“Contrary to popular belief, most mission trips and service projects do not: empower those being served, engender healthy cross-cultural relationships, improve quality of life, relieve poverty, change the lives of participants [or] increase support for long-term missions work.” -Robert Lupton in Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help (And How to Reverse It)
We gathered at an evangelical church that ran a primary school busting at the seams. Some of our group filled an open space with rocks so that after we left the country concrete could be poured and children would have a place to play four square and whatnot. But I spent the week up in the air, building a second story on the school building. It was 2002.
I’d never mixed concrete or laid a brick before – none of us had – but we were willing to learn. Slowly – very slowly – we mixed gray powder and water with shovels, dished the concrete into a thin layer, smooshed bricks on top of it, and “struck” the excess that ran out in between. My boss was a teenager, one of two locals working on the project with us.
I don’t remember his name but I remember his story told to me through a translator: This boy and his father worked as day laborers – taking any job they could find each day. His job that day was to teach us how to lay brick well enough to finish one wall of the school’s second floor in a week. He said that he and five other local workers could complete the entire second floor on their own in the same amount of time.
One Spring morning in 2005 I had a perspective-shifting breakfast with Wess Stafford, the President of Compassion International, and Mark Hanlon, the Senior Vice President of Compassion International’s USA office. I had no idea who they were. A friend from Compassion who’d been recruiting me to speak for the organization for quite some time ambushed me – she offered me free bacon if I’d chat with a “couple of people from Compassion.” Sneaky.
I’d heard the spiel before but I sat through it all again: how Compassion releases children from poverty…blah blah blah. It’s not that I didn’t like the work Compassion said it was doing. It’s just that I had a better idea.
I told Wess I’d rather ask audiences to actually go to another country, to actually do something, to serve the poor themselves instead of paying an organization to do it for them. I didn’t ask Wess if he thought this was a good idea. I was convinced it was because I’d experienced it – I’d been to Mexico and Ecuador and had my worldview expanded in those places, worked hard and felt useful, been moved and inspired. My experience taught me all I needed to know. (I have a history of arrogance.)
I didn’t ask for Wess’s opinion. But he gave it.
Wess grew up in Africa, the son of missionary parents. He told me about the good and bad he’d seen when Americans came to lend his village help. He also servd as a missionary in Haiti. He talked about what he learned there about missions and in the years since that he’s spent serving the poor around the world as the leader of Compassion’s work in twenty-six countries.
Wess gently and patiently taught me about missiology through story-telling. He didn’t speak in generalities, never condemned mission trips on the whole or those who take them, but instead he explained why he was personally passionate about empowering indigenous churches to serve their own communities.
Suddenly, the conversation I’d had with my teenaged boss in Ecuador years before took on new meaning. His words had seemed like bragging at the time – six Ecuadorian laborers able to do the work of two dozen Americans – but now I understood what he was trying to tell me. If six men in Ecuador had built the school instead of us, six men would have been employed and six families would have been provided for.
I need to be very clear here. Please don’t skim this paragraph. This is not an essay pitting child sponsorship against mission trips, calling one good and the other bad. I don’t believe Compassion International is the only way to take the gospel to impoverished nations – along with food, education and health care. But I am convinced that churches and missionaries in Ecuador are the best at serving Ecuador – Christians there may need a little help but they are not helpless. The same is true of Christians in India, Guatemala, Uganda, Nicaragua… And I am convinced that while certain kinds of mission trips are needed, most unintentionally do some harm (and sometimes a lot of harm) to the people they are intended to serve.
So while I admire the passion and generosity of the tens of thousands of Americans who go on short term mission trips every year, may I make a humble and humbling suggestion? Doing something, no matter the noble intentions behind it, isn’t always doing best. Here are some books I’ve found helpful in discerning how to help without hurting in the process:
Shauna says:
I appreciate your taking the time to elaborate on your thoughts about short-term missions.
Shaun Groves says:
I’d love to hear yours, Shauna.
Sara says:
Awesome,very true.It is about empowering people in those communities,their abilities and strengths need to be used.
Melissa Jones says:
I think one of the best ways to truly be “effective” on a short-term trip is not to go someplace random, do VBS, then leave (although that’s relatively “easy” for us to do) – it’s to get involved with a church, organization, or missionary who is there on the ground, who has a long-term strategy with a short-term need that you can fill. That need is only very rarely filled by you coming in and doing things the “American” way. Construction methods and styles are different. A church in Africa with no window panes isn’t “poor” or incomplete, it’s air conditioned!
Go to learn. Go to see what God will do in you. Ask questions. Also, source as much “stuff” as you can locally rather than shipping it in. Saves you on shipping costs and stimulates the local economy (just don’t cause scarcity)!
Make sure what you do doesn’t cause dependency, but rather self-sufficiency!
Grr….I’ve been feeling more and more like I should join my church’s “missions committee” to help them transition to more of this kind of mentality. Darn it. I don’t want another meeting to go to!
Melissa Jones says:
Also, do your best not to be a status symbol.
Leigh says:
I too had no clue that doing mission work in other countries is actually taking income away from families. I was clueless and just thought that of course it’s helpful.
