Short-Term Missions

Since we have been volunteering with Armonía, we have reflected much on the nature of purpose of short-term missions, and we wanted to create a page dedicated to thinking in some different ways about short-term missions. We have posted an essay outlining our position below, but we also intend to include some resources for you to use in thinking through how your church or group can be involved in short-term missions.

Resources and Links:

Curriculum

• Round Trip (Christian Vision Project)

Books on Short-term Mission

• Serving with Eyes Open: Doing Short-Term Mission with Cultural Intelligence
• Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility
• Deep Justice in a Broken World: Helping Your Kids Serve Others and Right the Wrongs Around Them
• Mission Trips that Matter: Embodied Faith for the Sake of the World
• Engaging the Church: Analyzing the Canvas of Short-Term Missions

Books on Theology of Mission

• The New Global Mission: The Gospel from Everywhere to Everyone
• The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative
• The Open Secret: An Introduction to the Theology of Mission
• Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission

Articles

• “Doing Short-Term Missions without Doing Long-Term Harm”
• “Abandoning the Script: Short-Term Mission and Difference”
• See a great bibliography here!

Our Position on Short-Term Missions:

Now is the time of year when short-term missions teams are gearing up and getting ready for their summer trips. As these teams prepare, many ask questions that sound more or less like the following: What do we hope to accomplish on our mission trip? How do we hope to accomplish these things? How can we best prepare to accomplish these goals?

While many churches and Christian groups are arranging to send mission teams, we are preparing to receive them. As volunteers for a Christian organization working with the poor in Mexico, we have the responsibility and privilege to assist these groups in thinking through their purpose, goals, and preparation so that they can avoid common pitfalls while benefitting from inherent potentials of short-term missions. Consequently, we offer the following reflections for exploring the purpose, process, and impact of short-term missions, which in turn leads to a different kind of preparation and post-trip debriefing. In offering these reflections, we are doing so from the perspective of USAmericans who have been on the sending, going, and receiving end of Western short-term missions teams, so our observations and suggestions apply most naturally to Western teams going to non-Western cultures, although we hope the following reflections will apply to all churches and Christian groups around the world who are involved in short-term missions.

The main purpose of short-term missions (STM) should be learning and serving, not doing and accomplishing.

Did you notice the repetition of the word “accomplish” in the preparatory questions above? Many teams who prepare for STM simply assume that their goal is to do a certain project or accomplish certain tasks in sincere hope that they will help the people with whom they are visiting. This is reinforced by the frequent question by family and supporters: What are you going to DO there?  And this is a good question, because often teams can help accomplish certain projects and tasks. Whether involved in construction work, Bible school teaching, or other projects, STM teams can offer valuable assistance. But if doing and accomplishing is the main focus, rather than learning and serving, many problems and pitfalls are bound to arise.

First, teams often get frustrated because they are not able to accomplish what they set out to do. They base the “success” or “failure” of the trip on the progress (or lack of progress) of their project. Western Christians in particular have to be realistic about our tendency to be task-oriented, which will lead us to feel frustrated if we are not given a certain task to accomplish. Teams may very likely find themselves in a situation where they are not given anything specific to “do,” since many non-Western cultures do not operate with the same task-oriented mindset.  Or perhaps, those from non-Western cultures rack their brains trying to figure out what they can give the Westerners to “do” in order to satisfy their need to be busy and feel useful.  This often leads to frustration, confusion, and insecurity on both sides. If the main goal of these trips is learning and serving, however, then we will be accomplishing this goal as we partner with our hosts.

Second, by focusing exclusively on accomplishing tasks and projects, STM teams often miss the opportunity to enjoy being with Christians in another culture and developing relationships with them. Consequently, it is immensely important for STM teams to approach their trip as learners so they will be open to seeing how Christians in different cultures think, act, and understand God and his action in the world, which is an essential aspect of Christian discipleship and growth. Many people have attested to the bigger, global vision that they have received from going on STM trips, and this vision can be expanded and applied in daily life when teams focus on learning and serving. The point is not to make a division between being and doing, because your team most likely will be very busy as they join in the ministry of the host country, but to recognize that if STM teams are so focused on doing to the detriment of learning and serving, these teams throw out the primary purpose of engaging in this form of mission.

