Taking a closer look at short-term mission trips

Global Partners — February 2016

by James G. Smith

According to Rodney Stark in The Triumph of Christianity, “About 1.6 million Americans go abroad on short-term missions every year at their own expense.”

But what does that look like among the churches and missionaries of the Baptist Bible Fellowship International? We sent a survey to all BBFI missionaries and supporting pastors, and in this edition of Global Partners we want to share results from the survey, report on successful trips, and offer some instructive and cautionary suggestions.

Thank you to the 125 BBFI missionaries and the 81 BBFI pastors who participated in the survey. Because of space restraints, we cannot publish everything that came in, but we have exercised our editorial discretion and hope you will benefit from this subject matter.

As we anticipated, there were some strong feelings and opinions on this subject and, perhaps, some apathy as well. We are reporting on the impact short-term mission trips (STMTs) have had in the lives of current BBFI missionaries, so you will hear directly from them. The leaders of trips and the pastors of churches were also surveyed, and we think their contributions are helpful for those who are thinking of organizing a STMT. Hopefully the responses from missionaries and pastors will provide clearer understanding of how to make a STMT more effective and productive.

We enjoyed compiling the opinions and suggestions from the broad group of ministers that make up the Baptist Bible Fellowship International. The graphs and statistics are enlightening, and we also have included wise counsel from our friends Janet O’Rear, Richard Lewis, and Bruce Garner.

While preparing this issue, we received an attractive brochure in the mail from another Baptist missionary agency advertising “inspiring vacations.” For some, any journey away from the routine of life could be considered a vacation, but we are pretty sure most of our missionaries would not be interested in devoting the ministry preparation and logistical planning necessary simply to provide a vacation for well-meaning friends. Which leads us to a recurring theme we heard from those who have experienced STMTs, successful or otherwise — the purpose of each trip should be carefully developed and clearly communicated.

If we at the World Mission Service Center can help you as you pray and plan to visit your missionaries, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

To read the entire February 2016 Global Partners, click here.