Short Term Missions - Doing Good - Avoiding Harm

How to Avoid Doing More Harm Than Good in Short-Term Missions
Seven Standards of Excellence

Jim Plueddemann

Every year I ask my M.Div students at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School about their view of short term missions. Almost all of them have had experience either as a team leader, or have received short-term teams.  I ask them about the effectiveness of short-term missions from the perspective of the receiving people.  Invariably about a third of my students feel the trips are worthwhile, a third say they were OK and didn't do much good or harm, and a third feel strongly that short-term missions do more harm than good.  Short-term missions is not intended to be therapy for the missionary. Providing experiences for short-termers isn't bad. Maybe call it "short-term experiences" but just don't call it missions. 

1. God-Centered – Is God honored through this experience? Is love for God and love for people the chief motivation? It is quite possible that seemingly "successful" projects of short-term missionaries actually bring shame to Christ. Most short-term teams are blissfully unaware of unintended consequences of their projects. 

2. Gospel-Centered – Will the trip contribute directly or indirectly to evangelism and developing committed followers of Christ?  Many people travel around the world doing good deeds that contribute to causes other than Christ and his Kingdom. While the service projects are commendable, unless there is a Gospel component, is not truly missions. 

3. People-Sensitive – Do short-termers appreciate and build on the cultures and giftedness of those they go to serve? Are short-termers humbly willing to listen and learn from local people? Toxic charity is doing good things for people that in fact, make them feel less than human. Treating people as objects or recipients of aid is dehumanizing.  

4. Field-Focused – Will the experience strengthen the ministry on the field? It the trip actually strategic for the field? Short-term mission trips may broaden the horizons of the short-term missionary, and at the same time be a hindrance to the ministry of local pastors and long-term missionaries. At times churches fund short-term missions often drain precious resources from the support of long-term missionaries and field ministries. 

5. Long-term Outcomes – Does the trip promote the a commitment to long-term missions or more fervent prayer or sacrificial giving? Does it empower local people to be more self-supporting and self-sufficient? There is quite a bit of  evidence that the work of short-term missions facilitates dependency and hinders local initiatives for those being served, and has little long-term missional impact on the short-termers.   

6. Appropriate Preparation – Does preparation make short-termers aware of God’s plan for the nations, and an appreciation of cultural values of the local people? At times short-termers are coerced into going on trips resulting in resentment from those receiving the missionaries.  Some short termers go in order to discover themselves and experience the broader world. Such a motivation is not bad, but neither is it missions. Maybe such trips should be called "self-awareness experiences" rather than missions. 

7. Through Follow-Up – Does the trip lead to greater understanding and long-term missions commitment by the short term missionary and the sending church?  Does the short-term trip encourage some to be long-term missionaries, to pray for fervently for missions or to give sacrificially to missions? Some research shows that the effects of the short-term experience wear off after six months, and may immunizing them against serious long-term involvement in missions.  There is little evidence that, on the average, short term experiences contribute to increased prayer or financial support for world missions.