The Impact of Short-Term Mission on Brazilian Theology Students

Short-term mission (STM) is a movement that has been growing exponentially, especially in the United States: “Students, professionals, and retired people are traveling the globe to spend a week or a month building schools, painting homes, evangelizing, or providing medical care. According to the best estimates, the number of North American STM participants grew from 125,000 in 1989 to between 1 and 4 million in 2003” (Ver Beek 2006:477-478). Vilchez-Blancas estimates conservatively that around four million adult North Americans took part in North American STM in 2005, while another two million young people were involved during the same year in similar programs around the world, which adds up to six million North Americans taking part in STM programs in 2005 (Vilchez-Blancas 2007:160). What led to this incredible explosion of growth in short-term missions? Some of the answer is found in recent history.