short term mission trips
The season for short term mission (STM) trips is over. New York City and countless other cities and countries were deluged with groups from all over the world this summer. Here in the city, one couldn't get off the subway in Times Square without being handed a tract, listening to Christian songs being sung or hearing how everyone who does not confess Jesus as Christ will go to hell. Yep, it's been a fun summer in the city.
The purpose(s) and effectiveness of short term mission trips are often debated. The Christian Science Monitor kicked off the season of STM with this article back in May. The NYTimes ended the season with this article* reflecting on all the groups to come through the city. Both articles do well to point out what is potentially good about STM as well as the pitfalls of STM. What both articles agree upon - without directly saying it - is that realistic goals need to be considered by those conducting STM.
My personal story is that I was transformed by STM. The summer after my sophomore year of college I traveled through Asia. It was during this time that I started to realize what my baptism meant. It was during this time that I made a decision to seek out ministry as a profession. But I'm also aware that it was a great vacation and that I would have done well to learn more about the cultures I was visiting.
In the end, STM is a tricky business and it takes a savvy leader to conduct one that is powerful and effective. I leave you with this excerpt from the NYTimes article:
The purpose(s) and effectiveness of short term mission trips are often debated. The Christian Science Monitor kicked off the season of STM with this article back in May. The NYTimes ended the season with this article* reflecting on all the groups to come through the city. Both articles do well to point out what is potentially good about STM as well as the pitfalls of STM. What both articles agree upon - without directly saying it - is that realistic goals need to be considered by those conducting STM.
My personal story is that I was transformed by STM. The summer after my sophomore year of college I traveled through Asia. It was during this time that I started to realize what my baptism meant. It was during this time that I made a decision to seek out ministry as a profession. But I'm also aware that it was a great vacation and that I would have done well to learn more about the cultures I was visiting.
In the end, STM is a tricky business and it takes a savvy leader to conduct one that is powerful and effective. I leave you with this excerpt from the NYTimes article:
In the eyes of some New Yorkers, these visits by young missionaries are like a
soothing balm.
''They are very gentle,'' said a middle-aged man who was wearing a camouflage shirt open to the navel, as volunteers distributed sacks with soap and toothbrushes near Tompkins Square from the familiar white van operated by Street Life Ministries. ''All the time they come here to our bench -- Polish alcoholics usually here on this bench,'' he added in a sonorous East European accent.
Others find the missionaries exasperating. ''They must think this is the neighborhood of lost souls, man, because it's every weekend,'' said David Samuel, a 44-year-old East Villager who works as a lighting technician and has seen more than he'd like of earnest visitors seeking to ease his way to heaven. ''I hate coming out of my house and walking to my park and being proselytized to by these 17-year-olds from North Carolina. It drives me crazy.''
*The NYTimes article referenced is an archived article. You'll need a TimesSelect membership to access it.
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posted by jch at
9:51 AM
3 Comments:
Often the benefit of an action is less for the recipient, and more for the donor of the action. The recipient receives short-term benefit, but the donor long-term. Like prayer, and forgiveness. STM has the same effect, I believe.
Last summer I came to NYC with Woodmont Church from Nashville, Tenn. We did a STM with Urban Harvest Ministries in the South Bronx. Was a great week of working in soup kitchens, cleaning up the trash in the neighborhood and working with the children. We were blessed by being able to see and hear how God is working in the South Bronx.
My favorite NY STM was the thirteen year old kids obstructing the exit from the subway on 23rd St. at 9 AM yelling "Smile, Jesus loves you!"
I'd put efficacy of that particular outreach right about on par with the "mission trip" to Six Flags.
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