Serving with Eyes Wide Open: Doing Short-Term Missions with Cultural Intelligence (Paperback)

by David A. Livermore (Author)
Key Phrases: majority world church, cultural intelligence, missional calling, Conflicting Images, North American, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
More than one million people participate in short-term mission projects outside of North America every year--and millions more are involved in domestic cross-cultural missions right here at home. This is encouraging news. But the work is not done. There are weaknesses in our approach and practice. And these volunteers need resources to help them prepare for effective cross-cultural engagement. Serving with Eyes Wide Open helps Christians understand the changing face of Christianity and how that affects short-term missions. In three parts, author David A. Livermore will take a broad look at what the twenty-first-century church is doing on the mission field, the assumptions people make about Christianity, and what it takes to adapt effectively to new cultural contexts. Perfect for all who engage in short-term missions trips--either at home or abroad--Serving with Eyes Wide Open will equip readers to serve more sensitively.

From the Back Cover
Your passport to learning how short-term missions can best serve Christ's kingdom Short-term mission trips are great ways to impact the kingdom. Yet they can lack effectiveness because of mistakes or naiveté on the part of participants. In this insightful and timely book, David A. Livermore calls us to serve with our eyes open to global and cultural realities so we can become more effective cross-cultural ministers. Serving with Eyes Wide Open is a must-have book for anyone doing a short-term mission or service project, whether domestic or overseas. "Every youth worker thinking of leading a short-term trip needs to read this book!"--Mark Oestreicher, president, Youth Specialties "A challenging, well-supported, and carefully crafted tool that will transform your missions and service ministries into opportunities."--Chap Clark, professor of youth, family, and culture; Fuller Theological Seminary "Livermore does a terrific job of looking at the world today, asking stimulating questions about our approach to missions, and giving practical insights into cultural intelligence."--Daryl Nuss, international coordinator, National Network of Youth Ministries "Livermore draws on his formal training, personal experience, theological insight, and contemporary research to challenge our cultural understanding of short-term mission experiences and their impact on our service and ministry."--Terry Linhart, assistant professor of youth ministry, Bethel College (Indiana) "This is a must, not only for church mission committees, but for anyone who participates in short-term--or long-term--missions."--Ruth Tucker, associate professor of missiology, Calvin Theological Seminary David A. Livermore is executive director of the Global Learning Center at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary and is cofounder of Intersect, a ministry that provides leadership training and consulting to emerging leaders in ministries around the world.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Baker Books (April 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801066166
• ISBN-13: 978-0801066160
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #18,003 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great questions about cultural differences, December 14, 2006

By	M. Abe "deeper into faith" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have lived in four different countries and visited many more, but this book really opened my eyes to the ways I could be more sensitive to the cultural differences. I really enjoyed the section where he asked short term missions worker what they thought they had accomplished and compared their answers with with the answers of the people in the country visited. Eye-opening! As so many want to serve abroad, this is a good book to be more thoughtful and more helpful to the places where we go. Marla

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly good!, May 12, 2007

By	Preston Herrington "chess doc" (Farmington, NM USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a doctor who goes on short-term mission trips on a regular basis, I felt I ought to read this book. I must admit that the title and the cover had me expecting a dry read. Instead, I found this little book to be extremely pertinent. In fact, it has affected my outlook on much more than the actual mission trips. I'm afraid this book will have limited readership, which is a shame. I would recommend this book for everyone with a Christian world view who has any interaction with people from different worldviews or cultures. Isn't that almost all Christians, except maybe those who intentionally separate themselves (e.g. the Amish)? I wish the book had been titled "Engaging the World: Being a Christian with Cultural Intelligence" or something like that. I'm glad I ran across a book review and decided to check out this gem.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A long overdue critical look at STM, January 30, 2008

By	M. Duell (Phoenix, Arizona) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

With the amount of money spent on short term missions trips, it is about time that we begin to take a critical look at them. The majority of short term missions trips that I've seen advertised have 2 selling points: 1) the positive change that will take place in the lives of those going on Short Term Missions, 2) All of the amazing sight seeing tours that can be "tacked on" to the Missions trip. This book challenges the motivation for such trips and causes one to focus on the people that we are supposed to be serving, rather than the benefits to the short term missionary. I would recommend this book for anyone considering a short term mission. I would emphatically recommend it for "habitual" short termers.

This book gave me a better understanding of my own culture and how it influences the way that we Americans do missions.