In our last post we looked at the issue of establishing best practices for humanitarian workers and agencies, and we reviewed some available resources. Today we look at best practices for short-term missions.
One thing is clear–there has been an explosion in the number of short-term missionaries over the past 15-20 years. Early on, many teams and organizations stumbled along trying to figure out how to be strategic in a short window of time. Some figured it out, while others may have caused more harm than good. Aware of this, several short-term mission leaders in the mid 1990s began discussing the need to establish best practices or “standards of excellence.”
Those discussions eventually gave birth to what is called the U.S. Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission (http://www.stmstandards.org/). There are seven standards: God-centeredness, empowering partnerships, mutual design, comprehensive administration, qualified leadership, appropriate training and thorough follow-up. The website details each of these standards.
There are currently 75 churches and organizations that have agreed to these and joined the Standards of Excellence as an “adoptive member.” Membership involves not only agreement to the standards, but also training, peer review and providing detailed analysis of the church or organization’s short-term mission program.
The United Kingdom has its own version of the standards called The Global Connections Code of Best Practice in Short-Term Mission (http://www.globalconnections.co.uk/).
For those involved in medical missions, there is a working group of Christian doctors and scholars who have put together the Best Practices in Global Health Missions (http://www.csthmbestpractices.org/). They have assembled numerous best practices documents that deal with both long-term and short-term health missions. These include standards for surgery, dentistry, nursing, mental health, child health and much more. They also have resources for gaining permission to practice medicine in particular countries, informed consent, operating clinics, malpractice issues, and more.
There are numerous conferences held each year for those involved with short-term missions. Some of these include training, forums or workshop tracks that deal specifically with best practices. One such conference is the Fellowship of Short-Term Mission Leaders (http://www.fstml.org/) held each October. This year’s conference will be held in Wisconsin. Another conference is the National Short-Term Missions Conference (http://www.nstmc.org/). The Global Missions Health Conference is held in Louisville, KY each fall (http://www.medicalmissions.com/).
Whether you are doing medical or another type of short-term mission work, Ministry Travel has negotiated airline contracts to provide you with deep discounts on your airfare. Please contact a Ministry Travel agent for details or complete a no-obligation quote request on the website.