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Aburgeoning interest in Christian missions has produced a new

interest in short-term service. This has resulted in thousands of

short-termers going out across the world, some under the direction

of the Holy Spirit, some for their own benefit (as on a glorified vacation), but

all, hopefully, for the benefit of those they seek to serve. Peterson, Aeschliman

and Sneed in their bookMaximum Impact Short-Term Mission (STEMPress:

Minneapolis, 2003) say there are now at least one million going out each year

into short-term mission service (p. 243).

For the purpose of this article, I have divided short-term missions into two

categories: 1) short visits of two to six weeks by those taking a working vacation

(or holiday); and 2) longer visits of six months to two or three years. Longer STMs

(Short Term Missions) are most often taken by young volunteers, profession-

als on sabbatical, or retired persons willing to give a year or two of service.

However, the major emphasis of this article will be on the shorter visits of two

to six weeks.

The effectiveness of short-term missions has been written about in various

missionary publications in recent years. (A brief list of books and web sites

appears in the bibliography of this article.) The main purpose of this article is

to deal with something that one does not see addressed in any of the books I

have read on short-term missions. I am referring to the relationship between

short-term service and the possibility of creating unhealthy dependency on

outside people and funding. In this article I will make various suggestions

regarding how to avoid dependency on short-term mission trips. Included

among these will be suggestions regarding sound cross-cultural practice.At the outset,I wish to emphasize that short-term workers can have a positive

experience and at the same time make a positive impact on the community to which

they go. The fact that, too often, short-termers have counterproductive experi-

ences or are ineffective, is my reason for drawing attention to the subject.

What Happens When Good Will Turns to Ill Feeling?My first encounter with short-term missions was in Central Africa in 1961.1

While there I learned about a North American program created to send

by Glenn Schwartz

Two Awesome Problems

How Short-Term Missions Can Go Wrong

Glenn Schwartz is the ExecutiveDirector of World Mission Associates.

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missionaries learned local languageswithout expecting the people to

whom they ministered to learn theirlanguage. They paid attention tothe cultura l elements to which theGospel would need to speak. Theyexercised creative listening in orderto be heard when they did eventuallydecide it was time to speak. 3

And what was the result? In someplaces, people movements to Christfollowed.4 This meant that sig-nificant numbers of people cameto Christ and whole societies werechanged. This kind of cross-cul-

tural evangelization will hardlyoccur when the time frame is a twoor three-week visit into and out ofa society, with little knowledge orunderstanding of local language andculture. Short-term missionaries willhardly have opportunity to experi-ence a people movement because, likemany missionaries, they dont know

what one is or how it works.

And what about a positive short-termexperience? Some programs such as

YWAM (Youth With A Mission)

and YES (Youth EvangelismServicea Mennonite sponsored pro-gram) have demonstrated that thereIS a wholesome way to prepare forshort-term missions. Both programsrequire in-depth discipleship training,sometimes as much as three monthsor more. One young woman havinggone through such training, wentto Indonesia several years ago whenChristian/Muslim conflicts were verymuch in the news. The group she was

with spent their time in prayer andintercession, relating to local peopleand learning as much Indonesianlanguage as they could. They played

with children orphaned in the reli-gious conflict, taught English and haddiscussions with local teenagers, taxidrivers and even Muslim clerics. They

were so well accepted that Muslimleaders invited them to teach Englishclasses in the mosque! At the end oftheir time in Indonesia, Christiansand Muslims came together in a local

church to thank them and bid themfarewellso great was the respect for

those young people and what they hadcontributed to the community! Thiscould hardly have been done in a two-

week period and especially withoutthe kind of cultural sensitivity theylearned during their training.

Before sending out His disciples ona short-term ministry assignment,

Jesus told them, Be wise as serpentsand harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16b). Short-termers and long-termmissionaries alike would do well toremember these words when ven-

turing into cross-cultural ministry.Both will find that listening, learn-ing and being are essential to aneffective ministry.

The Alternative Demonstratedby YWAM and the MennonitesSome time ago I was asked who isdoing short-term missions right. I

wish I had been quicker to respondand tell about the YWAM-DTS pro-gram and the Mennonite YES pro-gram to which I referred earlier. The

following are some of the strengths ofthese programs:

In both programs the par-ticipants are given a seriousintroduction to cross-culturalissues. This includes informa-tion on how people in otherreligions think and worship.

They include training in spiri-tual warfare, something theaverage westerner often knowslittle or nothing about.

The training also raises

awareness about how we asAmericans are viewed in theeyes of the rest of the world.

