1. Stay Connected with the Ministry

First and foremost, you don’t want to lose connection with the team or the mission program you worked with. You can stay in touch by following their social pages or signing up for their newsletters to stay updated about their current needs and events.

You could consider becoming a monthly donor to help sustain and grow their mission project. This way, you can follow the mission’s progress closely and see the overall impact in the community grow over time. How exciting would that be?

If your church was involved with the mission trip, great! Keep those ties strong. If you went independently, now is the perfect time to connect your church to the mission organization. Maybe your church can start financially supporting them or raising awareness about their ongoing needs.

2. Raise Awareness

Personal stories go a long way and can create a lasting impact. You just got back from a life-changing experience; make sure you tell your friends and family about it! Share your encounters. Tell them about the organization you partnered with and the mission you supported.

Maybe you engaged with a type of ministry work or served in a country that few people know about. Now is your chance to stay educated about the cause. Because you experienced it first-hand, you can help others learn about it and discover ways to help the ministry.

3. Launch a Mission Project

If you have the heart to do something huge, now is the perfect time to launch a mission project. If starting a nonprofit sounds a little out of reach, that’s okay. You have options to make a radical, lasting impact that doesn’t involve creating a nonprofit.

You can legally start your ministry project right away by partnering with a fiscal sponsor. A fiscal sponsor will provide you with all the benefits of a 501c3 and take care of your backend, operational needs for you. In addition, a fiscal sponsorship provides you with credibility and expert advice in the nonprofit world, so your ministry project can thrive and run as smoothly as possible.

Learn how it works in the article, “What is a Fiscal Sponsor?”

4. Start a Fundraiser

You can partner with a mission project or an organization to use their fundraising materials and ideas or form a team and create an idea from scratch. It’s entirely up to you!

Once you get the basic idea together, you’ll need to market the event and share the fundraiser online. Invite all your friends and family by email, social media, text, or tell them in person. You could market your fundraiser by going live or creating entertaining TikToks. Getting supporters to back your event and convincing people to come or donate will be vital in running a successful fundraiser.

Imagine if your fundraiser really takes off! You could turn it into a yearly event that people anticipate. Or people might catch on and want to host one in their area. The impact you can create here is endless.

If you would rather keep everything online, crowdfunding platforms like DonorBox and Fundly are easy, one-stop ways to raise money quickly. Make sure you browse the options to find the platform with the right features for your cause.

5. Get Involved at Your Church

Is there an overlap between your passion and how you can volunteer at your church? For example, maybe you have a mission to teach children about the love of Jesus or serve meals to families in need. You can discover opportunities that align with your call so you can help people through your church.

If your church doesn’t have a ministry that overlaps with your mission, maybe this is an opportunity to start something new! You can meet with your pastor and leadership team to share your idea. Maybe there’s room to begin a new initiative at your church and get others involved.

6. Volunteer Locally

What volunteer opportunities inspire you? What type of service aligns with your core mission? See if you can find a local organization that supports a cause you care about. And how great would it be if you could rally a team to join you in serving for that cause?

If you’re not sure where to find opportunities, you can browse local organizations to find the right match for you. It’s easy to filter by location and category to find causes that need your help. You can sign up for a one-time serving opportunity or an ongoing role that fits with your schedule--whichever works best for you.

7. Sponsor a Child

Giving back to future generations is a beautiful way to serve the Kingdom after a mission trip. There are many ways you can get involved with kids and help them experience the love and truth of Christ.

You might consider joining a mentoring program like Big Brothers Big Sisters, helping with after-school tutoring, or volunteering during Vacation Bible School camp in the summer.

Suppose you want to support a child overseas. In that case, you could sponsor a child through a large organization like Compassion International or World Vision, or support smaller locally-led mission projects who sponsor children. By financially sponsoring a child, you’ll give them access to healthy meals, education, safety, and the love of Christ.

8. Host a Family

Serving with hospitality is a way you can keep on giving back. For example, you could exercise hospitality by hosting a family either in your home during a time of need or through a nonprofit program.

You can financially support or physically aid the construction of a new home for your neighbors through a project like Habitat for Humanity. You could even donate furniture or gently used clothing to an organization that distributes them to families in need.

If you have a heart for refugee families, check out the programs and resources that directly aid these critical care initiatives. You can browse contact information by state to find a program you want to partner with.

9. Pray Continually

Jesus tells us to “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18), which means you can keep the ministry you served lifted in prayer.

Don’t underestimate the power of prayer. His Word is our sword against the evil forces in this world. Since mission trips are some of the most spiritually-charged experiences, you don’t want to lose sight of the miraculous moments you encountered while on the mission field. You’ll want to cling to your encounters with Christ and keep yourself open to the Holy Spirit’s leading in prayer.

Lift up the program and the leaders you partnered with. Pray for the local communities, governments, and political leaders, and pray for the unreached and the local churches to receive boldness and peace that surpasses all understanding. In addition to the Holy Spirit’s prompting, check out Operational World if you want to know specific ways you can pray for each country.