SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Enterprising missionaries fed up with giving free sightseeing tours to short-term missions groups are starting tour guide companies and charging for their services, changing the way missionaries raise money.
"I've spent a lot of time ferrying provincial Kansans around to tourist spots," says Mark Burleson, missionary to Ecuador and founder of Christian Teenage Sightseeing, Inc. "I finally decided to roll with it and make a business."
Many missionary companies follow a "build-then-bask" strategy, hosting church groups for a week of church construction, evangelism and "perceived spiritual impact," followed by a guided tour of the country. Tour packages often net the missionary $10,000 or more per group.
"When the trip is over, we give them pins that say, 'I'm a short-term missionary!'" says one missionary-tour guide. "It makes them feel good."
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Thursday, November 10, 2005
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