Participants are forced to exam-ine themselves as individuals,including personal strengthsand weaknesses. This meanslearning to understand not justthemselves, but also others onthe team with whom they willserve. By the time such youngpeople reach the point of minis-

try, they have had some of theirpotential personal problemsnipped in the bud.

If anyone wants to give young peoplea wholesome cross-cultural experiencein short-term missions, this kind oftraining is essential.

Why do Negative ExperiencesOccur in Short-Term Missions?Obviously the purpose of short-termmission trips is to provide a posi-tive spiritual experience for both thegivers and the receivers. In the aboveexamples, applying a few simplerules to the training of short-termerscould well have changed a negativeexperience into a positive one. Unlessappropriate training is given, more andmore short-termers will have less thansatisfactory experiences for themselvesand those they try to help.

First, in the preparation of short-termers, the anticipation of doinggood for someone else is frequentlyoverplayed. Americans are to becommended for their wil lingness tohelp those whom they perceive tobe in need. Our worldview includesa substantial portion of charitableor philanthropic concern. Someof it is driven by the benefit of atax-deductible receipt, some by aspirit of adventure, but much of it isgenuine compassion. Doing (what

we accomplish) is often in conflictwith the importance of being (whowe are). This important distinctioncould well be at the root of the prob-lem. Someone once referred to suchpeople as human doings, ratherthan human beings.

The importance ofdoingmay beinspired by the need to report what

we have done. It is hard to raise sup-porteven for short-term missionsbased on being. Yet there is something

about our witness which is greatlyenhanced when people see us for who

we are, rather than for what we do.In the bookMack & Leeanns Guideto Short-Term Missions (InterVarsityPress: Downers Grove, IL, 2000, pgs7276), there is an illustration of agroup of young people who went toKenya on a short-term mission. Oneof the young women was assigned to

work in the home of a church leaderin which the wife was about to deliver

At the end of their time in Indonesia, Christiansand Muslims came together in a local church tothank them and bid them farewell

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a child. The young woman foundherself doing laundry, preparingmeals and cleaning the house. She

wondered how she would ever reportthis menial type work to those backhome who gave financial support tohelp her get there. When all was said

and done, however, expressions ofgratitude by the local people provedthat her servant attitude was worth itall. In this case, being spoke louderthan doing. Her wil lingness toserve left a lasting positive impressionon the local people.

Imagine how we in America would feelif people from another countrylikeGermany or Koreacame to ourchurch and took over our SummerVacation Bible School, asking us toserve as their interpreters because theydid not speak our language. What ifthe illustrations they gave our chil-dren about how to live were, for themost part, culturally irrelevant? Andhow would we feel if while these for-eigners were with us, they dominatedour schedule and made it difficult forus to get our work done. Sadly, thisis often the impact of poorly plannedshort-term mission trips.

Frequently short-termers go out withan air of superiority because of theassumptions which we as westernershold. We assume that short-termershave something important to say tothe rest of the world, even if they are

young and inexperienced, comparedto those among whom they go toserve. In some places where short-termers go, the Church has beenin existence for decades (maybe acentury or more) before short-termersarrive on the scene. Our judgment ofthe local people may be affected byour need as westerners for a certainstandard of cleanliness or adequacyof shelterbased on what we feel is

appropriate. Those we are trying toserve may not share those same feltneeds. Little wonder that sometimesoutsiders are often either envied fortheir wealth, or resented for theircultural insensitivity.

Second, the attitude that an outsidercan do the job better than localpeople is often at the heart of how

we as westerners view ourselves.

Take away our sense of superiority

and you cut at the very heart of whowe think we are and why we believewe exist. This kind of arrogance hasenormous implications, not only forthe Christian movement, but also ininternational affairs. It should notbe surprising that such attitudes canlead to the negative feelings manynon-westerners have toward us asAmericans. A sense of superiority hasbeen instilled in us since the day welearned to speak English. Our songs,sermons, educational system andpolitical speeches all reinforce this

idea. To say that such assumptionsare deeply ingrained in us would bean understatement.

What are the implications of thisair of superiority for those involvedin cross-cultural missions? Perhapsthose who fly airplanes into tall towersare trying to tell us something abouthow the rest of the world sees us. Thescripture is clear that as Gods people,

we are to demonstrate a broken spiritand a contrite heart. The rest of the

world may be trying to show us that

our arrogance is not compatible withthe Christianity we profess.

