Written by Rev. John Boeder
“I needed this trip. Gotta go to Greek first hour and the wind hurts my face. Then you go to New York and see all those people who want to hear about Jesus. This trip charges the batteries.” [1]
Academic life on a college campus can be a grind. Ministry can seem so far away. A short-term mission (STM) like the one mentioned by the student above can provide a necessary motivational boost. Based on student reflections, this STM did more than charge the participants’ batteries. Planning for ministry helped students see the need for flexibility and team work. Going door to door opened student eyes to the desperate need for the gospel. Doing ministry helped students see what gifts they had, the gifts others had, and how those gifts mixed to produce a successful mission project.
One student put it this way: “These are the days that remind me to always thank and praise God in all things. Being a messenger of the gospel is such a blessing and privilege.”[2]
Not all short-term missions have such a positive impact on student attitudes. In his book, Serving With Eyes Wide Open, David Livermore writes: “All too often the short-term experience ‘eludes any significant reflection on the deeper assumptions and attitudes that structure one’s view of God, of themselves, and of host strangers.’”[3] Too often, student observations about their short-term mission experiences betray a mind stuck on the superficial and a lack of reflection on lessons the participants learned about themselves and ministry.
US mission leaders who have extensive experience with STM have composed a set of seven Standards for Excellence in STM. One standard deals specifically with helping participants identify and maximize the learning that will take place on a STM. “We acknowledge that thorough follow-through will help participants process the STM, apply lessons learned, and promote continued personal growth (spiritual, emotional, intellectual, cross-cultural, relational, and other growth). We also acknowledge that thorough follow-through can help participants integrate the entire STM into life for kingdom purposes, solidify transforming life change, and provide opportunity for continued personal commitment to Christ and the people of the world” (7 Standards of Excellence, www.soe.org).
What a blessing when sending groups approach short-term missions not only as an opportunity to serve with the gospel, but also as an opportunity for participants to learn. Livermore comments, “Let’s think about missions as a time when we are responsible to learn” (Livermore, p. 119).
What does this mean? Schools and congregations that are sending teams will want to continue to focus attention on the blessings experienced by the host congregation. Share how many children heard about Jesus at the soccer camp. Be thankful for the number of homes visited and the number of gospel proclamations made.
Sending congregations and schools will also want to highlight the changes experienced by the participants. How will this be accomplished? How can busy church leaders and volunteers incorporate more thoughtful reflection into the entire short-term mission experience?
The short-term mission at Sure Foundation Lutheran Church in Queens, New York, serves as an example. As part of my doctor of ministry project, I accompanied a team of MLC students to New York to collect data and observe their experience in the natural setting of the STM. In addition to my personal observations, the students reflected on the lessons they learned about themselves and about ministry in their personal journals. This journal built on the reflective focus of the pre-field Bible study, a study that could be used with discernment, entitled, “The Short-Term Missions Handbook,” written by Tim Dearborn. The Bible study emphasized the importance of incorporating the unique blend of gifts God gives for ministry for the great purpose of sharing the gospel. The study also encouraged students to reflect on what they might see on their STM and how they will want to respond.
Of course, not every church or school will have opportunity to have a lengthy Bible study prior to entering the mission field. Not every STM will include ministry-minded students who want to gain insight for their future ministries. But lessons will be learned on an STM. Impact will be made. Getting students to express that impact – pre-field, on site, and post-field – gives opportunity to discuss it, to celebrate it, or to put it in proper perspective.
Rev. John Boeder serves as campus pastor at Martin Luther College.
Reference
Livermore, David A. (2013) Serving with eyes wide open. Grand Rapids: Baker Books
[1] MLC student E16D, Focus Group Interview for Student Participants, March 28, 2016.
[2] MLC student E16B, personal reflection journal, March 26, 2016.
[3] Livermore quotes R. Slimbach, “First Do No Harm: Short-Term Missions at the Dawn of a New Millennium,” Evangelical Missions Quarterly 36, no. 4 (October 2000): 432.