Third, when we enter a foreign culture everything is so, in a word, foreign. In the space of a few short weeks, STM teams experience a foreign context, language, culture, values, political perspectives, economic system, history, and religions. While it is a beautiful thing for Christians around the world to join together to do kingdom work, we cannot pretend that we know how to minister and serve well in a foreign culture. Despite the best intentions of most STM teams, many have inflicted regrettable harm by doing things that may be suitable in their own culture, but are not suitable in a different culture and context. Often teams simply assume that they know how to share the gospel, how to work in groups, and how to relate to people, only to discover, to their surprise and chagrin, that Christians in this other culture think in a completely different way! These cultural differences should not lead us to believe that the gospel is relative, for the gospel of Jesus Christ transcends cultures, but the way the gospel is proclaimed and demonstrated differs from culture to culture. It is necessary, therefore, to learn and serve with those who are engaged in ministry in different cultures. With this posture, STM trips can begin to give us a glimpse of gospel proclamation and demonstration in different areas of the world.

Fourth, having a “learning and serving” rather than a “doing and accomplishing” emphasis allows teams to reflect on their experiences in a way that contributes to their own transformation.  Whether frustrated, emotionally moved, hurt, miserable, spiritually elated, confused, uncomfortable, in awe, (all common emotions on a STM trip), asking the question “what are you learning?” can begin the process of reflection and lead to deeper understanding of oneself, the gospel, and cultures.

In sum, adopting a listening and learning mindset allows STM teams to adopt appropriate expectations about what they will accomplish, create opportunities to build relationships, avoid cross-cultural blunders, and begin to open their eyes to different cultures in which the gospel is proclaimed and demonstrated.

The process of STM trips should focus on supporting local communities and ministry rather than asserting an outside agenda.

Short-term mission trips are, by definition, short-term, which means that a group of people is joining others who are living and working on a full-time, long-term basis in that context. STM teams can be of great assistance and encouragement to those who receive them, but they do so by supporting the existing leadership and the work that is being carried out by the local community. In fact, a team can produce more harm than good if they come with their own agenda and assert that agenda without learning from and serving their host community and ministry.

A metaphorical example may be helpful in thinking through these dynamics. Think of the host community as a group of people whose ministry is to move a load of bricks from the bottom of a hill to the top. In doing so, they have decided to form an assembly line to get the bricks from the bottom to the top. What STM teams can tend to do, and have done in the past, however, is arrive on the scene and suddenly suggest that instead of using an assembly line, the community should employ wheelbarrows to move the bricks up the hill. From the perspective of the STM team, it may “make more sense” to use wheelbarrows, and it may seem more efficient and effective by using less human energy and more mechanical advantage. This may make more sense to the team, but it may not be the best approach due to a whole range of factors based on cultural differences and lack of relevant knowledge. A better approach is if the STM team arrives on the scene and asks the local leadership how they can help, listening in a humble, patient manner. If the leadership says that they would love the team to join the assembly line, then they should willingly and joyfully comply. By going about it this way, the team is able to affirm and empower the local leadership and support their work in a way that is fitting and culturally sensitive.

Another scenario, and perhaps on that is more common, is that after joyfully joining the assembly line formed by local community to move bricks from the bottom to the top of hill, certain members of the STM team begin to murmur and grumble that this way is too slow and that they know a better way. The temptation is to “support” the local leadership and community by trying to teach them of a “better way,” rather than serving in the role and task that one has been given. In reality, if a team pursues the goal of learning and serving through the process of supporting the local leadership and work, they will usually discover that they learn more than they expected. Even if all expectations regarding tasks and project are not accomplished, the team may learn new ways of working, different attitudes toward time, work, rest and relationships, and to think more in terms of “different” ways of doing things rather than “better” or “worse” ways. Furthermore, when STM teams pursue their purpose through this process, many windows of opportunity open to develop new and lasting relationships and partnerships, which is the focus of our next topic.

The impact of STM should be lasting relationships and partnerships rather than fleeting experiences.

If we are honest with ourselves, we know that a major motivation to participate in STM is the experience and adventure. Even though these trips can be an incredible experience and even provide adventure, these are not the most important impacts of STM trip. The impact that matters most is that which is most lasting, and we all know that experiences and adventures can come and go, propelling us to a spiritual high and then crashing us down when our experiences normalize and adventures cease. But the relationships that are built by learning, serving, and supporting the ministry of local communities can last for a lifetime and beyond.

