Is your student ministry just taking trips—or forming missionaries?

In this episode, Elevate host Evan Kunz sits down with Amy-Jo Girardier and Mac Johnson to explore how student mission journeys can do far more than fill a summer calendar. You’ll hear stories from over two decades of ministry, get practical frameworks for building mission partnerships, and discover how short-term trips can spark long-term calling.

Whether you’re shaping your first student mission trip or deepening your church’s sending culture, this episode will help you equip the next generation for a life on mission.

Episode Guests:

• Evan Kunz: Brentwood Baptist Student Minister
• Amy-Jo Girardier: Brentwood Baptist Women’s Minister, former Girls & Student Mission Mobilizer at Brentwood Baptist
• Mac Johnson: Global Worker/Pastor at The Point Church, former Student Minister at Brentwood Baptist

Timestamps:

• 00:00 – Why student missions matter
• 03:00 – How the student missions strategy began
• 08:00 – From student minister to global worker
• 13:00 – Shifting from trips to discipleship
• 20:00 – The “Here, There, Everywhere” model
• 27:00 – Teaching mission theology to students
• 33:00 – The power of long-term partnerships
• 42:00 – What makes a mission trip stick
• 48:00 – Helping students pray, give, and go
• 53:00 – Training students to share their faith
• 59:00 – How short trips spark lifelong calling
• 1:08:00 – Preparing students—and their parents—for life after the trip
• 1:14:00 – Creating co-pilot moments for the next generation

Resources Mentioned:

• Acts 18 and the “Here, There, Everywhere” strategy
• The Point Church, Vancouver, BC
• Reborn Community Church, Chicago, IL
• Mission 615