One common mistake that churches make with short-term groups is to send them out without any training. This is especially true when the focus of the trip is physical labor. The thinking is: we know how to paint, we know how to build, we know how to fix a bus, etc. Also, many churches feel that because the project is of short duration, there’s no point spending much time preparing for it.

To my thinking, if a project is worth doing, it’s worth preparing for. And if it’s being presented as a “mission trip,” it should be treated as such. Here’s the kind of training we should be offering those going out:

• Cultural sensitivity: Workers need a general knowledge of how to deal with cultural differences. Above all, they need to learn to not show disdain or rejection toward things that are different. If people greet with a kiss, the workers need to accept it without recoiling. The food should be eaten as the locals eat it; Americans are famous for traveling the world with salsa, ketchup, and peanut butter. What is often communicated is: your food isn’t as good as ours.
• Cultural specifics: Short-term participants need to learn some basic concepts of what is done and not done in the host culture. How do people greet one another? (There was a great book a few years ago called Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands) Do people regularly touch one another? (Latin America = yes, much of the Orient = no) What are the basic concepts of modesty? (One missionary wrote of how in her host culture it was acceptable for a woman to show her breasts in public, but never her knees)
• Language: While short-term workers shouldn’t be expected to be fluent in the language of their host culture, they should make the effort to learn some basic phrases, especially those used when meeting new people. They should also go with the intention of building on this basic vocabulary.
• Sharing their faith: Every short-term worker should know how to tell others how to become a Christian. Doesn’t matter if they’re on a medical mission or going to paint a church building. If you are on a mission trip, you should be able to tell the good news of the Kingdom.

We’ve been looking at common problems that arise in short-term missions projects. Now let’s take some time to offer some suggestions.

In the first place, I think we need to carefully choose our short-term objectives. Too often we say, “We want to take a group to Canada” or “We’d like to minister in Nicaragua,” yet we don’t have clearly defined objectives.

• Most groups should focus on learning. The goal, stated or unstated, is to provide an experience that will help the participants grow in understanding of other cultures, of missions, and of the service options that will be open to them in the future. Openly embracing that goal will help us achieve it.
  Take the emphasis off doing. Emphasize observing. Emphasize relationships with hosts. Emphasize learning.
  We want to go as experts when we should go as students. We bring our way of building, our way of teaching, our way of reading the Bible. And we miss the opportunity to learn their ways.
• Other groups will focus on strengthening a relationship with a long-term missionary. If your church is supporting a missionary, it is very valuable to take a group to get to know them, to observe their work, and to create fellowship with members of that missionary’s church. This will often involve some form of service, but that shouldn’t be the priority. State up front that relationship-building is the goal and structure the trip around that.
• Another set of mission trips will be performing tasks wanted by the host Christians. That’s the key, allowing the locals to define what the trip will look like. Too often we tell them that we’d like to go and paint houses; rather than lose the free aid, the locals accept, even when that’s hardly a major need where they are. We must ask, we must listen, we must be willing to serve in whatever way the locals choose.
• A very few will offer unique expertise that is needed in the target location. We have a woman in our congregation who goes to Africa and teaches water safety. She is an expert in that field, and drowning is a major cause of death in the places where she goes. It makes sense that she go and share the knowledge she has.
  The problem is, too many of us think that we fall into this category. It’s just not true. Expect your short-term mission to fall into one of the previous categories. Be realistic. Pray. Listen. And be humble about your talents and how they fit the situation.

(Let me say again… I’m going to share some criticisms of short-term mission trips. I do that in spite of the positive experiences I’ve had with such. After the criticisms, I want to offer constructive suggestions. Please bear with me!)

Part of the concern that I have regarding short-term missions has to do with a misplaced focus, or, to be honest, several of them:

• The trips are not focused on serving long-term missionaries nor local hosts. The intention is usually there, but when it comes down to it, most trips are focused on the participants: their interests, their talents, their comfort, their safety. That’s why many of the arguments in favor of short-term trips focus on the participants: they give more to missions later in life (not usually), they stay active in missions (not at a higher rate than others), they have an increased awareness of overseas life (no more so than peers who participate in secular overseas study trips)
• Many short-term trips are focused on short-term goals which may or may not fit with long-term objectives. Questions about sustainability and reproducibility need to be asked. The lasting impacts need to be weighed and planned for.
• Most short-term trips are focused on service projects that could be done equally well by non-religious people. Note this quote:
  

  And here is some not-so-good news: For many, the deeper meaning of such actions remains uncertain. As Paul Borthwick says in his book Western Christians in Global Missions, “although globally aware, these young people seem unclear on what the Gospel is beyond just ‘doing good.’” (A Deeper Mission)

  In our fellowship, the term “missions” has traditionally been reserved for efforts related to church planting in other cultures. That focus has been lost in modern-day short-term efforts.

Short-term missions need to be part of a larger plan, a broad vision of outreach. They need to be focused on the needs of the target area, focused on the long-term needs of that area, and focused on the spread of the Good News.