Short Term Mission, What Can Peru teach us?
Robert Priest, PhD, has written an excellent article for my alumni rag about short term missions in Latin America.
It is an article at looking at the local impact that short term missionaries from America have on the local church and it’s outreach. Many articles have been written about the missionaries, but this article looks at the fruit in the local area.
I’ve done Short Term Missions (STM), and our family is moving into Latin America full time to serve. We will be on the receiving end of missionary teams from the US that want to come and serve. This article offers excellent insight into the fruit of such evangelistic efforts.
Let me ask you this?
Do you think STM are viable means of mission or an extensive waste of resources? Why?
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I have found STM’s most helpful to the people who go. My hope is to always help as best we can without getting in the way and doing any damage. =)
And when we do that it seems the experience for those who go can be very transformative.
I’ve taken a few STMs myself, and led two teams.
However, in each case, there was no long term committment to that area from the US church. It was a one-shot deal that had no further involvement.
Some of that was because missionary connections changed, like the missionary moving to a different city. Pastor changes in the US church. Funding from the US church.
This is the first article I’ve seen looking at the “other” side, the impact in the local community that the STM has.
I would hope that churches realize that instead of globe trotting to different places each year, make a long term committment to one place and invest in that place for years.
Interesting article and comment, Chris. I’ve never been on a STM trip but have supported many as they go. STM has a tremendous impact on those who go and for many it is a stepping stone to being a career missionary. An important thing to consider with “the graying of the profession.”
Committing to one area rather than globe trotting is also important. Stony Point has done a wonderful job of this with there trips to Uganda. This year in addition to going there, they brought the Ugandan pastor and his wife here as well.