My convictions about this two-way interchange has moved me from seeing short-term mission trips as an opportunity for “doing ministry” to short-term mission trips devoted to learning, listening, and receiving as much (if not more) than they give. A short-term mission participant returned after six weeks in India and observed, “Interacting with people of other cultures has deepened my understanding of them as God’s image-bearers and builds my bond to them.” An effective short-term mission means meeting people and not necessarily merely accomplishing tasks.

Two decades ago, Tom Sine identified another reason why this “expanded family” outcome of short-term missions must be considered, and it must be taken into account in a world that has become even more diverse:

Escaping the Cultural Bubble

As the United States and Western Europe continues to become more ethnically diverse, young people raised in the majority-white suburbs of America, who are able to converse in only one language, will become the culturally disadvantaged. They will be ill-equipped to participate in the increasingly cross-cultural and transnational environment of tomorrow’s world.

Short-term missions give young and old alike an opportunity to leave our own cultural “bubbles” and grow in our ability to be understanding participants in the multi-cultural world of the present and the future.

Short-term mission trips give western Christians an opportunity to step out in faith. In our risk-averse culture, the challenge of going to a foreign place where nothing is familiar can be daunting. But, as John Ortberg writes, “If you want to walk on the water, you’ve got to get out of the boat.” 

Short-term mission trips provide people with an amazing opportunity to ‘get out of the boat,’ from raising the money before the trip to learning simple language phrases to living alongside people to building friendships. 

A seminary student reported of his expanded faith as he reported on the lessons he learned after serving with Kenyans for six weeks at an orphanage in Kenya.

As a seminary student, I was able to explain reformed doctrine flawlessly in a blog post, yet have no idea what to do when confronted with a demonized boy hanging upside-down like a bat from the rafters of a dining hall…. I now see that the gospel has the power to change people, and that people can be healed and delivered through the power of Jesus’ name on a regular basis. Our message is true. The gospel is not a fairy tale, so why shouldn’t we expect God to move in power to heal and deliver his people? 

Hudson Taylor, the famous mission pioneer to China in the 19th Century, said it this way: “Unless there is an element of risk in our exploits for God, there is no need for faith.” Short-term mission trips can create an environment where everyone—both goers and receivers—grow as we together encounter situations where we are out of control and we must trust God.

Transformational Encounters

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Short-term Missions are great opportunities for your church and its people to serve God in different ways and in different places. The problem is short-term missions often require a lot of organization and work before during and after the trip. These forms will help guide you through the process of planning and executing a memorable trip.

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author

Paul Borthwick holds a doctorate in Cross-Cultural Ministry from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and teaches missiology at Gordon College near his Boston home. He’s the author of How to Be a World-Class Christian and fourteen other books. Borthwick has coordinated over 100 missions trips all over the world. He also serves as a senior consultant with Development Associates International. Borthwick spoke with Round Trip Missions about the future of short-term missions and about how to best serve with our Christian brothers and sisters in the Global South.