Doing Short-term Missions without
Doing Long-Term Harm
When Helping Hurts
Webinar 4
November 18, 2009
You can submit questions at any
time. I will try and answer some of
these toward the end of the
webinar. I know I will not be able
to get to many of them so please
don’t feel offended if your question
doesn’t get addressed! 
STM Reminders
 STM issues are for international and domestic STMs
 Key ideas at play
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.
Understanding of Poverty
Relief vs. Development
Asset vs. Needs based
Participation of the Poor
Culture Matters
Cultural Norms:
The Silent Language
Fundamental differences in thinking,
feeling and behaving
It is Friday night at the local video store. Imagine
that there are six customers ready to be checked
out. How should these six people arrange
themselves vis-à-vis each other?
Concept of Time
Monochronic
Polychronic
Time is a limited commodity
Time is
Efficiency highly valued
Time is bent to meet the needs
of people
Needs of people are subservient
to the demands of time
Friendships can start quickly
Plans are fluid
Friendships take much
time/investment to get
established
Concept of Time
Polychronic
Monochronic
US
UK G
J R
C
SEA
LA A
I ME
Some Variance in the Church
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Redeem the Time
Role of planning in ministry
Speed of change
3 MPH God
 3 MPH Development

For 6 weeks you and 3 other people in your
organization have been working on an
important special project.
Person A did 25% of the work
Person B did 40% of the work
Person C did 25% of the work
Person D did 10% of the work
Now the work is done and the 4 of you have
been awarded a cash bonus of $ 10,000.
How should the money be distributed?
Concept of Self
Individualism
Collectivism
Identity is personal and
individual
Identity is a function of one’s
membership/role in a primary
group
Personal fulfillment is the
greatest good
Independence and self-reliance
are highly valued
Friendship easy to make and
end
Group success results from
totaling individual success
Group harmony is the greatest
good
Interdependence is highly
valued
Friendships take long time to
develop and are long-term
Individual success results form
group success
Concept of Self
Collectivism
Individualism
US
UK G
RI
J
ME
LA A
C
SEA
Some Variance in the Church
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Salvation
Christ died for me. He is my personal savior. He has a
wonderful plan for my life.
Christ died for the body. He is the bridegroom we are the
bride.
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Body Life
What is unique about me?
Spiritual gift inventories
 One’s “calling”

What does the body need?

Use of Resources
Social claims on individuals resources
 “Do good to all particularly those of the household
of faith”

Fundamental book: African Friends and Money Matters by David
Maranz
Locus of Control
Internal
Life is what you make it
Few things can’t be changed
If things go “wrong” someone
is to blame
People tend to be optimistic/
naive
External
Life is what happens to you
People have limited control
thus things in life must be
accepted
People tend to be realistic/
fatalistic
Locus of Control
External
Internal
US
G
UK J
SEA
IR
C
LA
ME A
Power Distance
Low
Managers share authority with
subordinates
High
Managers hold on to power
Subordinates take initiative not
micromanaged
Subordinates to not take
initiative but wait for explicit
instructions
Ok to say no/disagree with the
boss
Bad to openly disagree with the
boss
Power Distance
High
Low
UK
G
US
J
F
S
A
M,I
ME,C
R
SEA
Culture and
Communication
Rewrite
Susan:
So, what did you think of my
rewrite?
Professor Ling: Ah yes, the rewrite. Generally
tighter than the first draft, don’t
you think?
Susan:
I do. Shall I submit it for final
grading, then?
Professor Ling: It’s up to you, really.
Saving Face:
The Purpose of Communication
Face
Less Important
Face
More Important
Getting/ giving information
efficiently is the primary goal of
communication.
Preserving or strengthening
harmony is the primary goal of
communication
Ideas are “impersonal”
Ideas are “personal”
Degree of Directness
The Means of Communication
Direct
Indirect
People say what they mean and
mean what they say
People don’t always say what
they mean or mean exactly what
they say
Yes means yes.
Good to put issues of
disagreement into writing
Use active voice
Yes may mean maybe or no.
Very bad to put disagreement
into writing
Use passive voice
Degree of Directness
Indirect
Direct
G US
UK
FR
I
ME
LA
AC
SEA
J
Some Variance in the Church
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Resolving Conflict-Go to your brother…
Iron Sharpening Iron-Speaking the truth in love
Key books
Cross-Cultural Conflict by Duane Elmer
Serving With Eyes Wide Open by David Livermore
Differences within American Culture

Communication Patterns and Assumptions of Differing
Cultural Groups in the United States
http://www.awesomelibrary.org/multiculturaltoolkit-patterns.html

Summary of Normative Communication Styles and
Values
http://www.awesomelibrary.org/multiculturaltoolkit-styleschart.html
 Denial
of cultural differences: My culture is the
only culture
 Minimization
of cultural differences: My culture’s
core norms are universally held
 Defense
of own culture: My culture is the only
right/good culture
 Rejection
of own culture: My culture is one of the
worst cultures
STM Reminders
 STMs can and should be powerful kingdom
tools
Need to focus on longer learning process
 Less is often more
 Slow down!

 Think of alternatives to serve
 Supporting those already working in their context
Questions
We are constantly learning how to do our STM in the
best way possible. But I hear now that there are travel
agencies that offer vacation work trips and that these
are quite popular among those outside the church
(and even some inside the church). What is being
done to help those groups do their work without harm,
and what could we as Christian organizations do to
attract non-Christians to what are better STM trips?