Short-Term Mission: An Ethnography of Christian Travel Narrative and Experience

by Brian M. Howell

Over the past few decades, short-term mission trips have exploded in popularity. With easy access to affordable air travel, millions of American Christians have journeyed internationally for ministry, service and evangelism. Short-term trips are praised for involving many in global mission but also critiqued for their limitations. Despite the diversity of destinations, certain universal commonalities emerge in how mission trip participants describe their experiences: "My eyes were opened to the world's needs." "They ministered to us more than we ministered to them." "It changed my life." Anthropologist Brian Howell explores the narrative shape of short-term mission (STM). Drawing on the anthropology of tourism and pilgrimage, he shows how STM combines these elements with Christian purposes of mission to create its own distinct narrative. He provides a careful historical survey of the development of STM and then offers an in-depth ethnographic study of a particular mission trip to the Dominican Republic. He explores how participants remember and interpret their experiences, and he unpacks the implications for how North American churches understand mission, grapple with poverty and relate to the larger global church. A groundbreaking book for all who want to understand how and why American Christians undertake short-term mission.

Genres: Nonfiction, Theology

256 pages, Paperback

First published August 2, 2012

About the author

Brian Howell is a professor at Wheaton College. He recieved his Ph.D. in Socio-Cultural Anthropology from Washington University, St. Louis, in 2002.

Howell is particularly interested in courses dealing with global Christianity, culture theory and inequality as well as anthropology and popular culture, and strives to incorporate such issues into his courses. Dr. Howell and his wife Marissa Sabio reside in Wheaton with their three children and are active church members.

Reviews

[Zach Hollifield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful. Though the authors data is from a (admittedly) narrow study he draws from a number of other studies and research to make the case that the narrative surrounding short term mission trips can be troubling. As someone who believes in the value of STM trips I agreed before reading but am more convinced now. If the church in the West is to truly partner with Majority World Christians then their STM trips will need to look more like “being with” and “listening to/learning from” than “doing.”

To many this is not as sexy, and indeed it may make fundraising for such trips more difficult because people want to know what we will “do.” But if we really desire to partner well with the global church and not just use them for our own self-esteem, and if we see the value in these trips, the narratives surrounding them and the theology grounding them will need to be adjusted slightly to ensure those ends.

[Carl Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

More technical book for those who may be leaders of Short-Term Missions to help to try and guide the thoughts of those traveling, but probably wouldn't be great for the average person going on an STM.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's scholarly weight to this book, and it would take another anthropologist to assess Howell's qualitative worship. For me, as a reader and a Christian, I can say it was a great reading experience and a thoughtful reflection on an important topic. The parts are pretty well balanced... just when you feel you understand the larger context, the author stops setting the stage and delves into the historical background. His selection of details from his primary research is judicious, there isn't more there than a lay reader can absorb, and when he moves on to applications, the reader is ready. I'm not in a position to use any of Howell's advice for pastors and youth ministers, but it was very compelling reading nonetheless.

[Marc Fulmer]

Ethnography studies people in natural surroundings to develop theories about behaviors and culture.

Through page 30 it's been a bit over my head and appears to be written to fellow anthropologists. But a great review I read is going to keep me in this one until I find the fruit.

[Lynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is probably good for it's research etc but not what I was looking for. It brings back college days of academia and I was looking for practical.