03 Sep 7 Motivating Verses for Church Mission Trips
So you’re about to head out on a mission trip? One of the best things you can do to prepare your mind and heart for the journey is to meditate on Scripture. More specifically, studying passages of the Bible that have to do with God’s mission, and God’s heaert for missions will get you ready for the challenges ahead. Here are just a few that you can memorize to get you and your team started!
1 Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV): “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
This is the classic verse on the Great Commission. This verse is the essential marching order of the church. Anytime we lead a group or begin discipling a person and want to convey our missional purpose, this is a go-to Scripture. We hammer the fact that the call on Gods people to do mission starts in Genesis, but this passage is uber explicit.
2 Isaiah 6:8 (NIV): “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!'”
Delivering medical aid and supplies in Ukraine
This verse captures that attitude we need to have: a willing heart to go! May we all have this attitude in considering the Lord’s calling. As mission trip leaders, we need to cultivate this in our group. Encourage every participant that they have already embraced this by saying yes to going on the trip.
3 Acts 1:8 (NIV): “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” This verse is an essential reminder that 1) the Holy Spirit is who powers the mission, and 2) His role is to bear witness to Jesus.
4 2 Corinthians 5:20 (NIV): “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”
We love this verse because it conveys the truth that God’s chosen method to reach the nations is us. Yes, its you and me. We are flawed creatures, sinners saved by grace, yet he has chosen to use us. Meditate on the grace God has flooded into your life and the amazing truth that he still wants to use you in reaching others for Christ.
5 James 1:27 (NIV): “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
Whatever the purpose of your mission trip or journey, you are taking action. This verse delivers a powerful truth that should be encouraging to everyone on your team: Your action to say yes to this trip- to get on an airplane, or drive to another city, is a self authenticating testimony that your faith is genuine. Your desire to take action comes from the Holy Spirit. We don’t just observe the plight of the less fortunate, the poor, the sick, and those underserved with the gospel. No, we take action as God has commanded us to, and this action is a kind of spiritual watermark on our faith proving it is genuine.
6 Micah 6:8 (NIV): “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Teaching the Storyline Study in southern Spain
To act justly is to treat other fellow human beings with the dignity God instilled within them. They are made in God’s image. We love and serve them because God values them. This is justice. It is merciful to help those in need improve their situation whether that be physically or spiritually. And we do this with humble hearts. What a powerful statement by the prophet Micah!
7 Galatians 6:9 (NIV): “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Serving is hard. It’s important to remind your team that there will be days when you feel completely blitzed. You’ll hit your pillow at night exhausted, but it will be with a joy of knowing you’re investing in eternity.
Let these verse encourage you and saturate your mind and heart. Let them be a source of inspiration to you as you prepare yourself and others for the adventure that awaits.
Mike Krieg is the Founder and Executive Director of Storyline. He lived in Siberia and Central Russia for 6 years planting churches and making disciples among college students. Currently he is a mission mobilizer who lives in Texas.