“It’s Cheap, Easy, and Makes Me Feel So Good About Myself”

I will never forget this statement as long as I live. It came one Sunday when a fellow staff member was on call. I was standing right next to him when he took the call from the emergency line.

It wasn’t an emergency, however. It was a question about a project we were doing in the mission department. I could tell something was weird by how he looked at me and made faces during the call. After hanging up, he told me what she said about this mission project we were doing at the church. She said, “It was cheap, easy, and made her feel good about herself.” 

At that moment, bells and whistles started going off in my head. I thought that was it! That sums up what I had been running into with many American mission projects I saw nationwide in our church and other churches. Missions had slowly moved toward focusing on Christians and how we feel about doing a project, even though it had little gospel impact or the needs of people.   

Mission work plays a vital role in the local church, allowing believers to extend their reach beyond their congregations' confines and positively impact the world. However, it is essential to assess the effectiveness of these mission projects to ensure that they align with the church's goals and truly make a difference. We must be aware of three trends when assessing our mission work here or overseas.

Cheap Projects: Superficial and Ineffective

When the primary concern in mission work is minimizing our financial costs, it can lead to projects that are more about protecting our money than reaching people. While cost-effectiveness is important, focusing solely on financially cheap initiatives can end up wasting money. These projects often lack sustainability, depth, and meaningful impact.

For example, we have done clothes drives for needy people over the years. This can be a good thing providing people with much-needed clothing. But I have also seen what people give away—clothes they would never wear or even be seen in themselves. We end up throwing much of it away due to the condition of the clothes. Giving away your junk is not what God has in mind when seeking to help others. It was cheap on behalf of the donor but was of little help. Clothes that are wearable and can last a lifetime are a much better investment, although they are not cheap. Inexpensive should not be the primary reason we do a mission project unless that is all we can afford. God has blessed us for a reason: to help others using the capital He provides for us.

Easy Projects: Neglecting Human Capital

Mission work that gravitates towards easy projects that require minimal human capital investment can be counterproductive in the long run. Choosing projects that demand little effort or sacrifice is tempting but may be a waste of time in the long run.  

For instance, organizing a one-day event where volunteers distribute goods to people experiencing homelessness may provide temporary relief. It can be a good thing. But doing this alone fails to address the systemic issues underlying homelessness. That takes much more effort and work for the Christian who wants to really make an impact. It takes a long-term engagement in the life of the homeless to help them move out of homelessness. The reasons they are in the situation did not happen overnight, and the cure for homelessness cannot be dealt with in one event.

Instead, investing in initiatives focusing on education, job training, and long-term support systems can empower individuals to break free from poverty and homelessness. That takes time and investment that only a few mission ministries are willing to engage in.   

Feel-Good Projects: Prioritizing Emotions over Effective Change

When mission work is driven by a desire to make the church and its members feel good, it can overshadow the need for projects that may be harder but more effective in reaching its mission goals. While mission work needs to provide a sense of purpose and fulfillment, the ultimate focus should be on achieving a meaningful and sustainable impact on those without the gospel or those in need.

A friend and mentor, Dr. Nik Ripken, has drilled into me the statement:

“The needs of the Christian witness cannot outweigh the needs of the lost.”

Engaging in projects to feel good or boost the church's image can result in a lack of critical evaluation and accountability. This may lead to the perpetuation of ineffective initiatives that fail to address the underlying issues faced by the communities they aim to serve. Our mission projects cannot be driven by what makes us feel good but instead, need to be driven by the gospel and the needs of a community or people.

Conclusion

To ensure the effectiveness of mission work in the local church, it is crucial to move beyond projects that are cheap, easy, and designed solely to make the church and its members feel good. Actual mission work requires a more profound commitment to addressing the root causes of social issues, investing in sustainable solutions, and prioritizing long-term impact over short-term emotional satisfaction.

The local church can significantly create lasting change by focusing on financially responsible initiatives rooted in community needs and designed to empower individuals and communities. Mission work should be a transformative endeavor that not only uplifts the lives of those being served but also challenges and changes the hearts and minds of the church and its members.