God is using short-term mission experiences to deepen the commitment to world evangelization and ignite the love of God in new ways in the hearts of old and young people alike. While serving in another culture the short-term missionary sees first-hand some of the lostness of the world's peoples, and some of the hurts and needs in other cultures. As a result, many return home with a new sense of God, a new commitment to participate personally in world evangelization, and a new fire burning to make their lives count for God!

This fire continues to burn for may short-term workers. Some go on the become career missionaries. Others become significantly involved in the on-going missions thrust of their church, where God can use their experiences as 'sparks' to ignite others with a commitment to world evangelization.

But other short-term workers do not remain actively committed to missions. Their enthusiasm for world missions is dulled by the pressing concerns of North American life. How can the local church encourage these individuals to stay vitally involved in world evangelization? Andrew Murray, a famous South African preacher, said that in order to win the world for Jesus Christ, a man must "first be conquered and set on fire by God." How can your church keep the fire burning among its short-term missionaries?

Keeping the following three areas in mind will help your church maximize the experiences of short-term missionaries.

Stewardship perspective

Encourage your short-term workers to view themselves as stewards of their short-term experiences. These experiences are given not only for personal edification, career guidance, or a onetime contribution to missions. They are given to individuals, by God, to be used for the good of the local church. Short-term workers need to build what they have learned into the lives of others, and help the local church move forward in missions.

This means that short-term workers should be carefully screened before they are selected and sent by the local church. Those not presently involved in the life of the church, nor willing or able to be multipliers of their vision upon their return, are not the best candidates for the church's investment. Short-term workers should view themselves as stewards of their experiences for the good of their local church.

Reentry process

Short-term workers need to be adequately debriefed and helped to process their experiences upon their return. They need to reflect upon what they saw God do, that which changed in their own attitudes, perspectives, and priorities, and what they learned about their gifts and abilities. These subjects need to be dealt with lovingly, carefully, and with others who can help the short-term worker evaluate and respond to their findings.

Short-term workers need people from their church who will listen reflectively over a period of months as the workers integrate their new experiences into their home culture. They need those who will understand what they are feeling and encourage them in their learning process. They need individuals who will direct them toward practical, useful ways to become catalysts for missions in the church. Meeting and sharing with others who have had similar experiences is also important.

Short-term missionaries also need positive, objective feedback (in writing) about their experiences. A simple evaluation form, shown to the short-term workers before their assignments and completed their return (by mission or church leaders who were involved during their short-terms), would be helpful. This will show your short-term workers how others saw their strengths, and direct them toward areas to work on as they prepare for future ministry.

This long-range reentry process is the responsibility of the local church. Where this process is lacking, shot-term workers often feel like isolated logs, whose fires gradually die, because they are not stoked and set beside others whose fires are burning.

Follow-up steps

A follow-up plan needs to be developed to help prepare each short-term worker for future ministry. The individual involved, local church leaders, and denomination or mission agency representatives should be involved in design of this plan, whenever possible.

Short-term workers need to be cared for, supported, and folded back into the life of their local church. Those gifts and strengths that were identified during the individuals short-term experience need to be used in the local church, where they can be observed, confirmed, and developed. Short-term workers should also be encouraged to involve themselves in the ongoing missions ministry of the local church. Where appropriate, short-term workers need to be guided toward career missionary service.

When short-term workers begin to view themselves as stewards of their short-term experiences, when a reentry process has been established, and follow-up steps have been planned, then the fires that have been lit in the lives of your short-term missionaries will continue to burn! Count Von Zinzendorf, co-founder of the Moravian missionary movement, said, "The more intensely the fire of God burns in the heart, the more surely it will burn into those around us." As you seek to keep the fire burning in the lives of your short-term missionaries, they in turn can ignite others, and the flame of world evangelization will burn bright.


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