Using Technology to Take Your Whole Church on a Missions Trip

Short-term missions trips can be a great way for your church to share the love of Christ with people in another part of the world, and can be a major spiritual for those going to grow in their relationship with God.

But usually only a small percentage of the people who are a part of a church ever participate in a missions trip.

Thanks to technology, though, your whole church can be a part of your next missions trip!

I’ve been blessed to have the opportunity to serve in Costa Rica and Kenya. And next month, I’ll be a part of a team that is traveling to serve at the House of Blessings orphanage in Haiti.

The philosophy of my church when it comes to missions trips is that when we send a team, everyone is a part of it. Not everyone is physically present, of course, but everyone can pray, provide financial support, provide supplies, and help in other ways.

Additionally, we will be using the Internet in the following ways to help the entire church to participate…

Before the trip

• Blog & share on social media where we’re going, why we’re going, and what we’ll be doing.
• Blog & share on social media to help raise financial support and receive the supplies we need to take with us.
• Blog & share on social media specific ways people can begin praying.

During the trip

• Share pictures on Facebook and Instagram to let people at home see what we are seeing.
• Blog daily updates to share what God is doing and how people can pray for us and the people we’re serving with.
• Respond to comments and questions people back home post to the blog and social media.

After the trip

• Share additional pictures, stories, and reflections on the blog
• Share video from the trip that was too big to upload/post while on the trip
• Thank family, friends, and everyone in the church for their prayers and support

I’ve done many of these things on the previous trips I’ve taken. So, many people have told me how they were blessed to be able to participate online with us. And I can’t overstate how much of a blessing it has been to those of us on the trip see the encouraging comments from people back home.

I can’t wait to bring our entire church with us to Haiti!

If you’d like to follow our trip, you can do so on the Journey Community Church blog.

Discuss

• How has your church used the Internet to enable the entire church to be a part of missions trips?
• What other ways can missions teams use the Internet?