On Sunday, I prayed with one of our mission teams that is serving locally in Cambridge this week. We have a number of teams traveling throughout the summer to different places, doing different things and of course, it involves a number of different type of people. Some are mission trip veterans, some are first-timers, young professionals, young parents, empty-nesters, middle/high school students and many others. I’m a believer of short term missions but every year I am part of conversations that inquire are these trips worth it?
First, I think that’s an important question (that’s why I want to blog about it). It’s part of good stewardship to evaluate what we’re doing as individuals and as a faith community.
Second, I think this question actually needs to be answered because among other reasons, we need to bridge the gap between those who are critical of these trips and those that are supportive. It makes for a stronger mission and a stronger church.
Third, the critique of these trips have led to better trips. And so these conversations bear good fruit.
Last year, I asked this question and tried to answer the financial practicality of it “Wouldn’t it be better to just take that money and send it to the missionaries?” I argued that not only will you not raise that money to send but that it’s better in the longterm as you allow more people to experience the beauty of missions. (You can read similar posts here).
This year’s post has me thinking about two other aspects. One is obvious but perhaps worth reinforcing. Short-term missions allows for those not in vocational ministry to experience it on this level. Contrary to popular belief, short term mission trips are not a mere week in duration. The sacrifices that are made require much effort and time. There are numerous meetings, there is fundraising, there is creating awareness, there is the packing (and most trips gather supplies to bring to people – this can be both helpful and not helpful) and then there is the critical spiritual and emotional preparation.
For most people, there is a great deal of self-reflection upon being a part of a mission trip. People ask themselves, “Why am I doing this?”, “Am I a good enough person or a good enough Christian to put myself out there?”, “Is what I believe true, is it meaningful to anyone else?”, “Can I be kind, patient and compassionate enough to do this work?”
There are fears to be confronted like speaking in public, traveling, for some, it’s the first time out of the country (which is very cool), for others, it’s the first time away from their young children, and some times, it’s the first time away since recovering from a serious illness or the passing of a loved one and I find so much beauty in these stories. There is so much that happens beyond the infamous “comfort zone” and that’s where you learn some lessons and experience some blessings that one cannot otherwise.
And then there are the challenges of traveling in a group of people you barely know in the most economical of fashion. You usually end up bunking in a room of at least 10 people, eating food that may not be to your liking with a mass of people and there’s always a line for a cold shower or the clogged toilet.
But despite all these things, this is part of the goodness of the trip because at some point you ask yourself, “Why did I sign up for this?” The answers usually come in the most beautiful of moments and that’s among the reasons why non-vocational types need to experience these weeks. It teaches that the work of the Kingdom is hard, sacrificial, people-focused but always worthwhile for the glory of God.
Further, mission trips involve more than one person. Whether only person is traveling or the entire family, the trip usually involves the participant(s)’ inner circle to some capacity. Each trip creates awareness, fundraises, shares about the work that will be done and afterwards shares the work that has been done. Families need to juggle schedules, responsibilities and workloads while there is son/daughter/husband/wife/mom/dad serve on the trip. I have heard countless stories of how the family was blessed even though only one person actually “went” on the trip. It should be further noted that this is part of the joy of sending.
The second aspect is that short term mission trips simply get more people involved. I find that we are at risk of saying a few competing things in the Church. On one hand we say, “We need to get more people involved in the work of the church …” and two, “Mission trips are largely ineffective and therefore we should only allow (insert the type of properly trained people here ______), … but we still need your money …” And another thing I keep hearing is “We need people to do more than write a check …” I like nuance and gray but I don’t know how to reconcile all of this without including more people and more expressions of Christian mission work.
Being at risk of making a strawman out of these generalizations, I have heard these sentiments in the most sincere moments by people who really do care about others. It’s worthy saying that early in my ministry, I was not a strong supporter of these trips and even before the popularity of the term “poverty tourism”, I was angered about those stories of church groups repainting the same gym wall and saying things like, “We don’t know how good we have it – thank God.” Today, while I am not critical of painting or thanking God for His provision necessarily, I am still critical of missions work on a number of levels, just as I am critical of church practices on other levels as well. (Again, critique, self-awareness, pursuing training, humble and prayerful hearts have great potential for better ministry).
Ministry vocational types have to be careful that we don’t only allow missions work to be done by the “professionals.” Non-vocationals have to be careful to not to take missions work for granted but rather see these experiences as opportunities for deeper involvement. There is much work to be done and we need as many devoted hearts and hands, vocational and non-vocational, to take part.
I like that a regional manager of a pharmaceutical company is going to get be serving in a VBS program in the Middle East. I like that a bride-to-be is going to be leading 9th graders. I like that a coffee barista in between careers is a team leader, and I like that a individual who manages hundreds of thousand dollars of assets has been assigned the cooking tasks. I like the vision of our missions’ pastor. All these roles are crucial and the idea of position, status, work are going to be redefined in a world of serving. World views are going to be torn apart, assumptions are going to collapse, paradigms are going to implode, hearts will be humbled, people will be loved and God will be sought – this is better than spending a week vacation in the Caribbean, spending another week in the parents’ basement or at the movie theater or at work or doing the weekly chores.
The weeks spent on short-term mission work has the potential to change, shape and inform our lives on a very practical and needed level. Clearly, I’m a fan but as always feel free to offer your thoughts, push backs, concerns, experiences, etc. and if you’d like to read and learn further, I encourage you to check out a couple of resources like:
Serving with Eyes Wide Open: Doing Short-Term Missions with Cultural Intelligence by David Livermore
When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor. . .and Yourself by Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett.
The Round Trip Curriculum – with Chris Blumhofer, Andy Crouch and the Christian Vision Project
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