Re-Imagining Short-Term Missions

Recently, one of the book’s contributors, Dr. Miriam Adeney, was interviewed on the Missions Drop podcast. In this interesting conversation with Emily Simmons, Miriam shares about the importance of diversity and unity in the church. She pays particular attention to issues of race and ethnicity, and talks about how those issues can have a huge impact on the effectiveness of mission efforts. The Missions Drop podcast has graciously allowed us to re-release this episode as part of the Re-Imagining Short-Term Missions podcast, but we encourage you to check out the Missions Drop podcast for many more interesting conversations all about missions.

Check out the The Missions Drop Podcast
Dr. Miriam Adeney

Keywords: Race, diversity, ethnicity, racial justice, cultural identity, short-term missions, culture, racial justice, racism, colonialism, bias

Website: https://reimaginingstm.com

Publisher's book page: https://wipfandstock.com/9781666712919/re-imagining-short-term-missions
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @reimaginingstm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100078703976617

 Recently, two of the of the Re-Imagining Short-Term Missions book contributors, David Sanon and Steph DeLuca Robinson, were asked to join a conversation with Dr. Lauren Pinkston on the Upwardly Dependent podcast. In this episode of the Re-Imagining Short-Term Missions podcast, you’ll hear an abridged version of that conversation, entitled The Other Side of the Story: A Caregiver & Resident Share Their Orphanage Tourism Experiences with David Sanon & Steph DeLuca Robinson. In case you want to hear more episodes of the Upwardly Dependent Podcast, follow this link.

Keywords: Haiti, orphan, orphanage, exploitation, orphanage tourism

Website: https://reimaginingstm.com

Publisher's book page: https://wipfandstock.com/9781666712919/re-imagining-short-term-missions
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @reimaginingstm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100078703976617

In this episode we’ll be featuring a podcast interview of Nathan Nelson, one of the authors featured in that book. Recently Ashley Goad and Wil Bailey asked Nathan to be on their podcast, called the Broken Banquet, to talk about Nathan’s work in missions, missions pastoring, and about his writing. You’ll find a link to the original interview in the shownotes for this episode, but for our purposes here is an abridged version of that conversation.

Broken Banquet Podcast
Bethany Community Church
Bethany Missions

Keywords: Reverse missions, global missions, Rwanda, World Relief, mission partners, short-term mission

Website: https://reimaginingstm.com

Publisher's book page: https://wipfandstock.com/9781666712919/re-imagining-short-term-missions
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @reimaginingstm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100078703976617

Recently, Brandon Stiver and Phil Darke asked Forrest Inslee to be a guest on their podcast, called Think Global, Do Justice. Among other things, they about the book he co-edited calledRe-Imagining Short-Term Missions. They also talked about other interesting things like innovative missions practices at Bethany Community Church in Seattle, and even the story of how Forrest came to adopt my daughter when he was a missionary in Turkey. So here is an abridged version of that conversation with Phil and Brandon on the Think Global, Do Justice podcast.

Re-Imagining Short-Term Missions website
Think Global, Do Justice podcast, unabridged interview with Forrest
Think Global, Do Justice podcast
Earthkeepers podcast, with Forrest Inslee

Bethany Community Church

Keywords: God's family, family of Christ, global church, copowerment, Gaza, social justice, environmental justice, reverse missions, adoption, Turkish church

Website: https://reimaginingstm.com

Publisher's book page: https://wipfandstock.com/9781666712919/re-imagining-short-term-missions
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @reimaginingstm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100078703976617

What would happen if short-term mission trips were built around values of mutual transformation—instead of the usual top-down, one-way dynamic of “service”? What if Christians in the global north really believed that their brothers and sisters in the global south could help them understand God and the world in new, liberating ways? Or that short-term trips could be opportunities for visitors and hosts alike to be changed and challenged by one another through mutually respectful, coequal exchange?

In this episode, we'll be talking to Dr. Jay Matenga of the indigenous Māori people in New Zealand. Jay is a theologian of missions practice who serves as the Director of the World Evangelical Alliance Global Witness Department and Executive Director of its Mission Commission. He is also one of the authors of the book Re-Imagining Short-Term Missions, and in his essay—called “The Mutuality Motivation”—he makes the case that the future of short-term missions will be built on the courage, humility, and vulnerability that allows people from different cultures to have a challenging, changing impact one another so that all might become more like Jesus.

Jay Matenga, World Evangelical Alliance
Jay's webpage
Re-Imagining Short-Term Missions


Most of the folks you’ll hear on this podcast are also contributors to a new book called Re-Imagining Short-Term Missions. So if you like what you hear, and want to learn more about what these folks have to say, the book will be a great resource for you.

Website: https://reimaginingstm.com

Publisher's book page: https://wipfandstock.com/9781666712919/re-imagining-short-term-missions
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @reimaginingstm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100078703976617

What if short-term missions were focused on long-term objectives?  What if short-term teams began to measure their success not on the scope of the work projects completed or the number of people evangelized, but instead on the establishment of authentic, collaborative, long-term relationships between communities of Christ followers in different locations around the globe? And might it be possible for Christ followers in wealthier nations to become humble enough to acknowledge their need of churches in less developed countries, and even to become the receivers short-term teams from those countries?

