This is the third in a series of articles on the good, bad, why and how of short-term missions.

Most people who plan a short-term trip or prepare to be a part of one probably do not do so with the goal of it being a flop–a waste of time and resources—and yet too often it happens. However, leaders and group participants can easily take steps to help point their short-term trips in the right direction and make them Gospel-centered, life-changing experiences for both the servers and the served.

Doing short-term missions well begins long before a group steps onto foreign soil.

First, come at the trip with a learner’s mentality. JoAnn Van Engen, a missionary and advocate for changing how these trips are conducted, suggests “we stop thinking about short-term missions as a service to perform and start thinking of them as a responsibility to learn.” She emphasizes the experience should be completely focused on the agenda of the national(s) and not that of the workers.

While praying through the details of the trip in preparation, travelers–not just group leaders–should research the culture and current events of the country to better understand how to connect with locals while with them for a short time. This may include speaking with someone from that country or culture to gain insight into the people there. Possible questions to ask could include what problems country inhabitants regularly face, what their struggles are and what they celebrate.

Study basic language skills to allow for more effective communication with nationals.

Once at the trip destination, be with the people of that country. Spend time with them, learn from them and follow their leads. While the trip may last only a couple of weeks at the most, long-term relationships are the goal; a short-term trip should not be simply a one-time event in the life of a church or group, but a stepping stone in a many-years-long commitment to sharing the Gospel with the people of that location.

After returning home, share information with others about the trip. Tell stories of personal experiences and of the lives of the people there. Brainstorm ideas of how more church members, friends and family members may join in impacting that place and those people.

The potential for positive short-term missions definitely exists, according to a 2008 Barna Group article. Barna president David Kinnaman believes Mosaics (individuals under the age of 27) are ready and willing to change the world with the Gospel—if someone asks them to step up to the plate.

“The danger would be if leaders and organizations waste the Mosaic generation’s readiness by simply allowing young adults to be mere ‘consumers of cause’–selling them a T-shirt or a wristband, instead of challenging them to life-shaping service projects.”

Short-term mission trips may not always fall into the “service project” category, and they certainly are not only for a specific age group. However, they can be valuable tools in summoning all generations to live radically and purposefully for the glory of Christ’s name.

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Next: Travel tips for short-term trips

Written by Natalie Bunch. Natalie is a freelance writer for The Upstream Collective and lives in North Carolina. She served as a missionary writer based out of Prague, Czech Republic, from 2007-2009, and plans to return to full-time international mission work with her husband.

This is the second in a series of articles on the good, bad, why and how of short-term missions.

For more than 40 years short-term missions increasingly has given Christ-followers access to feed the hungry and clothe the naked worldwide for the sake of the Gospel while maintaining their jobs and relationships at home. According to ChristianityToday.com, approximately two million Americans–supported by more than 40,000 U.S. churches, schools and other sending organizations–participate in such trips each year.

Seventy-five percent of people surveyed who have participated in short-term trips said they were “life-changing,” according to October 2008 mission statistics collected by the Barna Group. Twenty-five percent said their short-term mission experience increased their awareness of other people’s struggles; 16 percent said it helped them gain knowledge about poverty, justice or the world; 11 percent said it increased their level of compassion; 9 percent said it enhanced their faith; another 9 percent said it expanded their spiritual understanding and 5 percent said it escalated their financial generosity.

Short-term trip participants relocated to a foreign culture have the opportunity to undergo disorientation and realize life “back home” is not as rough or difficult as they may have thought; they certainly do not know everything about anything; and the world is much larger than their hometown/state/country. The starting line of understanding the vastness of the world may turn into the beginning of comprehending the depth of our God. One step further, it may help in producing future long-term missionaries.

With the goal of making Christ known among the lost, short-term missions also can inspire participants to witness in a bolder manner. Preparation for these trips emphasizing the need to be well-versed in sharing one’s testimony and the Gospel can encourage practice among friends, family members and neighbors at home who do not know Jesus as Savior.

