Plan Effective Short-Term Missions

Every summer, with bags packed and immunization shots received, thousands of hopeful short-term “missionaries” from the United Sates venture to distant lands with a vision to change the world. But Mike Gable, the mission office director of the Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati, has seen far too many short-term mission trips do more harm than good. “Don’t waste your time raising money for trips that are only going to increase superior imperialistic attitudes,” Gable cautions. Orientation, cultural sensitivity training, and lasting relationships are the keys to an effective short-term mission, Gable says. Here’s his advice: