Most missionaries who have gone to foreign mission fields do not expect to return home anytime soon – if ever. My parents were pioneer missionaries in Nigeria. The generation that preceded my parents to the field shipped a casket with their goods because they had no intention of returning. Men like William Carey and Hudson Taylor rarely took a furlough. And before them, the Moravians packed their bags and moved to foreign countries, never to return to Germany.
Short Term Mission Work
However, a recent trend in modern missions is to go to a mission field for a predetermined, short-term period. This may mean anything from a 5-day project-based trip to a 2-year teaching contract in a foreign country. This is a phenomenon that has grown exponentially in just the past couple of decades. But the overwhelming history of missions was done by “Lifers” – people who left for the field intending to spend the rest of their lives there.
The effectiveness of short-term trips will vary based on the objectives, circumstances, and dynamics of the mission. They have value and serve specific purposes in the strategy for furthering the kingdom, but they don’t take the place of long-term mission work. There is an entirely different skill set, motivation, and commitment required for immersion into a people group to win them to the Lord and perpetuate the ministry. So, suffice it to say I am still committed to recruiting, training, and preparing people for long-term missions.
The Case for Long Term Mission Work
The point of mission work is not only to evangelise but to make disciples – train others to evangelise, teach, preach, make disciples, and plant churches – so the ripples can continue to grow outward. We replicate our faith so that others will replicate their faith – this is how the gospel is furthered to the ends of the earth. This is the Great Commission. I’m convinced it takes people committed to the long term because of two critical components required to accomplish this:
LANGUAGE: It’s naïve to think it’s possible to explain the gospel to someone in a language they don’t understand. Think for a moment how difficult it is to be fully understood in your own mother tongue sometimes. Now imagine filtering something as important as the gospel through an interpreter or a second language. Most missionaries devote an entire year to language study before starting their ministry; then it’s typically a 5–10-year process before they become fluent. The nuances of language and the challenges of communication demand that a missionary knows the recipient’s language well. That won’t happen in a 10-day trip to a mission field, nor is it typically a requirement to go.
CULTURE: It is also a stretch to think it’s possible to communicate well while being uninformed or unfamiliar with the worldview of another individual. On a basic level, the idioms of your own language likely won’t make sense in another culture. But on a deeper level, others have a grid through which your message is filtered. The message may come out on the other side meaning something quite different from what you intended. You may think you are communicating but what really counts is what the recipient has heard. It’s a ten-year project of living in a culture before it’s truly understood. The different food and customs are easily observed when you get off the aeroplane, but it will take more than a quick read of a Lonely Planet guide to truly understand the heart of someone in a different culture and be able to speak to it.
The Real Reason for Short Term Mission Work
There are many stories about short-term teams that return and report on amazing works the Lord accomplished through them. Praise the Lord for these opportunities – especially the evangelistic ones. Yet there is much work to be done after these opportunities to fulfil the second part of the Great Commission – “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20.)
So, while short-term trips provide value when there are clear objectives and proper training as part of a holistic long-term plan, they’re not a replacement for the long-term work needed for furthering the kingdom. In fact, one of our main objectives for providing short-term mission opportunities is that some of those who participate will fall in love with the people to whom they minister and be converted to long-term missionaries! We need Lifers – those who will commit their lives to this work – to the people, their language, and culture to the glory of God. Could this be you?
Check out some of our short-term mission opportunities here and begin exploring where the Lord might have you go long-term. And if you’re ready to start the conversation about becoming a missionary, contact us now – we’d love to meet with you!
