Short-Term Missions Survey Results – Part 3
Today, let’s look at the responses to the fourth question of the survey. This question and the responses take the conversation regarding short-term missions to the next level. I’d love to read your thoughts about the responses.
Here’s the question along with the responses:
What is the number one question yo have about going on a short-term missions trip?
- What is the best way to gather money to go on a short-term missions trip?
- Cost?
- Why not do something in your neighborhood first?
- What will we do that my gifts connect to?
- What impact will this have on those that I’m serving?
- Could the money spent on my trip be better used by local long-term workers?
- What will we be doing?
- What are we doing?
- When you go with an organization, how much money goes to the organization compared to helping the people?
- Cost and effect on home life?
- Am I hurting or helping?
- Does what we’re doing matter?
- Safety and mobility?
- How much would a passport and other important papers cost?
- Cost?
- Can I stay longer?
- Why go abroad when people in America need help?
- I’m not really sure. I’ve always appreciated the experience and never thought to question much.
- What are they?
- Who else is going? What’s the agenda/itinerary?
- What are my/the students intentions for going on this trip?
- I’m a missionary, so I handle teams. The big questions I deal with is safety, food, and schedule.
- I haven’t thought that much about it so I don’t know what questions to ask.
- Why not just spend the money instead of spending it to go?
- How do I make time?
- Does it benefit those you go to serve or does it just offer a chance for travel and cause the local missionaries added burdens?
- Does it help the people served?
- How do you choose a place to go, or rather how do you know when God is pointing you in that direction?
- Some are called.
- What is the purpose? Is it to really help empower the church in that city?
- My main concern is to connect with a local missionary and tap into what is already going on – one week is not enough to make any lasting difference. A group swoops in and does stuff and feels good about themselves… not really helpful. But to go back to the same place over and over and support the local work then and in between – that is I think more helpful and building on a foundation.
- How to mobilize our small busy church?
Cost and long-term impact seem to be at the center of many of the responses. The responses give me a lot to process as I move down the road with my project. I really appreciate the thoughts so far.
What do you think about the responses? I’d love to read your thoughts.
If you didn’t take the survey yet, please click here to add your responses.