In this episode, Forrest talks with Robert Katende, founder of SOM Chess Academy—a ministry to impoverished youth in Uganda. Notably, Robert is the chess coach whose life and ministry were the subject of the Disney film Queen of Katwe. He is also a writer for the book Re-Imagining Short-Term Missions; in his chapter called “Reframing Short-Term Trips through Authentic Relationships”, he makes the case that the most important function of short-term mission teams is not the work they do or the resources they bring; instead, short-term missions should be understood as the platform for building long-term relationships between communities of Christ-followers in different parts of the world. In his work with Ugandan youth, Robert models the idea that churches and ministries in developing nations can and should be supporting churches in developed nations. To learn more about this sort of “reverse missions”, we’ll also be talking to Venita and Sidney Gardner, who have worked with Robert to adapt the SOM Chess Academy model of ministry from Kampala, to their own context in Baltimore. 

Robert Katende
SOM Chess Academy
Queen of Katwe—Disney Movie
The Board Room Chess--Baltimore

MA International Community Development, Northwest University

Most of the folks you’ll hear on this podcast are also contributors to a new book called Re-Imagining Short-Term Missions. So if you like what you hear, and want to learn more about what these folks have to say, the book will be a great resource for you.

Website: https://reimaginingstm.com

Publisher's book page: https://wipfandstock.com/9781666712919/re-imagining-short-term-missions
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @reimaginingstm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100078703976617

What happens when people who participate in short-term missions do it for the wrong reasons? How much damage can be done by short-term teams when they haven’t taken an honest inventory of their own fears and prejudices—when they haven’t done the necessary heart-work in advance?

In this episode, we’ll look for answers to these questions as we talk to CJ Quartlbaum—a writer and speaker from Brooklyn, NY. His current work focuses on theology, culture, and personal development—and in particular, he advocates for more accurate and honest teaching of Black History than what is currently taught in schools. CJ is also one of the authors featured in the book Re-Imagining Short-Term Missions, and his essay—called “When Non-Believers Go on Mission Trips”, draws on his experiences hosting short-term teams—mostly from white suburbs—who travel to New York ostensibly to serve in the name of missions.  More often than not, though, he has seen some of these visitors cause hurt and disruption when they act not out of genuine Christ-like love and humility—but more out of self-interest, unexamined bias, and even deep-seated racism.

CJ Quartlbaum
Re-Imagining Short-Term Missions

Most of the folks you’ll hear on this podcast are also contributors to a new book called Re-Imagining Short-Term Missions. So if you like what you hear, and want to learn more about what these folks have to say, the book will be a great resource for you.

Website: https://reimaginingstm.com

Publisher's book page: https://wipfandstock.com/9781666712919/re-imagining-short-term-missions
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @reimaginingstm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100078703976617

Why do people go on short-term mission trips? Are the things we do in the name of “missions” actually reflective of the Great Commission? If we’re honest, how many of these trips are really more about the personal transformation of those who are sent?  And if we admit that our primary motive for short-term missions has to do with personal transformation, is that motive actually a bad thing? 

In this episode Forrest talks with Dr. Greg Burch, professor and chair of Global Studies at Multnomah University. Even though Greg has devoted his career to studying the problems that are part of short-term missions culture, he is honest about the fact that the short term trips he went on as a youth were deeply transformative for him. So, even now he wrestles with the question: Is our own personal transformation a legitimate motivation to go on trips that we are calling “missions”?

Greg Burch
MA in Global Development and Justice at Multnomah University

MA International Community Development, Northwest University

Website: https://reimaginingstm.com

Publisher's book page: https://wipfandstock.com/9781666712919/re-imagining-short-term-missions
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @reimaginingstm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100078703976617

What happens when visitors to other culture contexts remain unaware of their own personal agendas? How might short-term mission trips be transformed into opportunities for learning and listening–and for putting aside assumptions? What if humility and teachability became the hallmarks of all mission trips?

In this episode, Forrest talks with Austin Robinson, a full-time missionary and Executive Director of Eternal Anchor, a ministry in Mexico that is dedicated to serving children with special needs. Austin is also one of the authors of the book Re-Imagining Short-Term Missions, and his essay—called “Re-Symbolizing the White Van”—makes the case that the kinds of short-term visitors who actually help more than hurt are those who come with an attitude of humility and teachability—and a willingness to come alongside locals who are already doing the work of Jesus.

Eternal Anchor Ministries
MA International Community Development, Northwest University

Most of the folks you’ll hear on this podcast are also contributors to a new book called Re-Imagining Short-Term Missions. So if you like what you hear, and want to learn more about what these folks have to say, the book will be a great resource for you.

Website: https://reimaginingstm.com

Publisher's book page: https://wipfandstock.com/9781666712919/re-imagining-short-term-missions
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @reimaginingstm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100078703976617

What happens to our valuation of people when we think of them as “the mission field”? When we relegate churches to that sort of box, is it really possible to think of them as our equals, or to see them as potential partners in service? 

In this episode, you’ll hear from both Forrest Inslee and Angel Burns, co-editors of  the book Re-Imagining Short-Term Missions, as they describe two crucial themes that can help re-orient Christ-followers who seek a more just, effective way forward for STM. We’ll explain why thinking in terms of the global church—and in terms of what we call copowerment—can help us develop a new paradigm for short-term missions. 

Website: https://reimaginingstm.com

Publisher's book page: https://wipfandstock.com/9781666712919/re-imagining-short-term-missions
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @reimaginingstm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100078703976617