A Call for Ordinary People
The incredible possibilities of short-term service
By Douglas Millham
Douglas Millham built bridges of understanding between churches in the U.S. and developing countries in his role of director and co-founder of Discover the World, Inc.
I see signs that God is raising an army of ordinary people of every age and background. They are willing to follow Him across cultural boundaries and international borders to spread His love. Never in history have there been so many creative, exciting opportunities to serve the Lord. Never has it been so easy to discover what God is doing and become a part of it.
If Not Now, When?
We may be breaking into a new era in mission history in which short-term ministries will flood the nations. According to some estimates, the number of short-termers from the U.S.A. grew tenfold from about 6,000 in 1975 to over 60,000 in 1987.
You only have to look at groups like Youth With A Mission (YWAM) to see the explosion. Started in 1960 as an evangelistic outreach program for younger people, YWAM now fields more than 20,000 short-term volunteers of every age and background each year. They are engaged in the most creative and diversified ministries you can imagine. In 1991 they completed their goal of sending ministry to every nation on earth with an indigenous population as a team traveled to Pitcairn Island .
More than 350 mission agencies send short-termers. Hundreds of churches or whole denominations in North America offer opportunities in short-term missions. For a follower of Christ today, the possibilities for short-term ministry are quite astounding.
What is a Short-Term Mission ?
Some define short-term missions as any service overseas or cross-culturally from two weeks to two years or more. What is a short-termer? A willing servant. A committed Christian of any age. He or she is usually not making a career decision, but stepping out of a career path to serve God's global cause.
The locations and types of short-term ministry are as varied as the people who go out on them. Many augment the efforts of career missionaries by serving alongside them. Others go out in specialized teams for select projects. Others find ways to use their careers, student years, or military service in other cultures as opportunities for Christian witness. Even three-week vacations are being used for the Gospel. There are few countries where short-term efforts haven't been made. In fact, in many countries, a short stay is all that governments will allow.
Of course, the mission task is complex. The evangelization of the unreached will need more and more people called and committed to entire lifetimes of mission service. Career translators, church planters, evangelists, teachers, and trainers are all desperately needed throughout the world. But at the same time, the short-term movement of our day just could be God's chosen means for this complex mission of the Church to expand in ways that traditional missions never imagined.
It's a Changing Ministry
Creative and different ministries are capturing people for the cause that probably would not have been involved otherwise. And these people tend to find new angles to serve. Tony Campolo challenged a recent group of Harvard M.B.A.'s: "Anybody can get a great job at IBM and be a success. How many of you can go to Haiti and start a cooperative bakery among the poor?" Six went, and their summer will change the lives of hundreds.
There are even opportunities to work among the nearly 85 percent of all non-Christians in the world who live in countries which cannot be entered by people with "missionary" stamped in their passport. One leader with Campus Crusade for Christ said, "In countries that limit missionary visas, we can send in students as tourists. Sure, they won't speak the language, but they can help show a film on the life of Jesus that's dubbed with the local language." There, in partnership with national Christian leaders, the short-term person gives much needed support and receives invaluable exposure to a world of mission.
It's a Changing Church
In many countries, the national Church leadership is emerging to a point of independence and strength which is greater than ever. In Korea, Kenya, India, Japan, and dozens of other places around the world, there is an explosion of cross-cultural missions by these relatively young Christian churches. In many cases these expanding churches work closely with some of the hundreds of short-term mission agencies. They rely upon them to provide willing servants who will come and help with some type of technical, pastoral, or professional skill.
But It's the Same Need
Last I heard, God hadn't recalled the Great Commission. Two-thirds of the world still is waiting to hear the Gospel, and most of them don't yet have any way out of the frightful darkness of poverty and injustice that refuses to go away. And Jesus promised to send help to them, through His followers. That's you and that's me, friends. What a privilege. What an opportunity.
If Not Me, Who?
You'll find plenty of short-term opportunities available. Some short-term programs are extremely well planned, the training and preparation are excellent, and the field experience is meaningful for both the host and the participants. Standards of excellence vary, so choose carefully.
But the place to start is not the menu of programs. Rather, take a good look at yourself. The list isn't going anywhere, and neither should you until you have taken inventory of your motives and your heart. Look closely at your skills, interests, abilities, and feelings. This will help you sort out your thoughts and help others to offer guidance.
But also look beyond yourself. Always keep the big picture in view: God is doing something phenomenal in His world today, and you just may want to be a part of it.
Wanted: Garden-Variety Christians
My own decision to try a short-term experience didn't come to me as any great revelation, no booming voice. It was just a moment in my life when I thought about one simple thing: if Christ gave His life for an ordinary person like me, then maybe if I give it back, He can do something extraordinary with it.
I did have one major hang-up, however. I'd also been aiming my life to be one filled with excitement, adventure, and travel. I wanted a chance to meet lots of people and contribute something meaningful to the world. Little did I realize at the time that those very goals would be expanded and fulfilled beyond my wildest dreams through a short-term mission experience.
One day a few years ago, I turned on my TV and was stunned, yet strangely fascinated, by what I saw. A news report out of East Africa showed scenes of human suffering that melted my heart. I picked up the phone, and six months later I found myself living in a tent in a refugee camp in Somalia, trying to do anything I could to help bring a little joy to a frightful situation. I returned home a year later as a person completely transformed, totally committed to a life of service to others.
I wasn't the most likely candidate for a short term, but between 1981 and 1985, my wife Jackie and I lived overseas, first in Somalia and then in Thailand. We worked for a Christian organization, taught the Bible, and communicated the Gospel as best we could. We had the privilege to introduce Muslims, Buddhists, and all kinds of people to the love of Jesus Christ.
We hadn't thought of ourselves as missionary types. But we were actively seeking God's guidance for a challenge and a future, for a choice of direction we could take which would make a difference in this world. He gave us a choice, and we took it. It's as simple as that. We're not heroic people. We see ourselves as garden-variety Christians who had such a tremendous experience during a one-year short term that we stayed on for more.
Perhaps you feel heroic. “Seeds” magazine said it best: "It's okay to be idealistic; that's probably why you're thinking about volunteering in the first place. But if you plan on saving the world, or even one village or neighborhood, watch out. At best, you can be a part of the solution, an agent of change. But you can hardly expect as a short- or even long-term volunteer to reverse decades of poverty, inequality, racism, or pain." So let's be realistic. In a sense, we go to test ourselves, to see what we are made of and what we can do in this world. Honest, realistic motives like these can be used by God if given totally into His hands.
Do You Have What it Takes?
You might be surprised to find out how ready you are. In reviewing candidates for our short-term programs, we look for four basic things. Examine yourself in light of the following characteristics. Are you reaching for them, even though you may not be where you would like to be? If so, you may be a good candidate for a short-term experience.
1. Mature in personal faith. There are a lot of different levels and styles of spiritual maturity. None of us is quite the same as any other. In the end, you alone can judge your own maturity in Christ. When you look at yourself for possible short-term ministry, begin by taking a very basic self-examination. Ask yourself, "Am I confident of my salvation through a personal faith in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior?" Your walk with Him must be strong and growing. Daily devotions, quiet times, a personal prayer life, and Christian fellowship can be external indicators of a mature life in Christ.
2. Motivated to serve and learn. There's only room for one Savior on this earth. And neither you nor I are that one. We must not go into the world believing we can save it. Only Christ can do that. But we can spread His healing love as men and women who go into other cultures and nations willing to learn from others, to serve beside them in whatever way the Holy Spirit of God guides.
3. Committed to work in Christian community. Jesus had a reason for sending His disciples out two by two. Men and women in ministry need the accountability, strength, and fellowship of others. There is no room for the Lone Ranger type individual in the short-term environment. Only team players need apply. The excitement, the stresses and strains, and the blessings and joys all require the strength and unity of the Body of Christ. The key here is to be sure that you are vitally linked with other Christians now.
4. Skilled socially or professionally. A great deal of the ministry of the Church around the world is lived out in acts of love and care for those in need. Many children's homes, orphanages, schools, and communities cry out for people who will simply come and spend time with them, hugging babies, weeping with those who weep, celebrating life with those who seem to have little to celebrate, bringing that cold cup of water in new and creative ways.
Can you communicate lovingly? You may not learn another language fluently during a short term, but are you ready to reach out to people you haven't met before to offer whatever words you can? You may not be called on to preach sermons, but are you ready for the hard work of communicating with people different from you? The greatest compliment which could be given to you overseas might be that you are a "people" person, eager to meet the challenge of new and interesting social situations every day.
There is no question, however, that persons skilled in technical specialties are in high demand all around the world. And those who go with a servant heart seem to be welcomed back a second time. You will find that many agencies seeking short-term volunteers will list skill requirements for specialists in health, agriculture, medicine, carpentry, water, community development, evangelism, and many other areas. If you lack such skills, but possess all the other attributes and attitudes, don't let this stop you. Most short-termers are amazed at the skills they develop while overseas.
Step Out
Give yourself the opportunity of a lifetime, and don't let old impressions hold you back. Many of us have seen missionaries at our churches and have said, "That will never be me." Why? Because we have outdated images of the types of people who are involved in missions. After all, it's common to think that missionaries are either super-spiritual oddities or losers in the real world who turned to Christian service after failing.
Set aside your old images. Forget your childhood stereotypes of missionaries. Instead, look into the eyes of Jesus and ask Him if He wants you to join Him in doing a new thing in the world.
Unlike the Marines, who are "looking for a few good men," our Lord is actively recruiting, right now, tens of thousands of ordinary men and women, just like you and me. God is looking into the hearts of His followers and seeking those with passion for making Christ known. He is calling them to walk with Him into the world. He is looking for ordinary people, but people with a vision for what God can do if we believe Him. He is looking for people with a willingness to carry the claims of Christ "to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
Don't walk around in circles looking for small successes. Instead, take a single, simple, short step in the right direction. Step out. Step out into the incredible possibilities that await you in short-term ministry.