We presently live in a culture that is quiet, shy and reserved. Street preaching, impromptu public dramas, or pavement witnessing with tracts do not work and, furthermore, brand you as a pariah. In towns as small as ours can be, this means that word spreads quickly amongst all residents that they should not interact with you in any way. Others in ministry here have had well-meaning short-term mission groups do any or all of the above, and the resident missionaries lost all influence and credibility with the locals, forcing them to start all over in another part of the country.
What has been interesting are the churches with groups who wish to come here on a short-term mission trip. Instead of asking us what is needed for ministry here, or how to convey the Gospel and be culturally sensitive, they tell us what they do on mission trips. Perhaps some of those actions work in other cultures (and I hope they do because, otherwise, what’s the point?), but when we politely explain that ministry needs are different here and shouting doesn’t work, they become disinterested very quickly.
But what does work here is taking the time to build individual relationships, waiting on the Holy Spirit to bring the situations or conversations (and He does). We have had new friends finally bring up questions that naturally led us to share the Gospel in full to them. But if we had started out with harassing and haranguing them from our first meeting, there would never have been a second meeting.
The difference in approach? Time. I suspect most Americans coming from the go-go culture would have a very hard time with how few people here come to personal salvation in Christ and how long it takes.
So is it worth it to invest the money, expand the carbon footprint, and run 20 people around a foreign country for a week or two in the name of the Short-Term Mission Trip? Yes, but here’s my short list of situations that fit the bill:
- Charitable construction or labour towards a church or community building
- Assisting an existing church and adhering to the specific ministry need that they have
- Fact-finding mission to gauge the spiritual need in a country for eventual long-term missions
This Church Relevance post lists some interesting statistics on the subject.
Related posts:
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Are Short-Term Missions Sabotaging the Conversion to Long-Term Missionaries?
Interested in Short-Term Missions? Some Good Thoughts
Short-Term Missions Done Right
I whole-heartedly agree with your post. I wish there was not such a disconnect in the way of thinking from those that want to do STMs and the LTMs in the field. I am constantly amazed with STMs who want to “serve” but do it THEIR way.
Hi Carrie, I agree that the attitude should be the same for both short and long-term mission groups. Hopefully groups will learn to be more open to God’s direction on ministry in foreign cultures.
I completely agree with you. I recently got back from a short term mission trip in Mexico where we helped a local church build a church building (they had been having church under a tarp in the pastors yard). It was very rewarding, and since the people from the town saw us working beside and hand in hand with them, they saw that we cared about them, and they opened up to us more than they would have if we were just walking around their town shouting. We recently got word that the church has tripled in size and is so large that they have three church services every Sunday! Praise the Lord!
Hi Stacy, Praise God for such a blessing! A great example of listening for God’s direction and filling a genuine need in His name. Sometimes actions speak louder than words, especially in the mission field.
I agree with you too! I went on a ST trip to Ukraine, where I feel called to go Long Term. On the trip, some of the men in the group I was with preached fire and brimstone to everyone. One pastor, who I had previously had a lot of respect for, suggested that we split up and not go into the homes of the villagers, a very disrespectful gesture. It really made me mad because I believe that Jesus taught by caring for people first, healing their physical needs before meeting their spiritual needs. When I go into missions FT, that will be my strategy, if you will. I know that forming relationships and building trust are paramount into showing someone the way to Christ.
Sorry to be long-winded. This happens to be something I’m very passionate about. Pray for me as I learn what needs to be done to enter the ministry FT
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@Emily: Welcome to the blog. One of the things I’ve learned in the field is cultural sensitivity (within the bounds of God’s law, of course) is so very important when communicating the Gospel. If we as missionaries cannot demonstrate compassion as we minister, then what’s the point? God bless you as you seek God’s direction in ministry.
Before coming back to the field full time I had the occasion to lead several short term trips. I think they have real value to “whet appetites” and also to accomplish the other goals that you mentioned. Of particular blessing is the fact that a group can come over in a week and fund and build a church that would take us ten year to finance!
My concern is the missionary tourist mentality that is becoming commonplace. A tourist asks, “Where can I get the most bang for the buck?” This leads to trip goers doing a cost/benefit to see which trips are going to demand the least financially while also serving as a good vacation. I remember a case where two nearby churches were both doing summer trips for students and hearing the students debate which one was going to provide the most adventure tourism.
My second concern is a two sided coin. On the one side, short-term missions give a “taste” of missionary life. On the other hand it is a pretty deceptive sample. The challenges of missionary life (imho) are not the things that you really get a chance to experience on a short trip. The difficulty of long-term separation, loss of relationships back “home”, and the challenges of actually having to LIVE in a a new place are not really experienced in a short term visit.
