WHAT ABOUT SHORT TERMS?

Written By Great Commission Council
 

STATEMENT

Short-term trips are valuable additions in fulfilling the Great Commission when they have a long-term perspective, are field-driven, and partner with field churches and missionaries. Short-term trips done well can connect senders to missions they support, encourage field workers, meet practical field needs, and expose team members to missions, inspiring further involvement in the Great Commission. Short-term trips done poorly can squander resources and disrupt or destroy the long-term work of missions.

 
Article Written by Bonnie Marks

“In 33 A.D., Jesus sent out twelve men to change the world. 2,000 years later, He sent us…” 

This message was on the t-shirt I wore on my first short-term mission trip. As a recently converted sixteen-year-old, I thought it was awesome. Over forty of us went on a two-week trip to Mexico. A few participants spoke a little Spanish (myself not included), and we learned a gospel drama that we performed in parks and outdoor areas. As far as I know, none of us had been to Mexico before, and no one returned after. We worked with translators to share the gospel with people who watched the drama, and maybe the Lord used these efforts to draw people to Himself in that corner of the world. Still, ongoing discipleship or integration into a local church was never the focus. When we returned home, we were championed as having fulfilled the Great Commission and praised for our sacrificial service to the Lord.

As you read this story, hopefully multiple red flags popped up. The trip was short-sighted and wholly disconnected from long-term mission work. The motivation for the trip was primarily self-centered. We were ill-equipped—most of us could not have even a simple conversation in the local language. There was no plan for follow-up either from local churches in the area or from the church that sent us. The trip required a substantial financial investment but had a questionable return. Despite all these errors, and although I would never endorse such a trip today, the Lord used it to instill in me a deep desire to make disciples of all nations. 

Short-term missions have become increasingly common in recent years, and the Lord can use them in amazing ways. However, these trips often don’t have a lasting impact on the target location. 

So how can we do short-term missions well? How can we make the most of the vast and various resources the Lord has blessed us with? Sending churches must think carefully about these trips and how they fit into the work of long-term missions.

Mack Stiles writes, “A missionary’s ultimate goal is to plant and strengthen healthy, local, indigenous churches to God’s praise and glory.”[1] If this is missionaries' goal, it should have practical implications for short-term missions. We have to ask—how can a week-long trip (or a month or a year) contribute to planting and strengthening healthy, local, indigenous churches?

The GCC statement above answers that question. What follows will develop these thoughts.

What Is a Short-Term Mission?

Before we go any further, we need to clarify the term short-term missions. Short-Term Missions (STM) are intentional trips that cross a culture for the gospel's sake, typically to a foreign country. STM may range from a few days to a few years. Participants usually do not have time to learn the language or establish a church. Ideally, they come alongside ongoing mission work in the area and encourage and support those efforts in various ways. 

The New Testament is replete with examples of STM. In Acts 14, Paul and Barnabas went on a second missionary journey, returning to the places they’d previously visited and where churches had been planted already (Acts 14:20-27). Paul was encouraged by others who came to see him in prison (Philippians 2:25-30). Titus was left by Paul to “put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town” (Titus 1:5). In the same letter, Paul instructs Titus to “do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, because I have decided to winter there” (Titus 3:12). Gaius was instructed to welcome visiting evangelists in 3 John 5-8. From the beginning of the church, we can see that there is a biblical category for STM.

Critical Elements of STM Done Well

Looking back to my first trip to Mexico, what exactly was amiss? The trip was well-intentioned and focused on students taking part in evangelism overseas. We prayed and prepared[2] as our leaders encouraged us, and it was genuinely a positive experience for most participants. Where that trip, and so many short-term trips, falls short comes down to a few interrelated categories: many STM lack a long-term perspective, are not field-driven, and are not partnered with field churches and missionaries.

A Long-Term Perspective

Although STM are short, the trip's aim should not be short-sighted. Whether you are planning the trip, going as a participant, or supporting a trip through finances and prayer, you need to consider how this trip will serve the long-term work already happening in that area. Trips should be planned and supported with a view beyond your two weeks, two months, or two years spent in-country. How will the work continue? If there is any gospel fruit, how will those converts continue to grow in the faith? How can you promote the ongoing work and not hinder it? One way to foster a long-term perspective is to return to the same short-term site over several years to develop ongoing relationships with local Christian leaders and churches.

