Build Local Sustainability

One of the biggest reasons for Western churches to participate in short-term mission trips is to get young people involved in missions. When a group from the West goes overseas, a lot of work is done and the team feels good about what they were able to accomplish.  

When the group from the West returns to their church, they give a report of what they did, where they went, and what they experienced. But what about the impact on the local church overseas?  Was the trip designed to allow the local church to grow and benefit from the time together?

Joshua Chang is the founder of Green Window Ministries, a ministry that focuses on empowering Christ followers in the jungle areas around the world.  Joshua is from South Korea but grew up in Bolivia where his parents were missionaries.  Joshua spent more than a decade with his wife and children as missionaries in Brazil.  His experience in missions gives us much to learn.  

For more discussion on missions, check out the Missions Dilemma Series.