One reason missions has a tendency to fall off our radar is that it can feel so removed from our everyday lives. Evangelism, discipleship, Biblical counseling, are good and worthy works that we do unto the glory of the Lord right here and right now, while missions, by definition, happens across boundaries and borders. Yet, missions is a work that has been given to the church. It’s our responsibility to do our part in helping ensure that the gospel of Jesus Christ is carried to every nook and cranny of creation.
We’re closing in on the end of a 10-week series of missions articles that we’re calling “From Ojai to the Nations.” As this series draws to a close, we’re dedicating the last few weeks to consider what it looks like for our small church here in Ojai, to “roll up our sleeves and get to work” in the task of global missions. Two weeks ago, we discussed the power and importance of laboring in PRAYER for global missions. Then, last week, we began thinking together about the place of short-term ministry trips to PARTICIPATE in global work. However, since not every ministry trip is the same, we focused first on short-term service trips This week, we’ll focus on short-term mission trips.
Thinking Carefully about Mission Trips
While the primary goal of a service trip is to meet physical needs, the goal of short-term mission trips is to meet spiritual needs. Those on short-term service trips go with a hammer in hand, while those on short-term mission trips go with a Bible in hand. Still not all short-term mission trips look the same. In “Prioritizing Missions in the Church” Aaron Menikoff & Harshit Singh helpfully point out that there are a variety of reasons why a short-term missions team might be sent. They suggest five:
Exploratory mission trips - A team goes to meet missionaries or mission partners in the field to decide whether or not to partner with them and what kind of partnership would be most helpful.
Encouraging mission trips - A team goes to visit missionaries simply to encourage and put wind in their sails, remembering that missionaries are normal people who need to be encouraged to endure.
Equipping mission trips - A team goes to pour into local and indigenous leaders in order to equip them for faithful and fruitful ministry. This often looks like pastor training where there are no seminaries.
Evangelistic mission trips - This is what we typically think when we hear about a missions trip. A team goes to partner with local churches and missionaries in their work of preaching the gospel.
Exposure mission trips - A team goes to the mission field to expose potential long-term missionaries to a particular language, culture, and people. These trips help them evaluate their calling and fitness for a life of cross-cultural ministry.
Today I want to focus on the kind of short-term mission trips we’re most familiar with: evangelistic mission trips.
Potential Roadblocks to Evangelistic Mission Trips
We love the zeal that short-term teams bring to the mission field. However, most people on these trips face two roadblocks that can get in the way of accomplishing their great commission goal:
The language barrier - While we don’t need to speak the language of the people we serve on service trips, explaining the gospel and teaching the scriptures cannot happen apart from clear and fluent verbal communication.
The time limit - Even if we know the language or have a translator, short-term mission trips quickly come to an end. Most people do not come to Christ in one gospel conversation, but after a longer time of wrestling and asking questions.
These roadblocks, though obvious, are considerable. Most people in America who go on short-term mission trips only speak one language and have to get back to work, school, and their families in 1-10 days. However, this doesn’t mean that there is no place for short-term evangelistic mission trips. Rather, it means that we need to think carefully about what a mission team can do to bypass these roadblocks and come alongside the work that the Lord is already doing. Here are three ways to do that:
Submit to those already there. Short-term evangelistic missions teams ought never be the first to bring the gospel to people groups where there are no known believers, indigenous churches, or established Christian workers. Rather, these teams should plan trips to a mission field where the work of Christian ministry has already been started by missionaries or local churches. Since these churches and missionaries know the culture, the language, and the needs of their community, the best thing for a missions team to do is humbly allow those already ministering there to dictate the size, shape, and priorities of the trip.
Join what’s already happening. While short-term teams don’t know the language, the local churches and missionaries do. While short-term missions teams won’t be there long, the local churches and missionaries will be there long after we’ve returned home. Therefore, the short-term missions team should go to the field asking, “How might we help support the work that’s already happening here?” This might look like helping a missionary put on an English camp where the missions team practices English with non-believing locals or helping a local church host a Vacation Bible School for their community. By helping with outreaches like these, those who live locally and are fluent in the language can then follow up with attendees, walking with them years after the trip is over.
Encourage locals for the long haul. Though I said I would focus on evangelistic trips, I can’t help but mention the important way a short-term team can minister to those doing long-term work. While on the field, the team should communicate to the missionaries and churches that we delight in them as brothers and sisters in Christ as much as we rejoice in the ministry they’re doing. We should make it our goal, in other words, not just to put our hands to the plow with them, but to put wind in their sails for the long work ahead.
Women’s Field Trip: All FBCO women are invited to come fellowship and create together at Firefly Ceramics in Ventura on Wednesday, June 24. We’ll meet at the church at 11:20 AM to carpool down together. Plan on a few hours to choose and paint your project. The church will pay the studio fee, but each person will be responsible for your own project. Bring a sack lunch or snacks and water. Come join us!
Missions Month Activities:
Book Discussion: This Monday, June 22, we’ll discuss Prioritizing Missions in the Church by Aaron Menikoff and Harshit Singh. Pick up a copy in the foyer and read before our meeting. Suggested donation is $10.
Vacation Bible School: We will be partnering with Redemption again for an exciting new VBS this summer the week of July 20-24. It is called “The Defenders: The Last Stand” and is the last installment of the trilogy! It runs from 9 AM to noon for ages 5-12. If you would like to register your kids or volunteer to help, the QR codes for both are in the foyer on the bulletin board. We need lots of volunteers to make this happen, so sign up soon!
There will be no sermon questions this summer, as we encourage our small groups to take a break from meeting. This gives leaders a chance to rest, makes it easy for people to jump back in to small groups come fall, and, most importantly, frees up a little more time in your schedule to join us for some other summer community and discipleship opportunities. We’d love to see you at the following events this summer. Keep your eyes open for more!
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