Short Term Missions

At Scranton Road Bible Church, we support members and regular attenders who have a desire to serve the Lord in a short term mission experience. In an effort to give understanding to the goals and heart of the SRBC Elders and Mission Team, we want to share our newly formed SRBC Mission Statement for World Missions and guidelines for short term missions applicants.

If you would like to request a short term missions application for funding, please contact Pastor Joe through the church office. We will need to have a completed application received no later than 2 months before you plan to leave on your trip.

The Scranton Road Bible Church Mission Statement is as follows:

“Believing that the Lord has called this mission board to strengthen the hands of His Body in every nation by showing respect to its’ members worldwide, we, the SRBC mission board have decided to begin using the financial resources the Lord has entrusted to us to provide more financial assistance to indigenous/national missions. This decision has been made with the knowledge that indigenous/national missionaries are the most effective missionaries for their own culture. This change will be accomplished by strategically building networks with indigenous/national pastors and missionaries worldwide. We will evaluate each cross cultural operation individually to determine if it fits in the overall strategy.”

Criteria for our Short Term Missions Support

For the Applicant

1. Above all else, we desire to understand and discern the personal spiritual welfare of the applicant and their present faithfulness in current ministry in the home, church and workplace.

2. Each potential missionary applicant will need to share the means through time/work/finances how they will specifically be contributing towards the missions trip (and if not, why).

3. We will be looking to have short term missions trips having a relationship to the applicant’s long term career goals.

4. We will be looking to focus on strategic places and people groups of the unreached peoples of the world in the decision making process of distributing funds for short term missions.

5. In the case of an applicant applying for 2nd or multiple short term mission trips, a dialogue with SRBC committee will need to take place to discern the purpose, goal and Lord’s leading for the applicant to continue in short term mission projects.

For the Host Organization or Agency

1. Have the indigenous community members requested a missions team along with the host organization?

2. If applicable, does the host organization or agency understand the nature of poverty and sustainable programs that will address poverty long-term?

3. Will the short term mission members have a chance to spend as much time as possible with local believers?

4. Does the “doing” portion of the trip encourage dependency on the host organization or a “Western savior complex”?

5. Is there an application or screening process for the short term missions?

6. Does the short term mission have pre- and post- cross cultural training or debriefing?

7. Is the short term mission part of a long-term, asset-based development approach being implemented by local ministries?