Carefully considering the details of a summer ministry experience will provide a smoother trip for youth while increasing the trust and backing of parents.

The Big Decisions

Service, adventure, or large programmatic experience? Urban or rural? Go through an organization or strike out on your own? Do chaperones pay or are they covered? Drive or fly? Rent or borrow a van? And the big question: are those darling eighth graders in high school or middle school?

When planning summer ministry experiences for our youth groups, the questions can seem overwhelming. By this time of the year, most of us have probably made the major decisions about the type of trip (if any) our youth groups will be taking. We have had to decide where those pesky eighth graders fit into the equation. We have started fundraising and rented a van.

Know Your “Why”

There are 1,000 little details that go into the planning of a successful summer trip experience that we will talk about in a moment. But first: you need to know your “Why.” Why are you going on this trip? What is your primary goal? Have you communicated this with the participants and their families? While some young people may truly want to go work with an inner-city outreach program, others might be more curious about the location or, frankly, simply thrilled to go whitewater rafting on the way home. If they are like I was, they might just want to get away from their parents for a week. Be sure to be clear about why you are doing what you are doing, and repeat this message often.

When you have your location and are clear on your purpose, be sure to tackle these other topics early. Being prepared ahead of time is one of the best ways to instill faith in the parents of your young people, and when they are confident, they will be your biggest assets. They want to believe that you are prepared, safe, and organized before they send their kids with you.

So, the 1,000 details—narrowed down to the key points…

Chaperones:

• How many adults—If you are traveling with an organization, they often have age guidelines (minimum 21 or 25 years old) and ratios for you to follow (usually one adult per seven youth). Follow these guidelines. These trips are meant for young people, not adults who want to hang out. Ensure that there are spaces available for all the youth that want to participate.
• Choosing adults– If you are lucky, you will have more adults than you need, so how do you decide? Do you bring parents? Do they need to be church members? An application form is helpful in this process. Be clear with adults that this is not meant to be a vacation for them, but that their primary purpose is to walk alongside these young people and help them process their trip experience. And be sure that they are willing to take a background check.
• How to pay for chaperones—I have served in over 25 churches as an interim CYF ministry person, and there are as many ways to pay for chaperones as there are fundraising policies. Most congregations choose the 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 option: the church budget pays 1/3 of their cost, the youth fundraise 1/3 of all chaperone costs, and the adult chaperone pays 1/3 out of pocket.

Types of fundraising:

• Guidelines—if you do not have fundraising policies in place, this is a good time to create them. Is your church okay with any type of fundraiser? I strongly discourage third-party sales, where the group purchases candy bars or light bulbs and simply resells them at a profit. If you’re going to sell a product, make it something that the young people create. What are they learning from this experience besides how to ask for money? Also, consider how often the congregation will be responsive to fundraisers. Be careful that you don’t over-extend your hand, and be respectful of the needs of other groups who may need to fundraise.
• Distribution—Do your families have specific accounts in their name? Is money disbursed only when family members work, or does all the money go into a group pot? Is any money set aside for future large trips or benevolence? Can younger siblings use the balances of older siblings who have graduated out? Make sure to incorporate distribution guidelines into the fundraising policy.
• Scholarships—I’m a firm believer in paying for any kids who want an experience like this, but let’s face it: some families take advantage. (But is that really such a bad thing?) Again, create a form and ask families to fill it out: how much are they requesting, how much will they contribute, and which fundraising events are they willing to commit to?

Travel:

• Costs and options—you may have this part decided by this time of the year, but if not, consider that the cost of flying often balances out the cost of driving, vehicle rental, gas, overnight housing, and extra meals. Crunch your numbers carefully and weigh the value of those road-trip experiences against the value of bringing a group that is not already exhausted to your ministry site.

Group dynamics:

• Covenants—I have taken groups all over the country for 40 years and have never had to send a kid home. Why? They know what is expected, and they agreed to those expectations. Be sure to work together on a covenant and be clear about the consequences if young people break the covenant. If something feels like it might be a challenge, deal with it head-on: every time I’ve taken a trip to New Orleans, one of the first things we do is walk down Bourbon Street as a group. It removes the curiosity and the mystery and gives us a chance to have wonderful, deep conversations.
• Pre-trip meetings—Once you have your group members committed, try to meet monthly (or at least quarterly) prior to your trip. Draft a covenant, talk about the area where you will be and the strengths and challenges of that area, and agree on how to handle things like people who are facing housing or food insecurity (will you encourage the kids to give to folks on the street, or offer to help or donate in other ways?). Again, be clear on why the young people are participating in this experience.

Safety:

• Forms—If you are a binder person, print two copies of everything and keep it in one place: registrations, check stubs, health forms, emergency contact information, allergies, and other special concerns. Make sure the other chaperones have copies and understand the confidential nature of these forms. If you’ve moved into the 1990s and are a digital person, store all of this in the cloud, back it up on your phone, and make sure your chaperones have access.
• Communication—ALL of this should be communicated—often—with the caring adults of these youth. Their parents will be your biggest supporters, and they are the ones who will be helping their young person process the experience as they come down off the mountain. Give them the tools that they need to make this a life-long faith milestone for their kids.

Summer trip ministry can have a tremendous, life-altering impact on the faith journey of a young person. When you are prepared, the trip will be remarkable for the kids, their parents, and the adult leaders so that God can do God’s work in their hearts.

Traveling mercies,

Kari Osmek

About the Writer

Kari has been serving in congregations as a professional Children, Youth, and Family Ministry Director since 1984.  She has worked with over 25 congregations through InterServe Ministries as an intentional interim ministry consultant, as well as serving in long-term calls in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, St. Louis Park, Minnesota, and Rogers, Minnesota. Kari has worked with Spirit and Truth Publishing as a writer and editor since 2015. She also serves as an editor for Faith+Lead Academy through Luther Seminary. Kari did her undergraduate work in Family Life Education and has a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Management.

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