What Is STM?

A short-term mission (STM) is the mobilization of a Christian missionary for a short period of time ranging from days to a year; many short-term missions are called mission trips. The short-term missionary is a fairly recent innovation in the global missions movement, but many short-term missions agencies are seeing an increased number of trips that consist of a week up to a year.

Generally, missionaries have been men and women who dedicated large portions of their lives to serving overseas in Christian service. In the past 50 years, churches have moved toward mobilizing more and more people for short-term trips.

In the 1970s, there were very few churches doing short-term missions in Canada. However, during the 1980s and ’90s missiologically progressive churches began to take a project approach to missions, capitalizing on directing present energy into short-term missions trips, vacations with a purpose, designated projects and offerings, and ministry teams.

The project approach has matured in the modern Short-Term Missions (STM) movement and become a standard annual feature for thousands of Christian youth groups, church groups, and individuals across Canada.

There are independent short-term missions organizations (STMs) as well as denominations and individual churches that facilitate these trips all over the world. Many STM “sending agencies” are adopting Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Missions.

The STMnetwork consults with leaders and trains teams using The Code of Best Practice for Short-Term Mission, developed by the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.