Media Missionary Focus

Are Short Term Workers Worth It?

Over the last few days I have found myself in some interesting conversations about the upcoming world missions summit, and about short term (one year or less) volunteers on the mission field in general. The extremely short summery is, perhaps instead of encouraging them to come, we should be discouraging them from coming.

Over the years we have never actually had a short term worker assigned directly to us; most of the time we weren’t working in a type of ministry that suited itself to short term workers, and at the times we were, we helped to oversee short term people who were actually assigned to another missionary. But we have had ring side seat for many an interesting short term experience. We have seen times when short term workers were uncooperative, judgmental, undisciplined, and divisive. We have had other missionaries on our field spend the majority of their time dealing with problems created by short term workers, and we have seen more than one short term worker sent home early (some almost immediately) because of the problems they have caused.

Now don’t misunderstand; there have also been those that have been a blessing, and I know MANY career missionaries that first went overseas as short term volunteers (including Lisa and I). But unfortunately many missionaries short term volunteers as more trouble than they are worth. And it was in this context that a recent discussion led to the comment that this upcoming world missions summit, designed to encourage college age young people to volunteer for short term missions work (up to one year), might be better off discouraging them from going on short term missions trips.

I don’t necessarily agree with this. I would say that I thing the primary beneficiary of short term volunteer missions is NOT the missions work on the field, but rather the person going on the trip themselves. Realistically, how much impact is a person going to have in a couple months when they don’t really speak the language, know the culture, or stay long enough to form any close relationships? I know it does sometimes happen, but the majority of the time it doesn’t. What happens more often is that God works on the heart of the short term volunteer themselves. Part of it is being exposed to a new culture and the world at large. Part of it is getting a more realistic view of life around the world. And part of it is being out of your comfort zone and in a place where God can deal with areas of your life that may never come to the surface in your home town.

But whether short term missions are good or bad is irrelevant; the fact is it is becoming more and more common, and it is the missions method of choice for many post-modern Christians. Young people in churches (as well as young churches) are becoming less likely to sign on to monthly long term support for career missionaries. Personally I think this is short sighted on there part, but I also think it is understandable.

Why is it short sighted? Because Jesus said “go and make disciples.” You don’t make a disciple during a six week short term missions trip. You might lead them into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, but making them a disciple? Not likely. That takes time. It takes walking with them day by day and standing, laughing, crying and praying with them as they “work out their salvation with fear and trembling.” That takes long term commitment, and so long term missionaries. That is one of the reasons that the Assemblies of God does well with Bible schools and leadership development; because we have had missionaries over the years who have been on the field for the long haul.

Why is it understandable? Because, at least in the Assemblies of God, missionaries have dug themselves into a hole by not being very good with discipling their supporters in the USA. We work on five year cycles; for every four years we spend on the field we spend a year visiting churches and raising support. Usually, we do that whole year all at once, so during that time we are speaking two or three times a week in churches and calling everyone we can think of to get our money raised to return to the field. Often missionaries feel that this year spent raising support is an intrusion on what God has called them to do, and they resent spending an entire year away from the ministry they spent the last four years developing. Then there is the added pressure that if you don’t raise the required budget you could have to stay longer in the USA visiting churches, and if the problem persists, you may even have to resign. So by the time they are done raising their budget and actually get back on the field, the last thing they want to think about is all those churches in the States; after all, they just spent the last year or more doing nothing but thinking about them and trying to communicate with them. So they tend to forget about regular contact (out of sight, out of mind), and the churches end up feeling disconnected from the missionary. Then the church gets frustrated. They didn’t spend a year with that missionary, they only saw them for a couple hours when the missionary spoke at their church. So when they don’t hear from the missionary they start to wonder what is happening to the money they are sending in to support the missionary. So they start to look for options where they can see an immediate return or get immediate feedback from their missions work. How do they do that? Short term volunteers and teams and committing to support one time projects instead of regular long term monthly general missions support.

It’s really kind of sad. It’s just poor communication. But it’s the growing reality.

Ironically, one of the solutions to this misunderstanding is short term volunteers. If they come to the field and have an accurate experience of missions life and work, they then return to their churches understanding the need for long term career missionaries as well. It’s about the long term effect that short term workers will have on the countey they are from, not the country they go to. I find this especially ironic in my current circumstances of preparing this promo video for the world missions summit because the theme for the summit is “It’s not about me.” The implication being that they want these college student to stop thinking about themselves and instead think about the need in these countries and the people there. But in reality, they probably won’t have a huge impact themselves on the field they go to (unless they transition into career missions work and end up there for the long haul), but the experience will have a huge impact on them, and through their changed lives they will impact their home churches and the church as a whole in the USA and eventually in world. So it IS all about them.

Anyway, as much of a hassle as it can be to have short term workers, I am for it; after all, I was one once too.

posted by Troy In Cambodia @ 3:11 PM