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Something is awry in the mission commitments of many congregations. Enthusiasm is easily generated for short-term missions, yet career missionaries discover that few people want to hear about their work. Auctions and car washes raise funds for short-termers, while money for established projects can suffer.

Unfortunately, much of our short-term work fosters dependency instead of empowering people. And because of inadequate preparation, some short-termers damage existing Christian witness or exhaust missionaries and national leaders.

Harsh words? "Surely that's extreme," many readers may respond. "My grandchild went on a short-term mission and came home a new person." Granted, I too have sent my sons on short-term youth missions and will continue to do so. Christian parents should wish for their children a vision for mission.

But any strategy that deflects resources from long-term to short-term workers, even indirectly, is surely misguided. One flagship megachurch with a budget of $15 million aims to send 8,000 of its members on short-term missions trips annually, while supporting no career missionaries. This may be an extreme example. Yet why do so many congregations assume they must see missions firsthand before they will give? Why do they need to see videos of themselves on location before they care about missions?

Prayer, money, and enthusiasm must focus on long-term workers-both nationals and expatriates-viewing short-term workers as a complement to them. Writing on the downturn in career missionaries, Robert T. Coote says:

In a world where hundreds of millions have yet to hear the name of Christ and additional millions have not heard the gospel presented effectively in their cultural context, there is no substitute for the career missionary. … One can take only limited satisfaction in reports of uncounted thousands of short-termers engaged in mission, of local churches and schools undertaking cross-cultural 'exposure' forays. … [Short- termers] cannot balance a real decline in long-term commitments by men and women who are prepared to take a profoundly incarnational approach to communicating the gospel of Jesus Christ to people of other cultures. (International Bulletin of Mission Research, Jan. 1995)

Counting short-term blessings
Short terms (which some define as any period up to two years) can be a great blessing—with safeguards. When a church sponsors short-termers, giving and prayer support may increase; and some short-termers feel called to long-term service because of their experience.

My own large church (University Presbyterian, Seattle) is an example of short-term missions stimulating increased missions giving. We have pioneered mission work in Albania for the past five years or so. During this time, 22 of our members have given a total of 57 years of service in that country, the majority two years or less. Our church budgeted $60,000 for this work. However, the total giving to support these 22 people and their associated projects has been $500,000! But most of this giving was stimulated by the "middle-term" people who learned the language.

Some short-termers come back changed, with a bigger view of God and the world and an increased willingness to risk for his kingdom. Short-termers can bring Christ to "restricted access" regions where missionaries are not allowed to settle or extend a national church's or long-term missionary's ministry. They can provide a vast pool of resources for huge events, like evangelism at the Olympics. Meeting short-termers may encourage nationals in their own witness. And, humbling though it may be, sometimes their contribution is comic entertainment for the locals—no small gift.

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November 11 1996, Vol. 40, No. 13