STMs... Or most popularly known as Short-Term Missions

I love this picture of old books and paper

As I've been reading and working on things for school (all the little papers and reports expected of me by LCU), I have read a variety of things about missions. Currently I am reading a book called When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett. It is a very interesting book that looks at how people in missions/ministry sometimes cause more harm than good when developing a ministry, giving relief aid, going on short-term trips, etc. It has a lot of information and things that I was introduced to in various missions classes with Rob and Mike. But it goes a lot deeper and adds a lot more. It's been a very good read. I've read it bits at a time with being in the barrios and helping with a bunch of various projects/events lately. I am almost done with it and hope to be able to finish yet today and write the paper that goes with it. But that's beside the point... The point is by reading When Helping Hurts I have been incredibly challenged by it's explanation of STMs (short-term missions) and its connection to the STM trips I helped plan and lead in my time here in Peru. I have some thoughts and am going to attempt to work through them here. If it doesn't make much sense, I apologize.

A street sign in Warsaw, Poland

First off, I have to confess. I am guilty of participating in STMs, as most Bible college students my age have. I have actually been on 8 (including my 6 month internship). I have been to Ecuador, Italy, Mexico, New Orleans, Poland, Southern Illinois, New England and now Peru doing a wide variety of things on each one. But with being here in Peru on my internship and working with STMs and now reading When Helping Hurts, my love and understanding of STMs is changing. And I kind of feel ashamed of having gone on so many for a variety of different reasons.

Second, a STM ranges in length of days/time. It can range anywhere from a week to two years in length. The most popular is a 10 day to 2 week trip. And 30% of STMs are in the nation of... anyone know?? Mexico. 30% of STMs a year go to Mexico.

Third (and this is the point I'm going to focus on), STMs are very dangerous, but can be helpful in some ways, to the long-term ministry going on in whatever place they go to. One of the biggest ways  STMs are dangerous is financially. When Helping Hurts  lays out some of the financial traps that STMs can fall into. Many times the ministries that are going on are being done by indigenous (national/native... but those aren't commonly used words in the world of missions) leaders. And they are doing these ministries on very small salaries. Here is part of what Steve Corbett writes...

"For example, a highly respected organization equips and manages national evangelists across the continent of Africa. The total annual cost of these evangelist is $1,540 per year for salary (1200), mountain bike (250), and backpack/team shirt/bedroll (90). Another outstanding Christian relief and development organization employs community-level workers doing holistic development work for $1500 to $5000 per year. Contrast these numbers with the expense of doing an STM trip. Spending $20,000 to $40,000 for ten to twenty people to be on location for two weeks or less is not uncommon. The money spent on a single STM team for a one- to two-week experience would be sufficient to support more than a dozen far more effective indigenous workers for an entire year. And we complain about wasteful government spending. The profound stewardship issues here should not be glossed over."

 Those numbers are staggering. And they are part of what made me feel a bit ashamed of having participated in STMs through highschool and college (and even now though its required for my degree). I can't even get an accurate idea of just how much I raised/spent on all 8 of my trips. It's easily close to $20,000 and maybe even more. And what did I do with that money? I paid for airline flights, shots, passports and visas, tourist attractions, souvenirs, craft supplies, food, gifts for the missionaries, and so on and so on. That money could easily have gone to the leaders of the churches there to do the job of day to day ministry much better than my team or I could have in our short 2 weeks in country. I am not saying that I am not appreciative of all of my supporters for all of my various trips (especially my internship). But I am just saying that maybe I didn't think about the long-run effects my trips could make and if I had maybe I wouldn't have gone or maybe I would have chosen different trips. I don't know. It's just a bunch of thoughts and "what-ifs."

The second big danger STMs can be for long-term ministry is that it takes away some of the responsibility and motivation for the indigenous leaders, church and community. Many times STMs go with specific tasks in mind and only 2 weeks in which to get them done. And therefore, they don't waste time in building homes, digging wells, planting trees, etc. And oftentimes they do it without the help and partnership of the indigenous people, letting them off the hook, and giving them no chance to make the changes their own. This is really dangerous because it gives them a reason, an excuse, for being lazy and not helping develop their community or church. This is really not helpful to the missionaries and indigenous pastors/church leaders because they then have to work double-time in order to get people actively involved and away from the idea of if they wait long enough Americans (or other countries) will come on a STM and do it all for them... so why worry? This is no good and causes a lot of extra work and hassle after the STMs leave.

Now, to connect it all to what I have seen first-hand in receiving STMs (obviously I am no expert and am just relaying thoughts). STMs do have benefit. Mostly to the missionaries themselves. I say this because oftentimes, STMs bring pieces of home for us (they brought me all sorts of goodies in October) that help us stay connected with our families and supporting churches. I also say this because a huge benefit for missionaries having STMs visit is that it oftentimes gets more people familiar and connected with the ministry and therefore, more willing to spread the ministry/organization name and support them financially from the States making it possible for the day to day work to continue.

While those are benefits, I can't deny that I have seen some of the dangers. I have seen our church leaders (not our directors/paid staff) sit by while the gringos did the work. But I have also seen the opposite. I have seen the gringos just sit by and not really put forth effort to jump in and participate which led to our leaders doing everything and then not trusting the gringos who came later on different trips to help out (please understand that I am not knocking on the gringos who visited... I am just once again relaying my observations and thoughts in relation to what I have been reading for school). I have seen the money given by gringos overflow in the offering, but the giving of our church family go down. I have seen how we have tons of kids show up to various events because they can get food and a fun craft, but don't want to come to our kids clubs with our church leaders because it's not as fun, flashy, exciting, "American", etc. And I have seen how much time it takes to plan and lead a trip. How much time is taken away from the day to day work that needs to take place here in order to see the Church grow... all for a week that is sometimes quickly forgotten about by all who participate (both those on the STMs and those who live here).

All of this to say that I really don't know what I think about STMs anymore. I see their benefit. But I see their danger. I understand their purpose. But I don't understand the process. It really has me thinking about what I could do to make STMs more effective yet safer for all in the future. Not sure if I have what it takes to come up with anything great or grand or that could really even make a dent in the world of STMs. But I have started thinking through things and coming up with ideas. Writing them down in my internship journal and maybe one day I'll do something with them. I know that if/when I go on trips in the future, I will be careful with how I raise the funds, train myself and the team in preparation, choose where to go and through what organization. And I will do it all with the missionaries, church leaders and community in mind because in the end they are effected much more than I am.

So, there you go. There is my rant, thoughts, opinions, etc. of STMs. It's okay if you are disappointed in them. If you agree or disagree. I would love to hear thoughts and opinions of others as I wrestle more with this topic. But I hope through it all you see how much I am working to just make sense of it and connect it with my education at LCU and my experiences here in Peru, rather than knocking or disregarding STMs and the teams I have met and participated with (both as a team member and an intern/leader). Please, please, please, see that.

This is one of our kid's outreach events that we often do with STMs... the only difference... this one we did with our own leaders and church in Milagro... no gringos (other than me and the Bukta family)

One of the coolest baptisms I have ever seen. Definitely gives a new meaning to the story of the Paralytic whose friends brought him to meet Jesus - Milagro

Worship in Milagro -  this church body is definitely getting the idea of what it means to be a community of believers and leaders to make things change in their barrio

Building a room with one of our directors in 5B/6B (Brayan's barrio). Three weeks after an STM