If you are planning on a mission trip next summer then
you have probably begun to pray about the destination to which God may be
leading you. You also have probably been reading all the many blogs online
discussing missionaries, mission trips, and how to prepare for the journey. So,
over the next few months I will be writing about missions, being spiritually
prepared, and even how to raise funds for the trip.
In all honesty, and with all due respect to the thousands
of Christians who go on short-term mission trips each year, I want to offer you
what I consider is another way to think about short-term missions.
I know that may sound a bit arrogant, but please hear me out. As I told a friend a few years ago, mission trip isn't synonymous with service project for me (or the ministry for which I lead).
I don't understand this fascination with missions as a glorified form of public service. Mission trips are much more than that, in my opinion.
A mission trip isn't a vacation or a mere cross-cultural experience. It's just what it sounds like, a trip with a specific mission. According to Scripture, the mission isn't necessarily giving handouts to the poor or even aiding long-term missionaries in their work. It's about sharing the Gospel.
I realize I may be stepping on a few toes of some other organizations, so please bear with me. I don't have any problem with helping the poor or partnering with long-term missionaries; in fact, I think that those are great activities to do on a mission trip. However, I think that those are the means, not the end, of short-term missions.
The end of any mission trip, quite simply, is for the glory of God. It's not to build a house or learn what it's like to be a real missionary for a week. It's to join the Lord in the work that He's doing.
Now, that may mean digging a hole in the middle of the Eastern Ghat Mountains of India or working at a children’s home in Haiti. It may require you to go knocking on doors or to pray through the night at a dilapidated church. It may even require you to lay your life down, like it did for Nate Saint in Ecuador. Regardless, the point of a mission trip is not our cleverly-devised acts of service. It's obedience to God.
We need to set aside our human agendas and make God once again the central point of missions. It's not about us, our rules, systems, and ideas. It's about Him. I'll say that again, understanding that there are some legitimate caveats to this statement: Missions isn't about us; it's about God.
Church, I think we're in need of a bit of a revolution when it comes to how we approach mission trips. Quite frankly, I think that we could stand to be a lot more adventurous, for starters.
Let's stop bringing the high calling of missions down to our carnal level, and instead seek to meet God in the work that He's doing in the world, even if it means that we have to redefine some commonly misunderstood words like mission trip.
I know that may sound a bit arrogant, but please hear me out. As I told a friend a few years ago, mission trip isn't synonymous with service project for me (or the ministry for which I lead).
I don't understand this fascination with missions as a glorified form of public service. Mission trips are much more than that, in my opinion.
A mission trip isn't a vacation or a mere cross-cultural experience. It's just what it sounds like, a trip with a specific mission. According to Scripture, the mission isn't necessarily giving handouts to the poor or even aiding long-term missionaries in their work. It's about sharing the Gospel.
I realize I may be stepping on a few toes of some other organizations, so please bear with me. I don't have any problem with helping the poor or partnering with long-term missionaries; in fact, I think that those are great activities to do on a mission trip. However, I think that those are the means, not the end, of short-term missions.
The end of any mission trip, quite simply, is for the glory of God. It's not to build a house or learn what it's like to be a real missionary for a week. It's to join the Lord in the work that He's doing.
Now, that may mean digging a hole in the middle of the Eastern Ghat Mountains of India or working at a children’s home in Haiti. It may require you to go knocking on doors or to pray through the night at a dilapidated church. It may even require you to lay your life down, like it did for Nate Saint in Ecuador. Regardless, the point of a mission trip is not our cleverly-devised acts of service. It's obedience to God.
We need to set aside our human agendas and make God once again the central point of missions. It's not about us, our rules, systems, and ideas. It's about Him. I'll say that again, understanding that there are some legitimate caveats to this statement: Missions isn't about us; it's about God.
Church, I think we're in need of a bit of a revolution when it comes to how we approach mission trips. Quite frankly, I think that we could stand to be a lot more adventurous, for starters.
Let's stop bringing the high calling of missions down to our carnal level, and instead seek to meet God in the work that He's doing in the world, even if it means that we have to redefine some commonly misunderstood words like mission trip.
Next time I'll be posting my version of the 10
Commandments of Short-Term Mission Trips.
So stay tuned until next time.
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