This article recently appeared on Mark Crocker’s blog at www.stopover.ca have a read and give us your thoughts …

This is a bit of a long post, but if you can take a few moments to read it, then to the best of your ability, please try to give me an answer at the end. I think this is an important thought for us to collect.
I am attempting to discover current practitioners who can describe original (new) and beneficial (effective and working) methods of team based Short-Term Missions (STM).

I am specifically interested in discovering STM team initiatives attempting specific development projects within the majority world (also known as the Third World or Southern world). Specifically projects focused on sustainable, community owned and community-wide incremental growth. SEE endnote 1 regarding my summary of difference between Relief and Development goals and initiatives.

More…At this time, I am specifically limiting this search to team-based STM Initiatives, not individual originated STM initiatives.

Current Practices:
In order to better describe my objective, I have included a basic description of many current expressions of international engagement from a team-based STM experience.

While previous engagement in the world of international development had been seen as the responsibility of Government or Humanitarian aid agency (both NGO and FBO). More and more recently, the practice of individuals and churches has been to skip these intermediaries with the thought of direct engagement – ‘putting the money in the hands of the people who need it’. The intention is multi-faceted, with a desire for personal hands-on engagement, an economic consideration that attempts to cut out administration fees of the middlemen, and a re-affirming of personal responsibility to the issues at poverty and justice. This engagement generally takes place as a team effort over the period of 2-4 weeks.

The methods by which a majority of these STM teams often engage are through Mexico, Puppets and Construction. These team experiences tend to focus on close-by travel (IE Mexico); work with children in camps or some street evangelism and drama (IE Puppets); or find involvement in building, maintenance or painting (IE Construction). These Big Three are, in fact, often combined as many teams travel to Mexico to build a house for an impoverished family, while some members of the team work with the local children.
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Question #6: What is the impact of short-term missions on long-term missions?

by Dr. Timothy Tennent

Any church involved in missions should recognize that, in the long run, the real strength of our missionary efforts should be measured by our long-term commitments on the field. One of the most strategic and useful benefits of short-term missions is in the recruiting and raising up on long-term workers. It is very unusual today for someone to commit themselves to becoming a missionary without having been on a short-term missions trip. Therefore, having a short-term missions program is a vital part of any long-term strategy.

However, some churches have failed to see the vital connection between short-term and long-term missions. I have even seen some churches who boast of their growing missionary budget but, upon close examination, their missions budget reflects an increasing emphasis on sending short-term teams at the expense of their support of long-term workers. This, in my view, is a myopic and tragic development which needs to be addressed. Churches should be more intentional about how their short-term missions trips connect with long-term missions commitments. The former should always serve and support the latter. When this gets out of balance, we may actually be undermining the long term goal of the church which is to plant and nurture viable, self-supporting, self-governing and self-replicating churches around the world.

Conclusion

None of these “dangerous” questions are intended to discourage or to downplay the vital role of short-term missions in the church. I am a strong supporter of short-term missions and believe that they should be an important part of a church’s global outreach. Nevertheless, reflecting on these questions can help local churches build a smarter short-term missions program and stimulate a more mature outreach which, in the long term, will assist the growth and development of churches around the world.

Matt: So, now that we have all 6 dangerous questions about STM on the table, are you pro-STM or anti-STM? Maybe a better question is, will you at least consider the 6 questions before planning your next STM venture? Are there any more questions that should be asked?

Question #5: What is the impact on field resources/personnel?

by Dr. Timothy Tennent

Having hosted many short-term teams who have visited India, I am aware of the impact of any short-term team on the resources and field personnel who are working long term in the field. I can say that, almost without exception, those who host short-term teams do it with joy and fully realize the vital role they are playing in raising up long-term workers, helping people to gain more global awareness and to facilitate the best possible experience for the short-termers who come onto the field.

