The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Short-Term Mission // Mike Smailes

Short-term mission trips sometimes get a bad rep. Others find them wonderfully challenging and life-changing.

What part does short-term mission have in the world of mission, and how can local churches maximise this opportunity whilst avoiding the pitfalls?

Mike Smailes (Lansdowne Church, Bournemouth) leads this seminar. He is a trustee of a mission organisation and started his interest in mission with short-term mission trips.

This is a seminar from the 2025 FIEC Leaders' Conference held in Blackpool from 10-12 November 2025.

About the speaker: Mike is one of the Associate Pastors at Lansdowne Church, Bournemouth, with specific responsibility for mission.

About the Leaders' Conference: The title of the 2025 Leaders' Conference was Church Without Borders, exploring how we can serve God’s mission in a mobile world.

About FIEC: We are a fellowship of Independent churches with members of the family across England, Scotland and Wales. Our mission is to see those Independent churches working together with a big vision: to reach Britain for Christ. Find out more: https://fiec.org.uk.