24_06_08 -Ep.315 – Run With Horses Podcast – Are Short-Term Missions Trips Worth It?
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I have just returned from a 3 week trip to Japan taking two groups, one from a Bible college and one from a church. I’m often asked if these trips are worth it, today, let’s explore that question!
Welcome to Run With Horses! My name is Norman and my goal is to help you thrive as a follower of Jesus. The spiritual life is both incredibly simple and potentially the most difficult part of your life. God invites you to live intentionally and on His mission. It’s very cool that we can do that together!
Mission trips are by definition focused on the mission of Jesus, but are they really? How do short term trips fit into the bigger picture of what it means to be the church?
MY WORKING DEFINITION OF CHURCH
A CHURCH is a group of followers of Jesus who worship Him in spirit and truth, humbly offering their lives as living sacrifices, together living out the mission of Jesus as His witnesses to the world, by sharing the gospel and making disciples through teaching obedience to His commands as they edify and equip others to join them on His mission.
Goals of short term trips:
Some examples:
https://ministry127.com/missions/4-goals-for-a-short-term-missions-trip
https://leadership.lifeway.com/2019/06/26/three-objectives-for-a-short-term-missions-trip/
https://www.youthpastortheologian.com/blog/are-short-term-missions-trips-worth-it
1. Work Projects
2. Support missionary in relationship building
3. Encourage local churches and missionaries
4. Recruit new workers for the harvest
5. Inform and recruit prayer partnerships
6. Give both the church going and the churches receiving a better vision of the Universal church.
Why do short term missions trips sometimes have a bad reputation?
1. Vacation for rich Americans
2. Fulfilling for team, meaningless for nationals.
3. No clear purpose.
4. Team unprepared.
5. Waste of missionary time.
GRIT
Doing it Well:
https://missionguide.global/articles/missionexcellence
https://www.imb.org/2017/05/18/5-things-consider-church-plans-short-term-mission-trip/
1. Have clear goals that fit in with the missionary or national church pastor’s long-term vision and strategy.
2.Take time to train and prepare the team to be servants in all areas of life.
3. Use the opportunity to equip the team in new ways that will benefit the sending church when they return. New training opportunities.
4. Support disciple making in both the sending and receiving churches.
5. Plan ongoing evaluations and debrief, get the receiving church’s evaluation.
6. Pray!
7. Choose the right people for the team
Thanks for joining me again today! Stop and say a prayer for your church family today! I’d love to hear from you, write me at norman@runwithhorses.net or leave a comment on the Run With Horses Podcast facebook page. Take time today to pause and thank God for His work in your life and keep running.