Mission Trips - Great Experience oR Irresponsible (churches, gospel, bible) - Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Atheism, God, Universe, Science, Spirituality, Faith, Evidence - City-Data Forum

george123 · 08-22-2007, 09:40 PM

I have been on 7 mission trips and they have all been fabulous experiences, life changing and trips I will never forget. Everyone should go on one and I have been the leader of 5 trips and are amazed at the relationships people have made on trips with their hosts.

But I am also wondering if we are being fiscally irresponsible and could we do bigger and better things. For example my church sent 25 people to Costa Rica to work on a church. They worked extremely hard and got all the concrete columns done. They ran a VBS program for a week. The average costs was reasonable - with airfare $1400 per person which comes to
$35,ooo. With teams going down there every year the church will take about 9 years to build or about $270,000

You could build the whole church with $35,000 and supply the church with bibles and a good Sunday school program. So for $30,000 you could have the church built by a contractor in a year.

So would it be better to send down the $35k an get the church built quickly or have everybody have a great experience but take almost 10 years to build a church. Thats the thing - we all love going down and working hard for a week but we leave half completed projects that take forever. And unless your church sends several teams down in a year to the same project they will take years to build. And why do churches pick several mission areas to have seveal uncompleted projects instead of sending 10 teams to the same area.

And even if you can build this church in 5 trips it still costs $150,000. You could build the church; set up a business to support the people and build several satelite churches for 150k and in half the time.

I know the people miss the Joyous feeling of experiencing God up close but when is the tradeoff better. When is it better to have God working in a completed church in a year versus 5 years? how many more people do you reach in those 4 years? Here is a pic of my half built building http://www.missiongrounds.com/images/Venezuela1.jpg

And should churches focus on 1 area and get stuff done or spread out and do alittle in 9 countries.
Thoughts?

Padgett2 · 08-22-2007, 09:51 PM

A better question might be, is there an area close to home that also needs mission work and worship centers? Are all the homeless taken care of?

Every year, young people come here to rebuild houses for the poor and elderly. Every year churches in THIS area, send THEIR young people to other areas to do exactly the same thing. Mission trips. Makes everyone feel good.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the local churches could inspire their young people to work and care for the elderly and poor nearby!!!

irishmom · 08-22-2007, 09:57 PM

Ok what you are describing is ridiculous...someone should really bring that up at your church.

I've gone on medical mission trips...and they are not always affiliated with the church but some are. We go an vacinate thousands of people, or do surgeries for those that can't afford it. Or set up clinics. But the costs are kept to a minimum in that travel is all that is offered and usually the airlines will donate that to us for a good cause.

Our church has a sister parish in El Salvador. We send doctors and nurses there each year for exams and vacinations...other than that we send goods and money to support the congregation. There is no reason for us to go and build them a building...they can do that if we send them money for the supplies. The project your church is involved in sounds wasteful to me.

arguy1973 · 08-23-2007, 06:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Padgett2

A better question might be, is there an area close to home that also needs mission work and worship centers? Are all the homeless taken care of?

Every year, young people come here to rebuild houses for the poor and elderly. Every year churches in THIS area, send THEIR young people to other areas to do exactly the same thing. Mission trips. Makes everyone feel good.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the local churches could inspire their young people to work and care for the elderly and poor nearby!!!

agreed!...there are people not 3 miles down the road that need help...yet we load up and travel thousands of miles away..Im not saying thats wrong..in any way..just seems strange to me to go so far..I personally know first hand that there is a mission field right outside your front door...

EDIT...after reading my post I thought I sounded negative about traveling long distance on missions...and thats not what I meant, Ive met some wonderful missionaries from China, Mexico, and a country in Africa that I coulnt even THINK about pronouncing...What I meant was..missions can be done anywhere, and its a gr8 calling to be on the mission field.

Alpha8207 · 08-23-2007, 07:27 AM

There is no way to measure the long term effect and benefit from people going abroad to do missions. A trip like that may spark someone to give 100times the amount it took to send them to the needy and/or down-trodden over the course of a lifetime.

If they have the resources to answer the Great Commission and call of God in that way, let's encourage, not question.

Also, as Padgett and arguy pointed out, the locals need help too. That's what they(the Church) should be focused on the other 50-51 weeks of the year. Both can be balanced.

EDIT: I'd also like to point out that this premise (the OP) is tightly held by KP Yohannan with Gospel for Asia. He has a free book called Revolution in World Missions and it's fantastic. Again, balance is the key. We're called to be more than checkbooks, if ya know what I mean.

doss1 · 08-23-2007, 07:30 AM

See, this is what the media never shows. Good job guys!

MTbound · 08-23-2007, 07:46 AM

Costa Rica?!!? I lived there in the early 90's and the country is middle class, democratic, clean water, and Catholic. Interesting choice when there are countries around it that are struggling with poverty and disease. You can get there ALOT cheaper too.

Mooseketeer · 08-23-2007, 08:07 AM

Wouldn't that money and expertise be best spent at home and abroad to relieve poverty, sickness and poor living conditions rather than on a building. If you believe in god surely a building is immaterial as you can worship him anywhere, in a grove, in a forest, on a beach or in someone's living room? It seems a bit wasteful. Nobody needs a church surely ? I love the beauty and architecture of Churches, Cathedrals , Mosques, Hindu temples etc... but it always strikes me that these are built to the glory of man rather than the glory of god. God is surely everywhere and any money you spend on a building is money which could help feed the hungry , and house and clothe the poor and destitute, heal the sick etc... It would seem a much better use of resources.

MTbound · 08-23-2007, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TexasNick

See, this is what the media never shows. Good job guys!

There is lots of good news out there if you know where to look ..

www.goodnews.com

Padgett2 · 08-23-2007, 08:18 AM

Don't get me wrong, these kids that travel get alot out of the experience. That's so true. We can't measure the good. It is a means of getting the kids away in a group away from the usual environment.

But I think it encourages the idea that we can ignore the plight of our neighbor. They need help all year around, not just in the summertime. It's too easy to overlook what you see everyday. Is this teaching the right message?

Habitat for Humanity is not exactly a church sponsored group, but it shows what can be done on weekends. The kids would be able to point to one of that type of home and say, "We did that in God's name."

A church that is large enough to sponsor a large overseas mission trip, should certainly be able to sponsor a similar repair or building project nearby.