Recommended Reading: Matt Lacey on "Should We Stop Taking Mission Trips?"

Throughout this fall, UM & Global has hosted a series of posts looking at short-term mission generally and UMVIM trips as a specific form of short-term mission.

Related to that topic, Rev. Matt Lacey, the executive director for UMVIM Southeastern Jurisdiction, has posted a piece on his organization's page, "Should We Stop Taking Mission Trips?" Despite the provocative title, Rev. Lacey's real concern in the piece is how we understand our travels in mission. His ultimate conclusion is "it is time to stop making mission 'trips' and start seeing them as a part of a journey God has for our lives." Rev. Lacey's comments are constructive and add especially to the conversation on this blog about the relationship between United Methodists' participation in UMVIM and their lives of faith.