Churches vote on mission priorities by how they spend their dollars. Emphasis has shifted from denominational work to direct involvement, with thousands of churches doing mission trips every year. But results are mixed. While participants usually have a good experience, mission accomplishments may be hard to judge, and rarely is there a lasting impact on the sending congregation. The tremendous investment of time and resources in mission trips could and should have a greater impact on mission site, mission team, and sending congregation. As an urban pastor, I have worked with about 20 mission teams annually for 15 years, and founded a nonprofit ministry in 2000 that effectively deploys these teams. But as a practitioner, I have not had time to fully develop or share this model with a broader audience. The proposed study project would allow me to 1) distill insights from years of hands-on experience; 2) present a replicable model for engaging groups in mission; 3) expand the educational dimension of the model; and 4) research how mission projects can shape a congregation’s ongoing vision and ministry. This study would benefit mission teams I work with directly, and a broader audience from churches, denominational programs, seminaries, or mission organizations. I plan to share the project results both through writing, and in interactive workshops that involve church leaders in the design and execution of actual mission experiences.