I am also aware that short-term visits can also cause the long-term workers, both missionaries as well as nationals, to suspend many of their own ministries during the visit. I also know the many hours which are spent in arranging vehicles, providing translators, accompanying teams to various tourist areas within the country, and so forth. Most field workers will tell you that it is a privilege to provide such services, but we should never underestimate the cost (financial and personnel) of this. Many visiting teams need to learn to be more modest in their demands on their host and to make sure that all expenses allocated by the host are fully reimbursed.

Matt: These are fairly strong reasons NOT to do a STM trip. One of the ways we can ensure we don’t become one of those teams is to be up front with the missionary we’re approaching about hosting us. 2 critical questions we can ask: #1 can we come? (do you even want us?), and #2 how can we serve you? (will we be more work than help?)

What do you think?

Question #4: What is the witness of short-term missionaries?

by Dr. Timothy Tennent

Many non-Western peoples only regular exposure to Christianity is in the lives and witness of those who travel on short-term missions. This underscores the tremendous opportunity which is afforded by short-term missions teams. We actually have the privilege of being a living example of what Christianity actually is on the field. However, this also underscores the need to make sure that we send reasonably mature Christians onto the field. There are several embarrassing examples whereby youth groups or other church or college groups who have be sent out on short-term missions have sometimes unwittingly discredited the very gospel they are seeking to bear witness to through they way they interacted with one another or they way they dressed.

All teams should undergo careful pre-field training and be exposed to any areas which requires cultural sensitivity. This means teams should be particularly aware of how a country might wrongly interpret the way North American males and females interact, address their elders, dress and so forth. There are excellent guides written for local churches preparing short-term mission teams which can be extremely helpful in avoiding giving a negative witness abroad.

To assure a more mature representation of Christian witnesses, I have encouraged churches to require not only a few pre-field training sessions, but also that they should have already served their own local community in some way in order to be eligible to go on a short-term missions trip. Why do we think someone who has not served in their own community will be transformed into an effective cross-cultural witness just because they board a plane and then find themselves on the soil of another country. Youth groups, in particular, should be asked to complete some basic home service prior to going on a short-term missions trip. It might be something as simple as helping in a food kitchen or mowing the grass of an elderly person, but it can very effectively underscore that the purpose of these trips is to serve others and, in the process, to allow God to change and transform our own lives – and that begins right where we are.

Matt: hard to disagree with this, isn’t it? The problem is, with the amount of work it takes just to pull together a team and trip, most leaders don’t have the time to do proper training or pre-trip prep with their teams. When you GO, how do you adequately prepare your teams pre-field?

Question #3: Where are short-termers going?

by Dr. Timothy Tennent

One of the challenges of short term missions is to send groups to places where they can be the most strategic. One of the inherent problems in local church missions programs is that due to time and budgetary constraints the destinations of choice are often places where the relationship between the Western church and the mission field is most problematic. While there are notable exceptions, many of the churches located in nearby places such as Mexico, Honduras and Haiti have, over the years, developed dependency relationships with the larger, more affluent North American church. The result is that, while never denying that these trips transform the lives of those who go and, on the surface, are accomplishing some worthy task such as a new roof on a church or a wonderful vacation Bible school, some of these trips also contribute to larger missiological problems which would not be evident by looking at the videos which accompany the group when they return home. This problem has been called, “doing harm by doing good.” In other words, we send our short term teams out and undoubtedly accomplish many good things, but in the process may – in concert with dozens of other teams – be contributing harm by impeding the indigenous growth and initiative of the national church whom we are serving.

It is a fact that short-term mission trips often do not go to those places nor work among those peoples who most need long-term workers. This is often due to the cost difference between sending a group to Honduras, for example, as opposed to Istanbul. The growing disparity between where short-term mission trips are going and where our long-term mission commitments are directed is, in my view, an issue which every church should address.

Matt: Maybe this is a direct result of teams working with missionaries they are in relationship with, which is a good thing. This means the bigger question could have nothing to do with short-term mission, but rather where we are strategically placing our long-term missionaries. Perhaps a STM team would make it to Istanbul if we were sending long-termers there in the first place!

