As a society, we like getting the most bang for our buck whenever we spend or donate our money. This is often made evident in the way products are advertised or non-profits brag about their low administrative costs. When it comes to missions, people have the same attitude when deciding what missionary they should donate their money to. The value of short-term missions is fiercely debated, with many people reaching the conclusion that it is a poor financial investment to the Kingdom.
The argument is simple: Why give money to a short-term missions team who will only be there for a week when that same money can most likely be used more efficiently when sent to a long-term missionary? Why pay thousands in airfare to send a team of amateurs when you could send money to missionary and have him/her hire a team of professionals? Even better, what about the option of helping a national missionary?
The Case For Short-Term Missions
God’s Economy Is Different Than Man’s Economy
Sending a short-term missions team can be quite expensive, sometimes even as much as several thousand dollars per person. It seems wasteful to spend thousands on airfare instead of sending the money to the missionary who could make better use of that money. However, crazy things happen when God is in charge of finances. Just look at the tithe. In Malachi 3, God promises great rewards to those who tithe, and He even challenges people to test Him on that. In the same way that it doesn’t make sense how blessed we become when we tithe, it also doesn’t make sense how generous God is when we give to projects like this. Time and time again, missions teams see financial miracles when they raise their funds.
Lives Are Changed On Short-Term Missions Trips
People who may be on the fence spiritually come back from missions trips changed. Yes, it’s true that the purpose of missions trips are to bless the mission field, but those who go always come home as a different person than when they left. What do these changed lives do? Many times they feel empowered to reach their classmates and coworkers, they often become generous missions givers in the future, and some of them are even called to a lifetime of vocational ministry. Even though your church may make a better financial investment by just sending money to the missionary, they end up making a larger people investment by sending short-term missions teams.
Short-Term Missions Can Be Used Very Strategically
Some churches will send teams to the same place every year or even several times a year. By strategically planning your short-term missions trips, you can have a long-term missions investment with a partner missionary or ministry. This provides an outlet and a means of follow-up for the work of your team. Even if your church does not have the means to send teams annually, by partnering with a missionary or local ministry, you know that the effects of your ministry will play a part in a larger strategy.
What Do You Think About Short-Term Missions?
Love it? Hate it? Have any great stories about trips you’ve been on? How did that trip affect you? Please let me know about it in the comments below.
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Rob Sorbo RobSorbo.com
About the Author:
Guest Blogger – who has written 19 posts on Taber's Truths Christian Living Magazine.
I agree that short term mission teams often change the participants for the better, and can lead to full time missionary commitments. I would like to mention a few things, however, about how things can look from the side of some full time missionaries.
I’ve been a missionary in South America for about six years. I am not the only missionary here who has been frustrated with the confusion and even mishandling of the gospel that can happen while a short term team is doing ‘ministry,’ even regularly, in a foreign country.
It is common where I am living for the nationals to idolize the North Americans who come, and sometimes make use of this to manipulate nationals to ‘make a decision for Christ.’ The Christian nationals will tell the short termers about all these ‘decisions’ so that they will take this information back and report it at their home church, encouraging others to come back on the next team. The fact that many of these so called decisions were never really made in the hearts of the nationals is painfully evident a week or two after the team leaves. Many of these ‘decision makers’ will often disappear back into their normal life and want nothing more of discipleship.
When a N. American church makes a commitment to send 1 or more teams to a foreign church per year, they often struggle to get church members to fill these teams. I have seen and heard of several young people recruited for short term teams who acted totally self-centered on the field. One made crude comments to his fellow short-termer about the women here, and the national housing them happened to understand English. Fortunately, he initiated a serious conversation with them in response.
There are some national Christians who want the N. Americans to come so badly that they put the ministry planning in their hands, even when there is little understanding of the culture here. Even when they know some of the team’s creative ministry ideas will fall flat or even be misunderstood by the foreign culture, they dare not object to the N. Americans’ ideas.
The teams taste very little real life of the foreign culture they visit because they, as well as the host family, are often on their best behavior. The time spent in a host family’s home is also often without a translator.
I have been asked to help with or have been around short term ministries such as medical, women’s outreach, English classes, VBS, sports and building projects. After seeing the long term results on this end, I
vote for building projects. They give the team a way to use energy, there are fewer opportunities for language and gospel misunderstandings, and there is something clear to show for the time spent in a foreign land in Jesus’ name.
