Diaspora Missiology and Mid-Term Missions: An Action Plan

The concept of “mid-term missions,” a ministry assignment lasting from a few months to a couple of years, has been around for quite some time, but the demand for such mission opportunities continues. Mission agencies hope that some of the mid-termers they send out will come back as career missionaries. But most of the time this hope is not realized. At the same time, a growing number of unreached people groups can be found in diaspora pockets throughout North America. Many churches have a burden to reach out to the newcomers but often are not well equipped to connect with these diverse people groups. This paper will present a possible action plan for creating dynamic partnerships between mission agencies and North American churches, using mid-term missions as a platform to effectively reach the unreached who live among us. This paper was originally written and presented in 2014. Some of the material has been updated. In addition, COVID-19 has changed the face of short-term and mid-term missions. The paper needs to be understood in this context. But the underlying premise of mission agencies and churches cooperating in order to employ former mid-term and long-term missionaries as channels to reach diaspora peoples in North America remains valid.