How Important is a Short-term Mission Team? Part 3

As I began thinking through all that the Lord has been teaching me about short-term teams a few weeks ago, I had no idea He would have me blog this over the course of several weeks.  I am in the middle of nearly six weeks of reflection and writing about short-term mission teams.  The next few weeks will be focusing on aspects of the the team and short-term trips that are critical to mutually beneficial partnerships.

This week the thoughts are leaning in on the team itself.  Often times the group of people who come together for a short-term trip are not all on the same page when it comes to missions.  The range of perspectives is overwhelming.  The thoughts of many as to their role and why they are on the field vary with the same degree of diversity as body types and hair color.  Even to the level of some hair color is nowhere near the original color!

The diversity of the body of Christ is an exciting thing.  The differences in our personalities, abilities and preferences all can be used to strengthen the body.  We as the body of Christ have a unique opportunity to demonstrate to the world the transforming power of the Holy Spirit and His amazing work of grace in our lives.  The key to this diversity becoming a strength and not a liability is in team development.

Every group of people who gather for a specific task or event has active dynamics that drive the group.  The issue is how these dynamics drive the group toward or away from the Gospel centered task of sharing the Good News.    As the team develops it is crucial that an information gathering process takes place to equip the leadership in maximizing the team's strengths and weaknesses within the context of the trip.  This process will help determine the levels of understanding each team member has in regard to the purpose of the trip, the focus of the team and the impact the trip will have on their own lives.

Within the missional community most of the emphasis throughout the years has been on the work the team is going to do.  Again, as mentioned in a previous blog post, this is mostly due to the benevolent nature of most mission trips with the team bestowing upon the mission field blessings and resources.  I would propose that the focal point of a short-term mission team is as much, if not more focused on the team itself.

If we develop mutually beneficial partnerships on the field, then every time we journey to the field both the team and the partner church benefit.  The obvious benefit of the local church is the resources and opportunity for ministry events that come with the team's arrival.  However, the team itself is also a focal point of growth and benefit as the ministry of the field partner impacts and challenges the team.  One pastor shared prior to a trip to an international location, "My folks need to share the Gospel and see result...hear people pray and call on the Lord for salvation and forgiveness.  It is so hard here in the US because they hear no, or feel rejection so often when sharing the Gospel, my folks need to see God's hand at work in lives right in front of them."

The impact of a short-term mission experience can be life changing for the team.  The opportunity to walk along side people whose lives are tough and see the grace of God at work in their daily struggle of life can alter the future of one's life.  Spending time with people who survive off of less than two dollars a day and seem to have joy in their faith can teach some powerful lessons to a blessed mission team.  The journey along side a mission pastor making visits in a rural mountain community and watching him pastor people can stir within the heart of a team a desire to reach their neighbors with the Good News.

So much focus is on what we can do for others who are less fortunate, that we miss the plan of the Father to impact our lives with the work He is doing around the world.  The issue comes down to understanding that God is at work and has invited us to join Him in what He is already doing.  When we commit to step out of our normal daily context and see what God is doing around the world and in other contexts, the Holy Spirit is able to shake us loose from our agenda of life our way.   It is through the uncomfortable parts of a mission trip that the Lord often times shows us the areas of our own faith journey He is working on to change our perspective and focus.  He is using the circumstances around us, on a trip, to speak to our heart about the issues we are reading and praying about.

If short-term mission team leaders will focus their energies on assisting the team in experiencing a life-changing trip in their personal lives, the Lord will use the team to impact the nations through the partnership with the local church.  After all it is the local church the Lord has purposed to use in reaching their community with the Gospel and teaching them the Word.  If the short-term mission team will focus on the relationship it has with the local church and pour itself into the ministry of that local church, then the Lord will use both the team and the local church together to accomplish His work.

So, the challenge is to lead short-term mission teams in a way that promotes life-change in the team as a result of being on the field along side a local church family that is doing the work of reaching and teaching in their own community.  The team itself must be a primary focus of short-term mission team leaders  to maximize the long-term impact each trip has on the team members.  The hope is that each short-term experience develops a passion for the lost, a compassion for those in need and a commitment  to make disciples at every point along the way of this faith journey.  When the leaders of short-term teams focus on the team the team experiences growth over the the course of the trip in a way that brings about life-change and missional living.  These types of mission teams are vital to the long-term work of the Gospel around the world and in our own neighborhoods!