Are Short Term Teams Worth It?

Do short term mission teams really make a difference? Is it really worth spending thousands of dollars to send someone to another country for a few weeks or months?

Perhaps you have asked these or similar questions about short term missions—and they are good questions to ask. I have wrestled with these issues as well. New Covenant spends a substantial amount of time and money in preparing and sending out short term missionaries. But just because we have seen results does not mean this is the best way to do missions. We live in a microwave culture that tends to think we can accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Is a short term team actually effective?

The question that needs to be answered is this: What is our mission? Jesus’ commission in Matthew 28 is clear: we are to make disciples of all people groups. That command is the foundation for everything we do at New Covenant, both locally and globally. So the mission of every short term team is to make disciples—to see individuals move a step closer in their understanding of and obedience to Christ.

Let me be clear: We do not send short term teams for the purpose of discipling the individuals on those teams. That would be using others to meet our own needs and agenda (and a very expensive discipleship process!). The focus of every short term team is always on the mission site and their needs. Discipleship of the team members may well occur, but it is not why we send them.

So can we actually do cross-cultural discipleship in a short amount of time? Absolutely! Effective discipleship can happen if we are partnering with a local church or ministry. In fact, some missionaries have told me that our coming allows them to accomplish in one week what would normally take them six months or a year. I believe there is even a biblical foundation for this model. I will share more about that in a future blog.