Short Term Missions….. the good, the bad and the ugly
Next Tuesday I am flying to Russia with 3 friends from my church and a group of about 6 other people from across the country. We are going with a wonderful organization called Children’s Hope Chest that works with orphans in Russia, the Ukraine, and Swaziland. We are going on a visioning trip where we visit orphans that they currently work with and then we go and visit orphanages that they need churches to sponsor and help them support.
Preparing for this trip has required me to do a lot of praying and soul searching. One of the books they recommended for us is called Serving with Eyes Wide Open by David Livermore. The book takes a look at the nature of short term missions and the positive and negatives for both the participants and recipients of those efforts. I have only ever done short term mission projects. Working with you for the past decade I have done a trip or two pretty much every summer. I have been all over North America on short term missions trips, going to urban, rural, reservation, and Christian camping sites in the name of Christ.
Reflecting on these trips while reading this book and thinking about my upcoming journey has forced me to ask some hard questions. Do these trips really benefit the recipients of the ministry? If we do them mainly for the sake of the participants does that undermine our ability to serve other people? What assumptions and barriers prevent me from being effective on these trips?
Reflecting on my experience I think that there have definitely been trips that probably haven’t helped many people in any lasting way but were good for the participants. There have been trip that seem to be the opposite. There have also been trips that frankly seemed like a waste of everybody’s time and money.
What do you think? Are short term missions a good thing? Have they done more to help or hinder mission work in the church?
October 23, 2007 at 11:34 pm
Greg,
Before you leave for the former Soviet Union, you need to pack your bags like tonight and come to Asbury. Seriously! There is a week-long conference this week on short term missions. I’m also reading a book now, The Shaping of Things to Come, for class tomorrow that discusses the positives and negatives of short-term missions.
I’ve been on two in my life, both with CUMC (Mississippi and Atlanta). Short term missions seems to be about come in, do some work, and then head home. The person on the trip has something to feel good about (and they should) but the people back at the mission are still left to do the brunt of the work.
There is a need for short term mission work, especially for youth (since I think this is about the most they can handle) and recovery missions (relief efforts). I don’t think you can do a week-long trip to Africa. There needs to be a balance. Perhaps instead of doing short term missions we should do offerings to support the missions in those areas that are continually doing the work. For instance an offering for a project the youth had worked with during the short term mission that left an impression. Or, even more radical, getting involved with a missionary and supporting that person.
October 24, 2007 at 12:35 pm
The chapels are available online if you want to hear. Yesterday was entitled “Mcmission and the Glory of God”. Today is “Good Guests Ask First: Six Tips for Short-term Missions”. Thursday is “Short Term Mission: A View From the Field”. Friday is “Short Term Mission: Who Benefits?” They will all be on itunes for your listening pleasure.
The takeaway from yesterday was…short term mission…long term relationship. That is key.
I was reminded all day of the serious consideration that needs to occur before the Durham trip next summer. There is potential for lots of fruit, but it needs to be the kind that lasts.
Don’t forget to pack humility with your neck pillow.
October 24, 2007 at 2:10 pm
Thanks Maggie, I will take a listen. Maybe I will load them up on the IPOD and listen to them on my way to Russia!
Shannon, I read the shaping of things to come and it is a good book. I think Maggie may have lent it to me.
I certainly think Short term missions can be done in a very positive way, but I am concerned that with the proliferation of short term missions our long term missions efforts have been negatively impacted. I especially worry about how many will hear the call to long term missions and respond.
October 24, 2007 at 5:31 pm
I liked parts of it, but there were other parts that I didn’t like. Go figure, right? When you get back, we should talk about it, because I could probably use your focus on it.
I understand your worry about missions. My fear is the chest-thumping aspect of missions. The “hey look at what we did” for “such and such.”
October 30, 2007 at 12:45 am
I would love to see more people returning from short term mission trips and following the call they felt in that setting into the long term mission field. I believe one major problem with short term missions is that the reality of God’s presence and movement in those places is forgotten after being back in the “norm” of day to day life for a bit. There is not much encouragement and guidance back home after short term missions on what to do next.