I have always had a certain caution to weekend or week long summer mission trips. We gather a group of people (normally youth) and send them to a poorer neighborhood or country for a short period to “serve” those that are in need. Most of the time this is not done in connection with a church that is already there and this is where it can lead to major problems. These teams can actually undermine the work that is already taking place in these areas. The Chalmers Center has an article that actually shows the dangers. One section struck me as the truth behind short term missions.

The approach of most short-term mission teams seems to be to do things to the people instead of with the people. This approach exacerbates the feelings of inferiority that already paralyze the poor in my country and the feelings of superiority that often characterize those of us from wealthy countries. This dynamic is particularly problematic here. The government and the church have such a long history of paternalism that the people often believe they cannot do anything without the help of money and resources from others.

We have to ask the question, “What is the motive behind this trip and why are people willing to go?” More likely than not the answer is self-interest. We want to do some “spiritual” or “religious” duty so we fell better about ourselves. A short-term mission trip gives us the ability to sacrifice little but feel exponentially better than we should. Putting up a basketball goal for kids that are dying from diseased water is not really a great help. Hosting a VBS in a village with all the fancy games and candy can cause them to stop going to the church that can only afford one Bible. There is no service in this actions only self gratifying actions.

We need to partner with local churches (or plant indigenous churches) for missions so that there is a constant local expression of the body of Christ that is actually serving the community. We do not come in to save the day, but we come there to serve with great humility and fall under the guidance of the local church.

Read the full article.