Re-Thinking Short-Term Missions

If I asked you to name some missionaries in the New Testament, what would your answer be? Paul, Peter, Timothy. Maybe if you really thought about it you would include Titus, Luke, Silas, and Barnabas. Maybe you’d even get a few more.

But did you know that the Bible names over 30 different men and women doing some form of short or long-term missionary work? Over 30 men and women traveling throughout the Mediterranean and beyond for the sake of the gospel: by name; and there are more that go unnamed. Though the Bible never differentiates between long and short-term missions, that is a modern concept.

Mission trips are Biblical; we see them demonstrated throughout the New Testament age. But, we need to grasp the who, and the what of these trips. So, who was going on missions?

Well, to start, they were always adults. They were both men and women. They were trustworthy men and women with good standing in their churches, sometimes they are called apostles or deacons, meaning they were qualified and had been tested before having this work committed to them. Sometimes they were prophets in their churches, and they were respected in their home church. Sometimes they were chosen and sent by their church, and sometimes they were chosen by Paul himself; and he only chose people who were honest, well reported of by the brethren, and that he could recommend to other churches. They are frequently called faithful, servants, and labourers.

And what were these men and women doing?

They were preaching the gospel, travelling to various parts of the Mediterranean and beyond. They were also supporting and ministering to Paul’s needs as he preached or when he was imprisoned. They were sent to other places to fill in for other missionaries, like Titus and Timothy. They were left behind by Paul after his initial preaching to establish the church; teaching; revisiting churches to make sure they hadn’t gone into error; reporting back about these churches to Paul; telling these churches about him and his other work or how he was going while in prison. They were delivering letters from Paul and other apostles, sometimes a single letter went to multiple churches; transporting finances, sometimes this was a gift to another church in need, sometimes this was for the brethren in Jerusalem and Judea, and sometimes it was financial support specifically for Paul and those he was with, so they could continue preaching the gospel.

(See: Acts 15:32, 15:40, 19:22, 19:29, 20:4, 27:2; Romans 16:1, 1 Corinthians 16:17,

2 Corinthians 4:20, Ephesians 6:21, Philippians 2:25, 4:18, Colossians 1:7, 4:7, 4:12, 4:9-10; Titus 3:12-3,  Philemon 1:23-24, 1 Peter 5:12-13)

Take Aristarchus, for example, from Thessalonica in Macedonia. He traveled with Paul to Ephesus where he was taken by the crowd during riots over the goddess Diana. He also travelled with Paul and others into Asia. He accompanied him when he was prisoner on his journey to Rome. He was later imprisoned with Paul in Rome, and was present when he wrote his letter to Philemon. Church tradition says he was martyred during the reign of Nero, probably around the same time as Paul in approximately 67 AD. (See Acts 19:29, 20:4, 27:2, Colossians 4:10, Philemon 1:24)

Or Epaphras, he was teaching and ministering in the church at Colossae, church tradition says he started the church. Later it is reported that he was with Paul in Rome when he wrote to the church. Paul describes him fervently labouring in prayer for the churches in Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis, a faithful minister, a dear fellow servant, and having great zeal. He is later imprisoned with Paul in Rome. Church tradition states he was later released and returned to Colossae. (See Colossians 1:7, 4:12-13, Philemon 1:23)

Or Tychicus, originally from Asia. He accompanied Paul from Greece, travelling across  Asia with a group of other men to Jerusalem. He delivered some of Paul’s epistles written from Rome, including Ephesians and Colossians. He is described as a faithful minister, fellow servant, and beloved brother. He is flagged as a possible interim for Titus on Crete while he travels to visit Paul. And church tradition holds that he died a martyr. (See Acts 20:4, Ephesians 6:21, Colossians 4:7, Titus 3:12)

A picture emerges. These missions trips were taken by those as capable as the missionaries themselves, and they were often doing the same work as the missionary. They were undertaken by men and women who had been tried and tested, who stood firm in their faith. Men capable of preaching the gospel, who could faithfully teach and instruct the church in the missionary’s stead, or alongside the church leaders. Adults willing to be imprisoned and die for their faith.

