As our Budget Committee met this past year we had a discussion concerning the investment we give to the Cooperative Program (CP). In that discussion we spoke about the mission trip we were planning for Honduras this summer. It was questioned if we could take some of the money we were giving to the CP and use it for our Mission Team this summer. It was then that I expressed my reasoning for not doing such a thing. With that in mind I want to share my reasons on the blog because it is, I believe, the same reasons that many SBC churches are not funding the CP and Lottie Moon as they have in the past.
Mission Teams are Short Term
The very understanding of a mission team from a local church is that they are going to be there only on a short term basis. While some churches adopt an area or people group and go back year after year, they still are only short term teams. The funding for short term mission trips is something that is very expensive. Take for example, a trip to Honduras. It is believed that we should be able to travel from Charlotte, NC to Honduras for the approximate cost of $1000.00. This trip will cover seven days and the cost covers food, lodging, and air travel. If we have six people go on this trip we will spend $6,000.00 of church funds. For those who do not know, $6,000.00 is what we gave as a church to Lottie Moon. Thus, we have a way to compare the effectiveness of the $’s.
