The WHY of short-term missions: Being honest about motives, with Dr. Greg Burch

Why do people go on short-term mission trips? Are the things we do in the name of “missions” actually reflective of the Great Commission? If we’re honest, how many of these trips are really more about the personal transformation of those who are sent? And if we admit that our primary motive for short-term missions has to do with personal transformation, is that motive actually a bad thing?

In this episode Forrest talks with Dr. Greg Burch, professor and chair of Global Studies at Multnomah University. Even though Greg has devoted his career to studying the problems that are part of short-term missions culture, he is honest about the fact that the short term trips he went on as a youth were deeply transformative for him. So, even now he wrestles with the question: Is our own personal transformation a legitimate motivation to go on trips that we are calling “missions”?

Greg Burch
MA in Global Development and Justice at Multnomah University

MA International Community Development, Northwest University

Website: https://reimaginingstm.com

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