Many argue a problem with short-term missions is the fact it benefits those who go more than those who are served. However, with such planning (more on this next week), short-term trips can produce spiritual fruit in seeing the lost choose to follow Christ both domestically and abroad.

According to Georgia’s The Augusta Chronicle, Scott Parrish, the minister of outreach and missions at Trinity-on-the-Hill United Methodist Church, said short-term missions can inspire long-lasting results in all parts of the world.

“’Mission isn’t tourism, nor is it simple handouts,” he said. “It’s something more complex and life-changing for the one who is served and the one who serves.

‘”The Bible is clear about defining neighbor in bigger ways than we do — local, national, international — so that’s why we can’t choose to only do one, but must tackle them all.’”

Additionally, a successful short-term trip can revive, energize and aid long-term missionaries in their work through the traveling group’s evangelistic and service efforts. The visitors may also bring a taste of home through their familiar accents and homespun gifts that can encourage a long-term worker. Short-term participants may as well bring a level of spiritual and practical accountability to host missionaries.

As the Barna statistics reference, people are more likely to give money to something they have been a part of and personally had a hand in, allowing short-term missions to produce increased financial support for long-term mission work. Each person who participates in a short-term trip can share their experiences with their personal networks and encourage others to be involved through praying, giving or going. Short-term missions can produce a snowball of support for any given long-term project.

One public example of lives affected by short-term missions is the band, Caedmon’s Call. Its members have participated in trips to Africa, Brazil, Ecuador, Haiti and India, where the group worked with 80-100 Dalit musicians to produce their 2004 album, “Share the Well.”

“’The more travels we go on, the more affected we are,’” said percussionist Garrett Buell, according to OurMidland.com. “’We couldn’t sit here idly.’”

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Next: Short-term trips done well

Written by Natalie Bunch. Natalie is a freelance writer for The Upstream Collective and lives in North Carolina. She served as a missionary writer based out of Prague, Czech Republic, from 2007-2009, and plans to return to full-time international mission work with her husband.

This is the first in a series of articles on the good, bad, why and how of short-term missions.

Missions has changed.

Years ago lack of technology and resources forced well-known missionaries like William Carey, Amy Carmichael, Jim Elliot, Lottie Moon and Hudson Taylor to commit their entire lives to traveling–usually by boat for great lengths of time–to a foreign location for the rest of their lives. Choosing to be an international missionary was an all-or-nothing devotion.

Today elementary school students can access events occurring across the globe through their mobile phones, and strangers living on different continents can become chat buddies via the Internet. Technology has brought the world to our fingertips.

Therefore how people approach missions has adapted. The willing and able take time off from work, temporarily pause from school or simply break from normal routines and travel thousands of miles to work on week-long projects and help meet needs in less fortunate areas of the world. While many may consider this modern reality a fantastic development in declaring the Gospel to every tribe, nation and tongue, others have made a few observations about short-term trips that leave them wondering if these ventures are doing any good at all.

Barna statistics from October 2008 show 9 percent of Americans and 11 percent of church attendees have participated in a short-term trip, with many doing so more than five years ago. This means “8 million of the 228 million adult residents of the U.S. have been on a short-term mission trip in the last five years.”

Those under the age of 25–termed the Mosaic generation due to its members’ eclectic lifestyles and variety–are more likely than members of the Boomer generation to have participated in a short-term trip.

“Mosaics are globally aware and cause-oriented,” according to David Kinnaman, president of The Barna Group. “They relish risk, stimulation and diverse experiences. And they are more sensitive to issues related to justice and poverty. Their craving to take journeys of service could fuel a resurgence of global engagement.”

Some may consider short-term trips to be an agreeable outlet for the Mosaic generation to seize adventure and aid others in a healthy fashion. Yet some disagree.

They look at the money required to send a few people–let alone a team of 10–to a foreign country for a few days or weeks and wonder if the finances could be used more effectively if sent to that location in place of the visitors and their efforts to help. Perhaps projects on the field could be handled more efficiently by a local who needs the work and income. This would also free up those hoping to go on the expensive international trip to meet needs closer to home, in their own city, state or country.

