This is the second in a series of articles on the good, bad, why and how of short-term missions.
For more than 40 years short-term missions increasingly has given Christ-followers access to feed the hungry and clothe the naked worldwide for the sake of the Gospel while maintaining their jobs and relationships at home. According to ChristianityToday.com, approximately two million Americans–supported by more than 40,000 U.S. churches, schools and other sending organizations–participate in such trips each year.
Seventy-five percent of people surveyed who have participated in short-term trips said they were “life-changing,” according to October 2008 mission statistics collected by the Barna Group. Twenty-five percent said their short-term mission experience increased their awareness of other people’s struggles; 16 percent said it helped them gain knowledge about poverty, justice or the world; 11 percent said it increased their level of compassion; 9 percent said it enhanced their faith; another 9 percent said it expanded their spiritual understanding and 5 percent said it escalated their financial generosity.
Short-term trip participants relocated to a foreign culture have the opportunity to undergo disorientation and realize life “back home” is not as rough or difficult as they may have thought; they certainly do not know everything about anything; and the world is much larger than their hometown/state/country. The starting line of understanding the vastness of the world may turn into the beginning of comprehending the depth of our God. One step further, it may help in producing future long-term missionaries.
With the goal of making Christ known among the lost, short-term missions also can inspire participants to witness in a bolder manner. Preparation for these trips emphasizing the need to be well-versed in sharing one’s testimony and the Gospel can encourage practice among friends, family members and neighbors at home who do not know Jesus as Savior.
Many argue a problem with short-term missions is the fact it benefits those who go more than those who are served. However, with such planning (more on this next week), short-term trips can produce spiritual fruit in seeing the lost choose to follow Christ both domestically and abroad.
According to Georgia’s The Augusta Chronicle, Scott Parrish, the minister of outreach and missions at Trinity-on-the-Hill United Methodist Church, said short-term missions can inspire long-lasting results in all parts of the world.
“’Mission isn’t tourism, nor is it simple handouts,” he said. “It’s something more complex and life-changing for the one who is served and the one who serves.
‘”The Bible is clear about defining neighbor in bigger ways than we do — local, national, international — so that’s why we can’t choose to only do one, but must tackle them all.’”
Additionally, a successful short-term trip can revive, energize and aid long-term missionaries in their work through the traveling group’s evangelistic and service efforts. The visitors may also bring a taste of home through their familiar accents and homespun gifts that can encourage a long-term worker. Short-term participants may as well bring a level of spiritual and practical accountability to host missionaries.
As the Barna statistics reference, people are more likely to give money to something they have been a part of and personally had a hand in, allowing short-term missions to produce increased financial support for long-term mission work. Each person who participates in a short-term trip can share their experiences with their personal networks and encourage others to be involved through praying, giving or going. Short-term missions can produce a snowball of support for any given long-term project.
One public example of lives affected by short-term missions is the band, Caedmon’s Call. Its members have participated in trips to Africa, Brazil, Ecuador, Haiti and India, where the group worked with 80-100 Dalit musicians to produce their 2004 album, “Share the Well.”
“’The more travels we go on, the more affected we are,’” said percussionist Garrett Buell, according to OurMidland.com. “’We couldn’t sit here idly.’”
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Next: Short-term trips done well
Written by Natalie Bunch. Natalie is a freelance writer for The Upstream Collective and lives in North Carolina. She served as a missionary writer based out of Prague, Czech Republic, from 2007-2009, and plans to return to full-time international mission work with her husband.
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