Category: Resource Reviews

1. Lyric Video: Lord, Send Me
2. Article: The Ends of the Earth
3. Download: Risk Management and Short-Term Missions
4. Book: Chasing Faith Among Yaks and Nomads
5. Events: Missions Conferences and More in May

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Source: Devin Belle and Jenn Bostic

Could you use this in your next global mission event?

Here I am Lord, send me / To make You known, for Your glory / All my life, ’cause You’re worthy / Here I am Lord, send me

See also a collection of more than 30 short mission videos to inspire outreach efforts (from various organizations but curated by Project Ablaze).

Source: Lausanne Movement

The phrase “ends of the earth” is used 46 times in the Bible. Sometimes the phrase speaks of approaching judgement on God’s people, as when God “stirs up from the ends of the earth” an army from Babylon or “from the north” (Jeremiah 6:22; 50:41). Other times, it forecasts foreboding, all-inclusive judgement on sinful humanity (Jeremiah 25:30-32).

Conversely, the prophets foresee a great salvific reversal! Gentile nations will one day “come from the ends of the earth and say, ‘Our ancestors possessed nothing but false gods, worthless idols that did them no good’…Therefore I will teach them—this time I will teach them my power and might. Then they will know that my name is the Lord” (Jeremiah 16:19-21).

Metaphorically, “ends of the earth” means “as far as one can go.” All the world. All humanity, and all compartments of humanity. Every race, nationality, ethnic and language group. All peoples everywhere.

“As far as one can go”—that’s something to think about! It is likely far, far away from our home zone or comfort zone, and Christianized contexts where the church is domestic and the gospel (often) domesticated by a one cultural group or setting. “The ends of the earth” challenges us to consider: How far are we willing to go—geographically, culturally, socially, in prayer, service, suffering, and sacrifice—to ensure that all peoples everywhere have a witness to the gospel?

Read more. You may be able to borrow some of author Len Bartlotti’s content for a project or presentation of your own.

While you’re at it, check out a major new publication from Lausanne, a newly released multi-author and data-rich report on the State of the Great Commission.

Source: Missio Nexus

In partnership with Brotherhood Mutual, Missio Nexus gathered data from 120 mission agencies and 220 church mission leaders related to their experience and perspective in managing risk related to short-term missions. Two recent reports (excerpt below) offer strategies and best practices for mission leaders, volunteers, and other stakeholders.

Learn more or get the reports. They are free, but you will need an account to log in to “purchase” them.

See also the book Facing Danger: A Guide Through Risk, by Anna Hampton. It’s now in its second edition from William Carey Publishing. WCP has several new books that might interest you, including Anita Rahma’s Downward Discipleship: How Amy Carmichael Gave Me Courage to Serve in a Slum.

Chasing Faith Among Yaks and Nomads: A Memoir, by Ann Wyse. Central Asia Publishing, 2022. 276 pages.

At 26, Ann moved to China and began seven years living and sharing Jesus with Tibetan Buddhists. We see her wrestle with and learn to appreciate a culture, context and religion very different from her own, make friends, and grow in her walk with God first as a single woman, then married, and briefly as a young mother. A fun and interesting read. I would recommend it for anyone who has spent time in the Tibetan Buddhist world.

Purchase the ebook for $9.99 from Amazon or elsewhere or listen to an interview with Ann telling her story on the Colson Center’s Strong Women podcast.

Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar

May 1-2, The Mobilized Church (Baltimore, MD, USA). Discover keys to unlocking your church’s mission potential; offered by Sixteen:Fifteen.

May 2, National Day of Prayer (USA).

May 2, Jesus on the Gen Z Road (online). Ignite online training from All Nations.

May 2-5, The Christian Medical and Dental Association National Conference (Blackville, NC, USA). An annual event.

May 7-9, Standards of Excellence introductory workshop (online). Provided regularly by MissionExcellence, a ministry of MissionWorks.

May 9, BAM Global Summit (online). A Lausanne Movement gathering.

May 9, Is the UPG Paradigm the Only Way to Think About Missions? (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus with Nathan Sloan and Bradley Bell of Upstream.

May 12-17, Debrief Retreat (Union Mills, NC, USA). Provided by the Center for Intercultural Training.

May 13-17, Storytelling Training (online). Get hands-on experience with oral Bible storytelling with five three-hour sessions provided by Story Runners.

May 13-26, Orient Pre-field Training (Joplin, MO, USA). Provided by TRAIN International. Another will be held September 2-15.

