AIM - Missions Opportunities for Young People
Young people will have a better understanding of life if they visit the less fortunate in our country and outside its borders.
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The heart of God is found in Jesus’ final statement on earth, "Therefore go and make disciples."
Missions is evangelism, and evangelism is the heart of God. God loves people. If we love God, we must also love people, even lost people.
One of the greatest ways to keep your youth group growing spiritually and numerically is to have an active discipleship program. Most young people have a difficult time maintaining their spiritual fervor and are spiritually under-challenged. We must challenge our youth to be disciples. Ambassadors in Mission (AIM) is one of the most effective discipleship tools available. AIM challenges young people in every area of their lives and exposes them to the call of God and the reality of the world around them.
If we want a balanced youth ministry, we can’t avoid missions. We must not deprive our young people of this ministry opportunity. There is a strong possibility that a future missionary is sitting in your youth group. It is your job to help develop him or her for missions.
The motivation for the AIM trip must be clear. The needs of the national church, the missionary, and the AIM team can all be met if the trip is planned and carried out properly. Youth will respond to strong leadership. Rick Ryan, missionary with the Book of Life, states, "I believe every teen should be exposed to the mission field at least once prior to graduating from college." Our motive must be to glorify the name of the Lord in all we do, from beginning to end.
American young people are blessed and may not recognize it because they are isolated from the rest of the world. As Christians, we cannot do this. We are to be light in a darkened world. Young people will have a better understanding of life if they visit the less fortunate in our country and outside its borders. In Matthew 9, Jesus saw the crowds and had compassion on them. He likened them to sheep without a shepherd. He then commanded His followers to pray for workers to reach the lost (verses 35–38). We have workers—they are in our youth groups.
As leaders we must give our youth opportunity to become missionaries. We give young people a chance to act, sing, and camp. We must also give them a chance to hear the call of God for a lost world. I would rather be known as a missions-minded leader than an expert on trips to amusement parks. These trips are good, but they can’t be our emphasis. We cannot lead where we do not go.
Another important aspect of missions is what it does for the local church. When our youth group is preparing for a trip, the entire church is given the opportunity to get involved. We have the AIMers sign up prayer partners, many of whom are senior adults. Our church now has so many AIMers, an offering can no longer cover the cost of the trip. This forces students to look outside the church for funds. Many students take part-time or full-time jobs to raise money. When these students reach the mission field, they have a greater appreciation for the trip. They work harder on the field because they know how hard they worked to get there.
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An AIM trip requires that teens work several months prior to the trip. This keeps the teen focused on the mission. Teens do not succumb to many of the normal teen temptations because they are busy working for their mission trip. The AIM trip has become their passion. This passion for the lost makes my job as youth pastor easier. I spend less time dealing with problems in my youth group and more time fulfilling the Great Commission. We cannot look at the AIM trip as an expensive 2-week event. It is a year-round discipleship process.
The students who are preparing for a trip can be required to fulfill obligations: faithful church attendance, taking notes during sermons, reading assignments, attending prayer meetings, fasting, tithing, ministry involvement, and others. These requirements help build spiritual character. Most teens, although reluctant at first, enjoy the accountability. Our church appreciates our AIMers. One requirement for the AIM trip is that a student has to be involved in local ministry before he or she can go. Nearly 40 members of our youth group are now in full-time ministry. Most of them were AIMers.
Planning An AIM Trip?
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Ten Ways AIM
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Several senior adults support our youth on AIM trips with prayer and finances. One elderly man told one of our girls, "I can’t go to Costa Rica; you go for me."
When the AIM team returns, team members minister in a church service and share exciting reports of the trip. These reports stretch the vision of our church.
AIM trips encourage the national church. When the request for an AIM team is filled, the missionaries know they are not alone in their mission. A national pastor and his church love the support that a team can give. Imagine the excitement when a group comes and joins hands with the local church in reaching its city.
Different trips will offer different experiences. You must choose the one that is best for you and your group. We should not set a teenager up for failure. Overseas trips and trips to impoverished areas can be demanding and need mature teenagers. (Remember maturity is not always dependent on the age of the person.) Your church needs to determine eligibility prior to announcing the trip. The length and the cultural difference of the trip will also determine the degree of difficulty. All members of an AIM team will experience some culture shock. These disturbances will be minimized with proper training.
