I started this series by recounting some of the positive experiences that I and my family have had with short-term missions. I still have some potential problem areas to look at, so I want to make sure that I make it clear that I am not in any way anti-short-term trips.

Harland did me a favor in the comments on yesterday’s post by broaching the topic of the impact on local church leaders. Part of what he said was:

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.

There is always the danger that we will “set the bar” on things at a level that the local leadership can’t maintain. It may be in terms of aid given or services rendered; the concept of “rice Christians” is famous in missions studies, describing how some come to Christianity only to get the goods missionaries have to offer. With short-term trips, those goods are only available when the foreigners are there; when they leave, there’s little motivation to stay around.

At times we raise the bar as far as church resources. We come in and do a V.B.S. complete with visual aids, talented teachers, and candy or toys for the kids. Then the next week the teacher is teaching on an old flannelgraph that someone donated, and the kids are quick to note the difference. Or we preach with a projector, videos, and slick PowerPoint, leaving the people expecting the same once we’re gone.

Sometimes trips are tailored to the needs of the local church; sometimes they are tailored to the needs of the participants. We forget that Christians in many cultures find it hard to express disagreement with us when discussing plans, even if they know we aren’t making the best decisions. I’ve discussed before the tendency of wealthier Christians to provide the things they want to provide rather than the things that are actually needed.

I could continue, but let me share with you a little more from Harland’s comment. It expresses what I’m wanting to say.

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?

Those, my friends, are the questions that need to be answered.