Leverage Your Short-Term Mission Trips for Long-Term Goals

I’ve often wondered how the Apostle Paul would utilize modern technology in missions. Would he eagerly promote the short-term missions (STM) surge to the nations? While I’m confident he’d leverage global travel and communication technology for the gospel’s sake, just as he did in his day, I wonder if he’d encourage the majority of STM work among evangelicals in the West.

According to both data and my own observation, the vast majority of STM is designed toward social ministry and poverty relief, with teams comprised primarily of teenagers and youth. If we believe that Acts provides us a template for Great Commission ministry—that Paul and the apostles teach us how to obey Jesus regarding missions—perhaps it’s time to reevaluate our STM strategies in light of the New Testament

STM AND THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH

Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt 28:19–20). How did Paul and the apostles carry out that mission? In short, they preached the gospel and established churches.[1] They evangelized, and as people came to faith, they gathered a church where the Word was rightly preached and the ordinances rightly administered. The local church became the context where God’s people were taught to obey all that he has commanded.

Paul and the apostles planted flags for King Jesus in unreached places by establishing churches to glorify God in what they believed and how they lived. These churches, in turn, continued to advance the gospel around the world.

But let’s not forget: Paul remained committed to the spiritual health and doctrinal fidelity of the churches he established (and even those that he didn’t, e.g. the church at Rome). Each of Paul’s three major missionary journeys included return visits. He worked to strengthen both the churches and the brothers who pastored them (Acts 14:22; 15:41; 16:5; 18:23).