However through you, others and learning more about Compassion I’ve learned that my money would be better spent on supporting the family. Such a hard lesson that I don’t believe is well known.
Kelli says:
Um…I totally wrote my thoughts on Short Term Mission trips yesterday. Great minds, right? ๐
After just having returned from one with our kids, I think I agree with you, but can I ask a question to clarify?
What would be your idea of a successful short term mission trip?
I *think* you and I feel the same way. I saw how deeply grateful and blessed the local pastors and workers in Dominican were last week when we were there. The last night, with tears in their eyes, they thanked us for offering our time, love and resources to help their people. But we did our research before committing. We wanted to make sure that we really were going to be helping, not harming, the people we were going to serve. We wanted to go with an organization that was only serving to bolster their own people. The organization we went with works hard to make sure that the local pastors have the resources needed to better minister to their own people. The team down there is committed to helping those in their communities find freedom from extreme poverty. We didn’t go down there to serve them an empty Jesus. We went down there to offer our service to the most basic of their needs – not to save their souls, but simply to show them we care and they are not forgotten.
There was a house of one of the local women, one of the cooks who feeds over a hundred children three times a week through Servant’s Heart’s Food Program, whose home lost its roof after the last hurricane. Rather than rebuilding the roof, they helped purchase the materials needed and left them for a local crew to repair.
I think that short term mission trips, if they’re done correctly, can be an effective means to serve. But the mentality of the American Christian has to continue to shift and grow. Jesus wasn’t an American and we can’t try to feed the American Jesus to the world. Feeding Jesus alone to someone whose stomach is empty will be an empty Jesus. So how do we balance that? What is the alternative?
My view is we need to be Jesus. Be His Hands and His Feet as we serve the needs, and let the local pastors communicate His message. I’m doing a bad job stating it all here, but I did better yesterday. I think. Maybe? I dunno… ๐
Shaun Groves says:
Before I give my big ol’ long boring answer I’d sure like to hear form other readers about trips they’ve taken that have helped and not hurt.
Les Wilson says:
Corbett and Fikkert give a good set of criteria in “When Helping Hurts” for doing a short term trip if you are going to do one. Corbett gives a great illustration of the dynamics of hurtful trips when he recounted his experience in Kibera.
I’ve decided that mission trip money spent on “awareness” is better spent as a gift to those on the ground. I think the beneficial trips are the ones that invest in training of nationals in leadership, trade/professional skills training (long term mentoring) or Pastor training (something Jill mentions). Something that is sustainable.
Filmmaking is an area I have experimented with and see as something that is desired by some missions. When done in a way that establishes relationship and trust with the in country leadership, a film crew can create quality media that is useful to missionaries and missions for more successful and impacting fundraising. If it can be combined with equipping, training and mentoring nationals to create their own media. That makes it sustainable.
A similar thing is worship training. If worship is as important as other aspects of establishing churches, then helping nationals become better worship leaders is also important. Again, it should be wholistic with equipping (the equipment not just skills), training and mentoring (long term).
My two cents.
Jill Foley says:
I spoke a little about this at a Compassion conference this past weekend in Montana. My husband had a paradigm shift about short term mission trips after going on several and reading When Helping Hurts. It was on a short term mission trip to Nicaragua (where he also visited our Compassion child) that he realized sponsoring kids was a better use of our money. Since then, we have embraced Compassion as our family ministry and see it as our family’s mission.
That being said, I am still involved in some short-term mission work with an orphanage in Mexico…it’s an ongoing relationship that also offers sponsorship of it’s kids, so maybe it’s not short-term.
John Stickley says:
I know it’s on Shaun’s list of books to read, but I want to echo the recommendation: “When Helping Hurts” is must read material for anyone interested in missions.
Missiology matters.
Megan says:
Shaun, great perspective. I was glad to see “When Helping Hurts” on your list, too. One of my favs. There are some times when careful, thoughtful short
-term trips can be good, if they are carefully structured to do no harm in their wake, and allow participants to have their vision increased by in-person reality. I have (and I bet you have) seen lives transformed by these moments. But I have also participated in the “here I am to save the day!” westernized mission-cation. One in particular left me wondering why anyone else looking in would want to BE one of these Christian types. Not winsome. Still, it’s hard to accurately understand or even fully imagine the challenges unique to the third world from our comfortable first, and harder to help others fully embrace the challenge to live as true stewards for that which is not understood. Balance is critical. It takes a good org and lots of prayer to get that balance right.
Good word. Sorry we didn’t get to see you last week when you we in town. Hope to see you in SH soon.
Beth says:
I read KP Yohannon’s book, Revolution in World Missions, several years ago. (If you haven’t read it, I recommend it- he offers it for free, too, by the way). KP is the founder of Gospel For Asia, the other organization I give to along with Compassion. KP’s book brought up the same points you are making here, and his ministry is founded on the principle of train & equip indigenous people to evangelize and serve their own countrymen. He also talks about as “wealthy” Americans why perhaps we are a wealthy country in the context of giving towards these indigenous folks to equip them to serve their own folks. Great book. I really appreciated his thoughts and value his wisdom. I have also taken several short term mission trips, and I appreciate how they broadened my worldview and perspective, especially the ones I took as a young person. It’s wonderful how now, 15 years after my 1st short term trip, I still have moments that cause me to remember things from trips and that convict me from choosing entitlement or ingratitude. I have not had other experiences that have impacted me the same as those trips did. They impact even the work I am doing now for a missions organization, even though the work I am doing now Stateside looks so very different than those trips. I appreciate the partners we partnered with on those trips who were wise in how we were brought in to serve. I think short term missions can be strategic. Great post!
