Growing Your Church

Summer is almost here and Mission trip plans are in high gear in many places. I am already preparing to receive 2 groups this Summer. This is the third time we are receiving mission groups from this particular body. So far, each trip has been of great benefit to the missioners and to us.

As far as I am concerned, the success of our arrangement results from the fact that we approach mission opportunities as partnerships. I cannot say the same for some of the mission arrangements I see around us. Based on what I see still taking place in some neighbouring congregations, I have to ask if all mission outreach trips are mission trips or simply Summer vacations? And who really benefits from these trips?

I couldn’t agree more with Tony Woodlief over at World On The Web. I have often wondered myself and even raised that concern in my earlier article Christian Mission: The Age Of Mission Partnerships.

In Mission Trip or Summer Vacation Woodlief asked the following crucial questions,

So I’m wondering, what should our response be to the onslaught of youth missions this summer? What questions ought we to ask? Should we simply be thankful that young people are showing any interest in missions at all? Should we politely suggest that they can have experiences that are just as meaningful in our own inner cities, children’s hospitals, and poverty-racked rural areas? Should we pony up and keep our mouths shut? Am I a bad Christian for asking?

I encourage planners of Summer mission trips this year to become more conscious of the need to answer these and other tough questions. It is not enough to ‘get youth to do something’ or to provide travel options for retirees. The whole experience should be more than just a ‘cool trip’.

Unfortunately, some Christian youth arrive in a location and leave just as ignorant as they came. Some cannot truly engage the culture since back in their church it is villified anyway. They come passionate about ’saving the natives’ with little knowledge (gleaned from the CIA World Factbook) and very often end up offending their hosts with their ignorance.

Receiving countries of missioners are growing more and more disenchanted with the whole notion of mission trips. And congregations have grown very skeptical and tight-fisted about sponsoring mission-trips that to their mind are either (a) funded vacations (b) neo-imperialism in Christian disguise (c) a waste of their money when they have so many bills to pay (d) who cares about other people in other countries anyway?

Take care as you plan this year.

Peace,
Marvia

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