'Changed for Life' by Doing Short-Term Missions
Kurt Ver Beek and his wife, Jo Ann Van Engen, have been living and doing ministry work in Central America for 30 years.
As part of the social justice organization the Association for a More Just Society, they have seen the good that short-term mission trips can have — both for the groups going and the communities with whom they work.
“We've also seen that really effective short-term mission is not about the one week spent building houses, doing VBS or working at an orphanage, but about the change that happens after the trip, when the groups commit to learning and serving wherever they are,” said Kurt Ver Beek.
Ver Beek and his wife are contributors to a new, free downloadable resource titled Changed for Life, which provides short-term mission teams with materials for all participants and keeps long-term goals in mind. The materials are specifically designed for the purpose of doing missions well, and doing life well after the mission trip.
Also contributing to the resource are writer Lisa Van Engen and and David Livermore, author of Serving with Eyes Wide Open: Doing Short-Term Missions with Cultural Intelligence.
“This is a resource for leaders who long to see real change in their groups but aren't sure how to make that happen,” said Ver Beek.
“The materials are full of helpful anecdotes, activities, and information that make planning an excellent short-term mission trip doable even for leaders with little or no experience.”
Changed for Life equips short-term mission teams, the hosts who receive them, and the congregations who send them, to craft a well-organized mission experience with the potential to catalyze lifelong change.
“What I love most about Changed for Life is its focus on short-term mission teams partnering with the work God is already doing in the people and the places they visit,” said Lisa Van Engen.
“The curriculum invites us into reciprocal missions, allowing teams to learn from, be challenged and encouraged by the people they serve.”
Changed for Life includes resources for getting started, six pre-trip sessions for hosts and for teams, discussion guides and journal prompts, evaluations and tools for sharing after the trip, and outlines for post-trip meetings.
Teams will be encouraged to prepare thoroughly before leaving, to continue to interact regularly with one another during the mission trip, to maintain contact with each other after they return home, and to get involved in their own community.
The six pre-trip sessions focus participants through six sessions:
- Changed for Life
- The Mission of God
- Global Injustices
- Cultural Intelligence
- Poverty Is a Reality
- Poverty and Development
Changed for Life has been made available by World Renew; the Christian Reformed Church Office of Social Justice; CRC World Missions; Reformed Church in America; ServiceLink; Youth Unlimited.
Here are links to blog posts on the CRC Network that relate to the curriculum:
