Presentation Type
Paper
Department
Christian Studies
Location
Berry-Peeples Bible Building Room 126
Description
I wrote on "Short-Term Missions..." for my Christian Ethics class last semester. Short-Term Missions (STMs), while aiming to fulfill the Great Commission, often prioritize quick results over genuine relationship-building, diverting significant financial resources from sustainable solutions. They perpetuate power imbalances and fail to foster mutual understanding between "goers" and "receivers." STMs lack the long-term, selfless, culturally adaptive nature of true mission work, exemplified by early missionaries like Paul the Apostle. To mitigate their damaging effects, prospective participants should engage in informed cultural study, prioritize relational connections over task completion, and reconsider the economic impact of their involvement, seeking more ethical and sustainable approaches to mission work.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Included in
Christianity Commons, Ethics in Religion Commons, Missions and World Christianity Commons
Short-Term Missions and Their Ethical Shortcomings
Berry-Peeples Bible Building Room 126
I wrote on "Short-Term Missions..." for my Christian Ethics class last semester. Short-Term Missions (STMs), while aiming to fulfill the Great Commission, often prioritize quick results over genuine relationship-building, diverting significant financial resources from sustainable solutions. They perpetuate power imbalances and fail to foster mutual understanding between "goers" and "receivers." STMs lack the long-term, selfless, culturally adaptive nature of true mission work, exemplified by early missionaries like Paul the Apostle. To mitigate their damaging effects, prospective participants should engage in informed cultural study, prioritize relational connections over task completion, and reconsider the economic impact of their involvement, seeking more ethical and sustainable approaches to mission work.
Comments
This paper was created in partial fulfillment of the Christian Ethics course taught by Dr. Byron Eubanks.