Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders have voted a set of guidelines aimed at increasing the effectiveness of short-term, international mission initiatives by both church and lay entities.
Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders have voted a set of guidelines aimed at increasing the effectiveness of short-term, international mission initiatives by both church and lay entities.
The guidelines articulate core principles that “will serve to guide groups and individuals in how to diminish risks and to ensure long-term positive results,” says Lowell Cooper, a general vice president of the Adventist Church worldwide and chair of the committee that developed the guidelines.
“That which is done internationally in the name of the church, must be known by the church,” said Cooper, introducing the document to members of the Adventist Church’s executive committee at Spring Meeting, April 18. He explained that, in drafting the guidelines, the committee had grappled with a key question: “How does the church facilitate the energies of its membership and its infrastructure to accomplish mission, while at the same time maintaining a comprehensive approach?”
Entitled “Code of Best Practice and Standard Operating Procedures for Short-term International Services, Projects or Ministries,” the document is a response, in part, to the recent growth in the number of church-based and lay-driven short-term mission projects taking place around the world. It affirms the benefits of having church members who are inspired by a personal experience with international mission service, but also recognizes that such initiatives will be most effective if they are planned and implemented in a strategic manner.
“The code of best practice recognizes that there is a wide array of opportunities for lay-driven and local church-based initiatives in international service,” says Cooper. “But it also alerts us to the disarray that results if everyone does as he or she pleases, anywhere, at any time. The intent is not to stifle initiative, but to place it in a context that advances the work of the church.”
Cooper points to three broad areas in which short-term international mission initiatives may falter. First, cultural differences and values may not be understood. Second, people may travel to a remote region of the world without adequate planning for how to deal with health-care issues, accidents, or political unrest in a country. Finally, local church leaders may not find out until it is too late that the people who have come to their territory advocate extreme doctrinal views, or do not support the church.
The Code of Best Practice, which was approved by the church’s executive committee, lists nine basic principles that should guide all aspects of short-term mission projects. They include: respect for culture; recognition of denominational authority, identity, and structure; local “ownership” of mission projects; ethical conduct; consideration of long-term impact; communication and collaboration with denominational structure; appropriate planning to ensure minimal risk to participants; financial accountability; and post-event evaluation and follow-up.
The document also outlines standard operating procedures for organizations involved in short-term international services. The procedures are aimed at building a clear understanding between mission agencies and church leaders in regions where the agencies plan to operate.
A future Inside Look feature will explore how these guidelines will be implemented around the world.