Relationships between different Christian churches and groups around the world are a beautiful and powerful bond. As these relationships grow, so does the potential to learn from each other, to pray for and support each other, and to develop a partnership that has the power to transform individuals and their communities. But developing lasting relationships takes more than a willingness to listen, learn, and support local communities and their ministry; it takes a commitment to those relationships and their preservation. What happens when churches decide to send groups to different countries and ministries each year? Without fail, both the sending and receiving groups miss out on all the benefits of a commitment to lasting, growing relationships.

Sadly, by not committing to return to the same place to build lasting relationships, Christian churches and groups reveal a deep self-centeredness that believes it is our experience and discipleship that counts, not the growth of those whom we are visiting. In addition, Western consumer cultures are prime breeding grounds for the attitude that each of our subsequent experiences must be different, better, and bigger. If it was Mexico last year, then it has to be Africa this year. But in giving in to these attitudes and assumptions, STM teams will miss out on the beauty and power of building relationships and partnering with Christians around the world. When these relationships and partnerships are forged, however, there is endless potential for kingdom impact and gospel transformation.

The preparation and post-trip debriefing for STM should be part of a greater discipleship process in which we learn to engage every situation and context, even our own neighborhoods, as a mission field.

Even if a STM team is aware of its purpose, the process of working out that purpose, and the impact that it should generate, all of this can still fall by the wayside without adequate preparation and post-trip debriefing and discipleship. The best way to integrate life before and after a mission trip with the trip itself is to recognize that STM is only one small part of our mission to the world. Unfortunately, many Western Christians think of “missions” as us at home going to them away from home in order to join God’s mission to the world. It is a recurring problem, especially among youth, to get extremely excited about the hype and experience of a missions trip, but to show little interest in participating in service, outreach, and gospel proclamation and demonstration in one’s own city and neighborhood, either before or after the trip. This shows a myopic view of God’s mission, and perhaps suggests the need to modify our language so that we realize that missions is the activity of the church everywhere and in every place, whether abroad or at home.  IN fact, in putting together a STM team, it may be wise to seek out participants who exhibit joyful and frequent involvement in gospel proclamation and demonstration in their daily lives.

Going on an STM trip, therefore, is only one small but important facet of our participation in God’s mission to the world. The mission of God defines our Christian lives, and every day we have the opportunity and responsibility to proclaim and demonstrate the gospel of Jesus Christ, no matter where we are. Our goal as disciples of Jesus Christ is to learn how to obey the Great Commission by obeying the Great Commandment to love our God and our neighbor. Unfortunately, we often believe that STM satisfies our obedience to the Great Commission and that our daily obedience of the Great Commandment has nothing to do with our mission. When we engage in STM to learn form and serve other Christian around the world and to support their local work, however, these trips become a springboard to launch us into reflection and action on God’s mission in our own context and around the world. Preparation and post-trip debriefing, therefore, should not just focus on the logistics of going on the trip, but on the task of learning from and partnering with others around the world in proclaiming and demonstrating the gospel so that our whole lives become missionary endeavors.

Another important facet of preparation is asking your hosts how you can best prepare to learn, serve, and support their work. Not only will asking these questions help you get ready for your trip, but also it is an important initial step toward developing relationships and a partnership with the Christian community and ministry whom you are visiting. Furthermore, one exciting aspect of the relationships and partnerships that develop from STM is to develop a two-way missions plan that allows your hosts bring their own STM team to learn, serve, and partner with your local work. There are a number of churches that are practicing this paradigm for STM, and recently the Christian Vision Project at Christianity Today produced an excellent Round Trip curriculum, which helps teams prepare and conduct post-trip debriefing to aid this two-way partnership. As these relationships and partnerships grow and develop, the church of Jesus Christ around the world is being equipped to engage in God’s global mission through local ministry.

Conclusion

What is the purpose, process, and impact of Christians from one part of the world visiting and working with Christians in another part of the world? It is to learn and serve other Christian communities by supporting their local ministry in order to develop lasting relationships that can have great kingdom impact.

As you prepare to lead or participate in a short-term missions trip this year, you may consider rephrasing the key questions that will help you prepare. Instead of the questions mentioned earlier, try to utilize the following: What do we want to learn on our mission trip? How can we go about learning these things? At least part of the answer to this question should include the importance of supporting local leadership and work rather than asserting your own agenda. What will be the result of going on this trip with a posture of listening and learning and by supporting local leadership and work? Along with many other things, you can look forward to building lasting relationships that will have kingdom impact and you will be equipped to join God’s mission in your own neighborhood.