Christian tourism or the Great Commission?
Mission organizations weigh benefits of short term trips
LONDON, ON—The thrill of travel, experiencing different cultures and participating in the work of the Kingdom have captivated believers with a love of short term mission trips (STMs) since Jesus first sent out the 72 disciples.
Today, STMs are a staple of almost every church youth and young adults group. But as the dust settles behind the departing plane and the mission group’s excitement dissolves into the mundane of everyday life, some missionaries question the lasting value of such trips.
Among those concerned with STMs is Barry Slauenwhite, president of Compassion Canada. Although Compassion International exists as a mission organization, supporting churches in developing countries in bringing poverty relief and the gospel to almost 1.5 million children globally, Slauenwhite is concerned with the trendiness of the STM model.
“Short term missions are an interesting phenomenon in that they are both wildly popular and often have negative side effects,” he explains. “Many churches and mission organizations find there is such an appetite that whether they know it’s good or not good, they feel obligated to do them.”
Despite numerous experiences trying to salvage relationships between churches and their international partners, Slauenwhite says he’s a supporter of STMs, but with a caveat: the purpose is not to change some far-away community; but to be impacted yourself.
“I have found the value of short-term mission trips is more for the people going than for the recipients,” he says. “It’s hard to believe you can change a church or community in two weeks, but that two weeks will change the individual that goes. We need to define what we are accomplishing; it’s more about changing our world than theirs.”
Stories are countless of STM members being powerfully impacted. Ottawa resident Donna Appleton travelled with a church group to Ukraine through World Hope in 2010. Four years later, her trip still impacts her and the church has made long-term commitments to the region.
“We had time to develop relationships with girls who were once abused and malnourished street kids,” Appleton says. “I had the opportunity to see our great and healing God at work. The experience has immensely grown my faith.”
Appleton concedes the limitations of a two-week trip, yet some organizations see short-term missionaries as imperative in fulfilling their ministry to the broken and abused.
Luella Hewson was initially opposed to STMs, but her view changed during a trip to Romania in 2006. She now works for Heart to Heart Canada as a development coordinator, helping arrange short-term trips working with abandoned Romanian children.
“We go into wards in the hospital where they keep abandoned babies. These babies have their diapers changed twice a day, they are not picked up, talked to or stimulated in any way. I worked with a boy, two-and-a-half years old, who could not walk. After one week, he was suddenly walking.”
Heart to Heart also works with abandoned children, who often struggle with profound rejection, and low self-worth. With limited full-time staff, Hewson says STMs are necessary in meeting the children’s needs.
“Our experience is that only through many individuals continually demonstrating God’s love can we slowly dissolve those emotional scars,” she says.
“The staff cannot give enough hugs or have enough personal talks for their development. We need many teams to come, love and accept these kids.”
However, Hewson underscores the clear framework they developed for short-term trips. Teams undertake substantial preparation and the kids must clearly understand the time restrictions of STMs to avoid false expectations.
“I have a lot of disclaimers, but we have seen that with careful thought, structure and training, there can be benefit to both sides.”
Another mission organization, Partners International, is wary of STMs, having seen the damage they can do. Yet they too have disclaimers about their hesitation.
“Just as there are models of good development and poorly conceived models, the same is true of short-term missions,” explains Kevin McKay, director of development for Partners International Canada. “We have to be protective of our partners and make sure folks jumping on a plane are not going for the wrong reasons, which can be very damaging.”
South American Partners International consultant Carlos Pinto says many indigenous churches feel belittled and are sometimes treated as children, both by Westerners and local urban churches.
“One danger is that people who come on short trips don’t know the culture well,” Pinto explains. “The message indigenous churches often receive from [local urban] churches is that they are poor, illiterate and more like second class citizens.”
However, Pinto says STMs can provide powerful healing opportunities when groups come with a relational focus.
“It gives us a sense of connection to the global Church and decreases the feeling of isolation. When groups engage us in an adult manor and being [equal] children of God is the centre of the relationship, it becomes very healing.”
Pinto cautions that STM participants shouldn’t be hasty in providing material support, but should focus on engaging local Christians and developing long-term commitments and relationships.
“We are learning we shouldn’t engage in mission tourism. It is hard [saying ‘no’] because we are the recipients,” he says.
“But when mission groups come and emphasize relationship, not playing the role of Santa Clause bringing gifts, it can be very powerful.”
“Western development has been that we, as the educated people, tell them how to develop,” says McKay. “However, our ethos is to come alongside indigenous leaders and empower the individuals. That’s when the magic happens, when a church has gone over, shown their commitment to the partner and started to forge a relationship.”
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