A wide variety of Christian travel ministry opportunities are re-invigorating the church. Whether on a leisure or mission trip, these travels connect and build relationships within the church community and beyond.
Talk with long-term missionaries and locals about what to pack, then choose the most minimal essentials. Less is more, especially in a place that may have limited clothing choices.
Prayer
There are many things to think about and do when planning a mission trip. Travel arrangements, passport applications, and immunization records are often top of mind, but a trip can only go as well as it is prayed for. While it is tempting to relegate prayer to the bottom of the list, it is important to make time for praying both individually and with the group. The following ten passages of Scripture can be used to guide your prayers leading up to your trip or while you are on the field, either as a team leader or member.
It is easy to overcomplicate prayer. There is a place for detailed, theologically-precise definitions of prayer, but at its core, prayer is simply talking to God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that “prayer is dialogue with God, petitionary and evangelical in character and consists in the giving and offering of one’s own thoughts and sentiments to God” (CCC 2559).
Praying for a mission trip is a natural thing to do, but there is so much more that is necessary. Missionaries often leave their homes with a specific plan for ministry and an open door to get into a country or city, but what happens on the ground is completely up to God. He may move in ways that the team never expected and open doors that would not have opened otherwise.
When the team returns home, they are often poured out physically and emotionally. It is important to pray for them as they recover and that the Lord restores their energy for future trips and ministry in general.
One way to pray for your missionary team is to host a prayer meeting. Invite your friends and family to gather and take turns sharing their personal prayer requests. It helps to have a set amount of time for this so that people do not feel pressured to keep speaking. For example, you might allow each person to speak for about five minutes each or set aside an hour and split the time among the participants. Another way to encourage participation is to have people bring pictures or letters from missionaries they support or children they sponsor and trade them among the group so that everyone can pray for those in need.
The Word of God
The Word of God is an essential part of ministry travel. In some cases, when God personally communicated to humans through His chosen spokesmen, such as the prophets of Israel, these words carried His divine authority and were meant to be obeyed. The Word of God can also refer to the written communication that He has given to us in His Bible, and it can refer to Jesus Christ who is the Word made flesh.
Traveling ministers (often referred to as “traveling elders”) have the responsibility of being faithful communicators of the Word of God, whether in person or in print. They also have the responsibility of helping others to listen for and hear the voice of God so they will know what it is He is calling them to do.
During the apostolic period, many women and men functioned in traveling ministries: evangelists, teachers, musicians, missionaries, exhorters, and prophets. Today, many people function in traveling ministries as pastors and missionaries who are sent out by their local churches or organizations. They may travel to different conferences, churches, retreats, or foreign countries on short-term missions trips.
When Friends are called to travel, they must work with their monthly meeting to discern a clear leading from the Lord. Then they should lay their concern, the full nature of their proposed visit, and how they feel led before their meeting. If the monthly meeting unites with their concern and affirms their leading, they will issue a travel minute and the Friend can go forward in the ministry.
The goal of a travel ministry is not to “bring God” to a new place, but to join in what God is already doing there through individuals and groups that will remain after the travelers leave. This is why it’s important for short-term missions trips to be a partnership with ongoing ministries and not just to bring in some temporary volunteers. As they do so, they will witness the power of the Word to transform lives and change cultures.
The Body of Christ
Ministry travel involves members of religious organizations – during ministry travel it’s important to understand the Body of Christ. The Bible refers to the church as the “body of Christ.” This is more than a metaphor. It is an essential part of the Church’s spiritual reality.
In 1 Corinthians 12:12, Paul uses a physical illustration to show how important each member of the body is to the whole. In the human body, eyes, ears, nose and hands have individual jobs, but they are all part of the whole. When one part suffers, every part suffers. When a part is honored, the whole body rejoices. The Body of Christ is similar, because all believers belong to Christ, and He is the Head of the church.
All members of the Body of Christ are called to service. Everyone has a gift to offer the Church, and it is essential that each person use their spiritual gifts to help build up the church and spread the Gospel. For example, some may be able to sing, while others can teach or work miracles.
The term body of Christ can be used to describe the church as a whole or specific groups within the Church, such as evangelism teams, youth ministries, and mission trips. It can also refer to a specific Christian feast, such as Corpus Christi.
The first step in becoming a part of the Body of Christ is to place your faith in Jesus. Then, you become a child of God and are saved by His grace and eternal salvation. Once you are a child of God, the Holy Spirit begins to give you spiritual gifts. Each spiritual gift is unique and important, and it is essential to the growth of the Body of Christ that all believers utilize their God-given gifts. This is why it’s so important for people who are traveling to ministry to keep their focus on serving and sharing the gospel. It’s also why it’s important to have someone from the local congregation lead the trip, so they can share the vision of the local church or organization with the travelers.
The World
Traveling ministry is a form of Christian service that involves visiting other churches and organizations to preach, teach, lead liturgies, perform ceremonies, and counsel or offer pastoral support to individuals going through life transitions. It may also include other types of organizational leadership in congregations, church agencies, chaplaincies and social ministries. While evangelists and missionaries are the most recognized travelers in the church, pastors and teachers can also function as traveling ministers to their local communities.
Travelling ministry is a demanding and time-consuming commitment. The demands are many and varied, including the need to effectively market yourself by contacting other churches and ministries in order to schedule meetings or preaching engagements. Keeping up with schedules and deadlines is a constant challenge, and working over 40 hours a week is common. The long hours can be lonely as well, so the travelling ministry is not for everyone.
If you feel a call to the traveling ministry, it is essential to explore the many different aspects of the calling with others. Joining a Thriving Practices cohort is a great way to learn with and from other churches who share a passion for a particular area of ministry together. These learning clusters have proven to be one of the most effective ways to explore a calling and develop your skills as a ministry practitioner.
Throughout significant portions of Quaker history, women and men have been called to travel for ministry in their communities and among other Friends groups. While formal travel in the ministry had almost completely ceased in the unprogrammed tradition, recent revival of this work is creating a new energy for this spiritually important practice.
To ensure your trip is as successful and rewarding as possible, work with a travel agent who understands the unique requirements of faith based or outreach travel. Your travel agent will make sure all of the details for your tour or cruise are taken care of, and will handle a multitude of tasks.