To Coddle or Not to Coddle? Working with Mission Teams

One of the main tasks that Lori and I are focusing on this summer is to work and direct mission teams that come to Boston.  We’ve been here for a little over 3 weeks and have had the opportunity to work with several mission teams. 

As we have worked with each of the teams, it has been a different experience with each.  Some teams have been a joy to work with, while others have been a nightmare.  Unfortunately not all mission teams that come to serve are totally prepared.  So I wanted to share with you some things to remember if you ever have the opportunity to serve on a mission trip.

Have a servant’s heart.  I’m thankful for the teams that have come to Boston and were ready to serve.  They didn’t go on a mission trip; they served on a mission trip.  There is a vital difference.  Servanthood is the key to the success of a mission trip.  Jesus serves as our example of what true servanthood looks like. 

 “and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Mark 10:44-45

Know your cultural context.  I encourage you to do some research before you leave.   Also speak with the pastor or leader you will be working with to see if you fully understand the context in which you will be serving.  Many teams have come to Boston and have not been received very well by the local people because of their actions were considered offensive or weird.  What you consider permissible might not be acceptable in the specific area where you will be serving.  It’s really easy to get caught in the mind-set that everyone else thinks or acts the same way.  As you travel, you might even run into people from different countries who have a totally different background.

“To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.”  1 Corinthians 9:22

Be flexible.  I am convinced that Jesus had a 10^th beatitude that was not listed in Matthew 5 – “Blessed are the flexible, for they will not be snapped in half.”  When on a mission trip, it is critical that you are flexible.  There might be times that you may need to call an audible and go to “plan B.”  Inflexibility will cause you to miss out what God has in store for you and those you are serving.  How many times did God interrupt someone’s plan, in the Bible stories, where the person had one thing in mind, but God had another plan.

Remember you’re not a vacation.  Unfortunately we have seen teams come to Boston, not because they wanted to serve, but rather they wanted to come visit Boston.

You may be the only Bible someone ever reads or the only Jesus someone sees. 

“Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”  Hebrews 13:2

Don’t focus on numbers.  What God is doing in people’s lives and hearts is not quantitative.  As human beings, we tend to focus too much on numbers and how many people attended or were saved. 

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.”  1 Corinthians 3:6-9