Thank you Anne for the perspective from the field. Although I didn’t personally write this article, I had wondered about the fruit of such endeavors and although I am sure that there is good and bad, I love to have a balanced perspective given. You have helped with that. I will be praying for you in your service to our Lord.
Blessings!
Pastor Duke
Thanks for reading my observations. I pray also for much wisdom and humble preparation for short term teams preparing to serve abroad, just as I need to pray this for myself each day that I go about interacting with this culture that is presently my home.
Thanks for your perspective Anne. I think yours is the predominant view, which I why I wanted to add another perspective when I wrote this.
I was an MK in Indonesia and the Philippines for all of my growing up years, and I remember short termers making valuable contributions.
Personally, I only really endorse short term missions when it is part of a valuable system, not just a random trip.
Thanks for your comments Rob. Our field has been active for many years, and there have been various projects begun over the years to team up young national churches with US churches/mission teams. Some of the relationships have gotten a little too disconnected from missionaries here who could have helped both sides to understand each other more realistically and with more godly integrity. There are probably many fields where this has functioned better.
I agree that short term mission teams often change the participants for the better, and can lead to full time missionary commitments. I would like to mention a few things, however, about how things can look from the side of some full time missionaries.
I’ve been a missionary in South America for about six years. I am not the only missionary here who has been frustrated with the confusion and even mishandling of the gospel that can happen while a short term team is doing ‘ministry,’ even regularly, in a foreign country.
It is common where I am living for the nationals to idolize the North Americans who come, and sometimes make use of this to manipulate nationals to ‘make a decision for Christ.’ The Christian nationals will tell the short termers about all these ‘decisions’ so that they will take this information back and report it at their home church, encouraging others to come back on the next team. The fact that many of these so called decisions were never really made in the hearts of the nationals is painfully evident a week or two after the team leaves. Many of these ‘decision makers’ will often disappear back into their normal life and want nothing more of discipleship.
When a N. American church makes a commitment to send 1 or more teams to a foreign church per year, they often struggle to get church members to fill these teams. I have seen and heard of several young people recruited for short term teams who acted totally self-centered on the field. One made crude comments to his fellow short-termer about the women here, and the national housing them happened to understand English. Fortunately, he initiated a serious conversation with them in response.
There are some national Christians who want the N. Americans to come so badly that they put the ministry planning in their hands, even when there is little understanding of the culture here. Even when they know some of the team’s creative ministry ideas will fall flat or even be misunderstood by the foreign culture, they dare not object to the N. Americans’ ideas.
The teams taste very little real life of the foreign culture they visit because they, as well as the host family, are often on their best behavior. The time spent in a host family’s home is also often without a translator.
I have been asked to help with or have been around short term ministries such as medical, women’s outreach, English classes, VBS, sports and building projects. After seeing the long term results on this end, I
vote for building projects. They give the team a way to use energy, there are fewer opportunities for language and gospel misunderstandings, and there is something clear to show for the time spent in a foreign land in Jesus’ name.
Thank you Anne for the perspective from the field. Although I didn’t personally write this article, I had wondered about the fruit of such endeavors and although I am sure that there is good and bad, I love to have a balanced perspective given. You have helped with that. I will be praying for you in your service to our Lord.
Blessings!
Pastor Duke
Thanks for reading my observations. I pray also for much wisdom and humble preparation for short term teams preparing to serve abroad, just as I need to pray this for myself each day that I go about interacting with this culture that is presently my home.
Thanks for your perspective Anne. I think yours is the predominant view, which I why I wanted to add another perspective when I wrote this.
I was an MK in Indonesia and the Philippines for all of my growing up years, and I remember short termers making valuable contributions.
Personally, I only really endorse short term missions when it is part of a valuable system, not just a random trip.
Thanks for your comments Rob. Our field has been active for many years, and there have been various projects begun over the years to team up young national churches with US churches/mission teams. Some of the relationships have gotten a little too disconnected from missionaries here who could have helped both sides to understand each other more realistically and with more godly integrity. There are probably many fields where this has functioned better.
Wow! Great post!
Welcome Linday, Yes He is doing an excellent job!
Blessings
Pastor Duke
Wow! Great post!
Welcome Linday, Yes He is doing an excellent job!
Blessings
Pastor Duke