Further arguments include the opinion that those who participate in short-term trips are often unable to effectively evangelize and serve others because they do not speak the native tongue of their destination or understand the culture around them. These travelers also can be more concerned about their own comfort–going to American-style restaurants or spending down time with other teammates instead of with nationals–than impacting those who they came to reach.

Groups may insist on working according to their own methods when conducting service projects during short-term trips, and consequently ignore the advice or suggestions of a national, who then may feel inadequate, frustrated and unappreciated. If a team then leaves a task unfinished, the indigenous individual has to pick up where the foreigners left off, but lacks the experience of laboring along side them and learning the methods of their work.

Those questioning the value of short-term missions also note such trips require valuable time and energy from each group’s on-the-field host–time that could be spent in effective local ministry.

The general argument of those questioning short-term missions seems to revolve around the idea that these trips benefit the travelers more than those to whom they travel. Participants’ hearts are softened as they (at least temporarily) realize how much their lives might not be so bad, after all, when compared to the less fortunate living in third world locations. Yet consistent long-term results may still be lacking for those who make such trips, begging the question of gain for any party involved.

JoAnn Van Engen, missionary in Honduras and contributing writer to Catapult Magazine’s online publication, writes, “Short-term missions as they stand are not the answer. Third world people do not need more rich Christians coming to paint their churches and make them feel inadequate. They do need more humble people willing to share in their lives and struggles.”

Next: What’s right with short-term missions

Written by Natalie Bunch. Natalie is a freelance writer for The Upstream Collective and lives in North Carolina. She served as a missionary writer based out of Prague, Czech Republic, from 2007-2009, and plans to return to full-time international mission work with her husband in a few years.

As I have said before,

“Churches should also function in the roles of helping, praying and caring for, encouraging, holding accountable, providing resources for and being strategically involved with their missionaries. They should not simply turn this over to the sending agencies.”

Jeff, Andy and I, with later input from my wife, came up with what we would like to call (re)member care.

We started talking about tangible things a church can do to (re)member those who have been sent out from its body. I hope you can refer to these ideas and brainstorm some of your own as you, with fellow church members, remember the workers you have sent out.

1. Find ways to partner with the workers in their strategy. This could be fulfilled in a lot of different ways, but find opportunities to partner with the ones sent from your church. When they sense their work is larger than themselves and their home church is with them in ministry, it does something HUGE for their morale. Unfortunately, if this is not the case, it has the reverse effect on their spirit.

Bryan interacted with missionaries during a recent trip to Europe and said American churches need to realize their vital role of supporting international workers.

2. Send a small group to visit the workers. These church members can pray with, listen to and talk with the missionaries in their environment, not to mention see and participate in their ministry. Then the travelers can report back to their church. The visiting group doesn’t have to be huge; even sending a family can be a great way to do this.

3. Have a designated advocate who keeps the worker connected to the church. All too often this role falls on a missions staff member or the pastor, who becomes too busy to be able to truly participate in the life of the sent. Often, if no one is tasked to do this role, then people within the church rarely remember. Missions is something everyone can participate in with a church; it is not for a select group of people on the field or at home. Caring for a worker on the field is one way a church can broaden opportunities for mission involvement among its members.

4. Keep the workers’ prayer requests in front of the people of the church.

5. Send a care package. Granted, this is not a new idea, and happens quite a bit, but I always hear of workers who rarely–if ever–have received a box in the mail. Perhaps you can ask your workers about what favorite American items they miss the most.

6. In the days of Facebook and e-mails, an actual letter sent the old fashioned way is so fun to receive.

7. Do something special for their kids—do not forget about the kids. Sure, they have a pretty cool life being able to live cross-culturally, learn a different language and partake in unique experiences. However, they also miss seeing their cousins and grandparents and coming across other things kids often and easily can do in the States.

8. Keep in touch with their parents and family members in the America and offer to help them out as needed. I think this is extremely important. By not being present at home, often workers are unable to help their own families in times of need. It is good when a church can check in on the workers’ parents from time to time.