Field Driven

STM must also be field-driven. This means that the people on the ground locally determine the needs and how to meet them. The participants go to serve those already there. To be field-driven, STM must be connected to field churches, local believers, and missionaries.

Consider this: people already on the field are working toward advancing the gospel in that region. Both churches on the field and long-term missionaries have given much time, energy, and thought to investing in and reaching the people around them with the good news of Christ. They know the specific needs and challenges of people in the area; they know the security risks. They have experience with different strategies or approaches to evangelism, discipleship, and meeting practical needs. They’ve learned what is effective in their region from their failures and successes. 

Now, consider your team. Yes, you are believers in the one gospel and followers of the same Lord. But your lives look vastly different. You are likely unfamiliar with the language and the culture. Who should be making the decisions about the purpose and practicalities of your STM? When we step back, we can see how ridiculous it is for an uninitiated team to approach a missionary or field church with their plan of what they will do and how they will do it. The people who have invested their lives in the area should be the ones setting the agenda for the STM.[3]

Partnering with Field Churches and Missionaries

Being field-driven necessitates a partnership with those on the field. You should not be on a STM where no one on the team or sending church has a connection to Christians already serving there. Imagine being on a STM, where you’ve prayed and sought out opportunities to share your faith. Suddenly, it happens! Someone you’ve shared with repents and believes—praise God! 

But now what? If you are not connected to a church or missionary in the area, that person is left to fend for themselves. A new believer needs a Christian community around them to help them grow in their faith.[4] We live in a day and age where many places have a gathering of believers.[5] Let’s be intentional as we pursue STM to have a healthy partnership with a field church or missionary and can connect locals to these partners so the work continues.

What Is the Potential Value of a Short-Term Mission?

When these elements are in place—having a long-term perspective, being field-driven, and partnering with field churches and missionaries,  STM has the potential to truly help and strengthen the work already happening in an area.

Strengthening the Partnership between the Sending Church and the Missionary

STM can connect participants and sending churches to the long-term missionaries they support, increasing the involvement and care they receive. When missionaries are well-cared for, their longevity is likely extended. People who have spent time in a place know better how to pray for the people and the ministry there. A short-term team can report to their sending church and give personal updates on how the church can support and pray for the missionary and the work. 

Support and Aid Missionaries in Their Work

STM can ease the burden for long-term missionaries and provide a time of respite and relief by providing for spiritual needs. Time spent in counseling, fellowship, worship, and the word can be a breath of fresh air for weary workers. Providing childcare for a family on the field so they can attend a conference allows missionary couples to have much-needed time together to strengthen their marriage or receive necessary training and encouragement.

There are also abundant opportunities in STM to come alongside the practical work of a missionary or field church. Examples include running a VBS for the local children, medical professionals setting up a temporary clinic, Bible teachers providing a training seminar for local pastors, or a businessman helping with small start-ups. Although all short-termers should be looking for opportunities to share the gospel in a way deemed appropriate by the missionary or local church, there are certain times when STM can focus on an evangelistic outreach that could propel the work of a field church. In all of this, we must still be careful to center the STM around a long-term perspective that is field-driven and connected to the local church and missionaries.

A missionary friend told me about one STM she helped lead to an area of Central America devastated by war:

We were asked to work alongside an indigenous church on projects they’d initiated to help the local people. We dug fish farms, cared for children in a malnourishment clinic, and helped build a school. A nurse and pharmacist on our team attended to the sick. Halfway through our trip, a missionary and some local evangelists took several people from our group into the mountains to visit remote villages. Our team members’ role was mainly to gather a crowd (the sudden appearance of a bunch of Americans created a lot of attention!) so the local evangelists could share the gospel.    

Benefits to STM Participants

The potential value of STM to those on the short-term trip is significant. The Lord uses these trips in the hearts and minds of the participants. Ideally, people returning home from STM are encouraged by how the Lord is at work around the world. They often gain a greater perspective and awareness of their dependency on Him. They are more burdened to pray for worldwide Kingdom work and spurred on to share with those next door. Leaving home and traveling to a new culture to serve brothers and sisters is a life-shaping experience. 