Stephanie says:
I agree, as well! About 4 years ago, I went on a 3 week mission trip to Brasil with 25 others from my Bible college. Most of the trip was dedicated to doing worship conferences, but we were able to spend 2 days in the favelas, or slums, of Rio de Janeiro.
It was a huge eye opener. Culture shock central. We were working with a ministry founded by a Brasilian business man and his family. The first thing we did was take a tour of the slum. What they described as a road, we would describe as a roughly hewn trail. We trudged uphill for about 20 minutes until we got to the top and could look out over the entire slum. Houses, pieced together with scraps of whatever was available, stacked one on top of the other. Piles of refuse and excrement everywhere. It’s hard to believe that just miles away, the millionaires live in gated communities.
As we walked back down the mountain, we had a new sense of purpose. We were here to minister to those who could not speak up for themselves. We were here to serve. We split up into teams to help the house with its everyday functions. A fellow teammate and I did diabetes testing. A few taught the children how to use toothbrushes. I knew that there were kids who didn’t know what a toothbrush was, but to actually see it was astounding. Some gave the children haircuts and styled the girls’ hair for them. Brighter smiles have never graced a child’s face.
In the end, we were able to give part of our team’s financial surplus to the ministry, which was greatly appreciated.
Despite the language barrier, we were able to share the love and light of Jesus Christ in a very dark place. I would call that successful. When you understand that what you’re doing isn’t about what you can do, but rather what God wants to do through you, that’s success. When you grasp that it’s about giving up your agenda and your expectations and embracing His, you’ve got it.
It’s an experience that I think everyone should have at some point in their lives. The experience of touching poverty. I also know that you don’t have to go outside the U.S. to touch it. It’s among us. Praise God for those who are doing something about it, but we all know they could use more support. Whether it’s volunteering our time or giving something out of our pocketbook, every little bit makes a difference.
Shaun Groves says:
Wow, that’s a beautiful story, Stephanie. And so well told. Thanks for taking the time to share it.
Kari says:
Thank you for sharing this, Shaun. And: “Hail, fellow bacon-loving humility seeker!” My Bible study group read “When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty…” and I got a lot out of it. It was helpful to me that the authors defined several different types of poverty – it’s not just all about money. They talk about poverty of spiritual intimacy, poverty of being (low self-esteem, god-complexes), poverty of community, and poverty of stewardship (materialism, loss of sense of purpose, etc). When I realize that I suffer from some of these to some degree, it helps me bring a sense of humility when interacting with my financially poor neighbors. I was also particularly struck with how important long-term relationships are in helping lift neighbors out of any kind of poverty. With that in mind, it seems more practical to look down just down the road to my neighbors living in nearby housing project. I’m not saying we should ditch overseas missions altogether, but just pointing out that there are folks starving (for food AND love) just down the street that we can reach on a real long-term level.
Karen says:
I think short term mission trips work best when partnered with a local church or ministry. When the team arrives in country with the humility and mindset to serve alongside and assist work that is already in progress.
We were privileged to lead numerous trips when our local church was in partnership with one overseas. Over time, what I discovered that we provided more than anything was encouragement. We would work alongside them in the ministries they were ALREADY doing. We were sort of a breath of fresh air to their weary bodies and souls. Sometimes we brought some helpful and innovative ideas….sometimes not!
I love that when the partnership came to a natural end, what was left was a precious and thriving congregation that was meeting in a church that they had raised the money for and built themselves….with just a little bit of help from us.
Several years later we are still in touch, the memories are still vivid as is the knowledge that many lives were changed on both sides of “the pond”.
While it was not perfect and we made mistakes, I do believe that these short term trips made a difference and were “good”.
nancytyler says:
I’ve been reading Toxic Charity too, thinking about not just mission trips but what to do about giving to people on the streets and evaluating the feeding programs/food banks and other ministries I’ve been giving to, either materially or monetarily. It’s tough stuff to think through and has been very humbling.
Lauren Casper says:
I may not be qualified to give my thoughts because I have never been on a mission trip. I have, however, been to Ethiopia four times in the process of bringing my children home and while there I was able to see a lot that opened my eyes and heart in new ways. Honestly, I think of mission trips as making more of a difference to the person going than those being visited. Hearts are changed, eyes are opened, and often God whispers something deep into the soul of the one experiencing something so new. I came home a completely changed person after our first trip to Ethiopia. I didn’t make a difference in a single person’s life while there (except our new son’s) but a HUGE difference was made in mine. I do think there is a place for short term missions, but I believe long term (a couple years or more) missions can be more effective. I’m all about empowering, educating, and providing for those who actually live in the country of focus to serve. They’re the ones who best know how to serve, minister to, and witness to their fellow countrymen (and women). Thanks for posting, Shaun.
