“Yeah, but this is not like…real life…you know?”
I’ll never forget talking to one of our students on the flight home from a mission trip one summer and her passing comment that has forever shaped how I look at missions and student ministry. We were talking about all that we had experienced the past week; we talked about the nights of incredible worship, pouring our hearts and praise out to the God who was leading us. We talked about the deep fellowship we experienced with each other on the team, opportunities to know and be known in the love of Jesus. She mentioned the days of Spirit-led ministry in which we were watching and listening to see how God was moving and how we could join in to point people to the kingdom of God. Then the conversation moved toward home; and the descriptions, mood and outlook quickly changed. It was very clear what she was saying: The week was amazing; we saw God moving and lives changed; we experienced amazing worship and learned about our team in a deep way…but…we’re going home now, back to normal life and normal church.
In that one statement, she put in words all that I knew was true about doing summer mission trips. She expressed what I tried to avoid saying but knew was there — as a nagging ailment you know you should have looked at, but what if you go and find out there is more to it, that further tests (or worse) further lifestyle changes are needed? What she was saying is that for her, there was life on mission with God, then after that week was over, there was her other life — life back home, no longer on mission. For her and for many students I’ve shared time with, missions have a time frame, a shelf life; and if you are one of the students lucky enough, you get to experience this amazing week; if not, you can apply to do missions next year.
That interaction led me to a question: Why is it that the way of living that most closely resembles the Spirit of Christ in the New Testament church is seen as abnormal, unusual, something to experience only in another state, culture or time zone? I know mission trips are unique experiences that often cannot be duplicated. I understand these trips provide a chance to get away from our routines in order to rediscover the mission of God so we can continue the mission when we get home. The reality is there’s nothing built into our ministries’ DNA to support a student serving in missions somewhere else, to return home and continue that way of living here.
This led me to another question: If the mission of God is something that should not be seen as abnormal, but a regular part of our lives as followers of Jesus, then how is student ministry set up to reflect this? Maybe our regular gatherings with students need to include opportunities to step out, to go and tell, to love and serve, to give and listen — not just at special times of the year, but as a normal part of life together. Maybe we should question the notion that says each week students must come and see (which is the model most often reflected in the church at large) and instead challenge students, as disciples of Jesus, to go and do. As they move out into the world, they should be helping to make new disciples. Our large group gatherings would then be an opportunity to share what we’ve seen and heard, celebrate who and what God is, cry out to Him on behalf of other students. We would share questions and struggles that come from going out, and therefore deepen relationships with other students. I understand this may mean a change in programs (or a drop in programs), a shift in funds and a host of other things…I only know that we no longer can allow this separation of mission and life to continue.
That question led me to an even deeper and more fundamental question: Have I forgotten the way of Jesus in regard to missions? I read His life and I quickly see that it was in the going and doing, and failing and succeeding, that Jesus was able to teach about faith in God, about what to expect from a world that doesn’t know Him; it was in the going out that Jesus was molding His followers. He allowed them to fall; He sent them out in teams to do what they were taught; He celebrated with them and corrected them. If this is the way of Jesus, then I have to ask: Why is this not the regular heartbeat in student ministry?
As you can see, I do not have all the answers. These are only a few of the questions I have, and there is much more to ponder. I just can’t help but think maybe what has been regarded as the exception (the experience of a summer mission trip) should be the rule and regular heartbeat of student ministry as we seek to connect to God, each other and the world around us. So, once again, I am reminded of how God uses students and their questions to challenge what has been done and gain insight into where God is leading next!
