I have a lot of hesitancy when it comes to short-term missions. Seems like everyone is doing them these days. Some churches have basically replaced long-term missions with short-term ones, which is a mistake, in my opinion. Many short-term efforts end up being little more than group vacations for those that go. While education isn’t always the answer, it can’t hurt, either.
That’s why I was pleased to find a number of resources from David LIvermore. He’s written several books on Cultural Intelligence that are generally helpful. He also has a book called Serving With Eyes Wide Open which is specifically about short-term missions.
While buying the book would be an excellent idea for everyone involved in short-term missions, there are resources on Livermore’s site that can be read for free. At the bottom of the page about this book, there are a number of articles. I especially recommend:
Leave Your Baggage at Home
Ten Things I Hate About STM
Head Over Heels for Short-Term Missions
We’ll get back to our pacifism discussion next week. Happy reading!
Hey,
Just stopped by haven’t been in the blogosphere for quite some time. Good article and really good resources. I know we aren’t exactly “foreign” but I was pleasantly surprised to read about similar experiences right here in Cajun country. I have had to sit a few adults down in the early days and explain that they were still talking to people and not prospects.
It has been a strange time…getting stranger by the minute…..all I wanted to say was “mission” is “mission” even if it is one block over.
Hey Don. Thanks for stopping by. I also agree with you about distance not being a determining factor in mission. I think that cultural distance matters more than physical distance.