Short Term Mission Trips

HUGE CAVEAT: Right off the bat, I do not claim to be a professional on this issue (or any issue really). I have not studied the field of long or short term missions. I haven’t attended 10,000 hours of seminars. I have merely served on two youth trips and co-led one youth trip with a tremendous team beside me.

So admittedly, a novice. Therefore, I probably have nothing revolutionary to say. On the other hand, I have been in and around many conversation about missions. I have done “enough” reading to know a bit of “what to do and what not to do,” at least from some perspectives. But personally, I probably have little to add to the conversation. I have gleaned most of this from reading articles or having conversations with much wiser individuals serving in full time missions (or “retired”).

When we begin thinking about short term mission trips, brainstorming ideas could go all over the map (literally). We have people(s) we want to reach, or activities we want to do, countries/states that may (or may not) need our help, and members who may even be asking to serve somewhere. So many questions flood the mind. Once we weed through the logistics, develop a plan, find a team and (hopefully) complete some form of training, we may pull off some level of success throughout the trip. But what metric are we using to measure that success?

We could debate and nitpick several ideas about short term trips, and I’m not here to attack all the service that well-intended groups accomplish. Much good has been and can still result from short term trips, but I have read enough and engaged in sufficient conversations to know that intentions are misplaced sometimes. 

Most of the issues that revolve around these short term trips seem to rise from  the mindset behind the teams that are sent. That is, before individuals sign up to go on the trip—even before leaders announce the trip—there needs to be an answer to “Why are we going on this trip?” And if the primary goal has anything to do with the people serving on the trip, it might be better to cancel ahead of time. Certainly, one’s passion for the gospel, commitment to prayer, unity with other believers, or dependence on God for resources can all result or be magnified as a result of a missions trip. BUT, if leaders schedule a trip (whether local or global) for the primary purpose of maturing their people, I predict danger ahead.

How come? First, it’s selfish service. Second, it’s planned spirituality. And finally, these lead to different goals than God may have. And what happens when I don’t reach my goals—when Bob and Joe are still arguing about Situation X after the trip, even though I placed them on the same service team? What happens when Suzy still can’t make time to read her Bible next month, even though we created a habit for a week and she seemed to love it? It would be great if these things resulted from a trip. But if I secretly manipulate or openly advertise so that a week serving in another location will dramatically benefit one’s spirituality, I’m playing a dangerous game.

The only answer to the “Why are we here?” question is for the people in the country/state we are serving. For this reason, I’ve found it essential to have a team/pastor/church in the field that has been there. They know the people/culture. They know the needs in that environment. They may have an established ministry where I and my team and simply serve alongside and meet whatever needs that may exist.

That may seem obvious, but too often we get off a plane, hold a preliminary meeting with the leader of the area, and explain our schedule for the week. Again, nothing is ill-intended, but our ideas, our ministry, our culture and way of thinking about church/spirituality may be completely different than theirs. It may be difficult for Jesus to shine through our boxed procedures and schemes—as much as they work in our home environment. On the other hand, the target area probably has practices, habits, regular activities, even scheduled ministries, that we can easily assist—yes, assist—while they continue to lead.

Those five to six days pass quickly. Depending on the events that we do, we may see people begin to follow Jesus, or we may not. (I’m not directly opposed to sight seeing—but see below for scheduling length of trip.) It’s true that we may never know the impact of our trips. If we convince our team repeatedly that we exist to serve and not be served, every trip will be beneficial. 

Here are a few short and sweet suggestions that flow from the philosophy of ministry presented above:

• Smaller teams. Remember how much stress it is to host a couple for dinner or in-laws over the holidays…magnify by 1000 when considering 8-12 teenagers for a week away from home (or a different country). Room and board. Or worse, 30-40 year olds. Teenagers may complain when uncomfortable, but adults can develop alternate plans and do their own thing. Smaller teams allows the host to breathe a little easier. Consider their sanity. (Not to mention if the team is raising support, it’s much easier. Of course, this way you could send more teams at different times and the support may be the same amount, but at least it could be staggered).
• Longer trips. In 5-6 days, you may have time to learn a few names, run a program or two, go to a church service, and leave. If a smaller team was able to prepare their calendar for a 2-3 week trip, they could invest in the surrounding community a bit more. Bigger building projects. Teaching seminars. 2-3 church services. More (and more meaningful) connections are possible.
• Study and prepare for culture. This depends on where the team is headed. If there’s a different language, spend some time learning key words/phrases. Research various cultural differences, so as blatantly offend the hosting community. If within the same general culture/community, there still may be differences in customs or religious practices. 
• Work within existing ministry. Covered above. We are simply providing more bodies and minds to what’s already happening. If they ask us to run a certain program, it must be tailored to the community. One implication of this is the "projects" we do. Maybe the community needs a brand new house...maybe not. Maybe they need clothes and food imported as our team comes from another state/country. Maybe not. This is just another reason we need to work with locals and see what their needs are without making assumptions.
• Ask more questions. We should always assume a position of humility. Though we are coming to share the love and word of Jesus, we are “superior” to no one. We do not have all the answers. We are not full of wisdom. We are servants, and we always need more information and insight into the ministry and people while we serve.
• Ask before taking pictures/videos. The people we are serving are not trophies or badges of honor. They are individuals who serve beside us, are willing to share with us, or listen to us, or receive our help graciously. If we click pictures of how much work we are doing or the people of the town, they may feel like a “project” we are achieving. That’s awful. They deserve better.

Again, I am no expert, and there are probably hundreds of ways to increase our impact for God’s kingdom. I believe short term trips can be and have been effective. But with some thought and practical wisdom, we can do better in serving communities and showing them the love of God within their culture.