The Lord used STM in my life to burden me for missions and eventually led me to a life in overseas ministry. My story is not unique. God often utilizes a STM to increase particpants’ joy and desire to be involved in missions, especially if there is a long-term perspective and an established partnership with a field church or missionary.

Potential Pitfalls: Short-Term Missions Done Poorly

We can see so much great potential for STM. Sadly, many short-term trips fall short in one way or another. The Lord is faithful to work amid our many weaknesses, sins, and failures. But when approaching STM, we should seek to steward all He has given us well. We have to think carefully about how to approach STM thoughtfully and faithfully.

One practical way STM can fall short is how we use our financial resources. Spending on STM is estimated to approach two billion dollars a year.[6] Money isn’t everything, but that figure should have you raising your eyebrows a bit. Could those funds be better invested in the Kingdom? Are we going to invest perfectly every time? Probably not, but we should think more critically about which STM we support by going or giving. 

Financial resources can also cause problems once a STM is on the field. When Westerners visit developing nations, the different living standards are hard to grasp. The needs are overwhelming, and it can seem like a solution to throw money at the problems we see. But this is usually not what is most helpful. GCC has a great article on giving.[7] We also recommend When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert.[8] When considering financially supporting work on the field, consult with and defer to those who live and work there. 

Throughout this article, I’ve emphasized the importance of a long-term perspective and field-driven STM connected to field churches and missionaries. If they aren’t, they could do damage. For one, the trip could disrupt or even destroy the long-term work in that location. A friend told me of a team that came to their city in East Asia, where Christians were closely watched, and handed out tracts everywhere and to everyone. The local authorities assumed the church leaders and missionaries were responsible. They quickly brought them in for extended questioning and continued to monitor them with heavy surveillance for a long time. 

Secondly, helping a group adjust to a new culture, context, and time zone while keeping them busy is no easy task. A missionary or a field church has normal daily, weekly, and yearly rhythms. A STM may severely disrupt these rhythms. Not allowing those on the field to drive the when, what, and how everything will happen can set their ongoing work back for months.

The last danger I’ll mention is that STM can become an end in itself. We shouldn’t send people to do construction projects that locals would do better and cheaper. We don’t want to send people to give a few kids candy and hugs and then check off several locations from their bucket lists. We don’t want to add to the burden of long-term missionaries and field churches by insisting on our own plans and purposes. Trips that do these types of things are self-serving; they yield little lasting reward. The goal of any STM is not simply to “do missions” but to participate, even in small ways, in planting and strengthening healthy, local, indigenous churches to God’s glory and praise. This is a goal we should never ignore. 

Conclusion

STM has amazing potential to aid in furthering the work of the Kingdom around the world, so we must think carefully and strategically. STM must have a long-term perspective and be field-driven. When these elements are not in place, we are wasting resources and potentially endangering long-term work. 

However, when those elements come together, we join in the beautiful design of the Lord working in the world through His church. When we strive to work well with those already on the ground, our efforts will not be in vain but will result in His eternal glory and praise. Let’s work to assess our STM and send out our short-termers in a way that builds His church. 

Recommended Resources

footnotes

[1] GCC Article “Missions and Missionaries: Do We All Mean the Same Thing?”

[2] A good resource on preparing for STM is Mack & Leeann’s Guide to Short Term Missions by Mack and Leeann Stiles,(Inter Varsity Press, 2000)

[3] Please keep in mind that this could be more complex than it sounds here when you are dealing with different nationalities and cultures in making plans. Find a way to defer to those on the field.

[4] The Lord is surely able to keep and preserve His people (Philippians 1:6). We want to be wise and give new believers any help we can. The Lord has given the church to His people as a primary means of preserving them. It is foolish to deny someone this grace.

[5] This does not mean the work is done. We should be encouraged that there are believers in the high Himalayas and on distant, isolated islands. Having a handful of believers in a hard to reach place is only the beginning of fulfilling the Great Commission.

[6] Missions Talk Podcast, Episode 20 https://www.9marks.org/conversations/on-short-term-missions-with-mack-and-leanne-stiles-missions-talk-ep-20/

[7] GCC Article “Be Generous but Avoid Financial Dependence”

[8] Corbett, Steve and Fikkert, Brian. When Helping Hurts, Moody Publishers, 2014

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