9. Give books, CDs and iTunes gift certificates. Maybe I am reaching here, but this is a pretty cool idea. Some times a good book in English or music does something for the soul living in a foreign culture.

10. When workers do come back to the States for furlough or to live there again, invite them over for a meal. Ask them questions about their ministry and their life overseas. Continue to pray for them. Help them as they transition and be aware of reverse culture shock as they re-enter the American culture.

Now it’s your turn—leave a comment with some of your own ideas of (re)member care.

Written by Larry McCrary. Larry and his family have lived in Europe since 2001, and have been involved in church planting both in the United States and in Europe. Larry is co-founder of The Upstream Collective, and is passionate about seeing the church think and act as a missionary both in its community and internationally. Larry blogs and tweets as part of an effort to influence the conversation of missions.

Announcing The Upstream Collective’s next JetSet tour location and dates…

One city was spared from the physical destruction of World War II, while the other has been rebuilt to its current state of architectural beauty. Both national capitals, in turn, foster postmodern perspectives and diversity in culture and religion, and are much further down the road in the post-Christian context than many U.S. locales.

If you’re interested in Eastern European cultures and post-Soviet reactions to the Gospel, be sure to mark your calendars–April 12-20, 2011, The Upstream Collective is traveling to Prague, Czech Republic, and Budapest, Hungary.

This trip will feature Michael Frost, author of Jesus the Fool and Exiles, and coauthor with Alan Hirsch of The Shaping of Things to Come and reJesus, among many other titles.

Benefits to participants range from basic exposure to the spiritual needs of the foreign cultures to opportunities to begin partnerships with believers living among the nations.

“One of the outcomes that I love to see is when these churches become strategically involved in the cities where we visit,” said The Upstream Collective co-founder Larry McCrary. “This happens on every trip.”

JetSet participants can expect to meet with a number of national and international church planters, and engage the surrounding European cultures. Brad Hamilton and almost an M will facilitate.

“We’ve met so many missionaries, pastors and people on the ground doing the hard labor of sharing the Gospel,” said past JetSet participant and pastor Nick Nye. “I think it’s a brilliant thing for pastors to partner with The Upstream Collective because not only has this trip been invaluable, but the amazing connections that we’ve had throughout this trip has really brought to light the great need that is going on in Western Europe. Partnering with The Upstream Collective is extremely beneficial.”

The purpose of this event is to help its participants lead their churches to think and act like missionaries at home and abroad. This is accomplished through the teaching of key missions concepts and exploring strategies for engagement on the field.

“A JetSet vision trip is more than just a tour,” said Caleb Crider, a member of The Upstream Collective. “The idea is, we get in community together and we have a conversation that is at a level that says, look, we don’t have to be convinced about the importance of mission, we just need to go.”

“I want to encourage you as you think through your strategy for church planting that you do not neglect church planting to the nations,” said Acts 29 member Bryan Howard while in Paris on a recent JetSet tour. “We’re here with The Upstream Collective exploring what partnerships look like between local churches and European church-planting opportunities. I want to encourage you to really consider this as part of your overall church-planting strategy.”

Space is limited–really–so reserve your spot by visiting the JetSet sign up page today!

Attendees of Christy Barton and Mick Edmonds' church sing during a weekly worship service. The group gathers Sundays in the basement of a member's home.

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Christy Barton and Mick Edmonds love Jesus. They also greatly enjoy their church, pastored by Rodney Calfee in Birmingham, Ala., and are obeying God’s direction in their lives to share His truth with those around them.

There, however, is where their similarities seem to end. “Those around” Christy largely include students of a Discipleship Training School in Australia, while Mick’s mission field involves his coworkers and supervisors in a university science lab.

Christy to Australia

Christy is about to begin her two-year term as a Youth With A Mission (YWAM) staff member, as which she will disciple girls and lead groups of students to the lost in the 10-40 window during six-month training programs. While the recent college grad may be traveling by herself to the school’s location near Wollongong, she is not going alone.

