• Directories
    • Business Directory
    • Church Directory
    • Organization Directory
  • Advertise
  • Donate
  • Help
  • Log In

MENUMENU
  • Learning
        • Leader’s Edge
          • Author Interviews
          • Book Summaries
        • Book Reviews
          • Book Look
          • EMQ Book Reviews
        • Publications
          • Anthology
          • Evangelical Missions Quarterly (EMQ)
          • Missiographics
        • Podcasts
          • The Mission Matters
          • Members Only Feed
          • Missions Podcast DirectoryNew
        • Topics
          • COVID-19 Resources
          • Diaspora Missions
          • Global Issues Updates
          • Member Highlights
          • Mobilization
          • Muslim Missions
          • Support Raising
          • UkraineNew
        • Media Library
          • Conferences
          • Global Issue Updates
          • On Mission
          • Thought Leader Briefings
          • Webinars
          • Workshop
          • View All
  • Programs
    • Accreditation
    • Bible Certificate
    • Church Missions Coaching
    • Cohorts
    • Cybersecurity
    • ImproveNew
    • Mission Jobs
    • Missions DataNew
    • Publish
    • RightNow Media
    • The Mission App
    • Women’s Development
  • Events
          • Calendar
          • In-Person Events
          • Virtual Events
          • Event Recordings
          • Awards
        • Premier Events
          • Mission Leaders Conference
          • On Mission
        • Upcoming Events

          • Webinar: An Introduction to the Theology and Practice of Cross-Cultural Risk
            Thu May 26 2022, 12:00pm EDT
          • Pocket Guide to Being a Missions Pastor: 5 Things Every Missions Pastor Needs to Know
            Wed Jun 1 2022, 01:00pm EDT
          • From Harlem to the World - the Local Church Mobilized for Global Missions
            Wed Aug 3 2022, 01:00pm EDT
        • View All Events
  • Research
          • Missions DataNew
          • Missiographics
          • Research Reports
        • Popular Research
          • Compensation Reports
          • COVID-19 Resources
          • Field Attrition Report
          • View All Reports
        • Contribute
          • Current Research Projects
          • Volunteer
  • About Us
        • Who We Are
          • Our Contribution
          • Meet the Team
          • Board Members
          • History (1917–present)
        • Our Beliefs
          • Statement of Faith
          • Community Standards
        • Awards
        • Partner with Us
          • Advertise
          • Donate
          • Sponsorships
          • Volunteer
        • Help
          • Contact Us
          • Advertising Specs
          • Branding Guidelines
  • Join
        • Learn
        • Learn what you cannot learn anywhere else.

        • Meet
        • Meet people you otherwise won’t meet.

        • Engage
        • Engage in a community like none other.

          • Benefits
          • Benefits for Churches
          • Pricing

Sponsored Content

Upcoming Events

  • Webinar: An Introduction to the Theology and Practice of Cross-Cultural Risk
    Thu May 26 2022, 12:00pm EDT
  • Pocket Guide to Being a Missions Pastor: 5 Things Every Missions Pastor Needs to Know
    Wed Jun 1 2022, 01:00pm EDT
  • From Harlem to the World - the Local Church Mobilized for Global Missions
    Wed Aug 3 2022, 01:00pm EDT
  • Innovation Leaders Discussion
    Mon Aug 8 2022, 01:00pm EDT
  • Peer 2 Peer for Communications and Marketing Staff: Communications and the Mission of God: Aligning organizational communications with God's purposes
    Thu Aug 18 2022, 01:00pm EDT

View all events »

Topics

author interview CEO Church Church Missions Church Mission Team Church Planting COVID-19 Cross Cultural Skills Diaspora Disciple Making Discipleship Focus Future Innovation Islam Justin Long Leadership Management Member Care Missiology Missionaries Mission Finance and Administration MLC2019 MLC2020 MLC2021 Mobilization muslim Muslim Diaspora Networks Partnership Podcast Presenter Pursuing Partnerships Series Research Risk Short-Term Missions Spirituality support raising Training Trends Unengaged Unreached Weekly Roundup Women Women in Leadership

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Maximum Impact Short-term Missions

Posted on January 1, 2004 by Ted EslerJanuary 1, 2004

by Reviewed by Lisa Sinclair

Peterson, Aeschliman and Sneed take the whole wild and woolly world of short-term missions (STM) and define, defend, and redesign it.