A thirdreason for the oftennegativeaspects of short-term missions is that

westerners often give the impres-sion that our wealth is the secretto helping people come into rightrelationship with God. I have writtenextensively on this subject in otherplaces. I will deal with this more inthe suggestions given later in thisarticle. While this is not the place todeal in depth with issues related to

finance, suffice it to say that unlesswe learn to recognize who is trulypoor, and how to help appropriately,the danger is that misunderstand-ing will arise and an otherwise goodshort-term experience will havenegative consequences.5

It is true that someone must helpwith the tremendous needs of ahungry, hurting and dying world.6

Our challenge is to find a way to help

that does not leave others with theimpression they are too weak, toohelpless and too uninformed to helpthemselves. Frequently, dependentchurches are living in the midst ofresources which are adequate, notonly for themselves, but for the workGod is call ing them to do.

Afourth reason behind negativeshort-term mission experiencesrelates to the matter of ownership.

Too often, outsiders unwittinglybecome owners of the projects on

which they work. I once had a con-versation with a group of short-term-ers and posed the question, Whoseproject is this that you are workingon in [South Africa]? The answerI got was reveal ing. Oh, we let thelocal people help us with the project.It is this spirit which is behind thestatement I made earlierthe roofonyourchurch building is leaking.

Afifth reason for negative short-termexperiences is that short-termersmost likely have inadequate trainingfor the complex task of communicat-ing the Gospel cross-culturally. Inthe video series entitled Vision for the

Nations, Dr. Lloyd Kwast gives thefollowing different aspects that areimportant in cross-cultural com-munication: 7 oral, written, pictorial,kinesics (body movement), audio,silence, artifactual, touch, optical,spatial, time, olfactory (smell) andoculesics (eye contact). What chancedo most short-termers have of know-ing the importance of these factorsin cross-cultural communication?

Little wonder that those in whoseculture we find ourselves are oftenoffended by the kinds of things wedo. Unfortunately, most of them aretoo kind to tell us of the many ways

we break the rules, even as we aretrying to communicate something asimportant as the love of God.

Frequently, dependent churches are living in themidst of resources which are adequate, not only forthemselves, but for the work God is calling them to do.

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An Alternative Demonstratedby a Civic Organization

Western Christians could learnsomething from international civicorganizations. Several years ago Iattended a meeting of a local civicclub. The speaker of the evening gavea slide presentation on his six-weektrip to India in a youth exchangeprogram. (He was a youth of 35

years of age, and an owner of asubstantial farming operation in theUnited States.)

Several things impressed me ashe spoke. First, he did not say onenegative word about the culture ofIndia or how things were done there.He did not talk about how terriblethe food was or how unsanitary theconditions were. Rather, he spokepositively about visits to factories,farms, and communities and aboutthe hospitality he received in thehomes of host families. As he spoke,I asked myself how a secular orga-nization could send out half a dozenAmericans who would come back

with such a positive experience andwholesome report?

How did the CivicOrganization Pull it Off?First, this group went specifically to

learn. They were not expected to tellhow it was done in America. They

were told to learn how things weredone in India.

Second, they were not isolated onWestern style mission stations or inWestern hotels from which theycould look down on the culture froma high-rise building. They livedhumbly and with gratitude in homesof their Indian hosts.

Third, their orientation before leav-ing for India prepared them to belearners. It must have been refreshingfor the people of India to entertainAmericans who had left their air ofsuperiority at home.

One wishes that short-term missiongroups could learn a similar kind ofhumility. It would be helpful if we, as

westerners, came to realize that ourideas are most acceptable to others

when we are most accepting of theirs.The Christian missionary movement

would do well to take this to heart inrelation to both short-term and long-term missions.

Suggestions for ThoseDoing Training forShort-Term Mission Projects

The following list of suggestions is notby any means exhaustive. In a shortarticle such as this, one can only beginto scratch the surface. However, withshort-termers, one at least needs tobegin with the basics, which is what Iam trying to do here.

1. Anyone promoting short-termmission projects should make itclear that those going to serve

are learners. It is one placewhere onthejoblearning islegitimate. This is especial lytrue where there is little or nocross-cultural training providedbeforehand.

One of the more disturbingtrends in short-term missionstoday is the anti-intellectualattitude that simply going isthe important thing. This isshown in the following state-ment from one of the books onshort-term missions:For every additional hour requiredof preparation, for every additionalcharacteristic demanded of ourrecruits, there will be thousandsperhaps millions?who remainsidelined as too average, too real,

too foolish to that particular expres-sion of Missio Dei. In our feebleattempts to birth a missionarywithout spot or blemish, the worldcontinues going to hell without JesusChrist. (Peterson, Aeschilman andSneed, p. 29)

