Planning an effective short term or summer mission trip can be a difficult task, especially if that isn't the extent of your job description. Some find it so daunting that they prefer to scrap the idea of short term missions altogether. Why not leave missions to those committed to long term missions? Aren't they more effective? Unfortunately, that "leave-ministry-to-the-paid-experts" attitude has left the American church with too many pew-sitters and too few laborers. Reduction in resources going to short term missions doesn't necessarily mean more resources are spent on long term - or career - missions. Fortunately, there is help for planning short term and summer missions.
Here are six things that can help:
MISSIONS TRIPS
1. Prayer. Let's begin with the obvious first step. "If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask of God," is from James 1:5. But prayer is much more than a request to the Grandpa-in-the-Sky. It is seeking to know and align ourselves with God's will. So what does he have planned for the people you shepherd? What are the obstacles he sees in their lives? What does he plan to do about it? God has a plan and you can ask him to tell it to you.
But ministry isn't just about where but also when. God's timing is always perfect, even if it doesn't make sense to us. Missionaries from William Carey to Jim Eliot can attest to how crazy God's timing seems sometimes. So before you start planning, the first question to ask is should your team go on a summer mission or not? That is a fair question, and one you and your team need to ask.
2. Experts. Short term missions has changed so rapidly in the last twenty years that I don't know anyone who can claim to be an expert in it. But there are many people with a great deal of helpful information. A long term missionary in the area you are going can give invaluable advice on what to expect, what to wear, and how to act to minimize cross-cultural barriers. And don't overlook your brothers and sisters who are native to the country. Good communication with the locals is invaluable in any mission either long or short term. There are also experts in travel and travel insurance that you can consult for those needs. Agencies that specialize in short term missions combine some of these expertise. Your job is to make sure that you get what you need.
3. Long Term Relationships. The spiritual health of those going and of those receiving short term missions depends on developing long term relationships. The days of month-long trips on ships to spread the gospel are long gone. Today there are few places on the earth that can't be reached in 24 hours, if you have the stamina for the trip. The internet and e-mail have further reduced the true distance between friends. Now the challenge is are we willing to cooperate with and learn from each other? Your church may not reach many countries, but are you willing to get involved with one?
4. Discipleship. Visualize yourself looking out over your congregation and asking, "How many of these have been discipled? How many know what they believe and could share it with someone else?" In Matthew 28:19, Jesus commands us to make disciples as part of his Great Commission. Short term missions can be part of the process both for those going and for those receiving, but it has to be intentional. People can't be disciple by osmosis; otherwise Jesus would not have given it as a command.
5. Training. In addition to discipleship, other types of training may be required. Everything from how to understand a different culture to skills like drama or construction may be needed. Even the proper way to clear brush or trash so as not to be injured must be taught. Getting along with team members is so crucial to a successful trip, that special attention must be given to help members learn how to resolve conflicts. The experts may be in your congregation. Find out who they are and get them to volunteer their time. Your job is to make sure all who go on the trip understand their job, how to do it and how to do it with others.
6. Humility. Humility is a misunderstood and overlooked virtue, yet without it the world would fall apart. Humility on a summer mission means that we seek to minister with - and not to - our brothers and sisters in Christ. Humility means that we pursue peace with team members, quickly resolving conflicts and doing those things that lead to harmony and unity. Humility means we seek to learn as much as we seek to teach.
Six Aids to Effective Short Term Missions Planning MISSIONS TRIPS
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