This is a question that is asked frequently.
The first response is that, biblically, it is not supposed to be just one or the other. We are all called to do BOTH. We should not separate the two as, if one is done correctly, it will help the other.
Missionary C.T. Studd said, "The light that shines farthest shines brightest nearest home". We believe we want people to be better here because they went there. As Christians we often think too small as we serve a big God. What if we used short-term mission trips as part of our discipleship strategy? What if we used the short-term mission trip to train our Church family on how to share the Gospel and their testimony? What if they became comfortable being uncomfortable? You simply cannot duplicate the difficulty of a language barrier or the discomfort of a foreign environment, which requires us to lean on God for our strength and not try to do it on our own. As Pastors, we talk about having a consistent quiet time. What if our quiet time was from the time we woke up until the time we went to bed? What if we removed all the distractions and just focused on doing God's work? All of this can be accomplished on a short-term mission trip and our Church family grows, becomes stronger as they worship, share, and fellowship together. There is a large percentage of full-time missionaries that hear their calling on a short-term mission trip. This is why we go there so we can be better here. Pastor Rick Reed