As Christy began preparing for her overseas job, she felt God was telling her to invest in her church, which, at the time, was struggling to make payments on its building. She faithfully followed God’s guidance and shared her needs with the body of Christ around her instead of seeking financial assistance through other less personal connections.

Soon her church leadership, including Rodney, determined to focus its investments more in taking the Gospel to the nations and less in managing facilities. As the church began to transition in its meeting location, Rodney and Christy started discussing what it would look like for their body of Christ to partner with her in her upcoming endeavor. Christy itemized exactly what she needed before a meeting of church members and was overwhelmed by their responses.

“Person after person began to say, ‘Christy has given to us and blessed us with a … venue to share the Gospel.’ ‘It’s our responsibility, joy and delight to be a part of that.’ ‘There’s nothing we’d rather do but give to this cause.’ ‘We are to send her.’

“It was so beautiful,” Christy said. “They get it. It’s not just about money, resources or a superficial level of having all your money in the bank. It’s about partnering for the Gospel in all nations, making disciples and (having) God’s vision for the world. It’s not just me, but us, together.”

Christy plans to stay in touch with her church while in Australia through Skype conversations, Facebook and as much personal communication as possible.

“This church has been instrumental in me being able to go and serve … and making this whole journey possible,” she said. “There is so much that hangs on staying connected.”

Mick to Nashville

Mick Edmonds really isn’t that smart. At least, that’s what he claims, in addition to God being the reason he has made it through–thus far–10 years of higher education.

“I’m a career student,” he said, with a laugh.

Mick conducts breast cancer research and is finishing his PhD in molecular pathology. He hopes some day to obtain a faculty position at the collegiate level.

“I really feel like, wow, God’s made this path for me,” he said. “I had nothing to do with establishing my vocation. I don’t feel I have ownership over it; it’s not mine.”

Before he can reach his occupational goal, Mick is required to relocate to do a residency or post-doctorate work. Much to his surprise, he sensed God telling him to move his family from Birmingham, where he has been studying at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), to Nashville.

“I applied at Vanderbilt and just prayed, ‘If You want this to be, You’ll make a way for it,’” he said. “God gave me favor in everyone’s eyes. I’m really not that smart, I’m telling you.”

Pastor Rodney Calfee said he remembers seeing a transition in the way Mick discussed pursuing his post-doctorate work.

“Every time we talked about it, the conversation was all about the program and what was going to be best for his career and family,” he said. “It was amazing to hear a change in him when he was accepted into the program…. He said he feels like he’s called as a missionary to go to Vanderbilt and take the Gospel to the people in this scientific field. His perspective has completely shifted.”

“Career-wise, it’d be great to go somewhere like Harvard or Yale,” Mick said, “but that’s not what we want.”

He is uncertain as to how God may use him at Vanderbilt, but hopes to encourage believers who might have fallen out of fellowship with the body of Christ, as well as share the Gospel with those who do not yet know Jesus. He will be working in a lab setting where those on his team are likely to witness his life and priorities, which, he said, are counter-cultural.

“A big part is just to … physically be there,” he said. “I just know I’m supposed to be there.

“A university needs the Gospel as much as the housing projects.”

When Mick and his family move in November, they will be three short hours from their current church, which has been a large part Mick’s spiritual growth. He said brothers and sisters in Christ have gone out of their ways to plug into and include his family since they moved to the area a few years ago. The body of believers also has provided living examples of godly men that challenge Mick.

“I want to lead my family and follow Jesus with every aspect of my life,” he said. “(The church) is a group of people. It’s not a building. That’s why (my family has) grown so much. It’s not just learning from a pulpit, but … we’re really doing life with these people.”

Mick may not believe he is very intelligent, but he and Christy both are showing they are smart enough to follow God–wherever He leads–and are walking with their church in every step.

Written by Natalie Bunch. Natalie is a freelance writer for The Upstream Collective and lives in North Carolina. She served as a missionary writer based out of Prague, Czech Republic, from 2007-2009, and plans to return to full-time international mission work with her husband in a few years.

