Intentions in Short Term Mission Trips
Wow- it's been way too long since i've blogged... I've been involved in short term mission work and local church ministry for about ten years now, dating back to when I was finishing high school. It's safe to say that my worldview has really expanded during this time. As I work with teams, prepare groups to serve, and lead trips on the ground, I have the opportunity to serve alongside many different church leaders. One of my favorite things to do, and in my opinion one of the most important aspects of my job in serving with PPM, is to dig into and analyze the intentions of the team. Early on in the preparation process I'm asking a lot of questions of the group leader... Why are you taking this short term mission trip? What are you hoping to accomplish, on a spiritual level? What does success look like for you and your team? How do you feel you'll measure that? What is your philosophy of missions and model of missions within your church? It's alw...