Serving With Dignity

Short-term mission trips can sometimes get a bad rap for their potential to focus more on the mission goer’s experience rather than building up the local host. And while it’s not an unfounded claim, it only takes a simple adjustment to ensure that we’re engaging in healthy ministry as we serve.

We need to take our cues from Jesus, the one who invites us to GO. If we simply follow His example of how He entered into our world, there is one common underlying theme: dignity.

Before we can serve with dignity, we need a deep understanding of what it means to be equal in the eyes of God. We are all created in His image and are all in need of a Savior. We are all part of one body, where every part is needed and no one part is more important or valuable than another. We are to view others as more important than ourselves, dying to ourselves and our own interests, comforts, and preferences, all for the sake of each other and what Christ is building in His church.

That’s the goal of each mission trip - to build relationships and partnership, to link arms with others to share in each other’s joys, victories, challenges, and burdens.

To treat a person with dignity is to believe they are worth your respect and honor. Jesus is the best example of this. He believed we were worth more than just respect and honor. He gave up His life for us. We should embrace the same mindset when serving the Church and serving one another. Our posture in serving mustn’t be one of “I am better and have all the answers,” but rather one of compassion and submission to the call to carry one another’s burdens.

Let this sink in: when we enter into a partnership with preserving the dignity of our local host in the forefront of our minds, we are directly reflecting the heart of God.

So you may be asking yourself, “What does this look like in practice?” When sharing about your expectations and, later, your experience serving the church on your mission trip, ensure your language matches your heart and mindset.

Here are three action steps to get started:

• Be conscious of using inclusive language when speaking about your partner church. For example, we love to say “our host church” and “our host community” not “those people” or “that pastor”. Make it a goal to learn names quickly and call people by their names, just as Jesus knows us and calls us by name.
• Refrain from highlighting the struggles of a community. Rather, speak life through prayer that can build up and encourage.
• Don’t crave the credit! Uplift, highlight, and dignify the work of God through the local Church as you return home and speak about your time of service.

We want to be a people who are known for our Christ-like love of others. As you serve with us, we invite you to join us in this pursuit and are excited to see this love displayed on your upcoming mission trip.