Short-term Mission Trips That Make Sense

The church in the US is very familiar with short-term mission trips. The US evangelical church spends $1.6 billion per year on them[1]. Astonishingly, it is reported that the US church sends out over 1.5 million short-term missionaries each year[2]. As impressive as these numbers are, the sad reality is that only 0.1% of the funds contributed to missions are directed toward evangelizing unreached peoples. Most missionary efforts today are better classified as humanitarian work rather than biblical missions.

Thus only 0.1 percent of the Church’s annual income went to evangelize the unreached peoples! This statistic is an indictment of the Church’s stewardship and convictions regarding the Great Commission.[3] - JD Payne

To the point, when I have the opportunity to share about the Lord’s work in and through PMc in Italy, I first ask my audience about their understanding of missions. Most evangelicals in the US associate missions with relieving poverty, digging wells, starting schools, or constructing buildings in places like the Amazon, India, and Africa. Few US Christians personally know missionaries who are evangelizing, making disciples, planting churches, and training pastors in distant lands.

This summer we were blessed to host a group of eight short-term missionaries for a one-week trip with us in Veneto, Italy (the second scheduled group did not work out). Serving alongside us, they participated in biblical missions on the front lines among a truly unreached people. Here are some key takeaways from our time together.

I. Praiseworthy - Willingness to Serve Even When Advanced in Years

Our youngest short-term missionary this summer was 50 years old. Our oldest was 81. This is not typical.

Short-term mission trips usually attract significantly younger participants. Travel is not easy. It can be very strenuous on the body. The kind of missions work we do at PMc involves lots of walking in hot, humid weather with little to no air conditioning. It means long days back to back. Fatigue is very real when bringing the gospel to unreached people.

Consider the faith of these dear saints. Rather than travel for their own personal interests and pleasures, they answered the call to sacrificially serve so the lost could hear about salvation and true life in Jesus Christ.

The next time you wonder whether you have what it takes or whether you should join a short-term missions trip, remember this group. If they can do it, you likely can too.

At the same time, pray for younger believers to take up the call to trust the Lord and get involved in biblical missions as opportunities arise.

II. Money & Missions are Intricately Linked

Many Christians feel shy about talking about money. Some even feel that money itself is evil. This is simply not true. The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, but money is not (1 Tim. 6:10).

Jesus understood the role of money in the Great Commission. He taught extensively about good stewardship. The truth is that faithful biblical missions work depends on resources being provided. Christians are called to be good stewards who labor diligently so that, with God’s blessing, their resources increase and multiply. This is how missionaries are sent to unreached places.

One brother on our team, Tim, has been gifted by God not only to earn large amounts of money but also to use it generously and wisely for the sake of the gospel. He also trains others to do the same. Many doors open when Christians have surplus and generous hearts. To God be the glory.

On many mission trips, US missionaries are encouraged to dress down so they do not cause nationals to covet. In Italy, however, missionaries need to dress up a bit. Italians are a sophisticated people who pay special attention to how one dresses, presents themselves, and even what and how they eat. Having money in Italy greatly helps missionaries gain a hearing for the gospel. Sadly, many missionaries in Italy struggle to raise support precisely because they focus on evangelism, disciple-making, and church planting rather than humanitarian work. Please pray for missionaries in Italy to be fully funded.

III. Group Evangelism Unites to the Body of Christ

One of the highlights of this cohort was how it brought together people from different backgrounds. One woman came from Dallas, Texas, and joined the rest of the group from Fort Myers, Florida. It is a beautiful thing when believers from different places and churches unite for the common cause of advancing the gospel.

Another precious moment was seeing individuals and families from Vicenza Bible Church come out to support the work of reaching Italians. The church family there is special. The children are blessed with great friendships. My heart was encouraged to see how our work among Italians gave these saints an opportunity not only to share life together but also to labor together for Christ by bringing the gospel to the lost.

Sometimes Christians feel isolated even within a church family. When believers take seriously the call to go to the lost, new and meaningful friendships are formed.

If you are feeling spiritually dry or disconnected, consider that joining others to evangelize may be God’s plan to revive your soul. Consider bringing a couple of friends to serve with us in Italy next summer.

IV. Bassano has Real Potential for a New Church Plant

With the help of this short-term cohort, we were able to officially begin evangelizing the city of Bassano del Grappa—a town of about 42,000 people with no sound biblical church. While there, we made new contacts, scouted the town, and networked with locals. Our hearts were stirred for the people and the place.

Throughout the rest of the summer we will continue reaching out to them, to see some get saved and, Lord willing, to begin a Bible study. We would love to see a new church planted for these people. Please join us in prayer for this.

V. Missionary Kids Excel When Helpers Come Serve

Our children are often involved in much of what we do as missionaries. At the same time, they were born in Italy and have never known any other life. When short-term teams come to serve, everything suddenly becomes very real to them.

I was encouraged to see our kids excited and actively serving with the team. Cornelius helped with preparation, distributed gospel literature daily, helped run the park ministry, and even performed in the puppet shows! Little Bea and Jack sat beside Mommy while she interacted with the puppets, translated, and told the Bible stories.

What a blessing it is to have helping hands that allow our children to get excited about the missionary work God has called our family to do! (Tim buying them gelato every day certainly helped fuel the excitement too!)

VI. Harmony & Unity of Christians Serving is a Light to the World

Sometimes we see immediate fruit from our evangelism. Other times we face resistance and years pass with little visible fruit. What we can fail to notice, however, is the powerful testimony our sacrificial service has on the unbelievers who observe us.

One of our neighbors, for example, was at the open-air market on a day I was there with the group. I can only imagine what went through his mind as he watched me lovingly, patiently, and confidently respond to a rowdy atheist making false claims about Jesus and Scripture. Our life as missionaries in Italy took on a whole new meaning for him that day.

Others at the parks surely noticed our slightly eclectic group—mixed ages, colors, and backgrounds. Despite our differences, by God’s grace we served together in beautiful harmony. The love between Christians is a bright light to the lost world. It is a glimpse of the true church of Christ and true humanity. This is no small thing. Let us always strive for unity—the very thing to which we have been called.

Maybe next year, you too can be part of the action. Consider making plans to join a Vision Trip or Short-term Cohort! You can help bring gospel transformation to the people of Italy.

Interested in serving as a career missionary to Italy? Learn more about long-term missions in Italy HERE.

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. — Rom. 15:5-7

Written by Jesse Schreck | founder, director, and missionary church planter in Italy with Practical Missions Cohort

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Interested in learning more about Biblical Missions and Missionary Church Planting in Italy? Visit practicalmissions.org.

To see and be more involved with the frontline work in Italy, come join our Discord community — The Italian Cohort.

Footnotes:

1“Wuthnow estimates that Americans spend $1.6 billion on short-term mission trips each year.” Quoted in J. D. Payne, Kingdom Expressions: Trends Influencing the Advancement of the Gospel (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012), 117; citing Robert Wuthnow, Boundless Faith: The Global Outreach of American Churches (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2009), 167.

2 J. D. Payne, Apostolic Imagination: Recovering a Biblical Vision for the Church’s Mission Today (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2022), 52.

3 J. D. Payne, Apostolic Imagination: Recovering a Biblical Vision for the Church’s Mission Today (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2022), 52.

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