Standard of Excellence in Short-term Missions
1. God-Centeredness
An excellent short-term mission seeks first God’s glory and his kingdom, and is expressed through our:
1.1. Purpose — Focussing on God’s glory and his ends throughout our entire STM process
1.2. Lives — Sound biblical doctrine, persistent prayer, and godliness in all our thoughts, words, and deeds
1.3. Methods — Wise, biblical, and culturally-appropriate methods which bear spiritual fruit
2. Empowering Partnerships
An excellent short-term mission establishes healthy, interdependent, on-going relationships between sending and receiving partners, and is expressed by:
2.1. Primary focus on intended receptors
2.2. Plans which benefit all participants
2.3. Mutual trust and accountability
3. Mutual Design
An excellent short-term mission collaboratively plans each specific outreach for the benefit of all participants, and is expressed by:
3.1. On-field methods and activities aligned to long-term strategies of the partnership
3.2. Goer-guests’ ability to implement their part of the plan
3.3. Host receivers’ ability to implement their part of the plan
4. Comprehensive Administration
An excellent short-term mission exhibits integrity through reliable set-up and thorough administration for all participants, and is expressed by:
4.1. Truthfulness in promotion, finances, and reporting results
4.2. Appropriate risk management
4.3. Quality program delivery and support logistics
5. Qualified Leadership
An excellent short-term mission screens, trains, and develops capable leadership for all participants, and is expressed by:
5.1. Character — Spiritually mature servant leadership
5.2. Skills — Prepared, competent, organized and accountable leadership
5.3. Values — Empowering and equipping leadership
6. Appropriate Training
An excellent short-term mission prepares and equips all participants for the mutually designed outreach, and is expressed by:
6.1. Biblical, appropriate, and timely training
6.2. On-going training and equipping (pre-field, on-field, post-field)
6.3. Qualified trainers
7. Thorough Follow-Up
An excellent short-term mission assures debriefing and appropriate follow-up for all participants, and is expressed by:
7.1. Comprehensive debriefing (pre-field, on-field, post-field)
7.2. On-field re-entry preparation
7.3. Post-field follow-up and evaluation
An excellent short-term mission seeks first God’s glory and his kingdom, and is expressed through our:
1.1. Purpose — Focussing on God’s glory and his ends throughout our entire STM process
1.2. Lives — Sound biblical doctrine, persistent prayer, and godliness in all our thoughts, words, and deeds
1.3. Methods — Wise, biblical, and culturally-appropriate methods which bear spiritual fruit
2. Empowering Partnerships
An excellent short-term mission establishes healthy, interdependent, on-going relationships between sending and receiving partners, and is expressed by:
2.1. Primary focus on intended receptors
2.2. Plans which benefit all participants
2.3. Mutual trust and accountability
3. Mutual Design
An excellent short-term mission collaboratively plans each specific outreach for the benefit of all participants, and is expressed by:
3.1. On-field methods and activities aligned to long-term strategies of the partnership
3.2. Goer-guests’ ability to implement their part of the plan
3.3. Host receivers’ ability to implement their part of the plan
4. Comprehensive Administration
An excellent short-term mission exhibits integrity through reliable set-up and thorough administration for all participants, and is expressed by:
4.1. Truthfulness in promotion, finances, and reporting results
4.2. Appropriate risk management
4.3. Quality program delivery and support logistics
5. Qualified Leadership
An excellent short-term mission screens, trains, and develops capable leadership for all participants, and is expressed by:
5.1. Character — Spiritually mature servant leadership
5.2. Skills — Prepared, competent, organized and accountable leadership
5.3. Values — Empowering and equipping leadership
6. Appropriate Training
An excellent short-term mission prepares and equips all participants for the mutually designed outreach, and is expressed by:
6.1. Biblical, appropriate, and timely training
6.2. On-going training and equipping (pre-field, on-field, post-field)
6.3. Qualified trainers
7. Thorough Follow-Up
An excellent short-term mission assures debriefing and appropriate follow-up for all participants, and is expressed by:
7.1. Comprehensive debriefing (pre-field, on-field, post-field)
7.2. On-field re-entry preparation
7.3. Post-field follow-up and evaluation