The captain speaks over your plane’s intercom. “We are 150 miles out from our final destination and beginning our descent.”
It’s hard to believe that your mission trip is almost over. In a few moments you will touch down at your home airport. All the months of planning and preparation leading up to the trip are now a memory. Your international ministry, though exciting and challenging, has finished—at least until next time.
For some mission trip leaders, departing the plane marks the end of the trip and the end of their responsibilities for that mission. But there should be at least two more tasks that you complete—conducting an after action review and writing a debrief report.
The after action review (AAR), which was developed by the military to assess training missions and improve future performance, is a great tool that ministry leaders should also use. When you conduct an AAR you gain valuable information that can lead to significant improvements in future trips. When you include the results of that AAR with a debrief report, you leave behind a written record beneficial to colleagues and to those serving after you.
Think of it as part of your legacy. What you discover can help future leaders and continue to make a difference long after your trip is over. Even if you do not plan to return to the particular ministry site you just finished, an AAR is still valuable.
AARs don’t have to be complicated. They basically ask five questions:
- What did we set out to do?
- What actually happened?
- Why did it happen?
- What could we have done differently to enhance the outcome?
- What insights and lessons did we gain that could be shared with others in a similar situation?
The U.S. Army Guide to After Action Reviews emphasizes that AARs should be facilitated by someone who will not only ask the questions, but encourage each person to openly engage in the discussion. They also should include everyone involved. That’s good advice for ministry AARs as well. You may want to consider conducting an AAR with your team just before you leave the field, or at least with key leaders as soon as you get back. You also want to be sure someone takes notes on what is said.
Our next blog will focus on how to write a mission trip debrief report, including key components that will ensure you have the right information to positively impact future ministry.