The Johnson's in Mexico City

Paul & Nydia Johnson, direct the Spearhead program, Latin America Mission's short-term mission's program in Mexico City, fostering relations with local Mexican pastors, defining ministry options for young people, developing training courses and materials, providing member care for Spearhead volunteers and serving with a local Mexican church to reach others with the good news of Jesus Christ.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Are Short-Term Missions Effective? How does Spearhead rate?

By Paul Johnson, Spearhead Director

This question has been asked by many recently. The July 2005 web edition of Christianity Today (1) dedicated various articles to this theme and a recent edition of Missiology: An International Review October 2006 also addressed this theme. Some of the questions being asked are: Do short-term missions really accomplish the goals their proponents say they accomplish? Are more individuals committing to long-term missions? Are they developing a larger world vision and a less ethnocentric approach to life and a deeper financial commitment to missions? Are they making a positive impact in the host country?

These questions are very important for the church today when the number of youth and church members of all ages, participating in short-term mission trips has increased dramatically. Likewise, practitioners of short-term missions ought to reflect on the questions being raised.

One of the articles in Missiology suggests that “Since a majority of STM groups travel to regions where indigenous believers and churches are already present, then the nature of their relations with host Christians needs to move to the foreground of our analysis…” (2) and that “the receiving local church must be respected as a source of authority and as the key to any long-term ministry gains.”(3)

It is encouraging to note, that in Spearhead’s 35+ years we have sought to establish strong, enduring relations with the church in Mexico and in other parts of Latin America. For example, I know of Spearhead volunteers who came with Spearhead in the summer of 1984 and continue to have regular contact with their host family and church more then 20 years later. This is not an isolated example. Furthermore, a key point in LAM and Spearhead’s principles is that we work with and under local Latin leadership. We assign Spearhead volunteers to work under the leadership of local Mexican pastors and ministry leaders who guide, and in some cases, mentor and disciple these young adults in Christian ministry service.

Additional conclusions from this article include that short-term missionaries ought to be viewed “…as “trainees” rather than “helpers,” and suggests putting their supervision and spiritual formation directly in the hands of the overseas churches they serve.” (4) Again, in Spearhead we aim to have our volunteers viewed exactly in this light (i.e. as trainees) and encourage our national partners to provide this type of leadership and spiritual guidance. We are not always successful in reaching this goal, but we can share many specific examples where this has taken place.

An important aspect in analyzing the effectiveness of short-term missions is considering the types of experiences which provide positive results in the long run. I believe that Spearhead’s commitment to working under national leadership, studying Spanish to minister directly in the language, and identifying with the people through cultural immersion and living with Mexican host families, gives just such results. I can name many individuals whose experience on Spearhead shaped their life direction in concrete ways and served as a key influence in their current professions as missionaries, teachers, pastors, and as business people.

In Spearhead we are constantly seeking to evaluate what we do and why we do what we do in order to be more effective in reaching our goals. Towards this end, we are aiming to improve our intensive Spanish program, examining how we facilitate cultural adjustment and service under national leadership, and providing better follow through with participants once they leave the program. We are also interested in analyzing the type of impact Spearhead has had on the national church. Ultimately, we are encouraged that scholars are now seeing short-term missions as a serious area for missiological research and investigation and we invite them to make Spearhead a focus of this investigation.(5)

Are short-term missions effective? Research suggests that it depends on various factors. How does Spearhead rate? In light of recent research we seem to be heading in the right direction, but concrete investigation is needed so that we can more adequately evaluate the outcome of our efforts. Our prayer is that the Lord would continue to guide us as we seek to improve and serve Him more faithfully.

1. See http://www.ctlibrary.com/ct/2005/julyweb-only/
2. Missiology: An International Review, Vol 34, No. 4; October 2006, Special Edition, p. 429 emphasis mine.
3. Ibid.
4. Zehner, Edwin, “Short-Term Missions: Toward a More Field-Orientated Model” in Missiology: An International Review, p. 509.
5. If you or someone you know would be interested in making Spearhead a focus of their master’s or doctoral research project please contact us at Spearhead@lam.org.

(Reprinted from the Spearhead Frontline Focus, Spring/Summer 2007, Volume 36, No. 1)