so this is the big question.. ARE SHORT TERM MISSION TRIPS HURTING OR HELPING?
i ponder on it often and feel like i could fight for both sides at times.. see i have witnessed both.. i have drank from a water well built by a team of short term missionaries.. i have slept under roof's built by two weekers coming in doing work and getting out.. i have hugged the long term missionaries who have been able to receive rest due to their short term teams coming in, encouraging them and giving a helping hand... i have lived with people who thought i would never do missions, now to be overseas serving, all due to a 9 day trip that opened their eyes and changed their lives.. then i have also seen the down side.. i have looked into the eyes of a generation and people group that are trained(due to past experiences) to run up to me for money because i am white and white people pass out money.. i have been that white person who walks in a room and feels the stigma of being american.. i have had to explain myself many a time to a community or family that i wasn't their to pass out money but to work along side them, that i was there to donate my time and hard work only to receive a face of confusion.. and i have loved on many orphans who sadly live a life learning that whites come in for a couple of days to help and then always leave never to return.. that they hear they are loved, but not enough for anyone to stay long enough to make a lasting impression.. i have hugged little girls with hard hearts towards white people, scared to open up once again only to be left behind once again..
so i found this article on missions untold and found it really interesting, it makes some good points..
and after reading i found myself still pondering the age old question...
Many Christians have questioned the value of short term mission trips. There’s a progression of thought that typically occurs and it’s usually along these lines: - Short term mission trips are great!
- Then we hear a pretty convincing argument that they’re terrible. We chew on that for a while.
- Then we balance out. We see they’re very important, though they have down-sides.
Most people go through these stages. It normally takes a few years to do this. If you’re in the first or second of these three stages, we’d like to spare you the anguish and help you sort the whole thing out.
At first glance, mission trips seem great. Why wouldn’t they be? You share the Gospel or do Gospel-motivated works in a place that needs it. You bless the locals, and you bless the long-term team that’s on the ground there.
Then you talk to the not-so-optimistic person. They raise good arguments. “We’re creating an artificial dependance on Western countries. We’re stifling economic growth in local regions. We’re encouraging the white messiah complex.” They have a point. (Those points correspond only to 3rd world mission trips)
They say that raising $2,000-$3,000 dollars for a week or two, most of which is spent on the plane ticket, is a great waste of kingdom dollars. A team of fifteen people presumably raises about $30,000 dollars to do a mission trip. Wouldn’t that money be better spent given to the long term mission group on the ground?
Answer: Yes. The money would be better spent.
However, that’s not a possibility. No group of 15 people is going to raise $2,000 per person just to give it to a ministry that they’ve never been a part of nor understand how it works. That’s not human nature.
Also, that is a lot of money, but that money was raised from Christians and non Christians alike in one of the richest countries in the world. It’s not as if it was withheld from other churches and charities just to give to you; it was taken from the money that the earners could part with. If they hadn’t given it to a short term missionary, it would’ve gone into savings, or more likely, unneeded spending—good for the economy but detrimental to the soul.
Now the picture looks clearer. Is $30,000 better spent on a short term mission trip or on tech gizmos and nicer cars?
Most mission teams parter with a missionary or group of missionaries and church planters in the location to which they are going. The fruit of a mission trip is not only to reach people for Christ, they also help bring more people in contact with the long term missionaries on the ground. This way, the ministry is able to continue long after the short term trip, and maybe 2 months or 12 months later, they will come to know and follow Christ because of their relationship with the long-term missionary. It’s hard to measure how much influence a short term trip has, but they’re often the reason a person is able to come into contact with the ministry at all.
What’s a short term mission trip’s main purpose?
The main fruit of short term mission trips is debatable. One could say that it’s reaching people for Christ, or getting people connected with the long term missionaries there. But what about the team itself?
It seems the mission team itself might be just as affected or more than the target culture. It is a time when the more nominal among the group can sense the pressing reality of the Great Commission and dedicate their lives to a more faithful devotion to Christ.
One of the biggest payoffs is that on a short term mission team, there are normally a few people who have considered doing long term mission work. They don’t know what it’s like though, and making that commitment without ever doing a short term trip would be a huge risk. Mission trips serve as a sort of job shadowing opportunity for those interested in pursuing long term missions.
After short term and possibly mid-term mission trips, they might become full-time missionaries, and the fruit they bear is well worth the money spent in getting them to that point.
Are short term trips worth it? Absolutely.
What do you think is the main benefit of short term missions?
