At Brentwood, we invest significant time and resources into mission journeys each year. Teams come back inspired, sharing stories and photos from their experiences. But here’s the tough question we need to address: Are these brief trips actually creating the long-term impact we intend?
After years of observing both successful partnerships and failed attempts, I’ve learned that effective global missions require a different approach than what most churches practice. We need to rethink how we engage with ministry partners around the world.
The Hard Truth About One-Off Mission Trips
Short-term missions can absolutely ignite spiritual passion and cultural curiosity. I’ve seen it firsthand!
However, their impact on communities abroad is often limited without a thoughtful approach and ongoing commitment.
Here’s what I’ve seen happen too often:
- We arrive with our agenda instead of addressing actual community needs
- We create dependency rather than empowering local leadership
- We focus on activities instead of relationships
- We treat missions as events rather than ongoing partnerships
The reality is that mission trips planned around our schedules or convenience often miss the mark. When we arrive with predetermined timing and projects, we force field workers to create experiences for us rather than addressing actual community needs.
Learning from Paul’s Approach to Ministry Partnerships
Paul offers a clear biblical model for sustainable global partnerships. His ministry wasn’t built on short visits but on lasting relationships sustained through regular communication, strategic deployment of workers, financial support, and prayer.
When he wrote to the Philippians, “I thank my God every time I remember you… because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,” these weren’t empty words. They represented years of mutual investment, shared work, and real relationships.
1. Investing from Afar: Encouragement and Instruction
Paul consistently invested in churches through letters filled with encouragement and guidance.
This commitment to ongoing spiritual investment shows us that distance doesn’t diminish our ability to nurture partnerships through:
- Regular video calls for prayer and updates
- Consistent communication through emails or messaging
- Sending personalized care packages with resources
- Sharing Scripture, prayers, and church updates
2. Strategic Deployment: Sending and Commissioning
Paul sent trusted colleagues like Timothy and Titus to strengthen churches and equip local leaders. Today, we should ask: “Are we truly sending our people, or just making quick trips?” Consider:
- Identifying members with unique skills that meet specific partner needs
- Sending people for extended periods to provide deeper support
- Supporting missionaries with specialized skills
- Commissioning members to help with ongoing projects or training
3. Practical and Financial Support
Paul intentionally coordinated resources for ministry needs. This commitment to tangible support might look like:
- Consistent financial giving to partner ministries
- Providing specific resources requested by global partners
- Supporting missionary families with practical needs
- Helping fund strategic initiatives identified by local leaders
4. The Power of Finding Your “One Thing” For a Season
I’ve found that many church leaders (myself included) struggle with wanting to support every worthy ministry opportunity. The challenge? This approach often leads to doing many things with mediocre effectiveness rather than doing one thing exceptionally well.
The solution is finding your church’s “one thing”—a single global partnership where you can pour your energy, resources, and passion. This focused approach allows a church to:
- Build meaningful, long-term relationships
- Develop true cultural understanding
- See tangible progress over time
- Create a shared vision throughout the congregation
When an entire congregation focuses on one partnership, it creates remarkable clarity about your church’s mission identity. Your members can clearly articulate what your church does in missions, share stories of impact, and feel personally connected to the work even if they haven’t gone themselves.
Additionally, it is good to keep the expectation that this is the “one thing” for a season. It is important to remember when narrowing your approach that having one missional focus can become a “golden calf” situation that is set on a pedestal. The church can begin to idolize the one thing that is the point of focus during that season.
Setting clear goals, establishing helpful verbiage, and communicating expectations around the missional focus allows for strong partnerships. Then, as your church has the opportunity to expand and change missional focuses, the church body is already poised to engage in missions in a way that creates health and unity within the body.
Key Steps To Identifying the Right Partnership
1. Determine Actual Needs
Communication with potential mission partners should begin by asking, “What do you actually need?” rather than “Here’s what we want to do.” The most effective partnerships start by understanding genuine needs on the ground and assessing whether your church is equipped to meet them.
2. Assess Cultural Fit
Look for partnerships where there’s a natural alignment between your congregation’s gifts and the partner’s context. The most effective partnerships occur when both sides benefit and grow from the relationship.
3. Send a Scouting Team First
Before committing to a full partnership, send a small team to explore the relationship. This initial visit isn’t about completing projects but about listening, learning, and building relationships.
4. Build Leadership Continuity
Effective partnerships thrive when there’s continuity in leadership. Identify potential team
Curious how to preach authentically while navigating shared sermon series and multiple campuses? Watch Matt Pearson on this episode of the Elevate Podcast, Finding Your Voice: How Team Preaching Shapes Your Impact, as he unpacks practical wisdom for growing preachers and seasoned communicators alike.