May 14-17, Gear Up: Training for New Mobilizers and Mobilization Ideation (Plano, TX, USA). Come to one or both. Note that through a partnership with MissioNexus, organizers are now able to “certify” trainees in mobilization.

May 15-17, International Wholistic Mission Conference (Phoenix, AZ, USA). An annual event. Seeking lasting change for the least and the lost.

May 19, International Day for the Unreached (global).

May 20 to June 15, COMPASS (Palmer Lake, CO, USA). Language and culture acquisition provided by Missionary Training International.

May 20 to August 4, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (online). New online classes begin regularly.

May 21, Contend: Monthly Day of Prayer For Mission Mobilization (global). Coordinated by GMMI and held on the third Tuesday of each month.

May 22-24, Support Raising Bootcamp (online). Provided by Via, formerly Support Raising Solutions. More classes held around the world throughout the year.

May 22-23, Ministry Mental Health Summit (Toronto, ON, Canada).

May 27-31, Engage Retreat (Union Mills, NC, USA). Spiritual retreats are provided regularly by the Center for Intercultural Training.

May 30, Video Storytelling for Missions (online). Peer2Peer webinar for marketing and communications professionals from Missio Nexus.

View the complete calendar, updated regularly. Submissions welcome.

1. Download: The Ultimate Missions Checklist for Your Church
2. Book: Anthropology (and More) for Missionaries
3. Training: Cultural Awareness for Short-Term Teams
4. Stories: The Yemen Listening Project
5. Quick Takes: Focus on Easter
6. Events: Missions Conferences and More in April

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Editor’s Note: Missions Catalyst will be on spring break for the next two weeks. Look for us again April 17.

Source: The Mission App

Is your church ready to send members who feel they are being led into missions? Do you need help setting up a missions program? What about training your people? Identifying expectations and qualifications? Issues of family, finance, and choosing agency partners?

The Mission App has prepared a 40-page PDF to help you along the way. It’s yours in exchange for your contact info. Looks pretty good to me, though I did not check all the links.

Get your copy.

Not familiar with The Mission App? They help potential missionaries find their fit and take their next step toward serving in missions (one application to connect with 45 partner agencies). Recently they became part of another ministry with a similar goal, MissionNext.

Another free download that recently caught my eye: Around the World in 12 Recipes from Compassion International. The digital cookbook includes stories, prayer points, and more.

Source: Baker Academic

Crossing Cultures With the Gospel: Anthropological Wisdom for Effective Christian Witness, by Darrell L. Whiteman. Baker Academic, 2024. 288 pages.

The goal of this book is to encourage and empower cross-cultural workers from any region or background to become more effective, serve longer, and thrive in their cross-cultural ministries.

The author, a leading professor and missiologist, draws on decades of training experience to explain the concept of culture, incarnational ministry, common communication problems, culture shock, and how to learn from and engage with engage with people in other cultures despite the cultural baggage we all tend to carry.

I loved this book. Whiteman’s singing my song. He references many seminal works, old and new, and gives the reader plenty of jumping off places for learning more about topics like cross-cultural communication, participant observation, bonding, and becoming bicultural.

Ultimately, just reading a book falls short of what you can learn from practical pre-field training or on-site coaching, but this one could be a great complement to either.

Learn more or buy the book, available in hardback, paperback, and Kindle editions. Well worth the read.

Source: CultureBound

Speaking of crossing cultures, do you have short-term teams going out this summer? Would you like them to be aware of the cultural dynamics where they are going? Most groups sending mission teams do their own training but CultureBound has two options that can help.

CAMP: Cultural Awareness Made Practical

Individual members of your teams register for CAMP and watch the online videos, totaling one hour, on their own time. Each lesson has a video and worksheet with questions and activities for both the preparation stage and when the team is on the field. $30 per person.

CAST: Cultural Awareness for Short-Term Teams

CAST is a two-hour online or in-person training or workshop that can also be scaled to meet the needs of your team. It focuses on four ways that cultures differ from each other which gives the group cultural patterns to look for and a common vocabulary to discuss them. $150 per group.

Learn more about CultureBound.

See also CULTURELink, which is offering a two-day seminar for team leaders coming up April 19-20 in Virginia, and MissionExcellence, which provides regular training on best practices for short-term mission.

You may also want to check out a new resource called MissionLinked. It provides a simple, fun, and secure way to link people together while raising funds for a short-term mission or a special project.