In May, I took five of my Crowder BSU students plus my wife and baby to Japan for a mission trip. We teamed up with another MBCollegiate ministry, the North Central Missouri College BSU, to spend nearly two weeks roaming the Japan striking up conversations and sharing the gospel with anyone who would talk to us. You can read more about our trip here and here.
A trip like that isn’t cheap, and there’s no way we could have afforded to go if not for the generosity of churches in our association, the Shoal Creek Baptist Association. These churches helped raise over twenty thousand dollars to send us on mission to Japan.
It’s not uncommon for churches to raise funds for collegiate mission trips. In fact, it’s common enough that we can take it for granted if we aren’t careful. I want to briefly point out three critical things that funding collegiate mission trips does for the students and the church.
Donating Churches Are Sending Churches
Firstly, churches that donate to mission trips become sending churches. They are both directly and indirectly involved in the mission itself. They have a direct role in making the mission possible, doable, able to happen. Thus, they indirectly play a role every time the gospel is shared through one of the missionaries that go on the trip. In our eyes, it was as though the local church was right there with us each time we shared the gospel, because without their support, we would not have been there.
Donating Churches Are Discipling Churches
Secondly, by supporting collegiate mission trips, local churches take part of the discipleship of college students, and thus, into the next generation of church leaders and serving members.
Donating Churches are Encouraging Churches
Thirdly, several encouraging things happen to the mental state of our students when they know they are being supported by local churches.
- They gain confidence, knowing that they are trusted by their supporters.
- They realize that local churches paid a high price for their trip, so they absolutely must make the most of their time and of every opportunity without being distracted by tourism.
- They regain faith, hope, and trust in the institution of the local church, which is desperately needed among college students.
If you’re a college student, don’t be afraid to reach out to local church members to ask for support to enable you to go on a mission trip. If you’re a local church member with a few dollars to spare, find a college student who’s wanting to go on a mission trip and ask if they need funds. If you’re a campus missionary, give all the local churches around you the chance to support you and your students on your next mission trip—the blessings are mutual and many!
