How to Plan a Musical Mission Tour in 5 Steps (For Church Choirs)

Musical mission tours are an important part of transforming cultures and societies throughout the world. Your combined love for music and the church gives you a unique message to share with others and we want to help make your tour as successful as possible. Here are 5 tips to help get you started on planning your musical mission tour.

Step 1: Think about your mission and your goals

Before you decide to travel, it is important to sit down with your church members and identify your main goals for your musical mission tour. By answering these simple questions with your group, you’ll be able to clearly communicate your overall purpose of the tour with your travel company so that you get started on the right path.

1. What is the message that we want to deliver?
2. Who is in need of our message?
3. Where can we find those who are in need?
4. Where is our mission MOST needed?
5. How can we spread our mission through music?

Step 2: Consider the destination

Many factors go into determining a destination for your musical mission tour. You should prioritize these factors in order of importance so that you can decide which destination suits your needs.

1. Mission’s goals: Use the questions from Tip 1 to help you decide where your mission is most needed. Is a benefit concert for a local charity important to your group? Or do you prefer hands-on activities while participating in community service projects ?
2. Cost: How important is price to your group? If you are on a low budget, consider destinations like the United States, Costa Rica and Ireland. If you have a higher budget, perhaps consider places like the Baltics, Italy or China.
3. Destination Highlights: Are the destination sightseeing activities important to you? Do you want to make sure the destination is interesting enough to recruit members for the tour? Or will your mission alone influence people to sign up?
4. Date: Is there a certain time of year where your mission is most needed or would influence the most people? Does your travel date fit well with the destination(s) you are pursuing?

Step 3: Research touring companies that understand your needs

When you have an idea of your mission goals and destination(s) in mind, now is the time to look for a company that can put your musical mission tour into place. Make sure you do your research to find the best company that can meet your mission’s goals. If you prioritized cost as a #1 factor for determining your destination, tell the performance company this so they can help cater the itinerary towards your budget. But more importantly, discuss your mission’s goals with the musical tour company and ask for their advice and ideas. Have them provide you with an example of successful mission trips from the past, so you can see if your goals are aligned.  Remember, you can always ask a company to provide you with referrals as well!

Step 4: Decide on a company and communicate your goals

Once you have received a few proposals from musical tour companies, do a thorough comparison so you know exactly what is included in the price of your tour and make sure your musical mission project and performances are clearly listed in the itinerary. While you may not have specifics early on, the itinerary should reflect  the promise and expectations that your tour company must provide to your group. After you make your decision, be sure to do a complete review of the itinerary with your new tour consultant to make sure you have clearly communicated all of your goals. From there, let them do all the work!

Step 5: Share your mission with the world

While on tour, here’s where you really get to share your mission to the world! Don’t be afraid to ask your Tour Manager for mission/performance opportunities that pop up along the way. Even if it wasn’t listed in the itinerary, you never know when an opportunity might present itself to make more connections and continue to spread your mission. When you return from the trip, make sure to document your experience through a travel blog or similar and share with your friends and family!