About Us » Frequently Asked Questions
- I want to change the world. Why go to a North American city?
- I want to be part of a ministry that will continue long after I have left. How do I do that with CSM?
- Do your people know the city well enough to lead groups or are they “tourists”?
- How much time will I actually spend serving people instead of doing projects?
- I want to experience new people and different ways of life. Can I get a cross-cultural experience so close to home?
- How much work will it be coordinating this trip?
- Will I learn anything I can apply when I get home?
I want to change the world. Why go to a North American city?
The world is urbanizing. 65% of the world’s population lives in urban centers—and the number is growing. In fact, the world’s largest and fastest growing mission field is in urban centers. And that includes the cities in North America. Yet many in the church are not familiar with the problems of the urban poor and the way Christians are meeting them. CSM exists to help bridge that gap and allow you to be part of the solution.
I want to be part of a ministry that will continue long after I have left. How do I do that with CSM?
The CSM experience is a partnership with well-established local ministries. You plug into churches and organizations that have a long history of service in their neighborhoods. They are part of the most exciting work God is doing anywhere. Your group becomes an important link in the continuation of these important ministries. Each year, CSM provides more than 300,000 hours of volunteer work to these ministries across North America.
Do your people know the city well enough to lead groups or are they “tourists”?
CSM staff live and work in their respective cities—right where you will be. They know the shopkeepers stocking shelves at the convenience store. They get a smile and wave from the restaurant owners behind the counter and the policemen on the beat. They did not arrive on the scene just before you did. They know their way around like the locals—because they are locals.
How much time will I actually spend serving people instead of doing projects?
A CSM experience does not typically have you hauling dirt or swinging pick axes. CSM provides a people-to-people experience. You will be looking into the eyes of a child at a daycare center, talking to a homeless person at a soup kitchen, or working side by side with a recovering addict at a halfway house. Our “projects” are working with people.
I want to experience new people and different ways of life. Can I get a cross-cultural experience so close to home?
Many mission trips give you an exposure to one new culture. Yet the cities of North America are rich with many cultures—you just need to know where to look. CSM trips intentionally provide exposure to a variety of people groups. Each day finds you relating to new people and eating at new ethnic restaurants. Where else could you go from experiencing Cuban to Thai to Jamaican to Middle Eastern food—all in one week!
How much work will it be coordinating this trip?
Each CSM experience is led by our resident staff, so all of the details of the trip are taken care of for you. Leaders participate right alongside their groups, confident in knowing that every detail—scheduling, meals, housing—is already taken care of. After 20 years of trips—and hundreds of thousands of student service days—we have got this down. All you have to do is get to the city and provide transportation!
Will I learn anything I can apply when I get home?
A CSM urban missions trip is not a sight-seeing tour that ends when the photos are passed around. You have seen the needs of the poor in the city and have been part of the solution. You now look at people in the city differently than before, knowing you have more in common with them than you had ever imagined. You have helped others and seen the impact that a “cup of cold water” can have. These same lessons can be applied in your home communities. Many CSM alumni continue to be involved in urban ministry; all come away changed by the experience of serving others.
Learn more about the cities CSM serves in.