Agree? Disagree? Revolutionary thoughts?

Question #2: What is the cost of short-term missions?

by Dr. Timothy Tennent

It doesn’t take too long looking at church missionary budgets to realize that short-term missions is an expensive endeavor. It is not unusual for the cost of a short-term missionary going overseas for two weeks to spend more than $2,000 for airline tickets, food, lodging, shots, on-field transportation and other costs associated with the trip. That same $2,000 might, in contrast, be sufficient to fund a full time national church planter for an entire year or fund other important projects. As with any allocation of funds, we should be very sober minded about the nature of the investment. On balance, I think the investment is often worth it, but it does need to be appropriately weighed. Indeed, I do not support the position that the best way North Americans can serve the global church is by staying home and writing cheques and letting others get their hands dirty with the hard task of cross-cultural witness. There are well known organizations that raise money in the West based on this premise. This is not my position. One of the real advantages of short-term missions is that we are relocating people to another part of the world who can experience first hand the challenges and hardships of missionary service. I see no Biblical precedent for a church called only to send their “e-mails and dollars” and not their “sons and daughters”. The Great Commission is about thrusting forth laborers, not just funding. Nevertheless, we must be cognizant of the costs involved and make certain that our investments are, on balance, wise ones. A more hopeful point is that most of the money raised by short-term missionaries would, in the absence of the person going on a short-term trip, not be available for some of these other needs on the field. However, a church must set strict guidelines on how much money flows into short term projects as compared with other cross-cultural commitments.

We’ve talked about this before in a post here called: “another one of those guilt videos“.

Thots? Opinions?

by Dr. Timothy Tennent (Professor of World Missions and Indian Studies and the Director of Missions Programs at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary)

One of the most frequently asked questions I receive as a missions professor at Gordon-Conwell is whether I think short-term missions is a healthy or destructive trend in the church today. Nearly all pastors are aware of the dramatic rise in short-term missions among local churches. Most have either been on a short-term missions trip themselves or they have seen many youth and other groups in the church take off for two weeks or so to participate in some project or activity. It might be a construction team helping a church in Honduras construct a church building, or a group of young people performing a mime skit on a town square in Europe or parishioners passing out tracts on the streets of a Muslim city. The question which I am often asked is whether I think these kind of trips are a sign of a church increasingly engaged and awakened to the missionary mandate of the church or are these trips merely another sign of the kind of Western cultural “quick fix” approach to everything which naïvely believes that the Great Commission can be fulfilled through short term missions.

Let me say at the outset that there is no easy answer to this question. However, I think if we learn to ask the right questions, we can begin to more effectively assess our short-term missions program and, thereby, begin to have more clarity on the central question. I have developed a six point series of questions for pastors and church missions committees which may help to serve as a diagnostic tool to develop a better, smarter short term missions program. I call these six questions ‘dangerous’ questions because, if reflected on honestly, they could dramatically change the way we talk about and do short term missions in our local churches.

Question #1: What is the goal /motivation of short-term missions?

We need to honestly assess what is the primary purpose of our short-term missions program. To put it very bluntly, is this trip for ‘us’ or is it for ‘them’? Are we using this trip to help our church to become more globally aware and, perhaps, to raise up missionaries from our church or is it to accomplish a particular goal or task on the field? We must become more realistic about the nature of short-term missions and what we can realistically expect to be achieved. Although there are notable exceptions, most short-term missions trips are far more effective in transforming the hearts and lives of those who go than they are in accomplishing long term mission objectives in a cross-cultural context.

I think we should openly acknowledge that these trips are primarily for the spiritual formation among our own group and that their major benefit to the field will be if people are motivated to pray more regularly and specifically for missions and if it results in long-term workers. This is not intended to be pessimistic about short-term missions, but to more accurately see how they fit into long term strategy. There is no replacement for long term workers who are prepared to commit years of their lives to the arduous and joyous task of language learning, cultural adaptation and effective cross-cultural witness.

