Month: October 2015

In This Issue

1. ACTIVITY: What William Carey Recommends
2. BOOK: Letters from Global Mission Leaders
3. PODCAST: EMQ Audio
4. ARTICLE: Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background
5. TRAINING: Crisis Preparedness
6. EVENTS: Upcoming Classes and Conferences

Dear Readers,

At first glance, this month’s Resource Reviews seem primarily for those who work in the missions “industry.” But if that’s not you, please take a second look. Is there someone you know who needs this resource? Or can it help you better understand the world in which your friend or colleague works? We hope you’ll find something here that you can use!

Blessings,
Marti Wade

Source: Weave

Have little ones? Desire to know the will of God for your family? Take 15 minutes with your kids and the tools William Carey recommends to have a discussion about God’s will for the world.

» See The Father of Modern Missions: From Fixing Soles to Saving Souls.» See also Is My Name in There? on teaching your children they are part of God’s story.

Source: Peregrini Press

Forged on the Field: Letters from Global Mission Leaders, edited by T.J. MacLeslie. Peregrini Press, 2015. 253 pages.

Imagine yourself at a mission leadership conference. You are surrounded by hundreds of mission leaders from diverse contexts all over the world. There is no way you would have the time to spend even a few minutes with each person at the conference. In this book, in a sense, you can.

Forged on the Field presents more than 70 letters from global mission team leaders writing to inspire, encourage, and train new team leaders. Contributors share lessons learned (mostly the hard way), answer the “what do you wish you’d known?” question, and more. A majority (but not all) of the letters were submitted by leaders of church planting teams with MacLeslie’s organization (mine, too), which is Pioneers. Most, though, seem aware they are writing to a broader audience.

Books on leadership abound, but few speak directly to the concerns of those who lead mission teams in cross-cultural contexts or give such leaders a voice. So this is a unique book, and I found it to be a treasure. It’s also intended to be the first in a series of similarly structured “field notes,” one volume a year, with advice for prospective missionaries, perspectives on preparation, and suggestions for workers re-entering their own cultures. I’m looking forward to volume 2.

» Learn more or buy the book from Amazon or elsewhere. The paperback is US$16.99 and the Kindle edition US$9.99.

Source: Evangelical Missions Quarterly

“For years, I have been dreaming that we would be able to make portions of EMQ available for free, especially for those who are unable to pay for the subscription cost,” explains Laurie Nichols, managing editor of that helpful magazine. “I am so excited to announce that we are now offering EMQ Audio, 35-minute podcasts which include interviews with EMQ authors expanding on the articles they wrote in EMQ.”

Episode 2 includes both an interview with John Jay Travis (originator of the much debated “C-Spectrum”) on “C1-C6 Spectrum after 15 Years” and one with Warrick Farah and Kyle Meeker on “W-Spectrum: Worker Paradigms in Muslim Contexts.” These two related articles were published in the October 2015 issue of EMQ. You will find this conversation helpful if you work with Muslims or support those who do.

» Listen to the free podcast or access it through iTunes by searching for “EMQonline.”

» I’d also encourage you to consider a subscription to Evangelical Missions Quarterly. A print subscription is US$36.95/year, but for US$24.95/year you can read it online and have access to 50 years of fully searchable archives.

Source: Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion, Institute for Study of Religion, Baylor University

Since the 1960s, there has been a substantial increase in the number of known conversions from Islam to Christianity. Most of these conversions have been to forms of evangelical or Pentecostal Christianity, but there have also been conversions to Catholic and Orthodox Christianity. Still other converts claim to remain in some way both Muslims and followers of Jesus.

“Global Consensus of Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background,” a 19-page article by Patrick Johnstone and Duane A. Miller, explains how they obtained estimates of the number of converts, the complexities involved in this task, and an annotated list of countries by continent with the estimated number of believers in Christ from a Muslim background. The article includes charts with maximal, minimal, and medium estimates of this population from 1960 to the present.

» Read the article. You’ll have to create an account, but the journal is free.

» We rejoice at what God has done and is doing among Muslims. But as the Lausanne Movement asks, Why has Christianity not been successful among Buddhist peoples? Thoughts?

Sources: Fort Sherman Academy, Crisis Consulting International

In today’s unpredictable world, many ministries, mission agencies, and other organizations are considering how well prepared they are to respond to crises. Several groups with experience in this area now offer web-based training that may interest local churches, short-term missionaries, and others who have not had easy access to training in the past.

Fort Sherman Academy has put together Safe Travel Solutions, a 15-session, video-based security training course previously available on DVD. Now it’s a subscription-based online course. Pricing starts at US$99/year for groups up to ten people.

Crisis Consulting International is just starting to move in this direction. Their first course, Security Orientation Level 1, covers travel security and personal safety and might be just what you need for training a short-term team. It costs US$35/person and will take each participant 60-90 minutes to complete.

You can still send your people to one of the security training events both organizations offer regularly. CCI will be providing a Crisis Management Seminar in Pennsylvania November 12-14.

Source: Missions Events Calendar

November 1-7, Recalibrate! (Aurora, IN, USA). Week-long group and personal missionary debriefing, programs for children of all ages.

November 2 to March 13, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement Course (online). Provided by the Perspectives Study Program.

November 5, Preparing for Educational Transitions (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

November 5-7, Global Missions Health Conference (Louisville, KY, USA). An annual event.

November 5-7, Oasis Conference East (Herndon, VA, USA). Crescent Project annual conference held on the east coast.

November 7, Global Marketplace Impact event at Cairn University (Philadelphia, PA, USA). Impacting the world through business.

November 12, U.S. Missionaries in the Majority World: Come Here or Go Home? (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

November 12-14, Crisis Management Seminar (Harrisburg, PA, USA). Provided by Crisis Consulting International.

November 12-15, GO Equipped TENTmaking Course (Gothenburg, Sweden). Provided by Global Opportunities.

November 14, Sending New Missionaries (Wayne, PA, USA). One-day workshop provided by Catalyst Services.

November 17, Who Is Your Mission Trip Really For? (webinar). Provided by DELTA Ministries.

November 19, Impacting Culture with the Gospel: Transform World 2020 (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

November 19-20, Support Raising Bootcamp (Atlanta, GA, USA). Provided by Support Raising Solutions.

December 1, Sending New Missionaries (Greenville, SC, USA). One-day workshop provided by Catalyst Services.

December 2-3, Support Raising Bootcamp (Lombard, IL, USA). Provided by Support Raising Solutions.

December 2-4, Finishing the Task Conference 2015 (Lake Forest, CA, USA).

December 10, Mid-Career Assessments (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

December 27 to January 1, Urbana Student Missions Conference (St. Louis, MO, USA).

December 28 to January 2, Mission-Net (Germany). Gathering of younger Christians passionate about serving God.

» View the complete calendar and/or submit an item.