2. Short-termersespecially thosewithout cross-cultural train-ingshould be told that theyareguests, not specialists. Short-termers often go to places wherethe Gospel has been preachedfor decadesand sometimes

centuries. In such places youngpeople should not be given theimpression that they are takingthe Gospel there for the firsttime. One complicating factoris that those paying for the tripwant to know that the Gospelis being preached. In reality, theshort-termers may find them-selves preaching the gospelto mature leaders in the churchwho themselves are capable ofbeing trainersif the visitorswere in the frame of mind to be

learners.3. Short-termers should be made

aware of the dangers of simplis-tic answers to complex culturalissues. How can one who hasnever lived in or studied aculture know how to respond tocomplicated issues such as workethics, marriage customs, or ele-ments of faith where religion ischaracterized by incredibly deli-cate and complex issues? Howcan one speak about the Good

News of the Gospel to animistsunless he or she is familiar withthe basic tenants of animism? Ispeak from experience, becauseI went to serve among animistsin the early 1960s withoutany understanding of what ananimistic worldview is. Chancesare slim to none that short-termers will be familiar withsuch issues in another culture.

When one begins to understandand appreciate the complexity

of someone elses worldview, itbecomes unthinkable to argueagainst the need for trainingcross-cultural workers as sug-gested in the quote above. If ayoung person came to his pastorand said, I think God is call-ing me to be a medical doctor,would anyone in his right mindsay, Just, go for it; you dontneed medical training. As longas you are called and sincere, go

It could be that thisdesire to have somethingto show is at the root ofour ineffectiveness as

short-termers.

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tion. Here is where the skills ofa good learner can be developed.Every short-termer should berequired to read a small bookby Drs. Tom and Betty SueBrewster entitled Bonding andthe Missionary Task: Establishing

A Sense of Belonging.9

Everyoneconsidering cross-culturalservicelong-term or short-termshould read and digestthe contents of this little book.

9. A second way to get good train-ing for short-termers, espe-cially the leaders of short-termmissions, is to take the coursePerspectives on the World Christian

Movement.10 The course hasbeen revolutionary in introduc-ing the missionary heart of Godto those interested in servingHim wholeheartedly. Amongother things, there are lessons oncultural and Biblical issues thatwill help to better inform thoseleading short-term missions.

10. Be careful to check the motivesfor a short-term mission trip.The following notice in a churchbulletin shows how questionablemotives can sometimes be.

(Our congregation) is sponsoring a

womens only mission trip to beau-

tiful Guadalajara, Mexico! Well

spend the week of June 1118 inGuadalajara (also known as the

shopping capital of Mexico!), where

we will have the incredible oppor-

tunity to minister to, pray for, and teach women in a vibrant church

community. And this trip isnt a

rough - roach - in-your-bed kind ofexperience eitherwell be housed

in nice clean hotel rooms, eat lots

of salsa, and have plenty of time to

shop! Our hope is to take at least

fifteen women (including teenage

daughters) on this Mexican MinistryOutreach. . . we trust that God willexpand our hearts for Him as He

expands our ministry to the women

of Guadalajara. If youre remotely

interested in this great commission

adventureor if youre just in the

mood for Mexico after all this winter

weathercall for more details about

this fantastic outreach opportunity.

How do we expect to get theright people and engage in

appropriate ministry when thebenefits are portrayed in thisway? Thankfully, there is analternative. It is to encouragesuch a group of women to goas learners, not teachers (andespecially not as shoppers). They

can be told that they are goingprimarily to listen and learn.They should be told that livingamong the people, might not beso bad after all. And what if theydid experience a roach or two? Itmight give them a little apprecia-tion for how the other half of theworld lives.

11. Whenever possible, keep short-term mission groups small.Imagine the impact when a largegroup of outsiders descends on asmall community or congrega-tion. Their presence is obvious,potentially disruptive and caneasily cause embarrassment.Smaller groups are easier toplace in homes. They are easierto talk to. They are less likely tostand out like the proverbial sore

thumb in a community. In termsof a work team, a small group isless likely to outnumber the localvolunteers who should retainownership of their own project.

12. One ideal way to look at the sizeof the group is to consider a team

small enough to be easily accom-modated in the homes of localpeople. They will be guests inhomes, rather than a large groupthat needs special catering. By allmeans, do not take along some-one who will do the cooking forthe group. Also, let the buildingproject be in the hands of thelocal builder, not one importedfrom the outside.

ConclusionThere are many good reasons to con-

sider short-term mission trips. Whendone well, short-term missions can bea blessing to those in both the sendingand receiving societies. However, inorder for the experience to be ben-eficial for both sides, it is necessaryto build into the process the right

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attitude from the very beginning.This right attitude, coupled with goodtraining in cultural sensitivity, could

well turn an otherwise negative expe-rience into one that is positive. Whendone right, a servant-attitude maydevelop which will turn some short-

termers into life-long missionariesor life-long supporters of missions.Doing it right from the beginning is

worth all the effort it takes.