Lauren Casper says:
I should add that I do think there is a place for short term missions and even if just one person is shown the love of Christ through a short trip… it’s just one child is shown he has worth, if just one belly goes to bed full, if just one person walks away knowing someone loves them… it’s worth it. It matters. Often we don’t see the results of Kingdom work, especially if we’re gone in a week, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t an impact made. ๐
Katie Axelson says:
There are so many things I want to say… but since my job is to get people to go on trips, I’ll be silent (publicly).
Shaun Groves says:
You could always educate me via email ; ) shaun AT shaungroves DOT com (I won’t tell.)
Katie Axelson says:
๐ ok but tomorrow when (maybe) it’s email-length not novel-length.
Amilia says:
I totally agree with a lot of what you said, but also think that there can be different types of short-term missions.
A couple years ago I went to Haiti on a 10 day trip. We did VBS and distributed food and helped adults who were learning English. It was an amazing trip for me personally, and I don’t think going and sharing the name of Jesus is ever in vain, but I did feel like there was more we could have done to be more effective in our serving.
However, I think there are substantial ways to really help people on short-term missions. Medical missions are one example I think of. I also know of a psychologist who went to Haiti after the earthquake and did trauma therapy for kids there. This past spring break I went to ASU (Arizona) with my college ministry and we were just there to share the gospel and we had a powerful time and the Lord was moving in amazing ways. And what about trips where you go and video or photograph or write about the experience in order to raise awareness to get people to give and serve, like what compassion does a lot?
Like I said, I agree with a lot of what you said. I feel like the American church is all about “serving” in order to make themselves feel good. It’s such an American idea that we can do something relatively easy- buy a certain pair of shoes, go to a country for a week, etc. and it makes us feel like we’re doing good. And it may be good, but perhaps not the most good we can do with the resources and time we’ve been blessed with.
Shaun Groves says:
You wrote: I totally agree with a lot of what you said, but also think that there can be different types of short-term missions.
Sounds like you may be under the impression that I don’t think there are different kinds of mission trips. The rest of your comment implies that I don’t believe there are GOOD mission trips. Sorry for the confusion, Amilia.
I was afraid of this misunderstanding when I set out to write this post, which is why I made sure to state more than once that there are helpful mission trips and that many are needed. Sorry for not making that clearer.
So I think we’re in total agreement and you bring up great examples of helpful short term ministry abroad.
QuatroMama says:
Thanks for communicating this message so clearly, Shaun. It’s definitely something we all need to chew on (with bacon)…
QuatroMama says:
PS Can you put a sharing widget of some kind on these rockin’ posts to make them easier to pin, tweet, like, etc?
Shaun Groves says:
i used to have one of those helpful sharing thingies at the end of my posts, but then my blog got so old it stopped playing nice with so many plug-ins. BUT…a redesign is underway! With lots of easy sharing options ; )
Carisa says:
Well this post sure caught my attention. It was a short term mission trip that led our family to become long term missionaries {to the place we went on the short trip}.
The story is obviously a long one, but I was transformed one night on the trip while reading a magazine article that is VERY similar to this post. I had never looked at our short term trips this way and was immediately impacted and began seeking the Lord for clear direction. Within 6 months my family moved from southern suburbia to our current mission field. My husband felt the exact same calling obviously, like I said-long story.
Now we are on the other end and currently we are in the heat of short term mission teams coming during the summer. It is strange because although we are grateful, many of the trips and team members are a bit damaging and draining. Many come with the “save the world” or the “paparazzi” attitude. I have grace, because I have been there, but it’s still so hard.
Our ministry only allows each missionary’s supporting churches to bring short term teams here, mostly because we sort of “have to” but there aren’t too many of those trips that we actually “need.” I am not trying to sound like a big ol meanie, it’s just the truth. Often when a group leaves we are more exhausted than ever and entirely burnt out, because leading a group is exhausting.
We have been here almost 10 years and this is an ongoing struggle for all of our missionary families, being grateful for our supporters and for people who want to come and serve here, while also balancing that with the drain that it can be and the potential harm that can be done. We really try to work with our teams to bring the people to US and not try to be the one who disciples, let us do that. We live among the people and are here long term. The teams that do outreach with this attitude are extremely helpful. Those are the short term trips that work. They are humble, willing to serve even in menial ways {with no guarantee of a “look what we accomplished” photo at the end}, and follow our lead on how we serve our people and disciple them.
Sorry for the book of a comment, it is just a topic very near to my heart, from both ends. Thanks for writing this. It’s a tough topic to handle with grace.
Shaun Groves says:
Thank you, Carisa, for telling us your story. The missionary perspective sure adds a lot to the discussion. We can guess all day long what this looks like from your vantage point but there’s no arguing with a missionary’s personal experience. Thanks for sharing it.
Now, I’ve net missionaries who say that their denomination or sending organization requires them to accept short term mission teams – regardless of whether they’re needed – because these teams are from churches that give money to support mission work. Reject the team and you risk losing funding – or so the sending agency thinks. Has this been your experience at all? What’s the risk in telling these teams “no” when they’re not needed?
