Striving For Your Kodak Moment: Missing the Point of Short-Term Mission

I was watching as the group leader and his team worked on a project for a church in Mexico.

Having the benefit of many years serving in this type of ministry in Mexico, I have become accustomed to seeing the glitches that lay ahead for inexperienced people in my adopted country. I may not catch all the potential mistakes, but having made many of them myself along the way, I catch a lot.

Knowing the cost of materials, and how long it takes to get things done over there, I was concerned that they would not be able to get the project to point where the next group could easily continue.

I went over to talk to the leader and ask him a question.

Would he be willing to change what they were doing, for the good of the local church, so that the next few groups would be able to really move forward?

I was pretty nervous. It isn’t everyday you ask someone to set aside their goals for a larger goal, but I was amazed when he graciously agreed to my request.

I left that day feeling encouraged, and excited about the next few weeks of ministry on this particular site.

Until late the next day when I returned. Not only had they gone ahead with their previous plans, they had also decided to use the remaining funds they had brought for the church in Mexico as they saw fit, rather than how us “in country” folks felt would be best for the overall ministry.

When I asked him how they came to that decision, he sheepishly told me that the team felt they had to honor a decision that had been made at their home church in California about what to do. He then added that the people back home were “expecting pictures of a specific project” and he did not feel he should disappoint them.

Recently I was reading an article by Dr. Dennis J. Horton, Associate Director of Ministry Guidance at Baylor University. His article, Short-Term Mission Trips: Are They Worth It? raises the very question missiologists have been struggling with for years.

What struck me as fascinating was not necessarily the article itself, although he did reference Dr. Robert Priest, who spoke last year at The Forum, a conference I help organize, and who has done some great research on short-term mission, but the comments.

As I read those comments, a very important point began to emerge. Horton wrote about the value of STM on the goer-guest.

The people commenting were asking why the focus was not on those being served.

Dr. Horton had done what so many others before him had done. His initial look into the value of STM was from the lens of those serving, rather than the lens of those being served.

While not denying that those going may get some sort of benefit from serving cross-culturally in short-term mission, our primary objective should always first be the lives of those we are serving over there.

When we fail to do that and look for the Kodak moment, as the team leader in the story above did, we have failed, and to quote one person who responded to the article:

“[We have taken] advantage of an imbalance of power to enter other people's communities to gain these experiences and further [our] own agenda.”

How is that being like Christ?

Short-Term Mission, Long-Term Impact

If you’ve been connected to short-term ministry as long as I have, you’ve seen a lot. US built structures sitting empty, the same kids accepting Jesus year after year, tools left in the exact place where we left them the year before, and a seeming inattentiveness to the things in ministry that us outsiders value, and often times, are key to providing.

All of these and more are the types of things that drive well intentioned, but often ill-prepared US Short-Term Mission Leaders nuts.

It doesn’t have to be that way. With a healthy investment of time, talent, and of course resources, short-term mission can be the valuable asset to the ministry of the Kingdom we all want it to be. But only if we are willing to see our ministry as part of the larger long-term ministry of God where we are trying to serve.

Jesus said, “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays a foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ Luke 14: 28 - 30

If we are really serious about short-term ministry having an impact that lasts long after we’ve returned home, shouldn’t we too, as Jesus implored, look towards the end goal? For too long, US short-term ministry has been guilty of short-term thinking because we have not wanted to truly consider the real costs of our short-term mission.

Let me give you four suggestions on how we can reframe our thinking, and in doing so, give short-term ministry a better chance of long-term success and impact.

1. Understand that there is no such thing as short-term ministry, or mission. There are many people who travel to “ends of the earth” places to participate for a short amount of time, but the mission and ministry where you work a week, is investing long term in the Kingdom.

As we continue to play up the value of short-term mission and ministry in the United States, we are facing the risk of an entire generation of Christians growing to maturity with the idea that the mission of the Gospel can be accomplished with a short-term investment of time.

Projects take years to move from ideas to completion. Translating a bible into an indigenous language can be a lifetime endeavor. Church planting and discipleship are not tasks that can be accomplished in a one-week ministry trip to another country.

Effective ministry that understands the local customs and builds lasting relationships with people takes a long-term investment of your time, not just a one-week, or even a one-month commitment.

2. Do not go it alone. Nothing can impede moving towards a long-term perspective more than trying to go it alone. This approach, while initially providing some short-term successes, can quickly lead to burn out, frustration, and relational challenges as the goer guest struggles to maintain contact and communication from abroad.

A better approach is to connect with a mission organization or missionary that is already on field where you want to serve and is connected with churches and locals in a way that facilitates long-term ministry.

Then, after some time serving together in the same location, you will be better able to assess whether that particular area, or ministry and your group are a good match.

Find yourself a ministry partner and stick with them. Walk with them as Paul walked with Barnabas, as long time mutual encouragers in the work of the Lord.

Recently I had breakfast with a doctor in Oaxaca, Mexico who frequently works with short-term teams from the US. After a while at the table, I asked him to tell me where Americans have erred while working in Mexico. As he started, he caught himself and then looked me in the eye, asking a question.

“Are you sure you want to hear this stuff?”

The people with whom we serve in other countries should feel that they have the freedom to be critical if we screw up, and the security to know that the airing of those shortcomings will not dry up mission support or end the ministry partnership.

That only comes from an intentional effort to work alongside others when you decide to participate in short-term ministry. You will also find that not only can this approach give you valuable insight into the people you are serving, it can also help shield you from being deceived by local ministries that are not always interested in a mutually beneficial relationship.