Note: I welcome interaction withanyone who would like to discussissues raised in this paper. I can becontacted at the following address:

World Mission Associates128 East Grant StreetLancaster, PA 17602Phone: (717) 2991427FAX: (717) 2992943

E-Mail: GlennSchwartz@wmausa.orgWeb Site: www.wmausa.org

BibliographyBonk, Jonathan.Missions and Money.

Orbis Books: Maryknoll, NY,1992.

Brewster, Thomas and Elizabeth.Bonding and the Missionary Task.Lingua House: Dallas, TX, 1982.

EE Tawo (A video produced by NewTribes Mission, 1000 E. First St.,Sanford, FL 32771, USA)

Greene M.D., H. Lee.A Guide to ShortTerm Missions. Gabriel Publishing:

Waynesboro, GA, 2003.

Johnstone, Patrick. Operation WorldOM Publishing: Carlisle,Cumbria, UK, 1995.

Petersen, Roger; Aeschliman, Gordon;and Sneed, R. Wayne.MaximumImpact Short-Term Mission.STEMPress: Minneapolis, 2003.

Stiles, J. Mack & Leeann.Mack &Leeanns Guide to Short-Term

Missions. InterVarsity Press:Downers Grove, IL, 2000.

Tippett, Alan R. People Movementsin Southern Polynesia. Chicago:Moody Press, 1971

Web Sites: There are many web sites thathave information on short term-missions. I recommend putting theterm short-term missions intoa search engine such as Googleand you will find many websites related to the subject. The

following are only a beginning ofwhat is available:

www.shorttermmissions.comwww.missionfinder.org/summer.htmwww.experiencemission.org

For articles on issues of dependency

and self-reliance among mission-established institutions see thewebsite for World Mission Associates :www.wmausa.org.

Endnotes1 I was there on a two-year short-

term program with my denomina-tionthe Brethren in Christ Church. Ilater returned to serve in Central Africaas a full-time missionary for another fiveand a half years.

2 For more information on owner-

ship and other issues related to depen-dency, see Lesson One of the eight-hourvideo series produced by World MissionAssociates. It can be ordered on the

World Wide Web at w ww.wmausa.org.3 By contrast, short-termers must

speak within the short period they havewhether they have done any listening orlearning.

4 For those who are interested inwhat a people movement is I recom-mend two sources, among many others.One is a book called People Movements ofSouthern Polynesia by Alan R. Tippett.

Chapter 7 particularly gives the rationalefor a people movement and how it works.

The other resource is the v ideo producedby New Tribes Mission entitledEE Tawo

which shows how seriously one mission-ary in New Guinea studied the languageand culture before inviting people tomake a decision to become believers.

The people movement that followed wasdramatic. Short of a miracle, discipling apeople group this thoroughly can hardlybe done during one two-week short-termmission trip.

5 There are about seventyarticles onthis and related issues on our web site

www.wmausa.org. Regarding who areactually poor, I recommend an articleon our web site entitled Searching for aMeaningful Way to Help the Poor. See also,Missions and Money by Jonathan Bonk,listed in the bibliography.

6 I am currently developing the ideathat the ideal place to get help for needypeople is the Churcha local churchhealthy and functioning in the com-

munities of the world which are in need.This means that many times the best helpcan be found among bel ievers right inthe communities where the need exists.Unfortunately, too often outsiders do notrecognize the importance of resources

within arms reach of those local believ-ers. For more on this subject, look for thepaper entitledI Believe in the Church onthe WMA web site or request it from theoffice of World Mission Associates. Itshould be available in early 2004.

7 Every short-term team shouldbe required to watch the v ideo seriesVision for the Nations before they areallowed to set foot on an airplane forcross-cultural service. It is availablethrough the William Carey Library at

www.perspectives.org.8 Even when trying to help those

in absolute poverty, care must be taken

so that long-term dependency does notdevelop. For further information on this,see the article entitled Searching for aMeaningful way to help the Pooron theWMA web site.

9 It is published by Lingua House(1982) and is available from AcademicPublications Summer Institute ofLinguistics, 7500 West Camp WisdomRoad, Dallas, Texas 75236.

10 Information on this courseis available through the US Centerfor World Mission in Pasadena,California. Simply visit their web site

www.perspectives.org, and the timesand locations of courses will be available.In the year 2003 five thousand peopleenrolled in Perspectives courses acrossNorth America.