Short-term trips done well

This is the third in a series of articles on the good, bad, why and how of short-term missions.

Most people who plan a short-term trip or prepare to be a part of one probably do not do so with the goal of it being a flop–a waste of time and resources—and yet too often it happens. However, leaders and group participants can easily take steps to help point their short-term trips in the right direction and make them Gospel-centered, life-changing experiences for both the servers and the served.

Doing short-term missions well begins long before a group steps onto foreign soil.

First, come at the trip with a learner’s mentality. JoAnn Van Engen, a missionary and advocate for changing how these trips are conducted, suggests “we stop thinking about short-term missions as a service to perform and start thinking of them as a responsibility to learn.” She emphasizes the experience should be completely focused on the agenda of the national(s) and not that of the workers.

While praying through the details of the trip in preparation, travelers–not just group leaders–should research the culture and current events of the country to better understand how to connect with locals while with them for a short time. This may include speaking with someone from that country or culture to gain insight into the people there. Possible questions to ask could include what problems country inhabitants regularly face, what their struggles are and what they celebrate.

Study basic language skills to allow for more effective communication with nationals.

Once at the trip destination, be with the people of that country. Spend time with them, learn from them and follow their leads. While the trip may last only a couple of weeks at the most, long-term relationships are the goal; a short-term trip should not be simply a one-time event in the life of a church or group, but a stepping stone in a many-years-long commitment to sharing the Gospel with the people of that location.

After returning home, share information with others about the trip. Tell stories of personal experiences and of the lives of the people there. Brainstorm ideas of how more church members, friends and family members may join in impacting that place and those people.

The potential for positive short-term missions definitely exists, according to a 2008 Barna Group article. Barna president David Kinnaman believes Mosaics (individuals under the age of 27) are ready and willing to change the world with the Gospel—if someone asks them to step up to the plate.

“The danger would be if leaders and organizations waste the Mosaic generation’s readiness by simply allowing young adults to be mere ‘consumers of cause’–selling them a T-shirt or a wristband, instead of challenging them to life-shaping service projects.”

Short-term mission trips may not always fall into the “service project” category, and they certainly are not only for a specific age group. However, they can be valuable tools in summoning all generations to live radically and purposefully for the glory of Christ’s name.

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Next: Travel tips for short-term trips

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.