Category Short Term Missions

It's not enough to send someone on a short-term mission trip for a week and call that "service." It's not enough to take your youth group to Mexico to build a house and then go back to doing life as…

A recent study from the Barna Group has found that short term missions do make an impact and that they may especially benefit at-risk youth. Jennifer LeClaire, a writer for Charisma Magazine, pondered if mission trips could be the answer…

There is an unasked question that has recently been nagging me. It relates to some of these short-term missions blog posts I've recently been sharing (sorry for harping on this so much; I hope that those of you who care…

What is a missionary? I mean, really? Is it a full-time minister in Africa? Is it a nurse in Latin America? Is it a school teacher in the inner city? It's hard to tell these days. I remember when I…

I'm thinking of blogging more about missions, since, after all, it is a big part of my job. I've been hearing on Twitter and other places people's complaints about short-term missions. A few common objections are: "They're too short…" "There's…

I've seen it again and again on mission trips that I've personally led or participated in. Initially, there is always this hesitation. An anxiety. An apprehension. A fear. To do something wrong, to make a mistake, to go too far. As…

Here is my version of the 10 Commandments for Short-Term Mission Trips (originally found on Trevin Wax's blog), which I referenced in yesterday's post: What Is A Mission Trip? 10 Commandents for Short-Term Mission Trips 1. Remember that the primary…

A mission trip, when done well, is a lot more than a vacation with a purpose. While I think every vacation should have purpose and that Christians should be ready to share the hope they have "in season and out…

I read an interesting blog post by C. Holland this morning entitled "When Sympathy Turns Demeaning". In the post, she states: "Seems like, for many Christians, mission is something you do for others (with you/your group in control), not with…

I'm putting together a brochure for AIM's short-term missions program this week (with the help and feedback from some very talented folks). As I was looking over what copy (that's fancy marketing speak for text) to use, I came across…