Episode 095: How Local Churches Can Encourage Young People in Missions

Frank Vander Meulen

Dec 19, 2018

Experienced leader and college professor Frank Vander Meulen works on a daily basis with young people who are preparing for cross-cultural missions. In this episode Frank and Mags talk about some strategic steps that local churches can take to encourage their young people in missions.

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Frank Vander Meulen and his wife Eleanor served as teachers in an MK school in Panama and then for fifteen years in the home office of Ethnos Canada. Frank now serves as the Director of Intercultural Studies at Heritage College which offers a program called The Serve Experience. Frank loves encouraging people to live intentionally for the Lord and engage in God’s mission.

In this Episode:

How local churches can encourage young people in missions – practical steps that local churches can take to empower young people to participate in missions.

Fostering a culture of global missions in your church.

Educate.
Pray.
Decorate.
Serve.

How can the church help young people benefit as much as possible from short-term missions?

Talk to young people about their motivation. Why do they want to go? What’s their goal? Have someone from the missions committee, the pastor or other leaders walk alongside young people to help them navigate their motivation for going.

How can the church empower young people as they go on a short-term mission?

Talk with them about what they will be doing. Include in the short-term mission spiritual ministry that the young people can participate in. Give them planning responsibilities so that they can understand better what ministry involves and learn to take initiative.
Look for opportunities for the young people to work overseas with young adults who may know English.
Give young people responsibilities in planning the trip so they can learn to take initiative as they take more ownership of the ministry they are participating in.

After the short-term trip, how can the church continue to encourage young people?

Debrief is super important! Leaders need to help young people prepare to come home and walk with them after they return home. Young people need to stay connected with leaders and the team and discuss things like highlights of the trip, what was done well, what they struggled with before/during/after the trip, how will they apply what they’ve learned, and “next steps”. Leaders need to help young people connect the lessons they’ve learned with ongoing ministry at home. This is discipleship – continual growth!

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How can the church help young people think about long-term missions?

It’s possible for people to be involved in short-term missions and not think beyond the trip. It’s easy for young people to look at a short-term mission trip as an event and think that they have made their missions contribution.
The church needs to continue walking alongside young people and help them – through scripture and discipleship – to see their potential in participating long-term in missions. Help them think about how they can continue to be involved in the long-term needs and goals of mission workers overseas.
The church can also help the young people stay connected to missionaries and agencies that have a long-term relationship with the church. The church can also invite them into leadership for future trips where they can further understand the importance of longer-term presence in finishing the enormous task of reaching the unreached.
Inviting young people to participate in medium-term missions will also help them to understand the different challenges and blessings of long-term missions compared to what they may have experienced on a short-term trip. Young people get to build a greater understanding of ministry, God, and themselves! Heritage College offers a program called The Serve Experience.

Obstacles that young people experience as they consider missions.

Parental expectations such as hopes and dreams for their children, concerns about grandchildren, and concerns about safety are all obstacles and topics that the church can help address.
Episode 072: Honoring Your Parents When They Don’t Embrace Your Call to Missions is a great episode on this topic!
Finances – the cost to go, live, educate kids, medical insurance, etc. can be expensive. Going can mean giving up a more secure financial income that a young person could have working at home. Becoming dependent on others for financial support goes against our independent culture. The church can help by being ready to stand financially with young people who are going. Even in a difficult Canadian financial climate, churches need to build God’s Kingdom and pray about how they can give.

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