Pastor Jacob Birch and the Missionary Trip Measles Outbreak

I have blogged elsewhere in this space on my suspicions and reservations about short term mission trips or Christian-poverty-tourism as they are sometimes derisively called.

To be clear i have led 3 mission trips myself (1 Japan, 2 to Mississippi) and have helped raise over $200,000 for others from my churches taking STMs to places as varied as Peru, Mexico, Cambodia and OujeBougamou, QC.

This article about a measles outbreak in Texas linked to a mission trip should give all of us leading or part of supporting STMs pause to rethink and redouble our efforts to use "best practices" when taking inexperienced North Americans overseas.


"The outbreak has been traced back to an adult, who travelled on a multi-nation mission trip through Eagle Mountain International Church. His trip included stops in Japan, China, France and Germany. Eagle Mountain Church is part of Kenneth Copeland Ministries, head-quartered in Northwest Tarrant County. The church also has offices in Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe."