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A Fundraising Catalyst

As we have worked with many organizations and churches to talk through various challenges (and remember, we are passionate about partnering with you to tackle these challenges).  One of these challenges that comes up often is helping trip participants raise funds and know about the tools they have available for raising funds.  The team at ServiceReef has created a tool to help you... or to help your participants now.  Trip participants will receive an email helping guide them to their fundraising tools, primarily the use of their personal fundraising page.  

Six Tips for Effective Short Term Trip Recruiting

1. Alumni - Reach out to alumni who have served with your organization before or have specifically been to this location or worked with this partner.

2. Clarify the Win - Quickly state the purpose of the trip and who you are looking to recruit as a team member.  The more clearly you clarify from the beginning, the better chance you have of finding a great match.

3. Call to Action - Don’t miss the opportunity to create a clear call to action in each of your communications.  This can be easy to forget, but remember to provide opportunities to sign up, learn more, attend an informational meeting, read stories of others who have served, or anything else that might allow them to take some small action step.  

4. Internal & External - Consider a balance in your team of those who are familiar with your organization and who may have served before, with those who may be on their first serving experience.  This should start now, with how and where you do your recruiting.  

5. Exhibit - Exhibiting at an event is a great way to share about your short term trip opportunities.  Place yourself in the shoes of someone you’re speaking with and ask what questions they might be asking.  They are probably wanting to know what you have that would match their interest and skills.  Be prepared with upcoming opportunity lists.  You may also ask if they are interested in a specific opportunity and if you could follow up with them on that.  

6. Follow Up - No matter what your first engagement point is with an individual, make certain you follow up with them!  This is the impression you are leaving with an individual.  Treat them with respect and honor their desire to serve. 

You are a steward of their missional journey.  

First, you should consider creating a weekly communication during this crisis (or whatever frequency you prefer) to stay engaged with your trip participants while we all wait to learn next steps and what’s coming.

Everyone understands the unknown of the current situation. We believe this is a great time for you to stay engaged regularly with your participants and continue to keep their hearts and minds engaged in a missional perspective of life.

NOTE: There’s no ideal time line for a resource like this... keep evaluating each week if still needed.

Here are a few suggestions for what you might include in a weekly digest:

• Prayer requests - share prayer requests from your church, organization, partners, or other things.

• Scripture verses - teach and edify your participants so they can continue to grow in their faith.

• Key updates - keep everyone updated on anything new from you or the field. People want to know!

• Stories - share stories from the partner on the field or other things you’re hearing and learning. We’re all in this together.

• One thing you could do - give suggestions for one key thing each time that they can do.

• Survey question - get to know your constituents better, send out a survey each time to learn about their missional interests, challenges, or desires.

• Note from you - make it personal and share from your heart how things are going.

• Sermon resource - share any sermons or lessons from your pastor or other churches (make sure to give credit!)

• Blog article - write or share a blog article about how others are working through this interesting time.

We hope this post encourages you to start communicating more regularly during this time. 

This is one post of many we're doing related to the current crisis. Download Cancelled: A Guide to Maintaining Missions Engagement When Your Short-Term Trip is Cancelled.

Navigating the Tensions of a Shifting Mission Field

One of my favorite quotes is “Change is the only constant in life.” (Heraclitus 535 BC)

Change is challenging, isn't it? If your instincts align with mine, you might find that you have a somewhat inherent resistance to change. Our human nature is often predisposed to avoid it and yet, change is a fundamental aspect of life. We like others to change more than ourselves, right?

However, here lies the conundrum. In recent months, as we’ve had conversations with mobilizers and agencies, a recurring theme continues to emerge, suggesting we might be amidst a significant shift in missions. Knowing my own inclination to resist change, this notion both challenges and invigorates me, particularly as I learn more about how various organizations are thoughtfully adapting.

Before we get too far, it’s worth acknowledging that numerous, insightful individuals are wrestling with this topic as well. Given the vast scope of the subject, I won't attempt to present a universal solution. Rather, I aim to highlight some of the tensions I’ve been hearing and experiencing in hope that this will invite you to engage as well—to question, reflect, and discern where God might be directing us. 
 

I invite you to share your perspective or help draw attention to elements I may have overlooked.

A Couple of Important Caveats:

Firstly, these tensions in the realm of missions indicative of the complex nature of the realities we face. These are not binary choices or “either-or” scenarios. Rather, we are called to navigate the world, holding these tensions in balance, while wrestling with where God has called us, both as individuals and as part of a larger organization or tribe.

Secondly, it is important to clarify that some of the following statements are generalized observations. They may not resonate universally across all cultures or communities. They are, however, reflective of the challenges and experiences regularly arising in our conversations, and thus, merit consideration.

So let’s explore some of these emerging tensions below.

Western Missions: A Change in Direction?

• Western churches appear to be shifting away from traditional methods of sending missionaries. In the post-Covid world, Western agencies have retracted from numerous countries.
• However, local movements within these countries are witnessing extraordinary growth and discipleship, especially in countries that are traditionally closed to Western influence.

​This duality raises a compelling question: Is the locus of Christian missions shifting? And if so, how do Western organizations fit into this new paradigm?

The Mobilization Pipeline: Drying Up or Primed for Change?

• Traditional pipelines within mobilization are seemingly becoming less effective than before.
• Yet, the upcoming generation(s) seem uniquely poised to make a significant global impact.

These young hearts yearn to enact meaningful change in the world, yet there seems to be a noted lack of resiliency within this generation. The notion of ‘packing up your coffin’ and committing one’s life to a singular mission in a foreign land appears to be waning. How do we reconcile this paradox, and what new forms of engagement might emerge?

The Short-term Approach: A Shift in Focus?

• There appears to be a movement toward more intentional, focused missions—a 'scalpel' approach rather than a 'flashlight'.
• The good news is that it appears we are learning lessons from content like When Helping Hurts or Toxic Charity.

​However, as we hopefully navigate towards more sustainable and meaningful impact, does this bring its own set of challenges? What are the implications of this trend, and how does it affect the way missions are designed and executed?

The Core of Our Identity: Mission or God?

• In our zeal to serve, there’s a profound question emerging: Has our identity become more intertwined with the mission rather than with God Himself?
• This is a sobering reflection for anyone involved in missions. It calls us back to the foundation of our faith and prompts us to continually evaluate where our true devotion lies.

A Summary of these Shifts

In sharing these tensions, this post is an invitation for all of us to grapple with the changes we perceive, to ask challenging questions, and to prayerfully seek God’s direction in this evolving landscape. After all, we are participants in God’s grand narrative, called to faithfully serve while continually adapting to the changing tides of our world. 

Did we miss other tensions that you are facing?  Are there other perspectives or thoughts that you would like to share? Please join our conversations at Missions Made Simple as we would love to hear your thoughts and perspectives.

And if you, by chance, have insights or have navigated these tensions successfully, please share your wisdom with us!  

This is a space of exploration, and your voice matters. Let’s journey through these changes and uncertainties together, with open hearts and a steadfast faith.

As we continue to look at the tensions and the shift we sense in the world, I wanted to dive a bit deeper into this from a Western perspective.  

In the context of missions and global outreach, a noticeable transformation is underway, particularly in Western churches and mission agencies. This shift is marked by a reevaluation of traditional strategies and a responsiveness to the new ways God appears to be working around the world. Below, we delve deeper into this evolving landscape and the factors contributing to this shift.
 

The Retreat and Reevaluation

In the post-Covid world, a significant trend has been observed: many Western agencies have pulled back from various countries, sometimes entirely. This has several contributing factors, including:

1. Health and Safety Concerns: The Covid-19 pandemic brought with it new layers of complexity related to health and safety that have forced many organizations to reconsider where and how they operate.
2. Political and Social Instability: In an increasingly unstable global political landscape, some countries have become less hospitable to Western missionaries.
3. Economic Constraints: Financial struggles due to the pandemic have caused many organizations to tighten their budgets, which has a direct impact on foreign missions.

The Rise of Local Movements

In contrast to this Western retreat, there is significant growth in local, indigenous movements, especially within countries that have traditionally been resistant or closed to Western influence. This is a change we should celebrate!  These movements are characterized by:

1. Local Leadership: These movements are often led by individuals from within the community, who understand the culture and context deeply.
2. Cultural Relevance: Because of its indigenous nature, locals are often more adept at communicating the gospel in ways that are culturally relevant and sensitive.
3. Sustainability: Local movements are not dependent on foreign support and are often more sustainable in the long run.
4. Access to Closed Countries: Local leaders often have access to regions that Western missionaries might find difficult to enter or work within due to various restrictions.

Wrestling with New Roles

As Western agencies observe this shift, they are grappling with several important questions:

1. Partnership over Paternalism: How can Western churches and agencies move from a paternalistic model to a partnership model, coming alongside and supporting these indigenous movements rather than leading them?
2. Resource Allocation: How can Western churches best use their resources (financial, educational, etc.) to empower and support these local movements?
3. New Models of Engagement: What new, innovative models of engagement might be effective in this changing landscape? This might include short-term specialized teams, virtual training and discipleship, or business-as-mission strategies.

Challenges in this Shift

This change is not without its challenges for Western missions:

1. Loss of Control: Moving to a partnership model often means relinquishing control, which can be challenging for organizations used to leading initiatives.
2. Relearning and Unlearning: Western agencies might need to unlearn some longstanding practices and relearn how to operate within a different paradigm.
3. Navigating Diverse Theologies and Practices: Partnering with indigenous movements might mean engaging with Christians who have different ways of understanding and practicing their faith.

Real-World Example:

As we challenge ourselves, consider some practices that might just be assumed within your organization.  One example that I’ve heard a few times is the requirement of full-time missionaries to be an employee of a US-based organization.  As Latin America and the Global South are rising in mobilization, take time to consider how you might adjust this practice in order to partner and help guide non-US based missionaries as they head into the field while wisely balancing the cost/benefit of doing so within your own organization.

Concluding Thoughts

The shifting landscape of Western missions is a poignant reminder that the work of God is not confined to any one culture or strategy. It seems clear that a significant part of the Western church’s role moving forward will be learning how to effectively and humbly partner with what God is already doing through local movements around the world.

In this season of change, our prayer should be for Western missions to be marked by humility, a willingness to learn, and a steadfast commitment to unity and partnership in the furtherance of the Gospel. Would you join us in this prayer?

Do you have other thoughts on this shift? We'd love to hear them in the comments.