When we produced the documentary curriculum Round Trip, we looked for examples of churches that had figured out how to use short trips as the catalyst for lasting relationships. The most impressive example we found—the story we tell in the documentary—is of the multifaceted partnership between North Carolina’s Chapel Hill Bible Church (CHBC) and Nairobi Chapel (the network of churches founded by Oscar Muriu). CHBC and the daughter churches of Nairobi Chapel have learned to do STMs right on several fronts.

Let Your Hosts Take the Lead
At one point in Round Trip, American trip leader Jim Thomas sits down with his African counterpart and simply listens to what his priorities are. Sadly, many Americans skip this step, arriving with a full-blown schedule of activities that leave precious room for relationship. If we’re really on pilgrimage, we probably should attend to what the saints we’re visiting are hoping for from our visit.

Don’t Go Just Once
The attitudes of your group will change completely if even a few know they may get to visit the same people again next summer. At best, return trips can become touchstones that one generation passes on to the next, raising expectations for relationships (“You’ll get to meet Maria!” “Tell Joshua I said, “‘Hello'”).

Go Where Your Church Has Ongoing Partnerships
Perhaps the most impressive part of the Chapel Hill-Nairobi partnership—and a big reason we ended up filming them for Round Trip—was how deeply the two churches had thought about their ongoing relationship. Not only has CHBC sent many teams to Nairobi through the years, but they have welcomed teams from Nairobi several times. The churches have exchanged senior pastors, as well as mission teams, ministry interns and youth. Participants on any one trip know they are just a small part of an ongoing story. Any worthwhile short-term trip is actually part of a long-term mission.

For youth groups, this dovetails with what we already are learning about youth ministry more broadly: The best youth ministry happens in multi-generational partnership, not in generational isolation. STMs are some of the best opportunities to get students deeply involved in a ministry that is much bigger than just their youth group.

Have a Plan for What Happens Next
This is the weakest link in STMs of all kinds. We think our work has been done when we get the whole team off the plane at home in one piece. Actually, our work is just beginning. Some churches, such as Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Mich., require short-term teams to make a one-year commitment—with the trip itself coming in the middle of the year. If we want to see real transformation result from our short pilgrimages, we’ll plan for the time and follow-up that transformation requires.