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Do short-term mission trips have a real impact on the mission field? This week, Mark Renfroe and John Bailey use their experience as missionaries to explore the differences between short- and long-term missions. They also discuss where both types have a place in the church.

Key Points from the Podcast

• When it comes to missions, a common question can be, “Why should we go hallway around the world to help others when we have needs right here in our community?”

• A church’s vision for mission work should include both local outreach and international missions.

• Statistics show that most churches give less that 4% to people or programs outside their four walls; and less than 1% of that goes to getting the gospel to unreached people groups.

• Americans spend more money on Halloween costumes for their pets than on reaching the lost. You can get involved in missions though giving.

• If you are married, and you feel God is calling you to the mission field, then you and your spouse need to be in agreement. You were called to marriage before you were called to missions. You don’t break one commitment to fulfill the other.

• The goal of every international missionary should be to work with, raise up, and equip local believers to reach their nation.

• Mark Renfroe shares, from his experience as a missionary, how short-term trips were often a lot of work with not much benefit for the mission; but he kept hosting teams because of the transformation he saw take place in the hearts of those who visited.

• If you have a heart for missions, but your church isn’t doing anything related to missions, then ask your pastor if you can start a missions committee.

• Is there a Chinese restaurant in your town? What about Thai or Indian restaurants? If so, they might be Hindus or Buddhists and you have an opportunity for cross-cultural friendship and ministry.

• Mark Renfroe encourages Christians to take 86 seconds, 1/100^0th of your day, to pray for the unreached. For more information on unreached people, visit the Joshua Project or Operation World.

• Missions can seem overwhelming. John Bailey encourages people and pastors to start small. Speak, pray, and cast vision for missions, then give to missions and see where God might lead you next.

Bible Verses Referenced in the Podcast

Matthew 28:19; John 1:14; 2 Corinthians 12:9

Resources Mentioned in the Podcast

• Joshua Project

• Operation World

• Chi Alpha Campus Ministry

About John Bailey

Pastor John Bailey serves as the Chief Operating Officer at World Challenge. John came to know Christ in jail after some difficult struggles as a young man, and God has done a powerful work of transformation since! Spending 13 years in Next Gen ministry, he excelled in discipleship and helping young leaders discover giftings to serve God. John was called next to serve as a missionary and pastor in Western Europe. John and his family then returned to plant the Springs Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Today, the church is a thriving body of believers excelling in outreach and missions. John has now brought his giftings and vision to World Challenge, accelerating the spread of the gospel in America and around the World.

About Mark Renfroe

Mark married his college sweetheart, Amy, with whom he has four adult children—one girl and three boys. The Renfroes have been involved in field missions work for 30 years. They served in the Arab community of San Francisco for four years before becoming foreign missionaries in 1995. Mark was asked to serve as the Area Director for Assemblies of God World Missions in 2007. As part of his role, he led missionaries and interfaced with national church leaders in the 18 countries of the Arab World. In 2017, Mark created Reaching Africa’s Muslims, an initiative to mobilize, equip, and deploy indigenous African missionaries to reach Muslims on the continent. Mark has graduate degrees in Intercultural Studies and Executive Leadership. He currently serves as the Chief Missions Officer for World Challenge in Colorado Springs.