Agree or disagree? Can you come up with a case for STM benefiting the “field” more than ourselves?

by Shane Bennett

I spoke at a fascinating church a few weeks ago. Although not large, they are sending a high percentage of their people to various parts of the world. Talking about all the groups heading out this spring and summer, the pastor jokingly asked, “If we all go overseas, who’s going to turn the lights off?”

That got me thinking . . . Is this the goal of mobilization? Everyone goes overseas? No, I wouldn’t imagine so. But since there are still relatively few models for cross-cultural investment, the natural tendency is to imagine that obedience to the Great Commission means following step by step in the path of Lottie Moon, Jim Elliot, or Mother Teresa.

This mentality results in many bright believers (who rightly discern they’re no Lottie Moon) assuming there’s no part for them in God’s global purposes. Dang. I hate it when that happens!

If I have a goal in life, it’s that everyone would find and play their role in this planet-encircling Kingdom of God. For that to take place, we need to model a variety of responses to Christ’s call to the nations. And along the way, we must find relevant baby steps – fun ways for all kinds of people to begin.

And that’s what this site is all about.

Source: InChrist Communications – February 7, 2008

$6 billion! That’s one estimate of what 1.6 million American Christians contribute in labor annually as they travel to remote areas of the world on short-term mission trips. The catch phrase to describe this increasingly popular phenomenon is “vacations with a purpose.”

Gerry and Sylvia Powell, a 60s-something couple from Beattyville, Kentucky, have spent almost all their vacation time volunteering on trips to help missionaries. To date, they have been on more than 30 trips with Wycliffe Associates, and they aren’t slowing down.

Wycliffe Associates was founded in 1967 to support and encourage Bible translators in tangible, practical ways. The ministry provides opportunities for volunteers to use their gifts and abilities in hands-on projects, meeting the real needs of Bible translators wherever they live.

Instead of heading to a resort or a favorite vacation spot, the Powells have found the experience of working in places that don’t have an amiable, human-sized mouse or drinks with little umbrellas to be more purposeful and satisfying. Their objective is to help missionaries with construction projects, a calling that has been both joyous and rewarding.

[Editor: Think for a moment: Who are potential Gerry and Sylvia Powells in your fellowship? Anyone come to mind? How might you encourage them to redirect their vacation time toward mission purposes?]

The Powells are not alone. A growing number of Americans are using their time off to help others.

To serve this movement, Wycliffe Associates’ investment into short-term missions is growing. They devote $10 million a year in recruiting, training and sending volunteers overseas to assist missionaries. The “vacation” of choice for 1,500 Wycliffe Associates volunteers is missions.

“Part of our investment in short-term missions is the completion of our new Volunteer Mobilization Center, a 16,000-square-foot facility in Orlando that will be used to mobilize thousands of volunteers heading out on short-term missions,” said Bruce Smith, president and Chief Executive Officer of Wycliffe Associates. “Designed and built primarily by volunteers, the center will service a growing tide of American’s seeking to use their free time more productively.”

[Editor: Do you ever sit back and think, "Wow, Wycliffe really lives by the creed, 'Go big or stay at home.'"? Thank God for Wycliffe. If you work for an agency that isn't Wycliffe, what are you doing or what could you do to take advantage of this trend or even help it grow?]

Baby Boomers Lead the Way

“Baby boomers” and empty nesters have come to the point in their lives where they think less about keeping up with their neighbors and friends by accumulating more material things and have begun pondering more about how to enrich to their lives and the lives of others. Time magazine reported that boomers volunteer at a rate of 33 percent, contrasted with 24 percent for those 65 and older. Last year, 65.4 million people did volunteer work, but 75 million volunteers will be needed in 2010, the magazine reported.