I know what you’re thinking. Upstream started with a focus on mission in Europe. But since our Jet Set trip to Asia last Fall, we’ve started to broaden our horizons and branch out into the rest of the world. We’ve met lots of innovative and committed people working among the peoples of Asia, and we’d like to tell their stories.

So we’re heading to Los Angeles, Tucson, and Phoenix during the first week in September. Our goal is to connect with church leaders and professionals who have an interest in or connection to Asia. We’ll be talking about opportunities to serve in that region, connections to make with the people on the ground there, and our missiological motivation to go. We’d love to help you communicate back with your church the tremendous opportunity for global involvement.

In the Los Angeles area, we’ll have two gatherings: from 10AM-1PM at FSBC Anaheim, and from 3pm-6pm at Cedarpoint Church in Simi Valley. We’ll bring along some friends with first-hand experience in the work in Asia, and anyone who’s interested can leave with some connections to workers on the field.

Our goal is to equip you to lead your church to direct involvement in missional engagement of Asian peoples both at home and abroad. Our meetings will be relaxed and informal, and we’ll help you find some accessible “on-ramps” to involvement.

If you live in any of the cities on our itinerary, or if you know someone who does, please contact us at info@theupstreamcollective.org. Anyone is welcome to these gatherings, or we’d love to meet over coffee or a meal to discuss ways for the church to think and act like a missionary.

Please consider promoting these discussions by posting these images on your blog/twitter. We’d like to get the word out before the trip, and you can help make that happen! Thanks!

Rodney Calfee

“In the midst of (this), God is creating a deeply missional community bound together in some of the deepest relational ties we have ever experienced,” Rodney said. “God’s sovereign grace has etched within us a deep, unquenchable desire to ‘live sent’–to rob a term from Jason Dukes–for the glory of God in our neighborhoods, city and the nations. It has driven us to redefine everything, give up our building, and begin pouring our resources into our neighborhoods and into those who are literally taking the Gospel to the nations.”

This year Rodney’s church (under its former name) in urban Birmingham, Ala., hit its 10-year mark. The group of believers had become heavily involved in reaching the homeless and hurting of the inner city. They had developed reentry programs and offered up part of their church facilities to be used as dorm space for men and women trying to make sense of life after prison. At the same time the believers desired to minister to those living in two government-funded projects within a few blocks of their building.

“We talked the missional talk,” Rodney said. “We were really talking like we were a missionally-connected community.”

However, with all of their efforts of spiritual plowing and planting, the fruit remained elusive.

Rodney and other leaders began to notice many broken people in their wake. They heard from members who struggled with wanting to do ministry in their own neighborhoods, but were not being equipped to do so.

In the midst of this, Rodney went on a Jet Set Tour to Taiwan.

“It completely changed my perspective on what mission really was,” he said.

Rodney’s goal for the trip was to gain knowledge on studying culture in order to impact the people living in the projects near his church. Instead, he attained a new perspective on mission.

“I learned I had to think of myself as a missionary,” he said. “So much was reshaped; so much was changed for me on that trip.”

Since then Rodney’s church has transitioned from being centrally located in downtown Birmingham to meeting in members’ homes throughout the week, with everyone gathering in one individual’s basement on Sundays. Here Rodney is walking the group through different aspects of theology as it studies how God created it to function as a church. While the body as a whole continues to wrestle with what it believes, Rodney said members know one thing is certain–they are to tell others about Jesus.

“We are empowering people to do ministry in their neighborhoods, work places and schools, which has translated into an eagerness in missions across the board,” he said. “We are taking the Great Commission seriously, and are going to send people to make the Gospel clear to the nations.”

This young church replant–now 8 months old–commissioned a family who recently left to serve in North Africa. It also, for the first time, is fully funding a church member who is leaving next week to be a missionary based in Australia for two years. As the group develops its new budget, it plans to set aside money for another family that has the goal of moving to India in the near future.

In celebration of Pentecost this year, church leaders commissioned the entire body of believers as missionaries to go into their places of work and life, “that all the nations would hear,” Rodney said.