Carisa says:
We almost always say yes to teams from supporting churches. I don’t think that is something that will change, and in the end they fund the long term work we do here so I am OK with that, even when it can be hard.
We as a staff have had MANY MANY hours of prayer and discussion about how to make the entire experience more Spirit led for both the team and for our staff. Encouraging HUMILITY, SERVICE and SUPPORT of what our staff is already doing here has been very helpful.
Example, we get teams who want to do work projects or want to do a VBS, and in some cases we have been able to guide them in different directions when those things aren’t needed at the time. Those trips have been such a blessing and encouragement to us. Humility and loving service goes a long way to encourage the long term team when a short term team comes. When we truly feel the team has come to walk alongside of us, and not try to fix everything they think is wrong, it is definitely beneficial in the long run.
Shaun Groves says:
What kinds of things do short term tams do that are “beneficial” to the long term work you’re doing?
Heidi says:
Some very interesting thoughts in this post and the comments. I have always wondered about the cost of these short term trips vs. what was accomplished. Our church just sent a team to Russia for 10 days. It’s sometimes hard to vocalize these concerns because the case can always be made for God working in the hearts of those who go. There do not seem to be any easy answers. Though not exactly the same as a mission trip, to be 100 percent honest I’ve had those same thoughts about going on a sponsor tour with Compassion. Weighing the cost of the trip vs. using that money to sponsor more children. However after speaking to other Compassion advocates and those who have been on trips and met their sponsored child, my opinion shifted. After much prayer I’ve decided to travel to Tanzania next year and meet the child that we’ve sponsored for over 5 years. I’m excited about how God is going to work in my life over the next 8 months and how He might use this trip.
Shaun Groves says:
That’s a tough one, Heidi. I’ve often wondered about that myself. What did those advocates tell you that convinced you spending money to visit your sponsored child is money best spent?
When I’ve visited my sponsored children it’s been in the course of doing work for Compassion that definitely benefited more than just my sponsored child. I know that blogging about your trip to visit your child can pay dividends for many more children waiting for sponsors too. I’d love to hear more about how you reached the decision to make the trek to Tanzania.
Heidi says:
Deciding to travel to Tanzania has been an interesting process to say the least. We have sponsored Mwajuma since 2008, but my involvement with Compassion really began to deepen last year when we began sponsoring our 2nd child and I led our churchโs first Compassion Sunday. There was a very favorable response so I took on the role of encourager to those in my church. I encouraged them to write to their child and to make sponsorship an experience for their entire family. Earlier this year I became an advocate. God has allowed me the opportunity to speak at a womenโs conference earlier this year. During the session I was able to share my experience with Compassion and God led 15 people to begin sponsoring children.
There has always been something deep in my heart that made me want to go to Africa to meet our precious Mwajuma. But beyond that, I began to wonder how God might be able to use that trip to speak to others to begin sponsoring children. In my own experience I had seen the value of โclosing the gapโ between sponsor and child. Hearing you speak at the Chicago advocates conference was an example of that. I can speak clearly to people about my sponsorship experience, but to be able to speak to people when I have seen Compassionโs work first hand, when I have spoke with the teachers and pastors serving the children and familiesโฆ.how might God use that! I became excited about the possibilities.
In the past, I had always viewed sponsor tours as something that would be great to do, but practically speaking out of reach financially. The day after I returned home from the Chicago conference I was in church. I opened up my ipad to look up the dayโs scripture. My e-mail was open and there was an e-mail from Compassion that was announcing the next round of sponsor tours. God very clearly in that moment said this to me, โLast week during Compassion Sunday you stood before your entire church family and said that if I was calling them to do something that I would take care of the details. All I needed was their obedience.โ Hit me like a ton of bricks! So I began to pray. I put the money aspect in the background and began to pray for His will and direction. I asked my closest friends and spiritual mentors to pray as well.
Long story (not so) short. Iโm going to Tanzania. I could write much more about some of the initial anxieties that came up. (My entire international travel experience has been 3 days in Ontario!) I can honestly say Iโm totally at peace with the decision. Thatโs usually a good indicator that Iโm on the right track. Iโm using the next 8 months to prepare. To prepare spiritually and to prepare physically. Iโm committing to a healthier lifestyle. That could be topic of discussion on it’s own! Iโm excited about what God is going to do. I wonder how heโs going to use this. My hope is that he will use this experience to open peopleโs hearts to sponsorship. But thatโs in His hands, not mine.
Holly Barrett says:
I’ve only been on one foreign mission trip. It was a great trip for my son and me to experience together. It was encouraging to the Christians that we interacted with while there. Beyond that, I’m not sure what else may have been accomplished. The particular spiritual tribe I’ve belonged to most of my life has been in the habit of finding and funding their own mission efforts. It seems to me that
a better use of these funds would be to pool them together in support of organizations that are already in the particular countries we may feel called to help. How much more good could the money spent on short-term trips do if it were supporting existing work rather than starting from the ground up? Especially if a church starts over every few years in a new place with a new mission.
Just my thoughts as I’m continuing to study and pray about this very issue. Thanks for your thoughts, Shaun!
