Points well taken. I do have to say I agree with a lot of what you say, my last paragraph of my post tried to hit on the ‘effectiveness’ issue.

I don’t intend to put money first, I intend to point to money as a resource, a tool, for us to use to further God’s kingdom, just like we should look at pretty much everything. That being said, I think when we think about the body of Christ and how best to use those resources, I think there is a lot that is to be questioned relating to short term missions.

I don’t think the message of the gospel is effectiveness, nor do I think that we will be judged on how effective we are. I find that we are called to bear witness and serve our neighbor, not maximize our spending potential. If you take your point to the next step it would seem as Americans it is more important to make money and give it away than to give of ourselves.

I often reflect on Christ, the Messiah, dying on the cross when I get too caught up in how successful I am in Kingdom work. The Messiah wasn’t meant to be betrayed by His people, everyone thought He was supposed to triumphantly overthrow the Romans, in this respect He was absolutely ineffective. But there was a bigger plan, it’s not the ends (how many of our friends are ’saved’) that we will be judged by, but rather by the means (your own heart and how you love with it).

I think the far greater temptation is to put the money first, not the Children. And seek to further disengage from relationship under the auspices of being more effective, when really it is more about avoiding the inconvenience or uncomfortableness of seeing the disparity. Is it easier to authentically pray for people you have met or for an address on an envelope? For that matter why involve church or God at all, perhaps secular humanitarian relief is “more effective.”
Would that be wiser?

Should our focus be alleviating as much poverty as we can (i.e. Utilitarianism) or in building relationships. I think the latter.

I definitely jive with your comment, though, about guarding against short-term mission workers seeking a superior sense of accomplishment, as if to inflate their own egos on the work they do.

I try to live by a code of: love as much as you can as actively as you can and expect to fail all the time in this fallen world because it is by God’s grace that people are saved not by my work. As for meeting physical needs, do that with your full heart too and expect to fail, you won’t fix it all, but then again if you could, what need of God?

Thanks for the space to rant Ariah, I don’t mean any of these comments to be directed at you, personally, just the argument.

in small scales there are people who are not able to get the support they might need which is able to be facilitated through the missions groups. many people have social needs where going and doing some odd project at their house is actually secondary to being in relationship with them for a day or two, maybe more.

there is also the change of the group members as mentioned in a prior comment. i have seen youth (my primary age group) be shaped in incredible ways by giving themselves over to service. i encourage that. we have also renamed our short term missions trips to ‘missions experiences.’ it is subtle, but we explain that missions or being missional is not a trip to be had, but a lifestyle and this is just an intensive experience in that lifestyle.

i could go on, but i have places to be. thanks for the outlet ariah!