Individuals within the body are taking “the responsibility of the Gospel personally for the first time and they are seeing results as they become missionaries in their own neighborhoods, workplaces (and) schools.” Rodney said one church member’s perspective on the search for where to do his post-doctorate work has changed from being about a school’s program quality and his career to focusing on what he believes is God’s desire for him to be a missionary and take the Gospel to his scientifically-minded peers at a specific university.

This same man randomly felt burdened to pray for his neighbor, with whom he previously had talked only briefly. Soon the believer learned his neighbor’s wife had left with their children. One evening following this incident the believer was working in his lawn and covered with dirt when his neighbor came home, approached him and began a conversation that led to the believer sharing the Gospel and praying with him.

“He was actually going on mission in his front yard,” Rodney said.

Later that evening the believer discovered another church member works with the neighbor and had, too, prayed with the man earlier that day.

A woman new to following Jesus within the church also got to share her faith from her lawn. She and her husband had befriended a couple who lives in their community, and desired to share the Gospel with them. “Religious” conversations seemed short-lived, however, until one of the neighbors approached the believer working in her yard with pointed questions.

This gave the woman–whom Rodney said is normally timid–the opportunity to communicate about Jesus.

“She surprised herself … (but) was able to talk very clearly about the Gospel in ways she never had before,” Rodney said.

“If there’s one thing we’re supposed to do, it’s to go into all the world…. It’s got to be the core of who we are, or we’re just not being the church,” he said. “If the church is not doing it, it’s not being done. We’ve got to be talking about the Gospel, we got to be talking about Jesus….”

Among lessons Rodney said he’s learned through his church’s transition is the need for connection with other Christ-following congregations of all styles and ages. He said his church went through a lot of what it did because it chose to put down other establishments that were not approaching ministry in the same fashion, while the members of his body thought they “had it right and … were doing it better.

“We lost a lot of contacts with great churches and pastors who could mentor us, so when we went through our transition, we went through it alone because we had stepped away from all other relationships.”

As Rodney becomes more involved in the “missional church conversation,” he finds it crucial to not focus on style and as a result, exclude older, more traditional congregations, but to be sure making disciples of all nations is the core of the body of Christ.

“It’s almost as if the missional church movement doesn’t play well with others,” he said. “You have to be careful in missional conversation that we don’t begin shutting doors that need to be open and making divisions within the body.”

Written by Natalie Bunch. Natalie is a freelance writer for The Upstream Collective and lives in North Carolina. She served as a missionary writer based out of Prague, Czech Republic, from 2007-2009, and plans to return to full-time international mission work with her husband in a few years.

I have some friends whom I think do an incredible job with having on-going communication with their sending churches. Their secret is to allot time each week to develop partnerships and communicate both formally and informally. It’s on their calendar.

Exactly how you communicate is up to you.

• Write updates to an e-mail distribution list. I like this idea, and always make a point to reply personally to those who respond to my general letter. If you need to keep security in mind, you can send your e-mail to a person who then distributes it for you. I also use a “Bcc” to not show everyone on the list who I am sending the update to. It additionally helps curtail those who “reply to all” when they get an e-mail from you.
• Print and mail a newsletter, though I think the number of people who do this has greatly declined in recent years with such connectivity through the Internet. In my family’s case, some of our supporters print out our e-mail updates and send them to others who do not use computers.
• Create a private Facebook group where you can tell your advocates about prayer requests as they come up or message the entire group at one time.
• Write short Twitter updates. I use this for general requests, and not so much for extremely personal ones.
• Sign up for a YouTube account and upload short videos about your work.
• Insert the above-mentioned social networking tools into your blog or Web site for your advocates to connect with you at their conveniences. Again, you have to decide how public you desire your work to be.
• Conduct Skype calls with churches during morning services or with small groups. I hear more and more about workers doing this, and think it’s a great way to have a presence in a church on a regular basis and be visibly in front of people while on the field.