As far as I am concerned the more people that experience missions the better, but I think your three criteria were very good, and I think that no missionary should feel forced to accept groups that they don’t feel really meet them. I personally think that once a person has been on one short-term trip then if they are not considering medium to long-term commitment they need to ask themselves (and trip organizers need to ask themselves) if what they are not really doing is “Missions Tourism” to entertain bored church members,
@Nomad1: I think your concerns are correct. I wrote about “Tragedy Tourism” last September in “When Sympathy Turns Demeaning, Part 3″. http://www.missionaryconfidential.com/when-sympathy-turns-demeaning-part-3-stripping-the-humanity-out-of-missions
I just discovered your blog last night and I’m loving it.
I agree with everything in this post, except for one point that I’ve been wrestling with for several months.
You recommended ST teams doing charitable construction or labor. I have been involved with several trips that did this, but I’m wondering if it really does as much good as we think?
Often the countries in which these building projects take place have high unemployment rates and low wages. If there is construction work to be done, what is the benefit of flying a team in at the cost of thousands of dollars (and a large carbon footprint as you pointed out), when local people could do the same work for a fraction of the cost? This would enable them to take part in a project dear to their community, put food on the table, and stimulate the local economy. Often the ST people that come on these teams have no construction skills, while skilled national laborers stand on the sidelines. In addition, these teams also bring tools and materials from their home countries as well sometimes, which also does not help the local economy.
One could argue that the presence of a ST team will stimulate the economy in other ways by the trinkets they buy and use of hotels, restaurants, etc, but this does not give unemployed people a chance to work and is very short term. Think how far the cost of sending ONE person on that ST trip could go in providing employment to locals.
Of bigger issue, however, may be the dignity of the locals and the cycle of dependency. Even when they participate in the project, is it giving them “a handout or a hand up”? Will it be interpreted as, “We need qualified Westerners to come in and build our church because we can’t do it”? It seems to me it could be more problematic than helpful. Thoughts?
@Catherine: Welcome to the blog. I, too, have been wrestling with this one since I wrote this post over 2 years ago. While I deal with it in a series of posts about 6 months ago entitled “When Sympathy Turns Demeaning”: http://www.missionaryconfidential.com/when-sympathy-turns-demeaning-part-1-for-not-with
…I’m currently writing a post about a mission construction project in our field that (despite best intentions) ended up going wrong and brought these very questions to the surface for our own nationals. Bottom line: I’m questioning most short-term mission trips these days.
My wife found your site and as she read some of this I felt my eyes watering. We thought we were alone in our approach and even figured we may be wrong. Thank you for sharing our heart of caring for the people more then our own agenda. I have used the term that most short term missionaries are just looking for another notch on their gospel gun. But this is not just limited to short term teams but with some full-time missionaries.
Here the the culture accepts ST mission teams as an influx of finances. Seldom do they get beyond the culture idea that Americans are a money tree. Because in the past that is what they were taught. Come to our church and you will get something you need or want. They buy an audience. I have heard a parent say ” Go to the vacation Bible School at so and so’s church they are giving out slippers, or t-shirts, or school books, etc.”
I agree that if God has blessed you with finances and means to assist your brothers and sisters overseas, you should have the opportunity to do so. How to do it with not causing a lot of the problems mentioned in the other remarks to this blog.
Your short list is a great start towards working along side our brothers and sisters in another culture. I would add one more to your list but it will sound self serving. I think to encourage the full time missionaries who have sacrificed their own culture to become a part of a new culture and share their love with them including the gospel.
I went with my church group earlier this year for a week long trip. The local missionaries there my church has been working with for several years. One thing that we always try to make clear is we are there to do what they want. We all went not really knowing what we were going to be doing. The local missionaries knew all of our strengths and the fact that two of us feel called to work in foreign children s ministry. So most of the week we did things along side of them and their daily routines but they also got a hold of a few local orphanages there where we were allowed to go in and told the children bible stories and played games with them. By doing this at one of the orphanages the administrator was so pleased with how it turned out we got invited to several other local orphanages. A few weeks later the local missionaries wrote us and were talking about how excited they were that so many doors had opened up for them that they would have never had tried to go into without us coming down.
On the other had I also understand what ya’ll are talking about with the tourism trips. Those I could easily see a lot of people that may have an agenda of what they want or what they expect to get out of the trip which could possibly interfere with the locals work, but you also have to think about the fact that if they have that mindset they are going with the wrong mindset. The trip isn’t about me or what I can do while I am on the trip, it should be about how can God us me. The truth is needed all around the world, therefore were ever you go if you are listening to him then he can use you. If you are being contour constructive then that may reflect on your relationship. Were you truly listening to Him, or were you listening to what you wanted to do?
@James and @Jeremy: Good thoughts.
Thank you for your comment Jeremy. We have had both types of teams here and we are truly blessed when the members of the team have the attitude you describe. A servant’s heart and being flexible to what God is doing is the secret. Prayed up, and available for the master’s use.
As a side note, I was asked if I would volunteer teaching in the local government high school. The subject was Religious studies and I got to do my own lesson plan. I jumped at the opportunity only to hear from my sending church that they thought it wrong for the high school to use me this way. I just thought it was a great way to be used by God to reach the youth of our village.
Not only the STTeams have to be flexible to what God is doing so does the supporters and senders. It sounds like your church is doing it right.