Short-Term Missions

Definition and Meaning

Short-term missions refers to mission work in which church members visit a mission field for a brief period, in contrast to long-term missionaries who remain on the field for a lifetime or for several years at a time. Trips usually last one to two weeks, though some participants stay for about a year.

The term vision trip emphasizes the trip's character as an opportunity for observation, in which participants see a mission field firsthand and come to recognize the need for missions. It is used mainly when the emphasis falls on learning and experience rather than on ministry. In Korean churches, however, the two terms are often used almost interchangeably.

Biblical and Historical Background

Churches that conduct short-term missions cite the following passages in support of the practice:

• Jesus sending out the twelve disciples and the seventy two by two to preach for a short period (Matthew 10; Luke 10:1)
• The church at Antioch setting apart Barnabas and Paul and sending them out (Acts 13:1-3)
• Paul's several missionary journeys (Acts)

Short-term missions in their modern form grew substantially from the mid-twentieth century onward within Western evangelicalism, particularly among young people. YWAM (Youth With A Mission), founded in the United States in 1960, is known as a leading organization for mobilizing short-term missions; its Korean branch is YWAM Korea.

In Korea, overseas short-term missions increased rapidly from the 1990s, following the full liberalization of overseas travel in 1989.

Practice in Korean Churches

Short-term missions are widely practiced across denominations. Their form varies less by denomination than by the size of the church and the department organizing the trip.

Timing and Participants

• Trips are most often undertaken by young adult and college ministries during summer and winter breaks.
• Adult ministries, associations of medical professionals, and mission organizations also organize short-term missions.

Domestic Short-Term Missions

• Teams visit churches that are not financially self-supporting in rural farming and fishing communities.
• They assist with the local church's Vacation Bible School and carry out community service and evangelism.

Overseas Short-Term Missions

• Teams frequently visit the field of a missionary whom their church supports.
• Activities include children's ministry, worship music and performances, medical service, and home repair.

Preparation and Follow-Up

• For several weeks before departure, participants undergo training, hold prayer meetings, and raise financial support.
• A commissioning service is held before departure, and after returning, participants share their activities through report sessions or testimonies.

Assessment

Positive Assessments

• Short-term missions broaden participants' awareness of mission work.
• They can become an occasion for participants to commit themselves to long-term missionary service.

Criticisms

• They can turn into "mission tourism," weighted more toward travel than toward ministry.
• Participants may fail to respect the local culture or may place burdens on missionaries in the field.
• Some critics point to low effectiveness relative to cost.

Safety Concerns In 2007, a volunteer team from Saemmul Church in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, was abducted by the Taliban in Afghanistan, and two members were killed. After this incident, calls grew both inside and outside the church for avoiding visits to dangerous areas and for strengthening safety training before departure.