Together or individually we have been on numerous international short-term mission trips, as well as hosting multiple teams and individuals in-country when we were full-time missionaries. We have seen the good (and the bad) of short-term missions. It is a topic we feel passionately about, but these mission trips also forced us to re-think the who, what and why of missions. Because today, to many people, mission trips have become a rite of passage for Christian teens, or they are viewed as some kind of sacred pilgrimage that all Christians should experience, and they often involve immature and inexperienced Christians. Many short-term missions are presented as “service and…”They include an opportunity to ‘live your faith’, ‘get a better world view’, ‘have a life changing experience’, or ‘give your spiritual life a boost.’ And while these don’t necessarily seem wrong on the surface, they also don’t fit with the Biblical picture above.

A few months after we arrived in Niugini full-time, we found ourselves trying to reconcile a range of emotions. We lived in a rotting and mouldy, rat and cockroach-infested house that leaked in the rain that occurred daily for 9 months of the year. We were intensely spiritually oppressed, constantly sick and struggling, going through culture shock, surrounded by death, warfare and demonic worship. Honestly, being a missionary felt like a punishment. But it was also a privilege. An amazing privilege. We saw firsthand God working in a way that most Christians never know. We had been chosen by God for this work. We didn’t have the skills or the knowledge but we had God and his power, strength and wisdom. It was an honour to be his missionaries.

LESSONS FROM THE MISSION FIELD

That battle of emotions was really a battle between pride and humility. The spiritual and physical struggles were very real, but the idea that “I don’t deserve this suffering” came from a focus on self. In Luke 17, Jesus gives a description of what a person with faith that can move a mountain looks like: He is like a servant who works all day in the fields and when he is finished the day’s work, he still has more work to serve his master. The master doesn’t invite the servant inside to be served, rather he gives the servant more to do. And only after this extra work will the servant finally tend to his own needs. He possibly isn’t even thanked by his master (Luke 17:7-9). Jesus finishes with this:

So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. (Luke 17:10)

We had to recognise that we were nothing in the equation but the Lord’s servants. We had to shift our focus from self to God. Because at its heart, that’s the basis of all missionary work, the humility to know we are nothing, and God is everything.

It was these lived experiences that helped us grasp an underlying issue with many modern missions: they are often focused on what “I” will get out of the experience. But that is never the focus of missions in the Bible. The focus of all missions in the Bible is service alone. Service to God and to others: the unsaved, to the church being visited or to help the missionary. When the focus shifts to what the people going will get out of it, the trip is no longer about humble service, it’s about self.

Our missions need to line up with the who and what God has given in His word. But most importantly, we all need to make sure the why lines up with God’s mission. Missions must be about God and His kingdom, His love, His gospel, His message, His forgiveness, His sacrifice, His church, His desires, His plans, and His salvation. After all, we are nothing but humble servants in His kingdom doing our duty.

Made for His Glory,

Named Missionaries in the New Testament:

1. Paul	10. John Mark	19. Erastus	28. Achaicus	37. Bartholomew
2. Titus	11. Phebe	20. Sosthenes	29. Gaius	38. Andrew
3. Silas/Silvanus	12. Priscilla	21. Sopater	30. Epaphras	39. Matthew
4. Timothy	13. Aquila	22. Secundus	31. Philip (E)	40. Thaddaeus
5. Barnabas	14. Onesimus	23. Demetrius	32. Simon Peter	41. Simon
6. Luke	15. Demas	24. Apollos	33. Philip (A)
7. Artemas	16. John	25. Trophimus	34. Thomas
8. Tychicus	17. Epaphroditus	26. Stephanus	35. James (Z)
9. Zenas	18. Stephanus	27. Forunatus	36. James (A)

The missionary endeavours of all 12 apostles are not recorded in the Bible, but I have included them all in the list, because from other historical documents we know they all travelled to preach the gospel.