Let me explain.

I have served in Mexico for over 20 years. In that time one of the Spanish phrases I have learned is “Presta Cristianos,” or “Rented Christians.” Here’s how it works.

One pastor, knowing an American group will be at his church serving for week, “rents” a group of believers from another church so his church will look like it is a growing and vital ministry. Then when that other pastor has a group, he “rents” believers back from the first church.

The result is this. Both churches look like they are growing and vital, for a week. The American church gets a great experience, some feel good time, and a chance to serve the body of Christ. The Mexican church gets some needed financial help, perhaps part of their church built, and a lot of encouragement.

And no one is the wiser and both groups, at least on the surface, get what they want. The chances of this happening are greatly reduced when your ministry partner is looking out for the interests of both the goer guests and the host receivers.

3. Involve your entire church. Most short-term ministry teams are seen as a ministry of the local church here in the US. In reality, these teams are usually a ministry of a church department like the missions or youth department.

This type of compartmentalization can lead a to lack of long-term funding, an inability to truly commit to on-field ministries, and the type of short-term ministry that never makes the leap to a long-term ministry perspective.

I find it interesting that as churches interview people for a position as a Senior or Youth Pastor, programs such as Sunday School and Youth Bible Studies are never seen as something the new hire can choose to end, or even radically change.

Yet that is exactly where short-term ministry finds itself whenever there is pastoral change in the local church. It is one of the biggest frustrations and worries host receivers face. Will the ministry partnership survive a change in church leadership; because that ministry was never really adopted by the entire church! Instead, it was adopted by a department and a few dedicated individuals in the church family.

If we want our church to have a long-term ministry perspective regarding overseas ministry, that ministry must be connected to the entire church body, and not just the youth department or the mission commission.

4. Finally, be prepared to invest! Now I am not just talking about money, I am talking about time, leadership, and people.

Short-term ministry with a long-term view is going to take an investment. From a time perspective, the field is saying we need smaller teams for longer time periods. We also need US churches to make a commitment up front to partner with us for more than just a one-time visit. We need churches to give all of us involved sufficient time to begin forming the types of relationships necessary for effective ministry together.

Perhaps instead of sending a ministry team the first couple of years, a better strategy would be to date. That’s right, think of your time as a date.

One thing I do with most first time groups in Oaxaca is ask the leader to come with just a few leaders the first time. When they arrive, I give them a chance to see a variety of the ministries we have. We can then talk, pray, and dream about how our ministries might work together and where they see their church fitting best in this new relationship.

Then and only then, can we really begin to think about specific ministries.

What are the skill sets their people have, what limitations does their group have that might impact ministry, and how do they see their church, not just their team, being involved.

And yes, money should be on the table. Even a relatively inexpensive short-term ministry these days can cost upwards of $1500.00 per person once you factor in transportation, training, and post field debriefing. Extend that out for a group of ten people over 5 years and we are talking some serious cash.

Short-term ministry with a long-term perspective means a real investment from our churches, our people, and our pocketbooks.

So often we neglect to really consider the real costs of short-term ministry. Are we busy building “ends of the earth” short-term foundations that will be left to wither and die as Jesus warned? Or, are we working towards ministry models that seek to have a long-term ministry impact.

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

After 21 Years, A Long View of Short-Term Mission

Time for a little reflection.

21 years ago this month I participated in my first short-term mission trip to Mexico. I went as the new youth pastor from a church in Santa Monica, CA.

My group at that time was a bunch of interesting guys. Most of them wore black, carried brief cases, had some type of weapon on them, and loved rap music. The violent, thuggish kind. Think Two Live Crew here, most famous for their album “Nasty As They Wanna Be.”

I can still remember coming home from that week and thanking God that I would never have to return to Mexico. Boy, did He have other plans.

Tonight I am sitting in a small cafe in Ensenada where I annually return as faithfully as the swallows return to Capistrano. Every spring, after a few months away, I long for this little slice of heaven on earth and a chance to renew friendships, serve, and be reminded of God’s sense of humor.

Who else but some supreme all powerful being could possibly have imagined a nerd of all nerds white guy, marrying a beautiful black woman, speaking Spanish, and serving in Mexico with a group of Asian students from UCLA?

And so, here I am. Ready to serve again.

This week I will be helping a pastor on his house before I head south in Mexico for Oaxaca. I have known this pastor’s wife since she was a little girl. She has literally grown up around our ministry, first helping in the kitchen, then as part of our ministry team serving in Guadalajara and Oaxaca. Her daughter calls me Abuelo Dr. House.

Tomorrow I will get a chance to see their new son. In the words her husband, my new grandson, Esteban.

There is a lot of talk in mission circles about whether or not short-term missions are effective. I think, like many long-term missions, that some are more effective than others.

But the key is relationship.

If your short-term mission is founded on a belief that before you begin sharing about Jesus, you must build a relationship on mutual respect, you’ll be fine. If your short-term mission is built on a foundational principle of an ongoing partnership for the Gospel, you’ll be fine. If your short-term mission is focused on serving and learning from those whom you are visiting, you’ll be fine.

When the Apostle Paul talked about longing to visit the church in Rome, he spoke of just this type of relationship.

But if your short-term mission is like so many from the US, and is focused on the spiritual development of the participants without a long-term view of ministry together, then you’ll be playing right into the hands of those who are critical of short-term mission service.

Next up, we'll look at how short-term mission really can have the long-term impact we all want to see.