Can Short Term Mission Teams make a Long Term Impact?

I am back from two weeks in beautiful Hawaii, still on Hawaiian time, ready to blog again. I want to thank my guest bloggers who wrote for me while I was out. My purpose was to provide a sneak peak regarding what is coming next for our ministry.

An article entitled “Short-term Missions for Long-term Partnership” in EMQ (Evangelical Missions Quarterly) in the January 2008 issue by Daniel Rickett, Executive Vice President of Sisters in Service. He is also the author of “Making Your Partnership Work.” Rickett posed the question: “Are short-term missionaries simply slum tourists or are they God’s Missionary People?”

He argues that short-term mission teams can have a long-term impact when they are “subordinate to, and at the service of, long term relationships.” He says short-term missions serve long-term relationships when:

* The fellowship of the gospel is at the center of relationships with Christians abroad.
* The advance of the gospel is at the center of shared aspirations.
* The basic principles of intercultural partnership are taken seriously.
* Short visits are part of a multi-year series of engagements.
* Short-term efforts contribute to a holistic strategy of development.
* Short-term visitors are carefully screened and prepared to serve based on criteria designed in collaboration with the host church or ministry.
* Short-term visitors follow the lead of the local host regarding all aspects of engagement such as itineraries, what and how tasks are performed and customs and courtesies.
* Service groups are small (five to seven people).
* Greater emphasis is placed on supporting local ministry rather than doing the ministry of local Christians.
* Involvement by short-term visitors is seen as a high point in the journey of faith rather than as a starting point.

Since short-term missionaries constitute the majority of Christians versus long-term professional missionaries, do you think mobilization of this mission force is still a viable idea given the rising cost of fuel and the criteria set above by Rickett?

If you agree with Rickett’s criteria, how do you think Buckner measures up? Which one(s) of the 10 principles do you see Buckner doing best?

I have my answers ready but I want to hear from you first. What do you think? Please take a moment and respond. I want to toss this concept around for a few days.

Comments

[Kevin Hall]

Albert,

I do feel that short-term mission trips are still viable today.

Buckner is doing a good job mobilizing the short-term missionaries and serving as a conduit for ministry in other cultures.

I feel that Buckner can evolve its already great mission endeavors into training, preparing, and educating potential participants better for short-term missions. Intentionality is the key with an understanding that those who serve alongside Buckner will be expected to develop what David Livermore writes in his book - Serving with Eyes Wide Open: Doing Short-term Missions with Cultural Intelligence - as "CQ" or Cultural Intelligence (quotient).

I know there needs to be a balance here understanding that the participants are spending/raising many funds to go and giving much time away from family and work. However, there needs to be a higher level of CQ for participants as Buckner tries to assist with the huge explosion of short-term mission trips. I believe the more CQ we have as participants, the more open another culture might be to our serving alongside them and ministering to them. This will then result with possible long-term impact.

I particularly appreciate Buckner taking cues from the Christian/partnering Nationals in those countries where Buckner has teams serving. This is less colonial and more humble style of missions. It is also more effective. Long-term impact will have a greater chance to take hold.

Livermore gives some practical insight for short-term teams as they try to make a lasting impact:

1. God is a lot bigger than Your Short-term Mission Trip
2. Stop Petting the Poor
3. Be Yourself
4. Seek to Understand
5. On Second Thought - Think Again!
6. Try, Try Again
7. Actions Speak Louder than Words
8. Give Up Trying to See Who's In and Who's Out
9. Incorporate Short-term Missions as Part of Your Seamless Missional Journey
10. Love God, Love Others

What good and loaded thoughts given by Livermore!

I have share much -probably too wordy here. I am passionate about this issue.

kevin

[Albert Reyes]

Kevin, thanks for posting. Our CQ level is critical as we move out across the globe to serve children and families. I call it Cross-Cultural Competency...same difference. That's what makes this work so exciting. It is not enough to give and go. We must give and go with CQ at its highest level. We talked about this today in our meeting. I would commend Darrow Miller's Discipling the Nations: The Power to Transform Lives to you. He deals with contrasting worldviews. His basic tenet: ideas have consequences. We need to be conversant in contrasting worldviews before we can make sense of our task. These are exciting days, my brother.

[Charles Risinger]

I definitely see Buckner placing emphasis and working effectively on the following items:

* The advance of the gospel is at the center of shared aspirations.
* Short visits are part of a multi-year series of engagements.
* Short-term efforts contribute to a holistic strategy of development.
* Greater emphasis is placed on supporting local ministry rather than doing the ministry of local Christians.

It is difficult to say which of these is best, but if pressed, I would say that Buckner is focused on support of local ministry rather than doing the ministry of local Christians.

[Albert Reyes]

Charles, thanks so much for your encouraging words and affirmation for our work. The future is very exciting. We hope to pursue the agenda of Jesus in ways that build lives and promote self-sufficiency. This kind of Kingdom building can be replicated. Blessings to you.