This expectation carries over to short-term mission (STM) projects. Most of the adult participants I’ve watched seem to have a subliminal expectation that their STM project be analogous to a theater production – it’s an experience, and they rightfully hope it may be a life-changing one.

Call me a panderer, but I have fully bought into this mindset as I run Adventures In Missions. Even partner churches are part of a performance for STM agencies like AIM. I tell our staff, “When our U.S. church partners stay and work with us, we exercise the gift of hospitality. Everything we do must communicate, ‘You are welcome here.’ The AIM team works in a unified way to create an experience. Everyone backstage works together to support those who are on-stage leading the project.”

The primary on-stage performer is the project leader. He or she is constantly under pressure. The primary person off-stage is the camp director.

In the past, camp directors have sometimes gotten so familiar with their camp that they have at times forgotten that it was a stage and that a live production was going on. Occasionally our AIM camp directors walk on-stage and assert themselves rather than maintaining their servant leader role. This is the cardinal sin for a camp director.

I tell our staff, “There is a time for evaluations when the production is over, but all that we do backstage must support those on stage during the production.”

OK, blog readers, what do you think? Have I sold out? Am I wrong about this? This is a tension with which we continually wrestle as we run our STMs.