Re-thinking Short Term Missions

Like many of you, I have participated on some short term missions in my life. I have grown and learned from them, but never really gave them a second thought or looked into the cost of short term missions. We had a class on the positive and negative effects of mission trips, and here are my concluding thoughts! Feel free to share with your church or youth group leaders.

Positive Aspects:
- Those that go grow and change
-Those that go can change the community (spiritually, physically, emotionally)

Negative:
- Inefficient, spend lots of money on transportation
- Can do harm to the community in need
- There is more of a focus on those who go than on those who need help
- Creates a sense of dependency
- 2 million people serve in one year, and spend 3 billion dollars

Research Findings:
- The self perception of change is great, but an actual increase in giving and actual changes in the people don’t occur
- 0.7% of donations of those who went on short-term mission trips (not very much)
-10 of 12 people found little or no change in their lives after the trip
- The most changes occurred on trips where the new culture was similar to their own (in the same country or a similar country)

Results:
*Is it ok to spend so much money to better benefit ourselves?
*Is it ok for trips to be sold as “we are going to help the poor” when in reality, those who receive the most help are ourselves? Shouldn’t the trips be advertised as how we can grow from this experience if that really is the main result?
*Studies show that the perceived change in those who serve is not actually happening (the perceived sense of self is greater than it actually is), WHY?
*When those in favor of short-term missions hear these contradictions, they get mad because they don’t want to hear that their programs might actually be doing more harm than good.
*There is a right way to do short term missions that can help the community as well as help those who go on the trip, although it will almost always help those that go more.
*It is worth it to spend the money on the trip if those that go actually are changed and if the change is one that lasts and can influence others, as well as if the community is not harmed.
*Many churches need to restructure their youth trips and mission trips in order to effectively and efficiently use their money, to continue to help youth grow, and to help communities in need.
*Read Jo Ann Van Engen and Kurt VerBeek’s findings if you are interested in learning more about the research done behind these findings:
www.ajshonduras.org/joann%27sarticle.pdf
www.calvin.edu/academic/sociology/staff/kurt.htm
*Kurt and Jo An are working on a curriculum for an ideal short term mission trip that I think will be very valuable for future trips

What would be an ideal Short Term Mission Trip?
Before the Trip:
-Learn about the culture
-Meet with the group before going on the trip several times to prepare
-Have an experienced leader
-Contact the community to have a common vision
-Establish realistic goals for the group and personal goals
-Pray
-Plan the projects
-Think about donating the same amount of money that it takes to get there. For example, if the plane costs $500, you also have to donate $500.

During the Trip:
-Work with realistic needs of the community, and ask them what they are
-Teach valuable things
-Share spiritual aspects with each other and depending on the community, with the community as well
-Have support groups within the group
-Invite people from the community to share their experiences
-Learn about the community, how can we change to our fullest while here, its not only working for the community but also learning about the community

After the Trip:
-Have support groups
-Measure your goals
-Have accountability groups
-Maintain contact with the community
-Evaluate the trip to make it better