Shaun Groves says:
For me it’s not a choice between funding or going. Funding has as many – maybe more – potential pitfalls than short term mission trips. Both require a sound strategy and plenty of discernment.
But, yes, I get where you’re coming from. The high price tag for some mission trips sure makes me want to be even more certain it’s a trip that’s needed, helpful and not harmful. Otherwise…wow, how much good could that money do spent on another kind of trip or funding ministry of another kind?
Amy says:
I do have many thoughts on this. I have gone on a short term mission trip, to Nicaragua. Our church is actually partnered with a church there. So while I have many thoughts, I have one question. You mentioned that it was taking the job away from 6 men and their families. Was it really? I mean, if your team hadn’t gone there, would they have hired 6 guys to do the work, or would it have gone undone, because there was no money to do it? Theoretically I guess the money spent on the trip could have been sent to hire 6 guys, but is that what would have happened?
Amy says:
And just to be clear, I am not disagreeing with you. ๐ while my mission trip was life changing for ME, I realize that those we served probably have no recollection of me. I loved it there, but on the other hand, it was too comfortable.
Shaun Groves says:
I know you pretty well by now, Amy. No need to explain. I totally get what you’re saying. No offense taken.
To answer your question about the laborers…
I don’t know. I think it’s possible the laborers could have been hired but not by the church directly. They didn’t have the money to do that. Unfortunately to get their school built they had to take both money and labor from our sending organization. Ideally, that church would have had a relationship with a church in their country, missionary in their country, or church outside their borders that could have funded the labor without insisting on supplying the labor too.
But I don’t know if those longterm relationships existed for that church. I didn’t know enough to know what to ask back then. But I still wonder today.
amy in peru says:
very interesting thoughts.
i have been on both sides. i too was a wide-eyed, absolutely inept construction worker on several short-term mission teams prior to choosing missions for the long-haul over 13 years ago. during which time, we’ve hosted both awkwardly burdensome and dreamy teams. one of the latter just left us last week.
the thing that needs to be emphasized, i believe, is our walking in step with and being ever sensitive to the Holy Spirit. in how we give. in where we serve. in how we live.
YES, we need to try to make the best use of money. AND we need to go when/where He leads. and can i just say that He does not always do things in the most worldly-wise way? occasionally, He leads us to use money in a way that at the time seems extravagant, but may be the only way to accomplish His purposes. all the money in the world is His anyway. then other times He leads us to make decisions that simply don’t satisfy everyone else’s sense of propriety. it just doesn’t seem responsible… you may have heard that line before. ๐ but He just knows every.single.need. (theirs and ours) so much better than we could ever know, and besides, it’s His glory He’s most concerned with.
yet. i hear what you’re saying. and what the authors say. i used to and in part still think somewhat along the same lines. and i acknowledge the truth there is in what they say. however, i am unwilling to say that people in the US should just send money. that is not the only answer. i’m also reluctant to say that only the ‘useful’ team members should come, such as those who speak the language or can ‘do something’, like medical work. i don’t think we can blanket justify statements like that. it’s not the money that’s lacking, he multiplied the loaves; it’s the workers that are few. (mt.9)
there certainly are things we can do, as resident missionaries, that can help short-term missions be more successful on both sides of the equation. we can prepare the people here to meet and love the n.american believers with all their special needs, faults and oversights. and we can do everything possible to help make sure a team comes prepared & equipped to make a difference (planning, interpreters, cultural sensitivity, etc). and we pray. ๐
but when it comes down to it, what i think we most need to examine is, not so much our missiology, but our own hearts. are we loving christ in our service? or are we serving self? we MUST carefully consider a biblical missiology and not neglect our responsibilities. but most importantly we need to walk closely enough with the Lord to know what it is He requires of us. to hear His whispers. to do justly, love mercy, walk humbly. we need to be prayerful and wise, follow His lead. we are all lost without Him.
i am aware that this isn’t a clear, easy, follow the yellow brick road to short-term missions formula. but when is the christian life ever textbooky?
{that was long}
amy in peru says:
p.s. i hope i didn’t come across as though i was taking on a widely differing viewpoint from yours. i have an inkling that we actually think very similarly about the issue. ๐
it is any potential extreme-ism in the book list, that i might take issue with.
Shaun Groves says:
I love what you’ve added to this discussion, Amy. Absolutely. We’ve not even touched on the need to discern and the possibility that what God guides us to do isn’t always pragmatic and may even seem nonsensical.
I agree. And I think – I truly believe – that if we stopped following the often-harmful short term mission trip template and instead prayed AND learned how to do things better, God would answer our prayers with strategies that are less harmful and more helpful. And sometimes those strategies may contradict the experts…but I don’t think that will be the norm. Do you?
amy in peru says:
yes. as i thought more about my answer, and where you are coming from, i came to my senses as to who you might be mostly speaking to. i added a few extra thoughts in my comment turned blog post (see above).
YES. those who want to be involved in God’s work overseas must become more sensitive to how God works overseas and less concerned with the experience they want overseas… doing something, anything will not do. we must examine ourselves, the situation and pray for wisdom.
but as much as we will study and plan (and be generally very north american ;)), there will be MANY times when we must admit with jehosophat, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.โ i love that. it is those times when we know for absolute sure, it’s not of our own doing, it is the gift of God.
brother, thanks for what you’re doing.
all for His reknown.
Shaun Groves says:
A few people seem to be saying “But not all mission trips are bad.”
It was for these readers that I wrote the paragraph starting with “please don’t skim this paragraph.”
I clearly stated that mission trips are not bad. Sometimes they’re needed. Of course there are many kinds of short term mission trip strategies – it would be a reckless and inaccurate generality to say ALL are anything – good or bad.
Does that clarify things at all?
Amy says:
I like that you added that part. There is much controversy in the church over short term mission trips and Americans Americanizing other countries. My short term trip definitely changed my heart and the way I live and my relationship with Jesus. I expected to serve, but I was injured on the trip and ended up beings he one served. Lol. Leave it to me.
I always wonder how the people we served felt when we were taken on a field trip trough where they live. I mean, it was families that were involved with the church we partner with and hey received permission, but if it were me, I’d hate it.
It’s definitely an issue where there is no clear answer. If only life were that easy. ๐
Karen says:
I was simply sharing a “good” experience…not trying to argue a point! ๐
Jessica says:
This is one of those cases where I have absolutely nothing to add to the conversation (because you already took all the smart words) so Ima just say . . .
Amen.
Matthew W says:
Hey Shaun, the books that you mentioned aren’t showing up for me. Do you have any idea if that’s on your end or my end?
Shaun Groves says:
They’re showing great for me. When I get a second I’ll add text links that should show up for you no matter what.
Bonnie Brochhausen says:
Really enjoyed reading this post. Over the years I’ve been on various far short term mission trips to the Yucatan and Mexico and my husband has been on far mission trips to Canada, Yucatan, Mexico, Panama… 3 years ago my husband, myself and a core group planted a church. Our goal for Far Missions was to plug into already established ministries and churches or help plant a church to help on a long term basis to serve the hurting and lost. We have partnered with an orphanage in Haiti, a ministry in Thailand that rescues girls sold into the slave industry, a long term recovery ministry in New Orleans that helps men and women, … with monthly donations plus we do special projects with them throughout the year. We are also planning to travel to Haiti and Thailand to meet the ones serving and those they are helping and to work with them on projects when we are there. We will work with these ministries on a long term basis and build strong relationships with them and those they are helping. As God blesses us with funds, time, servers… we will build relationships with other ministries. Our desire is to help others already on mission where God placed them with funds, encouragement, mission trips to work with them on projects… We believe that we need to partner with churches that are already reaching out to the hurt, lost, struggling… so that they can continue to minister daily and continually. True change for foreign countries will happen when those living there, growing up there become followers of Christ. When they get plugged into community and help hold each other accountable and serve those around them then the countries can be changed from the inside out with the love of Christ!
I LOVED all the short term mission trips I went on and so did my husband. Sadly, most of those trips we went to a place one time and never returned to that same village/town/area. We did not develop any long term relationship with those we served for a week or 2 weeks. For us as we struggled with the call of planting a church we looked at what we felt missions for our church should be. We wanted our missions to be long term with relationships that grew as the years went by. We are still a young church but God has truly blessed us with some incredible experiences in Near Missions (local) and Far Missions. Can’t wait to see how He uses us in the coming year!
Kris says:
I always appreciate the education I get from you on these topics. Admittedly, I’ve only been on one short-term mission right after high school and I didn’t even understand half if what you are talking about here, then. I am grateful to read and learn more from those who have more first hand knowledge and experience.
Joseph says:
Good to read this post and discussion. My wife and I are thinking about going overseas for a few months on mission. She’s been on trips ranging from a couple weeks to six months. The only international mission trip I’ve taken was to Haiti for about a week.
Recently, we’ve been reading Pagan Christianity and other books by Frank Viola. Feel like my brain’s been stretched way too far–agh. But I’m curious if anyone has an opinion on how missions (short term, long term) fits properly into church-life.
Rachel S says:
I love that you shared this, and the way you shared it. great job. Very true! Thanks! ๐
Tim says:
I have had the same concern over once and done mission trips within the US and what it says to the people served. We now maintain a year-long relationship with a local missionary and her community center in our city. She has volunteer needs that all ages in our church help with. We have begun a big brother type program with some of the fatherless boys in the neighborhood.
Out of state, last year we hooked up with a wonderful, compassionate missionary. After working for and with her and with her local kids we invited them up for some fun time and to join our local mission trip this year. It was great seeing those kids and our kids spend a week working together and getting to know each other better. She has an incentive program for the kids to earn trips out of town and do mission work while there. Plans are underway for the kids to continue to meet up.
Spending quality time and showing the love of Jesus seems to be what people appreciate and benefit from most. We have cut way back on trying to do projects and are now spending more time building long-term relationships. One of the best benefits of our short-term mission trips is the change we are seeing in our youth whose mission trip experience has transformed them into compassionate young people who truly care about and do for others.
E Mark says:
… if it were only a easy answer.
Should people go to another culture and learn to see the world outside of their own worldview, yes.
