Examples of Successful Short-Term Ministries, According to Receiving Churches

The book of Acts shows the early church accomplishing the Great Commission. It even shows short-term ministry trips being used. Acts 8 describes two such trips where the Church moved beyond Judea into Samaria: Philip’s preaching of the gospel (8:4–13) and Peter’s affirmation of the Samaritans’ conversion (8:14–25). The purpose of this article is to offer churches, organizations, and individuals a model to replicate the early church’s practice today. Short-Term Ministry trips (STMs) can serve as effective tools for the carrying out of the Church’s mission. To do this we must define success and observe examples of success.

Success Defined

No ministry will succeed without intentional planning. Here are four criteria that sending churches can use to plan for and measure the success of STMs.

It Is Biblically Informed

STMs can easily be taken over by a shallow understanding of Scripture, often in ecclesiology, that limits a trip’s effectiveness. But Matthew 28:19 presents a clear mandate for all missions, including STMs: “Make disciples of all the nations.” That entails the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ and all its implications. Therefore, in planning an STM a church must ask, “Does it fulfill, directly or indirectly, the Great Commission?” Philip’s pioneer preaching of the gospel was direct fulfillment, whereas indirect fulfillment would mean facilitating opportunities for gospel proclamation. But all successful STMs will be guided by Christ’s mission for His church; they will be biblically informed.

It Strengthens the Church

Ephesians 4:11–16 describes sequentially the means that result in a mature church. The end result is “the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love” (v. 16). Churches must ask whether an STM will play a role, directly or indirectly, in building up the local, receiving church, and whether it will generate greater love within that body of believers. Peter’s ministry in Samaria was such a trip, affirming the young believers, praying with them, and speaking the Word to them.

It Meets Clearly Defined, Mutually Agreed-Upon Goals

When the sending and receiving churches of an STM disagree on the trip’s scope and goals, its success will be stunted. For that reason, it is critical that there be clear, up front communication in terms of what should be accomplished. While there is no problem with a sending church setting goals for its STM, it should make sure they complement the established goals of the receiving church.

It Creates Lasting Relationships

There is a natural bonding that occurs between STM team members and/or individuals of the receiving church. However, one of the greatest blessings that STMs provide is the long-lasting relationship established between the sending and receiving “sister churches.” Their mutual edification as bodies may include co-laboring, fellowship, mentorship, discipleship, resource sharing, encouragement, and regular STM visits. Even if the activities that an STM performs could have been done by the locals of the receiving church, the trip still affords the two churches a spiritual and ministerial bond that is truly irreplaceable.

Examples

Once the sending church has established the fundamentals that are needed for an STM to be successful, it is ready to engage in practical activities that will carry out Christ’s unstoppable cause for the church. Following is a brief list of such activities that have proven effective, especially in the country of Honduras.

Evangelism

Many countries afford various opportunities to engage in direct evangelism. By God’s providence, Honduras has allowed active public evangelism, and one such practice is door-to-door evangelism. This is an effective method for STMs there, as many of the families visited become connected to the local church. This gives the local church the opportunity to engage in subsequent follow-up once the STM team has left.

Children’s Vacation Bible School

The population of Honduras averages relatively young. Reaching the children helps reach parents and whole communities. STM-organized Vacation Bible Schools have been very successful in gathering children to introduce them to the Bible and the gospel. The receiving indigenous church must gather pertinent contact information to then follow up with the parents of these children. I have personally seen the Lord use this method to reach families with the gospel.

Medical Brigades

Physical needs abound, especially in third-world countries. Such is the case in Honduras. Short-term medical brigades have provided needs including dental work, general medicine, and specialized medical care. Importantly, these opportunities allow Christians to speak to the patient’s greatest need, their sin-sick heart. As the medical team treats various physical ailments, other members of the team are ready to speak to the patients and their families, proclaiming the hope that is only found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. This ministry has also opened the doors for biblical counseling to address unbiblical thinking and practices that lead to ailments.

Facility Improvements

Construction may be viewed by some as outside the scope of ministry. However, facility improvements provide indirect fulfillment of the Great Commission. Most of the book of Nehemiah is a narrative of the building of the protective walls of Jerusalem. The rebuilt walls were integral to God’s restoration and preservation of His people from which the Messiah would one day come. The building of the walls was thus indirectly connected to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Similarly, STMs can provide improvements that enhance gospel ministry and involve team members with non-teaching spiritual gifts.

Conferences

Pastors conferences have proven to be very effective, especially since each pastor in attendance represents impact on an entire congregation. Conferences are a great way to whet the appetite of the attending pastors to handle Scripture in the same way as the conference speaker. This is the case of the conference ministry at Ministerios Evangelicos de Las Americas (MEDA) in Honduras. The impact of conferences gave birth to MEDA’s Seminary for Expository Preaching.

Conclusion

STMs go beyond learning experiences that benefit believers temporarily; they have eternal value. In fact, many long-term missionaries began on an STM, and as mentioned, the Lord has added souls to His church through STMs. Churches must plan for and evaluate success to realize the eternal value. The fundamentals and activities described here will help them do just that in the unstoppable cause of Christ through His church.