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Sunday, March 11, 2018

The Secret Life of Missions

I've been thinking a lot lately about Missions. In particular, Short Term Missions, the damage they cause, and if we can do better.

It's a lot, I know. My head is a fun place.


Here's the truth that most Christians don't like to think about, let alone acknowledge: Short Term Missions often do more harm than good. Think about it: how does spending tens of thousands of dollars to take teenagers to a "poor" country to do skits or construction help people? We can't even speak the language! Wouldn't it be more effective to send the money with a few skilled adults who could support the local leaders in a project they actually need and want? By paying local workers and suppliers a fair wage to build something that is truly needed and structurally sound?

It's time to get honest with ourselves: why do we take missions trips? 

Do we take short term missions trips for ourselves, or the people we're there to "serve"? Are we causing harm to the population we're going to? How do we tell their stories? Are they projects to fix and poster children for our blog, or intelligent and dignified people living their lives? How do we speak about their country to folks back home? And the kicker: is that country/city truly any different or improved after our visit?

These are tough questions, and I have more, and I don't really have answers yet. But I know that something about STMs needs to change. Don't get me wrong, I love missions (whatever that means)! I have been on several STM trips, and even have one scheduled for this summer. I'm not ready to throw out the whole thing. But that is precisely why I want to fix this thing we call missions.

Somewhere over the years we've twisted what the Great Commission is all about and made voluntourism a multimillion dollar industry. Can a short term missions trip accomplish good for all involved? Or are we just kidding ourselves and making everyone think we're super holy?

I'll be exploring all these themes over the next several weeks, and I hope you'll join me.

What are your experiences with missions: the good, the bad, or the ugly? Have you thought about the dark side of STM work? Is there a way to salvage STMs? Tell me your thoughts and let's explore this topic together!

Some resources that have started me on this thought journey:
- When Helping Hurts (book)
- The Very Worst Missionary (blog)
- The Failed Missionary (new podcast)

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