Vacationing like Brangelina :: Does volunteer tourism do any good? (TIME Magazine)
Seven years ago my world was turned upside down. I experienced what God was doing in the far corners of the world on a short term missions experience. It was that experience that sparked a desire to fuse my passion for business with faith.Without that experience I know my priorities would be different today. I'm grateful for that life changing experience.
Fast forward seven years later. As a business leader I sometimes get so entrenched in this idea of efficiency and effectiveness. It's a healthy tension ... One to walk between the idea of "building a self sustaining business" and a "ministry at all costs" attitude.
So tonight when I picked up this month's TIME Magazine I was curious to see an article debating the effectiveness of volunteer tourism. I was even more fascinated to see the article reference the short term missions as a long term predecessor to this movement.
The debate of whether a short term experience can be effective is not a new one in missions circles. For years mission agencies have been debating this in board rooms, conferences and around the world.
The article wasn't emotionally overwhelming but it was thought provoking (To read the article, click here). It sparked a lot of challenging questions like... What is the goal of a short term missions or a business as mission experience? Are we more focused on helping the person going or the person in need? If it is for the person in need, are the methods we're using the most effective? What makes it effective? How much of the formula is cost? Should we measure the return on an invested dollar that is spent?
Speaking of dollars spent, another thing that struck me was the number of people that pay out of their own pockets. You hear in this article that the people are paying from their own pocket $2500 to go on these trips and calling it their vacation. Should that change our philosophy on short term missions and support raising?
When all these ideas are brought up in the business as mission movement another variable enters. Sustainability. As business leaders we always must weigh the value added for the cost spent.
Normally you would find some well thought answer saying what should be done and 5 easy steps to do it. With this one I say let the conversations begin. Let the process work. Working together let's better understand exactly what short term experiences should look like in the business as mission movement.
Labels: Editorials, Recruitment and Job Opportunities, Traditional Mission Agencies and BAM
