Reflection on Short-Term Missions and the Local Church

As a Project Management Professional, it's my job to find out a project's scope, requirement, and expectation from stakeholders. Project could be long-term or short-term, as long as the mission goal, objective, and scope are well defined, we will have a better chance to complete the project with the stated goals. I believe short-term missions are similar. If we have a clear objective for each short-term mission and make sure the objective is aligned with the long-term goals, then we will have a good chance to achieve our overall mission goals and be able to make impacts on the stakeholders (sending organizations, local churches, participants, and local recipients).    

Reflection on Historical Accounts

In the early days after Jesus' ascension, Luke recorded a couple of "short-term" mission trips in Acts 8 and 9. One of them is Peter's mission trip to Samaria to help Philip's ministry among Samaritans. This mission trip has a specific purpose (to lay hands on baptized Samaritans to receive the Holy Spirit) and it's based on an existing ministry (Philip's Samaria ministry). God also used Peter to confront the magician Simon during the visitation to Samaria. I call this Peter's short-term mission trip a success since the stated purpose has been reached. 

If we continue to read in Acts chapter 9 and 10, Luke also recorded Peter's ministry in "Judea, Galilee and Samaria". While he was travelling to Lydda, he healed Aeneas (Acts 9:32-35), then Peter received a request to make a short-term trip to Joppa (a few miles down toward the ocean) to heal Dorcas, where Dorcas was raised from the dead (Acts 9:36-43). And while Peter was still in Joppa, Cornelius had a vision and he sent his guards to fetch Peter to Caesarea (Acts 10:1-8). Peter then made a short-term trip to Caesarea where Cornelius and his household were saved (Acts 10:27-48). I call Peter's short-term missions to Joppa and Caesarea a project failure (scope creeps) but a mission success since he obeyed the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Both short trips to Joppa and Caesarea were unplanned, but they were still very missional -  people got saved, the sick got healed, the dead got raised and most importantly, God's name was glorified.  

My Reflection

From Peter's accounts, I don't think it matters if a mission trip is planned or not, as long as it is strongly directed by the Holy Spirit before, during, and after the trips. We don't want to limit what the Spirit can do or will do. However, internal and external confirmations are recommended before we "plan" these short-term mission trips.  

My own conviction is that all short-term missions are good as long as the Holy Spirit is strongly guiding the whole process either in advance or during the trip. God knows our intention and motives. If any of the mission trips is coming out of personal interests such as touring, sightseeing, personal pride (trying to prove usefulness), or simply just following along with the group, then it will be difficult for the Holy Spirit to work with the trip to achieve His purpose. I believe that, before and during a mission trip, a committed daily prayer and devotional time from both sending churches and receiving churches/groups will keep everyone staying close to God and to the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion

To make a short-term mission trip effective and relevant, we will need a dedicated prayer support team to back it up. This prayer support team will be served as a "mission center" which will fuel the mission trip on prayers, give necessary material provision, and keep everyone in check mentally and spiritually. When the mission team is returned, a trip report from each of the participants should be mandated. 

The last thing we want to see is a group of people going out on a "vacation-style" mission trip, which not only hinders God's mission works, but also hurts the locals in wasting their precious time and resource in hosting the visiting team.