Ministry Field Trips
Ministry Field Trips
Connect the principles of holistic ministry with real-life models by organizing "ministry field trips." Check out what God is doing outside your corner of the kingdom of God!
You can read about holistic ministry, you can discuss holistic ministry, you can make plans for holistic ministry - but for most people, real understanding and inspiration comes from seeing ministry in action. Exposure to ministry in action enlivens church members' ministry imagination, feeds their appetite for mission, and gives members a taste of new experiences and ideas related to serving others in Christ's name. Field trips are particularly helpful if your congregation has had enough of reading about mission and wants to see what it looks like, or if you have lots of members who say things like, "Don't tell me, show me!"
The idea of a field trip is simple: Find out who is doing exciting, worthwhile ministry in your area; then organize folks in the congregation (especially the Ministry Vision Team) to visit the ministry, talk to the people in charge - and, ideally, take part as ministry volunteers. (Not everyone has to go on the same field trips together, especially if you have a large group. Some agencies can only accommodate a limited number of visitors or volunteers at a time.)
When you contact an organization, ask if you can come to observe, get the tour, and ask questions. If possible, arrange for your group to talk with the director. Tell the director that your church is trying to develop more effective ways of meeting needs in the community, and you'd like to learn from their experience. Offer for your group to do volunteer work for a few hours.
It's best to visit holistic ministries - Christian ministries that nurture people spiritually alongside providing services - but you can also learn from visits to non-holistic and non-Christian programs. Try to select field trips that the whole family can participate in.
Some ideas:
- Form a work crew for a Habitat for Humanity housing rehab project.
- Participate in Jesus Day/March for Jesus' one-day adventure in holistic ministry (www.jesusday.org).
- Look in the "blue pages" of the phone book (listing of nonprofit agencies).
- Visit local public service agencies - welfare offices, public schools, police stations, hospitals, services for the aging, the child welfare department, etc. Also visit any churches or faith-based organizations that work collaboratively with these agencies.
- Ask your national or regional denominational office to recommend churches in your area that are doing significant community outreach.
- Turn your field trip into a short-term missions trip by hooking up with established programs like Koinonia Leadership Mission, CityTeam, or the Perkins Foundation for Reconciliation and Development.
Follow-up discussion questions
Like a good meal, holistic ministry experiences need "digesting." Process a ministry experience by gathering afterward for reflection and prayer. Questions for post-trip discussion include:
- How did you see the Gospel reflected in word or deed in the ministry program and its leader(s)?
- What impressed, challenged, or concerned you about your visit? How might God be speaking to you through this experience?
- Can you see your church doing this type of ministry? Why or why not?
- What aspects of this program would you like your church to emulate - and what would you do differently? (Sometimes you can learn as much from ministries that are struggling as from model programs!)
