Brett Kunkle served for many years at Stand to Reason (www.str.org) and in 2017 started a ministry called MAVEN aimed at training Christian young people (www.maventruth.com). Instead of just teaching students about Mormonism in a classroom setting, Brett has taken almost a thousand students and leaders on mission trips to Utah since 2000. Because more than half of those living in Utah are Mormon, Brett specifically instructs the students on the essential doctrines of Mormonism so they can learn how to share their faith effectively in a different religious culture.
Eric and Sean: Why did you begin taking students to Utah?
Brett: I took my first trip to Utah as a Biola University student in the spring of 1995 and it had a profound impact on my life. I was a part-time youth pastor at the time and realized that mission trips to Utah could be a powerful tool in teaching theology to students and giving them a passion for the Great Commission without boring them.
Eric and Sean: What are some of the specific types of outreach you like to focus on while you are in Utah?
Brett: I have two goals for the trip: (1) to help Christian students know what and why they believe; and, (2) to help Christian students cultivate a love for lost people. I structure my trips to get students into conversations with as many Mormons as possible because such discussions help accomplish both purposes. I typically start by having them spend a full day in downtown Salt Lake City, touring Temple Square and teaching them to ask lots of questions. We encourage students to engage in friendly and respectful conversation with the Temple Square missionaries and other LDS representatives while not shying away from serious questions about LDS beliefs. I also love to take students to Utah college campuses where they can buy lunch in the cafeteria and sit down with Mormon students.
Eric and Sean: If someone were to ask you, “Why would you take students to Utah instead of a foreign country for a mission trip?” how would you respond?
Brett: For me, it’s not either foreign missions or a Utah mission trip, it’s a both/and. Take the students on foreign mission trips because there are many things God will teach them through that experience. But also take them to Utah. First, they’ll interact with people who live in the same American cultural context, so the students get incredible training and experience sharing the gospel with people in Utah who are similar to their family, friends, and coworkers at home. Second, the trip is unique in that there is a focus on studying and knowing theology and Scripture. The trip challenges them to really understand what they believe about God, salvation, and other theological topics while getting them to know their Bibles much better.
Eric and Sean: A parent might be concerned that their child could become interested in converting to Mormonism by learning too much about this religion. Is this a valid concern?
Brett: I have never had a single person on one of my trips become interested in converting to Mormonism. In fact, the overwhelming response is just the opposite. When students discover for themselves that there is tremendous biblical, historical, and philosophical evidence for their Christian faith, and they begin to uncover the powerful arguments against Mormonism, it only strengthens their faith.
Eric and Sean: How have these trips affected your students after they got back home?
Brett: There are many stories of students who come home and immediately begin sharing Christ with their Mormon friends. Other students bring a new passion for God’s Word home with them. A couple of weeks after one trip, a mom shared how her daughter had been studying the Bible every day since the experience. Stories like this are typical.
Eric and Sean: If you were to give advice to a youth pastor who was thinking about organizing a mission trip to Utah, what factors should be taken into consideration?
Brett: First, train the students before the trip by giving them good theological and biblical training. My philosophy is truth first before exposing them to error. Second, the activities on the Utah trip should be engineered to help get students into fruitful conversations with Mormons. The feedback I get is that the individual conversations they have are their favorite aspect of the trip.