Christian mission trips for college students are more than just fun experiences to fill a break—they can ignite a vision for how God wants to use your life!
That’s what happened to university students, Mara* and Becca.* They learned how to start a Gospel conversation and approached 2 Muslim college students, Zainab* and Isra* at a coffee shop.
For over an hour, the 4 students shared a deep conversation about the Qu’ran, God, and Jesus. Mara and Becca shared Gospel stories about Jesus with them, and Zainab and Isra expressed interest in reading the Bible!
Imagine meeting someone for the first time and having a conversation like that!
Maybe you’ve already shared your faith on a trip to Guatemala with junior high school students. Or maybe you went on a high school mission trip to Belize. Our mission trips for college students take your experience 1 step further by helping you grow in evangelism skills and spiritual maturity.
And even if you’ve never been on a mission trip, you’re in the right place to begin your global missions journey!
This blog is for you if you want to know:
- Why are mission trips for college students important?
- Are there mission trips for college students in America?
- How can mission trips for college students open doors for future ministry?
Now that you’re asking the right questions, it’s time to see why mission trips for college students are worth it.
Mission Trips for College Students: The Value
Christian mission trips for college students combine cross cultural learning with real opportunities to share Jesus. When you go on a mission trip, you discover new cultures and learn to initiate spiritual conversations with people from different worldviews.
Meet Andy—a campus ministry leader in the US. Andy’s goal is to help Christian students develop a heart for Unreached People Groups (UPGs) by taking them on college mission trips.
Related: What Are Unreached People Groups?
He brings groups of college students to Seed Week—short term mission trips in New York City focused on sharing the Gospel with UPGs.
Andy believes mission trips for college students are one of the best ways to get students out of their comfort zone.
Why is that important? Here’s what Andy says,
“When you’re uprooted out of [your normal routine] and put in an uncomfortable position, it makes you trust God more.”
Doing something you’ve never done before is a great opportunity to grow your relationship with God. Andy encourages students,
“Anytime you take a risk, it makes you look to Jesus for your identity.”
Related: Living Out Loud
What to Look for
With so many mission trips for college students, it’s important to find the short term trip that matches your goals and interests.
If you’re a college student studying healthcare, you might choose medical mission trips to hone your skills in medicine. Or if your local church has ministry partnerships in another country, you may take an international mission trip to serve alongside fellow church members.
You can find a short term mission trip that:
- Requires minimal planning and logistical preparation
- Keeps your budget low and reduces time spent support raising
- Provides additional missionary training or summer internships after the week long trip
Related: Missions Trip Fundraising Ideas
The truth is, Christian mission trips for college students don’t always mean crossing an ocean or trekking through the jungle. There are many missions opportunities right here in America!
Mission Trips for College Students with International Project
You can experience a different culture and meet unreached people—all within the USA!
Staying close to home has some real benefits:
- Save money and steward resources – Choose local trips to cut costs and honor God through wise financial decisions.
- Include international students on your team – Welcome global classmates to serve alongside you without visa barriers.
- Skip the passport process – Join short term outreaches across the country with zero documentation hassle.
- Reach the nations without leaving the country – Share the Gospel with diaspora peoples from around the world right here in America.
As part of our Seed Week mission trips, you’ll experience dozens of new cultures in New York City while you intentionally share the message of Jesus Christ. Andy says,
“New York’s a great place. If my numbers are still right, Jackson Heights [a neighborhood in Queens] is the most diverse place in the world.” (According to the New York Times, he’s probably right!).¹
For Andy, the choice is clear.
“If I want to introduce our students to the international community, it’s hard to imagine a better place within the United States [than NYC].”
New York City offers you exposure to so many cultures at once. Our neighborhoods are home to people groups from:
- Dominican Republic
- Kenya
- Mexico
- Peru
- The Middle East
- Philippines
- Thailand
- South Africa
- Costa Rica
- Tanzania
- Ghana
- And more!
This is just a short list of the diverse people you could encounter. There are over 50 UPGs in the New York Metro area!²
The need is clear, but how do you reach these UPGs?
Let’s see what a typical day on mission trips for college students looks like.
Mission Trips for College Students: Snapshot of a Day
Your mornings will start with devotionals and worship. Then, you’ll get in practical evangelism and cross cultural training. You’ll practice sharing the Gospel in pairs or small groups.
In the afternoons, you’ll get hands on mission experience in the city! Your team will meet UPGs in the local community and engage them in conversations that point to Jesus.
You’ll receive unique opportunities to learn obedience to Jesus and The Great Commission. This is a chance to overcome fear and grow in Holy Spirit inspired boldness!
The exciting thing is, you never know what will happen! Every day is different and every trip is unique.
On your trip, you may find an open door to:
- Encourage and pray for a person who is struggling
- Ask someone about their cultural and religious background
- Engage in Bible storytelling and share stories about Jesus
Spiritual conversations like these can even lead to Discovery Bible Studies (DBSs), which allow nonbelievers to study the Bible in their own language. It’s an incredible opportunity for discipleship!
Just like with Zainab and Isra, Mara and Becca connected these women with our long term workers for follow up! We see these DBSs turn into church plants.
Mission trips for college students can produce amazing testimonies. You might be surprised by the significant impact these trips can have!
Read on to see what else can happen after a mission trip.
Mission Trips for College Students: What Happens Next
One exciting outcome is personal transformation. Short term outreaches strengthen your relationship with God and inspire you to share your faith in everyday life
Mission trips for college students can equip you to go home and:
- Notice unreached people in your neighborhood – Share Jesus with diaspora communities around you that have never heard the Gospel.
- Use your evangelism skills for ministry – Invest in volunteer opportunities to connect with UPGs (such as teaching English) or look for ways to share your faith in everyday life.
- Discover a potential call to missions – Your short term trip could spark a lifelong passion for global evangelism and church planting. Who knows? It may even lead to a calling as a full time missionary or bivocational missionary!
Ready for a life changing experience on a 1 week mission trip?
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Whether it’s summer mission trips for college students, spring break, or a week in between, you can find one to fit your schedule.
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Sources
¹https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/27/arts/design/jackson-heights-queens-virtual-walk-tour.html
²UPG North America. (2024). Unreached Peoples by Population: New York. Tableau Public. https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/bud.houston/viz/PriorityScorebyPeopleGroup/PeoplesandPlaceswordcloud. “New York > Choose a format to download > data > show fields > people groups > download.” Accessed September 23, 2024.
*Names changed for security
