Good vs. Bad or Wasteful Missions Trips

Mission trips can be done well, can be done wasteful, or can be done horrible. (Horrible would be where it hurts those it tried to serve, and gave the “server” an undeserved pat on the back, giving them a tainted view of missions and Christianity.) Thankfully, I have never been on any horrible trips, but I have been a part of good and of wasteful trips. Here are my suggestions, after working with Short Term Missions Trips for 14 years:

1. Rename it. Most people agree on this: change the terms. You are not going to be a missionary. You are going, mostly for your own benefit, to see and learn from others. To share life with others. To listen. If you have relationships built, then you are going to grow and continue reciprocal relationships- and figure out how more than just money is going back and forth. Read here for other people's ideas on this.
2. Be accountable: the missions group receiving you is accountable to share where the money is going and why. The people raising funds are accountable to give accurate reports (and random selfies with poor children that accentuate how great you are and how poor they are is not okay) and not inflate their own greatness.
3. Invest more than just money: if you are going on a missions trip, get training before you go, and have debriefing when you get home to help unpack and truly learn from your experience. ALL OUR TRIPS THROUGH WORLD RENEWAL OFFER THIS! If you can’t give that time, it isn’t worth our time or your money. If you aren’t going to commit to getting sleep (or general healthy habits) on the trip to be the best you that you can be (teens, I am talking to you, using the trip as a glorified sleepover), then it isn’t worth our time or your money.
4. Do it their way. If you are not in contact with local church leaders where you are serving (or missionaries currently on the ground serving) about your trip- don’t go. Don’t do a trip that isn’t the time THEY suggest and don’t go do things THEY don’t ask for (example- they say come in June to do VBS and you come in July and do construction).
5. Don't bring more than 15 people at a time. Preferably under 10 people. Because it is impossible to translate for everyone. It is impossible to talk with and organize and orientate everyone when the group is too big (let alone transport and feed, which can quickly become a nightmare).

Here is a video, with some other suggestions, as you think about responsible, helpful mission's trips.