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Why Volunteer to Serve on a Short-Term Mission?

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Why serve on a short-term mission?  So that you might EXPERIENCE GOD!

1. Experience His PASSION
35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Mt. 9:35-38 NIV)

35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! (John 4:35 NKJV)

2. Experience His POWER
Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”  (Mt. 28:18-20 MSG)

8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 NKJV)

3. Experience His PURPOSE for your life
In the same way that you gave me a mission in the world, I give them a mission in the world. (John 17:18 MSG)

It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. (Eph. 1:11 MSG)
Cornelius stared at him in terror. “What is it, sir?” he asked the angel.  And the angel replied, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have not gone unnoticed by God!” (Acts 10:4 NLT)

4. Experience His PLEASURE
The seventy came back triumphant….  At that, Jesus rejoiced, exuberant in the Holy Spirit. “I thank you, Father, Master of heaven and earth, that you hid these things from the know-it-alls and showed them to these innocent newcomers. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way.  (Luke 10:17a, 21 MSG)

6 So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him (Heb. 11:6 NLT)

12 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life— your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. (Rom. 12:1-2 MSG)

What makes short-term missions so conducive to EXPERIENCING GOD?

  1. You go outside your everyday environment and culture.
  2. You intentionally sacrifice to place God first in your life.  (Mt. 6:33)
  3. You immerse yourself in the work of the Great Commission.
  4. You find yourself in a context where you will be tested & must trust God.
  5. You identify unashamedly with Jesus.

Where can I learn about opportunities to go on a short-term mission?

  1. Your own church or denomination’s leadership or missions program
  2. A reputable, established para-church ministry
  3. A recommendation from someone who’s had a positive experience
  4. Missions magazines
  5. Missions conferences

What characteristics of a short-term mission should I be looking for?

  1. It’s led by proven, trustworthy leadership.
  2. It’s sound on essential Christian doctrines (God, Jesus, salvation, etc.).
  3. It emphasizes glorifying God and depending on the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
  4. It targets a region or people of special interest or natural affinity to you.
  5. It provides some advance training & guidance.
  6. It’s developed in partnership with a reputable, effective in-country ministry leader.
  7. It provides multiple opportunities to use your gifts and talents.
  8. It is designed for a high level of interaction with the local people.
  9. It has a singular ministry priority (not competing with other priorities such as sightseeing or shopping).
  10. It nurtures a team of committed, servant-minded, team-oriented individuals.

How can I best prepare to EXPERIENCE GOD on my short-term mission?

  1. Pray regularly about the mission and recruit a personal prayer team.
  2. Be active in personal Bible study & ministries .
  3. Learn some greetings and phrases in the host language.
  4. Get culturally savvy.
  5. Prepare to share the gospel and your testimony simply.
  6. Train & refine ministry skills that will likely be in use on the field.
  7. Read about previous missionary work in your target area.
  8. Study your target people/region.
  9. Prepare practically:  fulfill passport, visa, immunization requirements quickly.
  10. Bond with teammates; meet often; cultivate a unity of vision & purpose.