In Light of the Gospel

5 Responses

1. Ed Eubanks Says:
   November 28th, 2008 at 3:15 pm

   Good thoughts from Trevin– and a good question from you.

   I think the worst reason to give for short-term missions trips is: “the team gets so much out of it!” (Variations: “you’ll grow in your spiritual life so much,” “it really challenges you to become a ‘better’ Christian,” or “it helped me mature as a Christian.”)

   Yet, in my years of ministry, the reason I’ve most often heard for why short-term missions should be supported: “you’ll grow in your spiritual life so much!” (or variation– see above).

   In more recent years, I have had a firm policy that whatever growth or personal benefit a participant might receive would be, at best, a secondary reason for going. Further, I insist that anyone (or any team) that wants to organize a short-term trip must have some clear and concrete plans for how they will minister to and support the long-term missionary(ies) that are already there, and that supporting them would be the main purpose of the trip. (The notable exception is the “work-camp” trip, where a team is going to perform physical labor alongside other short-term and long-term missionaries.)

   This has eliminated some of the options for short-term trips: going to help a church plant with VBS when they otherwise couldn’t staff it with volunteers is a great support; going to an area where every team is expected to simply organize a VBS for the area folk is not. The essential differences are two: in the first, the church (and not just a program) is being supported, whereas in the second it is just a programatic way to say you’re doing ministry. Second, in the first there ARE local volunteers and others present to carry on with the follow-up; in the second there may or may not be.

   For me, it starts with asking the long-term missionaries where we will be going, “what do YOU need to do your job better?” and trying to work out a strategy where our team could provide that.

2. Mark Jones Says:
   November 28th, 2008 at 8:55 pm

   I think the more important question is: what constitutes a “missionary”? Everyone and their uncles is a “missionary” today; I’d limit the term to those (men) sent by the church for church planting. Once we open the door to anyone who digs a ditch, the term essentially becomes meaningless. Call it “Christian service” or something. Paul was a missionary; he was sent by the church. okay, rant over.

3. Mark Jones Says:
   November 28th, 2008 at 9:06 pm

   and their uncle, not uncles.

   PS, I went on a short-term “missionary” trip to Zambia with Campus Crusade for Christ; we were a soccer team and our goal was to bring the gospel to thousands through our soccer games. We got blown out the first game by a pro team (8-0) and no one else wanted to play us. It was basically a self-indulgent trip; and the money given to us from sponsors could have built several churches in Zambia … I guess having done this sort of thing myself, I am a little skeptical of short-term trips.

4. JHG Says:
   November 28th, 2008 at 9:27 pm

   Great thoughts.

5. oj Says:
   December 9th, 2008 at 2:06 pm

   I saw that you have a blog on short term missions. Looks great!

   We’re building the blogroll of our short term missions blog on UrbanMinistry.org. We’d like to add your blog to our

   blogroll list, and were wondering if you would do the same for us. You could just call the link short term missions at

   UrbanMinistry.org. The URL is http://www.urbanministry.org/short_term_missions

   It’s good to see others with a passion for short term missions and linking to each other seems like a great way to

   expand the community of people trying to bring social change on this issue.

   Let me know if you have any questions or if you have other ideas on how we might collaborate and connect our

   communities.

Leave a Comment