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EVANGELICAL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN A CROSS-CULTURAL CONTEXT: AN EXAMINATION OF SHORT-TERM MISSIONS THROUGH THE LENS OF CRITICAL SERVICE-LEARNING

Weber, Donovan M.

Abstract Details

2011, Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, Educational Leadership.
The practice short-term missions (STM) is a growing phenomenon amongst Evangelical Christians. It is conservatively estimated that over 1.6 million Christians participate in a STM experience each year with a cost of approximately 2.7 billion dollars (Wuthnow & Offutt, 2008) and yet there is very little research being produced on this trend. This research project explores the activities of a subset of this movement by asking “to what extent are the practices of those who plan and implement short-term mission trips for Evangelical university students in the United States congruent with perceptions of good practice in service-learning literature.” To answer this question data were collected through an online survey (n = 101) and follow up interviews (n = 14) with campus ministers who organize and lead STMs with their students. These data are evaluated through key concepts of reciprocity and reflection identified in the service-learning literature with special attention given to imbalances of power as a concern of critical service-learning. Findings reveal that an overemphasis on evangelism and poorly directed reflection opportunities can impede truly reciprocal relationships in STM programs, but that there are positive trends developing in Evangelicalism with the potential of overcoming the lack of reciprocity in STMs.
Kathleen Knight-Abowitz, Dr. (Committee Chair)
Sally Lloyd, Dr. (Committee Member)
Richard Quantz, Dr. (Committee Member)
Judy Rogers, Dr. (Committee Member)
William Boone, Dr. (Committee Member)
148 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Weber, D. M. (2011). EVANGELICAL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN A CROSS-CULTURAL CONTEXT: AN EXAMINATION OF SHORT-TERM MISSIONS THROUGH THE LENS OF CRITICAL SERVICE-LEARNING [Doctoral dissertation, Miami University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1304081542

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Weber, Donovan. EVANGELICAL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN A CROSS-CULTURAL CONTEXT: AN EXAMINATION OF SHORT-TERM MISSIONS THROUGH THE LENS OF CRITICAL SERVICE-LEARNING. 2011. Miami University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1304081542.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Weber, Donovan. "EVANGELICAL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN A CROSS-CULTURAL CONTEXT: AN EXAMINATION OF SHORT-TERM MISSIONS THROUGH THE LENS OF CRITICAL SERVICE-LEARNING." Doctoral dissertation, Miami University, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1304081542

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)