But Why Should I Go? (Part 3)
August 02 2011
After looking at the “Why” and the “I”, now we turn our attention to “Where” you should GO.
Of the various components to the question we have been addressing, this is likely the toughest one to sort out. Now you will find yourself compelled to pray and contemplate what skills God has given you that He might have you use on a mission trip and also evaluating your weaknesses and thinking of how and where God might help you address those chinks in your armor.
Probably the first bit of counsel I would offer to you if you are contemplating your first short-term mission trip is to pick as long a trip as is possible for you to attend. God can and will teach you much as you are serving Him on the field, but certainly trips that are three to six weeks in length are going to present you with far more opportunities to grow than will a shorter one to two week trip. The shorter trips may ensure you never get off the emotional high of a trip that I would liken to a “honeymoon” experience, but certainly the opportunities for developing lasting relationships and growing in your understanding of the realities facing Christ’s Church and His servants will not be nearly as comprehensive as if you had spent several weeks or months observing and laboring with the host pastors, elders, deacons and other church workers.
Another positive of the longer short-term trips is that they will give you a glimpse into how Christ is at work building His kingdom as you actually get to see people grow in faith and understanding. Team members on the longer trips can attest to the depth of relationships they are able to form in the community and congregation over a month or two that just isn’t possible when on a one week mission trip.
One of the most troubling new trends in short-term missions is that a majority of short-term trips now are less than one week in length. While short trips may give you glimpses into another culture and grant a fleeting glimpse into the work of our brothers and sisters laboring in other churches, it tends not to further one’s desire to pursue missions as a calling, nor does it often inspire participants to become financial mission supporters. Also, in that week on a mission trip, it is unlikely that the participant will be significantly changed or grow. At the first signs of challenge, the participant can merely begin the countdown to their return to the normality of life back home and never really have to confront those issues which God can use cross-cultural ministry, homesickness, language barriers, and other components of missions to point out.
Over the 15 years that Christ has been pleased to allow RP Missions to send out teams, we have noted that those who participate on a longer mission trip are much more likely (almost 60%) to go back to serve again on another short-term trip. This is due in large part to the relationships which were formed the previous year, their grasp on the philosophy and vision of ministry possessed by the host congregation and out of a desire to witness for themselves what Christ and His Holy Spirit have accomplished over the year that they have been away. These glimpses are a great encouragement to participants as they get to witness the power of God’s Word affecting real lives. And from the host congregation’s perspective, it is great to see familiar faces return again year after year as that also testifies to the relational attachment of the participants with the congregation and confirms that the participants aren’t only looking for a holiday or an escape from their work back home.
So now that you are looking for a longer mission trip, the next thing to ask yourself is, “What kind of ministry am I interested in undertaking?” RP Missions now has a whole variety of trips that may interest you, would you like to participate in an overseas trip (open to those 18 years and older) or are you feeling a tug at your heart to serve closer to home (domestic missions are open to those 16 years and older)? Are you more interested in missions in a metropolitan area or would you rather seek to serve a congregation seeking to serve Christ in more rural areas? At this point you would be well served to spend a bit of time reviewing the various trips on our website (www.rpmissions.org) to see which of them might interest you, use your skills, and provide you opportunities to acquire new skills and talents.
I hope these posts have been helpful and if you have further questions about serving with RP Missions on a short-term mission trip, please don’t hesitate to email me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or call Matt at (724)384-8327 and I will be happy to try to answer them.
Comments
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Jayden 04:07pm, 11/19/2011
Kudos! What a neat way of tihknnig about it.
