Short-Term Missions Workbook
From Mission Tourists to Global Citizens
Tim Dearborn
- 144 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
Short-Term Missions Workbook
From Mission Tourists to Global Citizens
Tim Dearborn
About This Book
Going on a short-term missions trip can be a life- and faith-transforming experience. It can enrich the way we view the world. It can cause us to rely on God more fully. It's an opportunity to develop deep relationships with our team and the people we serve. A short-term missions experience can also involve weeks of physical and spiritual challenges. An unprepared team can wreak havoc on each other and the people they intend to serve. To get the most out of a missions trip, we need to go prepared. Whether we're going on our own or with a team, the keys to preparation are here in this workbook. In this ten-week course, you will find- a concise summary of crosscultural principles- help in facing spiritual warfare- tips on avoiding a tourist mentality- spiritual preparation through individual or group Bible study- questions for individual reflection and group discussionThis revised and expanded edition includes updated content throughout and new chapters on facing risks, fears, and suffering, and making the most of the trip after returning home. If you are planning to go on a short-term missions trip, don't leave home without working through this book!
Frequently asked questions
Information
1
The God of Mission
Suggested Group Activities
- Begin the process of getting to know one another by discussing the following questions in pairs: Where have you traveled in the past (for work, vacation, or mission)? What are you most excited about for your trip? Then introduce each other to the group.
- In groups of four, discuss the following questions, and then pray together: What are you feeling fearful about? Why do you believe God is calling you to go on this trip?
- Play the “Insiders-Outsiders” simulation game (thirty minutes; see the leader’s guide for this chapter in appendix one).
SECTION
ONE
It’s God’s World and God’s Mission
- We are to seek first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33).
- We are to hunger for the justice of the kingdom (Matthew 5:6).
- The desire for the kingdom to come should be foremost among our prayerful petitions (Matthew 6:10).
- Jesus’ first sermon was about the kingdom at hand (Mark 1:14-15; Luke 4:18).
- Jesus said that the purpose of his teaching was the proclamation of the mystery of the kingdom (Luke 8:10).
- History will not end until the kingdom has been preached to all ethnic groups in the world (Matthew 24:14).
- Jesus’ final instruction on earth concerned the kingdom (Acts 1:1-8). Following his resurrection and prior to his ascension, the Lord devoted his last opportunity for face-to-face teaching to the kingdom.
- How would you define the kingdom of God?
- What does it mean to seek it?
- What is your response to Jesus’ statements?
- What are some of its implications for your short-term mission service?
- we renounce all other loyalties;
- we worship God with our bodies; and
- we have no life apart from the life of God.
- What are the four spheres of witness that Jesus describes, and what characterizes each one?
- What are the equivalents of each of these four spheres for you?
- In which sphere is it easiest/hardest for you to live as a witness?
- What does Jesus say is needed before we can be witnesses?
- In what ways would you like to more fully receive the power of the Spirit to strengthen your life as a witness?