The value of short-term mission: Does it work in raising up gospel workers?

We know anecdotally that short-term mission placements are a brilliant way to get a taster of overseas mission, but we wanted to know exactly how many of our mission partners had begun their mission journey in this way.

We weren’t surprised to discover that three quarters of Crosslinks mission partners undertook short-term overseas mission placements before going long-term. In fact, most mission partners have had multiple short-term experiences.

When we surveyed them as part of our Pathways to Mission report, we found out that 76 per cent went on 1-10 trips before going long-term and 8 per cent went on 7-10 trips before going long-term.

These responses underline the fact that if we want to see the next generation of long-term gospel workers raised up, we must give them mini tasters of ministry life overseas. As Cathy Hooker, one of our mission partners in Namibia explains, “short-term mission exposure is a great way to explore longer term service.”

The importance of our gap year team and bespoke short-term placements cannot be underestimated. In a time when the cost of living is soaring and many young people are anxious about debt and securing jobs in a rapidly changing job market, we must keep advocating for the value of gap years and short-term mission exposure.

We would value your prayers that every year, from now onwards, we would be able to appoint multiple gap year team leaders so we can send many young people overseas for a potentially life-changing gap year. It is so sad when we are unable to meet the demand due to a lack of leaders.

Another key way in which some people get a taster of mission is by going abroad as part of their studies  – through Crosslinks, they can get short-term mission exposure at the same time as fulfilling their degree requirements.

However, it is important to not only focus on young people. Perhaps we could do more, as a wider church, to encourage people to consider short term mission trips when they are between jobs, become “empty-nesters” or in early retirement?

One of our mission partners, Janet, has been a huge inspiration to many. She became a mission partner having retired from her role as a music teacher in England. She wanted to spend her retirement teaching English to students in an outreach ministry in Chiang Mai. She thought she would go for a couple of years but ended up spending 15 years there, having the privilege of sharing her faith and teaching many students about Jesus.  We would love to see more people like Janet signing up to serve the Lord as a second career after retirement!

Another easy way to experience overseas mission is to volunteer on a Christian summer camp. Many of our mission partners were first exposed to gospel work through the InterAction camps in France, Belgium and Germany or summer camps in Hungary and around Europe and beyond.

Tom Trump, one of our mission partners in Belgium, explains the impact these camps can have: “I think the best thing someone can do who is zealous for the progress of the gospel is to give them opportunities to go out to a country and serve on a summer camp or for a year. Several UK mission partners in France/Belgium were persuaded to invest their lives in serving here through coming on one of InterAction camps, or doing a year at the Brussels Bible Institute as a third-year student. As you spend some time on the ground, you realise the needs and can picture yourself serving and being supported locally.”

Finally, church trips can be a brilliant way for a group of supporters to visit a mission partner together. For example, in July 2026, a team of nine from churches across Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh Diocese travelled to South Africa to serve alongside long-term mission partners, Alun and Debbie Burt. They helped run a mid-week holiday club, attended Sunday services and midweek groups and spent time observing other ministries in Cape Town.

Similarly, we often send small groups of volunteers and church teams to help bolster holiday clubs or outreach initiatives when mission partners are stretched and serving in small churches.

There are so many ways to get exposure to the reality of life on the mission field and help inspire future gospel workers. Is there anyone you could tell today about our short-term mission placements?

To find out more about the typical pathways to overseas mission as well as the barriers and fears faced by our mission partners, download our new report, Pathways to Mission.