By Roger Peterson, Gordon Aeschliman, and R. Wayne Sneed with Kim Hurst, ed. STEMPress, P.O. Box 386001, Minneapolis, MN 55438-6001, 2003, 283 pages, $19.99.

—Reviewed by Lisa Sinclair, associate international ministry director, United World Mission.

Peterson, Aeschliman and Sneed take the whole wild and woolly world of short-term missions (STM) and define, defend, and redesign it. The end product is a new vocabulary and a new paradigm for planning, processing, and evaluating STM endeavors.

Founded on strong biblical theology (chapters one and ten), the authors describe STM as “the God commanded repetitive deployment of swift, temporary non-professional missionaries” (p. 117). The authors are articulate and experienced STM practitioners. They passionately present the Great Commission as the task of all Christians, all ordinary “fools.” It is not the specialized work of select professionals. “Real people chosen by God are almost always perceived as weak and foolish when screened and analyzed through the routine preparatorial and procedural practices of the world” (p. 17). STM is a unique means for ordinary people to be involved in life-transforming missions, and it is greatly used by God with approximately one million short-termers deployed in 2003 alone (ch. 11).

The authors guard the biblical definition of “mission” and discourage its application to cross-cultural, self-focused trips (ch. 8). In mission, God’s kingdom and intended receptors are the focus. Unique attention is given to the common God-given experience of serendipity through the reciprocity of STM participants (ch. 7).

The authors visualize each aspect of STM using a grid format with comprehensive accompanying explanation (ch. 3-6, 9). Rich endnotes and appendices provide resources and alternative methods of visualizing and understanding the complex world of short-term missions. Although the grid work makes for dense reading, it is well worth the effort. The process trilogy (pre-field, on-field, post-field) and the participant trilogy (senders, goer-guests, and host receivers) are delineated clearly with helpful examples. The culminating “MISTM-Grid” (maximum impact short-term mission grid) provides a key to all levels of participation and process (pp. 184-5). Each grid sector is explained so as to enable the analysis of innumerable variations. New terminology may feel cumbersome or artificial, but it reflects the authors’ attention to accuracy and linguistic clarity. All terms are carefully defined and utilized effectively.

Short-term missions are here to stay. This book is a comprehensive, user-friendly reference for any short-term mission practitioner. Its theologic, missiologic, and historic underpinnings are solid and the practical applications are clear and reproducible. The authors’ scholarly work and passion for mission make a compelling read.

Check these titles:
Forward, David.1998. Essential Guide to the Short Term Mission Trip. Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press.

Greene, Leon. 2003. A Guide to Short Term Missions: A Comprehensive Manual for Planning an Effective Mission Trip. Waynesboro, Ga.: Gabriel Publications.

Vancise, Martha. 1996. Successful Mission Teams: A Guide for Volunteers. Birmingham, Ala.: New Hope Publishing.

—–

Copyright © 2004 Evangelism and Missions Information Service (EMIS). All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced or copied in any form without written permission from EMIS.

GoToOlder PostNewer PostAll PostsBook ReviewsEMQSectionVolume 40 - Issue 1

Comments are closed.

Subscribe to Our Mailing List

Keep up to date with our community.

Menu

  • Home
  • Directories
  • Advertise
  • Donate
  • Contact Us

Join

  • Join
  • Benefits
  • Learn
  • Meet
  • Engage

Help

  • Contact Us
  • Terms
  • Cookies Policy

About Us

  • Who We Are
  • Statement of Faith
  • Awards
  • Resources
Missio Nexus Logo

© Missio Nexus. All rights reserved.
As an Amazon Associate Missio Nexus earns from qualifying purchases.


PO Box 398
Wheaton, IL 60187-0398

Phone: 770.457.6677
678.392.4577

Annual Sponsors

ECFA Logo Brotherhood Mutual Logo

Subscribe to our Mailing List

Membership website powered by MembershipWorks