“We went on a mission trip to Mexico.”
Translation: We did some Christian service projects in Mexico.
“I’ve done missions every summer in China.”
Translation: I’ve traveled to China every summer and done good things there.
Folks, 99% of what today is called a mission trip “ain’t even” a mission trip. They are good works, wonderful service projects, exciting moments of faith building… but they aren’t missions. Most should be called “service trips.”
So what? What does it matter what we call them? Well, the fact is, the money that U.S. Christians give to missions is shrinking at an incredible pace, and one of the major culprits is the “mission trip.” For one thing, funds that were once spent on foreign missions are now spent on youth trips. In addition, these “mission trips” convince our people that money sent to orphans homes, money sent to Habitat for Humanity or money sent to the Red Cross is “missions” money.
We need to get back in the business of providing the funds that church planters around the world need. If we want our children to have a faith building experience building houses, there are homes in our community that need building. If we want to do service projects, they are all around us. If we want our kids to experience other cultures, let’s say that and give them the opportunity to travel. But let’s not steal from missions to do those things.
The congregation I attend once gave 50% of its budget to missions, but that was a LONG time ago. The same sort of thing can be said for so many of our churches. What can be done to restore missions to a place of prominence in our congregations?