As we consider short-term missions, we need to think about the impact such missions can have on the local community. (One landmark work on this subject is the book When Helping Hurts) While our intentions are good, much of our Band-Aid approach to helping creates more harm than good.
Two big things we need to beware of:
- The dependency created by short-term mission efforts. Mission teams often come in and provide resources at a level that the locals can never duplicate. Because of this, the aid programs are totally dependent on the presence of outsiders. When the mission teams aren’t there, neither is the aid. (See “Short-term missions and dependency”)
- The negative impact on the local labor force and local economy. In some cases, the construction work done by outsiders has directly impacted local construction workers; in effect, the visitors have done work for free that these people would have earned money for doing. In other situations, outside groups have brought in used clothing for the churches to distribute, leading to the closing of local clothing stores. (See “When Short Term Missions Hurt“)
The thousands of dollars spent on any given mission trip represent a fortune in most developing nations. Participants may spend more on a two-week trip than locals will earn in a year. Because of this, the things that are done have a disproportionately large impact on the host culture; that’s why we need to plan well and pray hard when considering short-term missions.
Wow- good insight well said .
Tim. As I read with growing interest and agreement, I also wonder about the impact on the local leadership. Even though we coordinate through them, in effect they are placed in the role of operatives under our demands. And they are implementers of our materials and budgets. Does this convert them– in the eyes of the locals– into surrogates to our resources? Some locals have shown a tendency to think so, even years later. Even when no further assistance was ever promised, our words are not as impactful as our presence and our aid during that one tip. And our local leaders have the unfortunate role of not being able to satisfy local requests. Or they have to deal with a drop-out rate that is very high when, after several months, those hidden request-agendas can not be satisfied. Our actions spoke louder than our words and we inadvertently created expectations that only surfaced much later.
Of course, I am not tuning in on the unfortunate negatives. How might we encourage and strengthen local leaders in their role? How might we extend our ministry and thus grow spiritually alongside others?
Yes, Harland, I think that’s a very real possibility. The next post in this series is going to look at some of those questions.
Thanks for the input.
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Hi am Lawrence Lamptey an evangelist and a local missionary working in and around the rural communities of Ghana. I also preach in two separate Churches of Christ – the church at Mayera and the Church at Nii Okaiman.
I am really impressed in this blog and if all missionaries and sending churches would study it, it will help both the sending church, the mission volunteers, and the host church or community. I am saying this because, I am speaking from experience just as you are. I have worked and hosted western brethren on short term missions but on several occasion it does make impact. Short term mission I believe should lead to saving souls, planting new churches, it should led to transforming the locals to be able to do similar work in the absence of the western brethren. Most often, the colcal church could not continue what the western brethren came to do. In the other way, I want to add to your thought that, it will be of good if the western brethren come to train the local church leaders on what need to be done so that they can continue after they had left. Also, Our Western brethren should first find out from the local church how they want the work should done and what the locals want apart from the Gospel preached. This will help all of us. Some Westerners want to do what they think and feel, but sometimes is not what the locals need.
I am very grateful for this insightful blog. As a you evangelist of 38 years old, and having worked and continue to host short term mission volunteers, I agreed with your assessions that most of the short term missions does not really make impact on the locals. Let me humbly suggest this which I hope might work.
1 the sending churches should first give proper orientation to the team- this I hope most sending churches do, they should also speak to the local host much in detail what and how they work in collaboration with local brethren could be done. Let me also say that, our western volunteers should ask the locals what they need and how would that thing bring both physical and spiritual transformation to the people.
2. I always say that short term missions should bring salvation to the locals which is transcended into church planting. Therefore, I would like my western brethren to first think of training the local brethren how to transform its own people with little help. You should teach us how to teach and sustain a church. If this is not done, in the absence of our Western brethren, the work done is zero. Again there are so many artisans, therefore, let us give them the construction projects and you can use your technicalities to direct. This would help these local brethren to have their daily bread to feed their families.
Excellent comments, Lawrence. Thank you for contributing to the discussion.