Mission Without A Thing To Do

From Jeff

I attended the National Short Term Missions Conference last week and met some very interesting people engaged in the Short Term Mission (STM) biz.

There were fans of STM and skeptics alike. Here’s some of what I learned…

STM is a billion dollar industry. Something like 3 million Americans go on a Short Term trip a year. I heard Costa Rica, Honduras, and Mexico A LOT.

A lot of churches are just getting into the idea of Short Term Mission. Some here in ATL are way advanced, funding missionaries with 401(k)s and retirement plans.

There were some interesting people there too. One young lady spoke about her skepticism of Short Term Mission. She gave me an article which I have yet to finish reading on the pitfalls of STM. Does it really make a difference? Studies are mixed on the long term benefits of sending people on short term trips. There are great stories of how people from the US are changed, but what about the people we leave behind?

A lot is being written about how we Americans often go on trips with our American plans in mind, regardless of what the locals actually want us to do. I must say, DBC is ahead of the game in this regard. We could still do better.

Here’s a personal missionary story to illustrate. A young lady named Chrissie, from north Georgia, runs a ministry called His Palace Ministries in Israel.

Her focus is on reconciliation between Jewish Christians, Arab Christians and other Christians. During our conversation, she spoke emotionally about the animosity and hurt that exists between these two groups. It is her desire to bring them together as the body of Christ to witness in the Middle East.

It just so happens that Chrissie gained a heart for Israel during a Short Term Trip. Other events in her life led to this ministry, but space for this blog limits my description of those. Enough to say, she has Arab and Jewish family and friends in her background.

The point here is what Chrissie shared with me about the desires of the Israelite Christians she works with. She talked rather passionately about the need for US Christians to encourage the people she serves. She says that Christians in Israel, and around the world, sometimes feel abandoned by the American Church.

From her perspective, Christians in America would rather tour Israel’s sites than visit with their brothers and sisters there. In so doing, we are missing a golden opportunity, Chrissie said, to pray, encourage and learn about how our brothers and sisters are doing in Israel.

I realize this is one perspective, but it makes me think about all the places I’ve traveled and not once wondered what God was doing there. Are there brothers and sisters in Christ in this place? If so, what are their needs? What are they doing? How can I pray?

This conversation struck a chord with me. There is more and more talk about how Short Term Missions must change to be more effective at bearing long term fruit. Too many people on trips and have a highlight experience, only to be left unchanged in the long run. We think we’ve done great work, only to leave the locals do deal with the aftermath of our work.

David, Keben and I saw the benefit of just going to pray and encourage when we traveled around last fall. Chrissie expressed the same desire for American Christians just to come and be with her people in Israel. Maybe there is a future for Short Term Trips that aim to do nothing more than unify the body of Christ, to learn from each other, to have us fit into what THEY are doing, not get them to do what we want.

So, if you want to go to Israel to meet your Jewish, Arab and Christian brothers and sisters, I know a place you can stay.