I am also a huge fan of the sending church having a designated advocate who regularly communicates with their missionaries. I am finding many churches have a staff member or lay person who is the main contact for the overseas workers, which ensures on-going connectivity between the two parties. If you have regular communication with the advocate, then information about your work spreads quickly. I know some people who have advocates in several churches, so the worker spends time communicating with these individuals, knowing they will tell their story to others.

Also, if the worker overseas and his/her sending church regularly communicate, then it is quite natural for the worker to connect and share with the church when he/she returns home.

A few months ago I was in an American church listening to a couple of missionaries give a report about their work in a far off land. They wore “normal” clothes and had videos and photos embedded in their slide show—much different from how I remember missionaries giving reports when I was a kid. As I observed all this, I wondered, “How did Paul and Barnabas report back to their church?”

In Acts 14:24-28 we read about these two men returning to Antioch. They had been traveling, seen people come to faith, made disciples, seen churches planted, fulfilled the work for that trip and witnessed God move in some amazing and powerful ways.

They had stories to tell. So they gathered the church and told them about all God had done with them.

I like how Paul and Barnabas took the initiative with that meeting. I sometimes laugh to myself at the thought of a worker calling home to his/her church and saying, “Scratch the programming ideas for this week, we are going to meet this Sunday and talk about my mission work.”

Honestly, it can be a challenge today to report back to your church(es). Yet we must.

I had the opportunity to talk with cross-cultural workers during a “back pack” trip across Europe and noted that some seem to have more accountability than others regarding their sending churches. Those with strong accountability seemed to have a clearer understanding of their purpose once on the field, while the strong sending churches seemed to have more involvement in the worker’s church-planting strategy.

Other reasons for on-going conversations include telling the stories of the work on the field; letting the church know how the workers are doing; encouraging the worker; encouraging the church; receiving the workers in joy and honor; and giving praise for what God has done.

In case I haven’t made this clear yet, let me say it again–the church and missionary should have an on-going relationship.

If you’re a cross-cultural worker who does not have a sending church and would like one, leave a comment or contact me on my blog or Twitter. A church may be looking to adopt missionaries as its own sent.

Written by Larry McCrary. Larry and his family have lived in Europe since 2001, and have been involved in church planting both in the United States and in Europe. Larry is co-founder of The Upstream Collective, and is passionate about seeing the church think and act as a missionary both in its community and internationally. Larry blogs and tweets as part of an effort to influence the conversation of missions.

Earlier I wrote about the requirement and roles of sending churches. Today, I want to speak to the sent.

Each international missionary needs to be sent from a church. At the risk of sounding like a song on repeat–the importance of having a sending church is vital to the success of cross-cultural workers.

I often speak about this because I do not want to see people coming overseas without a strong relationship and affirmation from their sending churches, and I do not want to see that stop once they go on the field. The church’s involvement and responsibility does not cease to exist once the workers physically leave churches and go on their missions.

Nor does the responsibility of the worker.

Having on-going—not one-time—communication with the church is key. As overseas workers we need to find ways to create advocacy with our churches. We cannot afford to be out of touch with them. We definitely do not want to only speak up when we need something.

I think it is very wise to find ways to get to know your support churches, pray for and serve them, so when you talk to them they are not immediately wondering what your “ask” is this time. Since it takes money to survive on the field, often the missionary lives in a tension between reporting about and raising support for his/her work.

Yet if the only time the church hears from its missionaries is during a point of financial need, that message can get old. It also can put the missionary in a position of needing to have something spectacular to report on. Quite frankly, this can be hard if you are serving in a new area, a non-harvest region or if you work in more of a “support” role. We sometimes tend to elevate certain types of workers above others. However, second-class missionaries do not exist.

The Great Commission was given to the church and we need to help the church in this venture.

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Next: Larry offers suggestions on how cross-cultural workers can stay connected with their sending churches.

Written by Larry McCrary. Larry and his family have lived in Europe since 2001, and have been involved in church planting both in the United States and in Europe. Larry is co-founder of The Upstream Collective, and is passionate about seeing the church think and act as a missionary both in its community and internationally. Larry blogs and tweets as part of an effort to influence the conversation of missions.