A mission trip can be a rewarding experience. Remember, AIMers may be the only missionaries the world sees, and your trip may be the only missions experience your church will see. An AIM trip will be a positive experience for everyone if you do it right.
Note: National Youth Ministries can help you plan, train, and execute your next trip. For more information call 417-862-2781, ext. 4039.
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Go and Make DisciplesWhen planning an AIM trip, it is important that your trip be done properly. AIM trips can be sponsored/led by either the national Youth Ministries, district, or local church. The following questions must be answered to have an effective AIM outreach. 1. Who will plan the trip?Several procedures need to be followed to have an effective AIM outreach. The national AIM office has procedures that missionaries and the divisions of Foreign and Home Missions have requested be used. The host missionary must be in the center of the planning process. He/she either requests or approves an AIM team. His/her help in planning will ensure the trip will be productive. The senior pastor needs to be involved in the planning. The pastor must totally support the AIM trip. He/she can give it visibility, accountability, and respectability. Contact your district youth director for options and approval. Do not begin planning your own AIM trip before gaining the support of your district youth director. 2. Why are we taking an AIM trip?Jesus said, "Go." AIM trips are primarily to reach the lost and assist those fulfilling the Great Commission. A secondary goal is to see spiritual growth among the AIMers. 3. What do we want to accomplish? What are our goals?Set measurable, attainable, precise, and personal goals. Goals should benefit the missionary and the field, the youth ministry, the youth leader, and the local church. Some mission fields will produce more results than others. Analyze what you need to touch your group in a practical way. 4. With whom are we going to work?Some missionaries have more skill and experience in working with American teenagers. Find a missionary who will keep your AIMers productively active. A productive, busy AIMer is a happy, fulfilled AIMer. 5. Who will lead this trip?Every group needs a qualified leader. Make sure that he/she is:
6. Who will go on the trip?What are the requirements for each AIMer to meet in order to go? Several factors must be considered. Age - Some young teens may not do well in a densely populated city, yet they might excel in the countryside. Younger teens are great with children’s ministry. Their experience, maturity, and energy are adaptable to this ministry when properly trained. Qualifications - Each trip should be evaluated individually. Short missions outreaches are more suitable to larger groups. For longer trips, we limit the number who can go and have more requirements. Finances should not be the most important factor in determining who can go. However, I would rather have a teen earn the money for the trip than have a church or parent provide the money. Teens who work hard appreciate the trip more and are generally more committed to excellence. Decide whether or not a teen from outside your group can join. Use wisdom and consider your goals. Other adults who want to participate must be evaluated as well. Use judgment while keeping your goals at the forefront of all of your decision making. 7. What training will be provided?Trips that end in failure are generally the result of inadequate planning. With proper preparation in all the areas, and especially training, every trip can be a success. Training includes dramas, songs, and testimonies, but it also involves preparing team members to handle different situations that might arise. 8. How much will it cost?AIM trips cost money, time, and energy. Valuable lessons, rewards, and good memories cost something. Plan ahead for unexpected costs. Make sure you have adequate supervision, health insurance, travel insurance. Consider all possible costs: ground transportation, training costs, leadership costs, food, lodging, airfare, clothing, field costs, entertainment (tours, etc.), tips, transfers, equipment, and tracts. 9. What type of experience do you want to provide for the AIMers?This question coincides with your goals. Your group may be at a maturity level that requires a tougher challenge. Some groups may be ready for sleeping in the church for 2 weeks, while others may not. I use this rule of thumb: Make it tough if it serves a purpose and doesn’t detract from your goals. Young people staying in a church with one shower, sleeping on wooden pews, and never getting away from the crowds will become physically and mentally exhausted in a few days. This can distract from your goals. Rather, stay in hotels where the kids can get a good rest. If an AIMer gets sick, spare no expense. Have professionals take care of him/her quickly and properly. 10. What equipment will be provided?Ask your missionary what he/she needs. Match your equipment to the objectives of your trip. Consider leaving equipment as a gift to the missionaries or national pastors. See who is on your team and utilize their skills. Train your AlMers to use the equipment properly. Several young people from my group and district are now missionaries. They received the call while on an AIM trip. I often wonder what would have happened if I had not given them the opportunity to see the mission field. |