Are short-term missions trips more helpful or hurtful?

In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex and Scott welcome Scott McCoy, Launch Point Missions Lead at ABWE, to discuss one of the most debated topics in modern missions: short-term mission trips. McCoy shares why he believes short-term missions remain valuable when they are thoughtfully designed around the needs of missionaries, local believers, and participating churches.

The conversation explores common pitfalls churches should avoid, including cultural insensitivity and creating ministry models that local believers cannot sustain. McCoy emphasizes the importance of partnering closely with missionaries, preparing teams well, and viewing mission trips as discipleship opportunities that develop future ministry leaders and missionaries.

• The ongoing debate over the value and effectiveness of short-term mission trips
• How churches can design trips that create lasting impact for missionaries and local believers
• Common mistakes teams make when serving cross-culturally
• Using short-term missions as a tool for discipleship and leadership development
• Why short-term trips often become a stepping stone toward long-term missionary service

Is your church considering a short-term missions trip? Check out Launch Point Missions to find current opportunities and connect with our team on how you can host your own trip.

Explore your calling to global missions at ABWE's 24-Hour DEMO event. These events, held throughout the year, help individuals and churches explore how they can help fulfill the Great Commission and explore God's calling on their life and church. Learn more at demo.abwe.org.

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The Missions Show is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.

Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email alex@missionsshow.com.

Can compassion ministry and gospel proclamation work together?

In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex and Scott sit down with Dave Phillips, founder and president of Children's Hunger Fund (CHF), to explore the relationship between gospel proclamation, mercy ministry, and the local church. Dave shares the remarkable story behind CHF’s founding, beginning with a life-changing visit to a pediatric cancer ward in Honduras and culminating in a providential donation of life-saving medicine that confirmed God’s call to launch the ministry. What started as a small step of faith has grown into a global ministry serving suffering children and families through partnerships with local churches in more than 30 countries.

The conversation also tackles some of the most important debates in modern missions: the balance between word and deed ministry, the dangers of prosperity theology, the role of parachurch organizations, and how churches can engage in poverty alleviation without undermining local congregations.

• Dave Phillips’ testimony and the founding story of Children’s Hunger Fund
• How God used a providential donation of cancer medication to confirm CHF’s mission
• The relationship between gospel proclamation and mercy ministry
• Why addressing spiritual poverty must remain central to poverty alleviation efforts
• The biblical role of the local church versus parachurch organizations in missions
• Lessons from When Helping Hurts, short-term missions, and serving the poor with sound theology

Do you love The Missions Show? Have you been blessed by the show? Then become a Premium Subscriber!

Premium Subscribers get access to:

• Exclusive bonus content
• A community Signal thread with other listeners and the hosts
• Invite-only webinars
• A free gift!

Support The Missions Show and sign up to be a Premium Subscriber at missionsshow.com/premium

The Missions Show is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.

Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email alex@missionsshow.com.

Is Peru as reached as we think?

In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex and Scott talk with veteran ABWE missionary Stephen Douglas to explore more than four decades of gospel ministry in Peru. Stephen shares how God led him and his wife Debbie to the city of Arequipa—a historic Roman Catholic stronghold known as the “Little Rome of Peru”—and how a small church-planting team, where no evangelical churches existed before, grew into a network of dozens of churches throughout the region.

Stephen also recounts powerful stories of lives changed through discipleship, leadership development, and church planting, including Peruvian believers who have become pastors and missionaries serving around the world. While Peru and South America still have significant gospel needs, Stephen casts a compelling vision for the future: strengthening local churches, training national leaders, and equipping Latin American believers to become a launching force for global missions.

• Stephen Douglas’s call to missions and journey to Peru
• Church planting in Arequipa, Peru’s historic Catholic stronghold
• The growth from a pioneering work to a regional church-planting movement
• Stories of Peruvian pastors and missionaries impacting the nations
• Challenges and opportunities in reaching modern Peruvian culture
• A vision for Peru and Latin America as a launching pad for global missions

Support the work of Steve and Debbie Douglas as they continue to plant churches, train leaders, and send out Peruvian missionaries to the world - https://give.abwe.org/worker/stephen-and-debi-douglas

Are you feeling called to the mission field, but don't know where to start? ABWE's 24-Hour DEMO is for those that are seeking opportunities and direction on how they can help fulfill the Great Commission. Find your role in global missions at demo.abwe.org.

Do you love The Missions Show? Have you been blessed by the show? Then become a Premium Subscriber!

Premium Subscribers get access to:

• Exclusive bonus content
• A community Signal thread with other listeners and the hosts
• Invite-only webinars
• A free gift!

Support The Missions Show and sign up to be a Premium Subscriber at missionsshow.com/premium

The Missions Show is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.

Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email alex@missionsshow.com.