Youth Short-Term Missions

Vision:

  • To mobilize youths in lifetime service, evangelism and Great Commission work

Objectives:

  • To witness the power of God at work in fulfilling His plan of salvation
  • To provide appropriate opportunities to develop mission readiness over a span of teenage years
  • To provide a close simulation of the experience of a career missionary such as selection through applications, references & interviews, spiritual preparation, physical conditioning, extensive mission & evangelism training, raising prayer and financial support, evaluations, debriefing, team-building, giving testimony / report, spiritual gifts development, program development, follow-up, etc. We are committed to do our part to fulfill the Great Commission. We pray that some career missionaries and Kingdom changers will rise out of these teams.

Values:

  • We value family mission.
  • We value true mission partnerships with local churches, missionaries and agencies in the field.
  • We value strategic long-term commitment to a field or community.
  • We value development of people over the perfection of programs.
  • We value transformation in the process of discipleship.
  • We value the Standard of Excellence as our operational measurement. (http://www.stmstandards.org/standards-overview.php ) The nationally-derived standards include: God-centeredness, empowering partnerships, mutual design, comprehensive administration, qualified leadership, appropriate training, and thorough follow-up.

Targeted Results:

  • Genuine conversions among the receivers, that are then in route in discipleship
  • Strengthen and empower the receiver church
  • Team unity and accountability, finest experience of loving Body dynamics
  • Foster mission mobilization in sender church through prayer and participation
  • Personal transformation, including but not limited to: brokenness, total dependence on God, increased spiritual appetite and discipline, clearer vision and ownership for God’s Kingdom, increased heart for reaching the lost, family involvement, broader grasp of the world in need, sacrificial living, humility and servanthood

Building Blocks:

Component #1: Service

Emphasis: local outreach and exposure

Focus: develop a concern and God’s love to the needy, willing to do grunge work, go out of comfort zone, demonstrate compassion

Activities: visitation, physical labor, raising awareness and funds

Examples:

  • visit shelters, orphanages, nursing homes to clean or provide service
  • distribute food and blankets in downtown Boston
  • do lawn work or other heavy labor for physically-challenged
  • hold fund-raisers to benefit world hunger or other need
  • protest genocide
  • assist our church or community when a specific need arises
  • rebuild homes, churches, children centers, etc.

Component #2: Personal Ministry

Emphasis: Presence and ministry to people

Focus: share God’s love through personal care and interaction, develop opportunities to engage faith dialogues, gain fearlessness in conversations with strangers

Activities: mentoring, teaching (Bible and life skills), intentional befriending

Examples:

  • serve through children ministry and outreach
  • provide ongoing personal ministry to people (i.e., regular visits to elderly)
  • tutor disadvantaged students
  • provide holistic caring for special needs persons
  • provide alternative programs for immigrant latch-key children

Component #3: Gospel Presentation

Emphasis: share the gospel message through words and creative expressions

Focus: firm-up personal faith conviction and godly life, effectively convey God’s message in testimony, presentation, drama and other media; respond to common objections; defend faith through apologetics; fluent with gospel tools and prayer; apply musical and artistic gifts

Activities: body worship, drama, praise, musical, public speaking, contact evangelism, mime, puppets

Examples:

  • serve through children ministry and outreach
  • street or stage presentations
  • develop articulate, creative expressions

Selection Criteria

Our Mission Selection Criteria is used for assessing mission-readiness for every interested participant. Applicants will be evaluated and interviewed by a Mission Selection Committee. Although this is not a perfect science, this rubric enables leaders to identify the strengths and weaknesses that each person may offer into a team setting. Please prayerfully consider how the Lord would include you with effectiveness into His Kingdom work.

Improvements to Increase Opportunities:

At no time should we be compelled to lower the bar of the Standard of Excellence. But we can:

  1. Create a sense of ONE mission team collectively.
  2. Open up local options for mini-mission primers that require less training and time commitment.
  3. Develop a Mission Leadership Team (college students and other adults who would commit to serving as assistant leaders or co-leaders for mission trips over the next four to five years.)
  4. Increase short-term mission opportunities for families under Mission Committee initiative or other non-youth ministries at CBCGB, so that qualified parents and qualified youths may effectively serve in special projects.
  5. Encourage mature teens to seek out mission and service opportunities, whether CBCGB sponsored or self-initiated or with other reputable non-CBCGB agencies.