Wycliffe Associates has recognized this as well. As hundreds of thousands of new volunteer missionaries rise from the ranks of retired baby boomers, they will challenge the status quo of missions and how organizations will respond to them. Wycliffe Associates is positioned to usher in a new era of Christian service in missions by involving thousands of boomers in the acceleration of Bible translation worldwide.

[Editor: Have you seen Boomers in your church moving from a desire for success to a desire for significance? What opportunities does this open for mobilizers?]

Disasters Accelerate this Trend

“This idea has gone on in small ways for a very long time,” says Doug Cutchins, co-author of the book Volunteer Vacations: Short-term Adventures That Will Benefit You and Others. But the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks brought on a surge of interest in this small, but growing segment of the travel industry. The 2004 tsunami disaster that wreaked havoc on Thailand and Indonesia sparked even more attention to service-oriented tourism.

[Editor: What doors have recently opened along these lines to provide access the least reached peoples on the planet? What doors may just now be opening or opening soon?]

Advice for Those Who Want to Participate

Kim Hurst, the founder of World Tracks, a training organization for short-term mission teams, and Chris Eaton, founder and president of Bridge Builders, an organization that assists colleges, churches, and other organizations in developing service experiences, have written a book entitled Vacations with a Purpose. It is designed to help people prepare for and successfully engage in short term projects. Tony Campolo raves about Vacations with a Purpose, saying it is “detailed, biblically based, and inspiring. I will be using Vacations with a Purpose as I supervise mission study groups in the future.”

Wondering if you really have any abilities to offer in a vacation with a purpose? Writing in Discipleship Journal, Dale Painter advises, “Don’t limit your assessment to your professional skills. Often a change of pace from employment-related duties is important.” Manual skills or interests in gardening, building, outdoors or writing may represent valuable resources to service organizations.

According to Bruce Smith, President and CEO of Wycliffe Associates, “We can use anyone overseas or here domestically. Every skill is needed in the mission field and is especially valuable to Bible translators, who want to spend most of their time actually translating languages into Scripture. Folks should not worry if they have not had formal missionary training. They are welcome and invited to come use the skills God has given them.”

Pitfalls

Dale Painter raises the common question of whether it is it worth it to “waste” money on a trip when you could send the money to other mission efforts.

“Most people agree that visiting a developing country changes you for life. You have real images in your mind: kids sharing beds; a home with cardboard walls; wires hanging from the ceiling with one light bulb powered by an extension cord stretched from another building. When you hear someone say that God supplies all our needs, you think a little harder about all that entails. You have more of a sense of partnering with God in bringing good news to the world,” he said.

Kelantan, one of the most Islamic states in Malaysia, approved legal changes to increase the penalty for trying to convert a Muslim to another faith.

Persons accused of sharing their faith with Muslims may now receive six strokes of the cane, five years in prison (increased from two years) and a fine of US$2,800 (double what it was).

At the same time, the same amount of money is offered to any “Muslim missionary” who marries an Orang Asli (indigenous) person and converts them to Islam. They may also receive a monthly allowance, free accommodation, and a 4-wheel drive vehicle.

Um, ok. This has got me thinking. So many questions.

Since Canada used to be considered a “Christian nation”, what would it look like if we started beating anyone who was accused of sharing their faith with a Christian? 10 strokes with a hockey stick?

Obviously, I don’t think we should do this, but how fair is this? This is not a level playing field! But why does it seem like such a good idea?

Then, what about incentives and bonuses for sharing your Christian faith? Get someone “saved”, and you get the downpayment for a house! Missionary date someone into conversion and get all your dates paid for! Lead someone in the “sinner’s prayer”, and a HUMMER is in your driveway. Wow.

Maybe Muslims are on to something. Maybe this is what we’ve been missing. Incentives. Bonuses. Bribes. A real reason to share your faith.

I wonder what it would look like to bribe people to go on STM? Free flights? 3 days @ a luxury resort? Team bus = limousine?

It’s a shame that our pure love for God and his Son Jesus just isn’t enough to get us on mission.

Looks like Allah might have the same problem with his people.