The Long-Term Impact of Short-Term Missions

A few hours ago, I had a skype telephone discussion with Anne, a senior at Houghton College in NY and who is from my home church in NJ. She babysat for us last New Year's Eve so my wife and I could attend the concert of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra that her father plays the viola in. She's already done some short-term ministry in Mexico and Tanzania (East Africa) and is interested in a ministry internship at our Paris church. I'm excited about some of the high quality candidates like Anne that God is bringing my way. She's interested in things like the 24/7 prayer movement, emergent church ministry, etc. She recently sent in her application and had some follow up questions.

In the Oct 2005 edition of EMQ, I found a helpful article by Randy Friesen titled "The Long-Term Impact of Short-Term Missions." Dr. Friesen is the general director of MBMS International, the international mission agency of the Mennonite Brethren Churches of North America. This article is based on his research data for a doctorate of theology in missiology at the University of South Africa. Randy and his family live in Abbotsford, BC.

He did an extensive research study of 116 short-term missions participants from 5 different short-term missions programs. All of the participants were between the ages of eighteen and thirty and had served on STM assignments ranging from one month to a year from September 2001 to August 2002. Data was collected from these participants over the course of two years in three stages; pre-trip, post-trip and a follow up stage (one year after they returned from their STM).

The research design focused on measuring changes in twenty-four concepts related to participant’s beliefs, attitudes and behaviors in their relationship with God, the church and the world around them. The research project collected 27,000 pieces of statistical data, hundreds of essay type short answers and over thirty taped interviews over the three stages of the data collection.

RESEARCH RESULTS

1. Prefield discipleship = higher change scores.
2. Longer experience = deeper impact.
3. Cross-cultural experience = greater valuation of global church.
4. Teams = greater growth.
5. First-time short termers = broadest positive change
6. Supportive families = retained positive impact.
7. Strong church support = less decline in personal purity.
8. Relational focus = significant positive impact.
9. Female participants = greater spiritual growth.
10. Alumni polarized.
11. Strong interest in future mission work = ongoing positive change.
12. More assignments = greater interest in full-time mission work.
13. Decline in personal purity.
14. Decline in spiritual disciplines.
15. Decline in local church relationship.
16. Regression in positive changes.

IMPLICATIONS FOR CHURCHES, MISSION ORGANIZATIONS AND STM PARTICIPANTS

1. Discipleship training before and after an STM is critical.
2. We must do more to debrief and follow up with STM participants.
3. Supportive families and churches can make a significant positive contribution.
4. Multiple STM experiences are moving young adults deeper into missional life.
5. Participants must be ready for re-entry.
6. The church must support the spiritual health and ongoing discipleship of STM participants.