Should people invest their money in projects that will have large and lasting impact which generally entails local leadership, yes.
Do we generally misdiagnose poverty to be a lack of resources rather than brokenness that manifests itself in many forms, yes.
If we could just call short term missions for what what they generally are, worldview tourism.
That being said I am currently hosting a “short term” team of young professionals in my division of a company in South Asia. Their expertise was highly scrutinized and “bought” them the right to work with our team. Their hard work and humility is giving them access to hearts of many people.
Is there a place for short term work. 1000% yes.
Should people do short term work simply because they are breathing and attend a youth group…..
I would say if you don’t have something tangible to offer go on a tour and learn. Go home, build up a skill that is needed and then return with the goal to transfer that knowledge along with all the other things the King has taught you.
Joseph says:
Hello, I definitely lean toward this point of view very naturally. It seems so much more practical to have a marketable “skill” to offer the mission field.
However, isn’t this point also quite exclusively pragmatic, which seems to be a mark of Western culture? Of course, this has pros and cons. Perhaps skills that don’t appear “marketable” to westerners might be valued by other folks?
What do you think?
Not try to offend. ๐ Just discussing. ๐
les wilson says:
I think every trip begins with nationals and others on the ground saying what they need. Trade skill needd vary from region to region. Short term trips make giving a skill a challenge. But you can start it and with ongoing mentoring and return trips have a positive effect. I’m a fan of bringing resources and training together, not one without the other.
All that said, I think there are a small number of effective things for short term trips… many for long term. My daughter who is long term says often one of the biggest things she’s been given is the English language. There’s so much information on the internet but it’s inaccessible to non-english speakers.
E Mark says:
When a country sends out an ambassador to speak on its behalf there is a substantial amount of training, development, and or relationship that is needed prior to sending that person out.
If we are going to call trips “official diplomatic work” or missions then shouldn’t we try to send the very best representatives we can?
If someone wants to learn about “diplomatic” work than lets send them as observers so they can learn.
Corli says:
Really interesting, thank you. And not just because I love Compassion International!
Hans Erdman says:
Well stated and well thought out, Shaun. We have discovered the same thing ministering on Indian reservations for the past few years, and last year we adopted Steve Saint’s (son of missionary martyr Nate Saint) “Missions Dilemma” as our training program. (http://www.itecusa.org/missions-dilemma.html) The problem on the reservations is that once people get the training and education, they don’t want to stay on the reservation. There is a place for short-term missions trips and helps ministry, because the help is needed. But finding leaders who will stay is a “missions dilemma” we face all the time.
Jen Stults says:
I’m right in the middle of a Missions blog-hop series with two other bloggers. This week we’ll be discussing missions experiences and outreaches. This post has challenged some of my beliefs about missions trips. I would agree that many missions trips, generally speaking, become more about those who are going than those who are receiving. As an MK, I’ve seen some of the attitudes and waste mentioned in all of the discussion above. But I’ve also seen encouragement for our family and our partners, which most missionaries would deem priceless. I’ve seen encouragement in local believers who couldn’t believe their brothers and sisters in Christ would travel so far to help them. I’ve also seen people surrender to God’s direction for their lives because of their first-hand experience.
So, even if a missions trip becomes more about those going than those they intend to serve, I’m not convinced it’s a waste. Can we really measure the income provided to those locals if groups didn’t come to the spiritual work God is doing among the people on both the giving and receiving ends of a missions trip? Are we comparing apples and oranges?
It really is difficult for most average Americans to understand that many people groups are entirely unreached, as in no gospel presence whatsoever. It’s also difficult for average Americans (even poor Americans, perhaps) to understand real poverty (the kind that kills people). Sometimes hearing from others just isn’t enough to provoke change. So, I have mixed feelings on the subject, to say the least. It’s something I’ll need to read on and think on more. ๐
Miranda says:
Shaun,
I read this blog post when it was first published, and I have been chewing on your thoughts ever since. Ironic enough, I began an introduction to global missions college course based on the “Perspectives” nmaterials not long before reading this post. I am still in this course, and although I have never been on a mission trip or out of the country, I agree with your thoughts.
I am learning much through my global missions course, and I have also learned much through this blog post and the resulting comments. My husband and I heard you speak at the Chicago advocates conference, and I would like to share thoughts regarding Compassion sponsor tours.
As both Compassion advocates and bloggers, we believe that our partnership with Compassion is providing a lasting impact for our Compassion children, their families and communities, and we are blessed as well–not by the feel-good mentality, but by the prayers, letters, and love of our Compassion family. We believe we are partnering with our children’s local churches as well as Compassion’s ministry as a whole. In planning to travel to the Dominican Republic this coming November, we are hoping to witness poverty and hope while at the same time bringing awareness of both through our blog and future advocacy when we return home. We want to share stories rather than just simply showing stats. We want to make our advocacy more effective through witnessing Compassion’s ministry first-hand. Moreover, through meeting our sponsored son, we pray he will see the love of Christ through our time with him as an extention of our letters and prayers.
Thank you for your words. Thank you for stretching me yet again. I will be looking up the books you have mentioned here as well.