAY OF TRIP: Notify parents when you have safely arrived at your mission trip location. Now is a good time to reassure parents (who may be missing their kids already!) about all the good things ahead and thank them for their support and prayers. Let them know you will be sending an update mid-week or instruct them to follow more regular updates through relevant social media pages.

MID-WEEK OF THE TRIP: Send a message or post updates on social media thanking parents for their prayers and involvement. Consider posting a photo of students working on projects or doing ministry with a quote about their experience so far. Parents will love seeing their kids in action and hearing more about how they are learning and growing.

FINAL DAY OF THE TRIP: Remind parents about the scheduled pickup time. You will also want the ability to send updates if you run into any travel delays so parents can adjust their schedules or don’t worry needlessly.

You may already know the best way to communicate with the parents of your team members. Does your church or organization have a mass email system? Do parents prefer to follow a group Facebook page? For more immediate communication, you may consider using a mass text messaging service like EZtexting. You can set up a free account and easily send a message to everyone at once without everyone feeling like they are caught in a group thread.

Being a mission trip team leader is incredibly rewarding, but it can also feel like there is a lot to remember leading up to the trip! That’s why we recommend printing out a physical copy of the appropriate Pre-Trip Checklist for your trip and keeping it handy throughout the planning process. This will help you know what's missing and when you are all set to go!