What’s the Impact?

This study shows that short-term missions as done now are not having the impact that people think or want, even if done to levels of excellence," says Ver Beek. "If that’s true, it requires a whole rethinking of whether or not we’re going to do this, and if so, how."

His proposal: It’s not enough to stress the importance of orientation and debriefing as ways of augmenting the short-term mission experience—something you’ll hear from any STM expert worth her salt. Instead, the STM needs to be treated as one small module that augments a much longer and more intense course of learning.

Peterson, for his part, applauds Ver Beek’s attempts to verify giving reports and fill in the third-world side of the equation, but questions some of his calculations. "The data appears to be manipulated with a strong bias," he says.

Ver Beek freely admits that others could interpret his data differently. "It’s true, there was a small increase in giving. But after all the time and effort and money spent on these trips, is an increase of a few dollars success?"

For Ver Beek, who has lived in Honduras for most of the last 20 years and worked closely with community development organizations, the answer is no.

Peterson, president of STM sending agency STEM Ministries, also questions the assumption that the money raised for STMs would be available for direct donation to third world organizations. Most people are simply less willing to aid a distant cause than to help a friend or coworker go on a trip, he says.