In This Issue: Your Chapter in the Story of God’s Global Mission
- ARTICLES: “The” Mission Book
- VIDEOS: Deidox Documentaries
- TRAINING: Student Internships
- BOOKS: Recent Book Notes
- EVENT: May Is Digital Outreach Month
Missions Catalyst is a free, weekly electronic digest of mission news and resources designed to inspire and equip Christians worldwide for global ministry. Use it to fuel your prayers, find tips and opportunities, and stay in touch with how God is building his kingdom all over the world. Please forward it freely!
Resource Reviews, edited by Marti Smith, are published once a month.
Greetings!
Readers, this month has five Wednesdays so we’re offering you an extra edition of resource reviews. If you have something you’d like to see highlighted in another edition – and we haven’t written about it before – please let me know!
We’d also like to extend a warm welcome to about 100 recent subscribers who signed up for Missions Catalyst through Perspectives classes in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Anchorage and Palmer, Alaska. We’re glad you’ve joined us!
blessings,
Marti
ARTICLES: “The” Mission Book
Source: The Upstream Collective
“Last year, The Upstream Collective decided to write a book defining the who, what, when, where, why, and how of mission. In our minds, this was going to be a definitive guide; we were, quite literally, writing the book on mission.
“We knew we wanted to include the voices of practitioners. As we got our thoughts together, it occurred to us that all of the examples of God’s people on mission that we wanted to use were, in fact, very capable writers. We decided to change gears and make The Mission Book a collaborative work.
“As the entries came in, it became clear to us this was not going to be the definitive work we had thought it would be. In fact, reading the submissions from workers on the front lines of mission showed us how foolish we were to expect the project to be some conclusive piece.
“Instead, contributors wrote about the challenges of living on mission. They lamented the disconnection between missionaries on the field and the churches who had sent them. They struggled with understanding God’s calling, and they warned about the dangers of putting strategy before the Holy Spirit’s leadership. We received chapters on creative strategies, hopeful interactions, and business as mission. Some submissions focused on missionary tensions, while others explored our motivation.
“We invite you to visit TheMissionBook.com. Read the various entries (each only about a page long). Discuss the content in the comments section of each chapter. Invite your friends to do the same. But then we ask you to consider adding your voice to the discussion by entering your own chapter of The Mission Book. What has God taught you as you’ve moved into your role as missionary to the context in which you find yourself? As a practitioner, what are you struggling with? What do you wish people were talking about? What needs to be considered? Let’s do some practical missiology together. We’re waiting to hear from you.”
>> Write your chapter in the story of God’s global mission.
VIDEOS: Deidox Documentaries
Source: Deidox
Looking for short, high-quality, documentary films to use in sermons and teaching? Check out Deidox. We’ve written about them before. Each film tells the simple compelling story of a single person and how they live out their faith. Now Deidox several new films in production and have made adjustments in its distribution strategy.
Purchase the five-minute films for personal use and limited sharing for US$5 apiece, or download them for group use for US$20. Ministry leaders who like what they see can opt for the US$100 “lifetime subscription,” purchasing the right to download and freely show not only all the current films but all future production as well. Not a bad deal; these pieces are excellent.
Scheduled for release today is “Por,” which tells the story of a teenager pursuing her faith in a country where most everyone is Buddhist.
>> Learn about or download films. For behind-the-scenes videos for each new film, see the production blog.
TRAINING: Student Internships
Source: Student Volunteer Movement 2
Know any young people with a passion to mobilize students? SVM2 has designed a 12-week internship experience based in a hub city in Asia. It blends on-site classroom learning, local outreach ministry, prayer and Bible study, and serving the international student mission movement.
“The internship exists to deepen the spiritual life, train in God’s heart for the nations, and empower partnering with God in the burgeoning student mission movement within the context of an unreached people group.”
Dates for 2012 internships are January 6 to April 2 (apply by June 13, 2011), May 25 to August 20 (apply by November 7, 2011), and September 21 to December 17 (apply by February 6, 2012).
>> Learn more.
>> Editor’s note: Have a year to invest in experiential learning/training? Consider NYC Equip (August 2011 to August 2012). It’s focused on simple, reproducible, cross-cultural church planting in New York City. Readers, what other opportunities like this would you recommend? Leave a comment on our website.
BOOKS: Recent Book Notes
Source: David Mays
Our friend and ally David Mays writes notes on the books he reads, shares them with email subscribers, and posts them on his website. Want to read over his shoulder? Links will take you to Dave’s site.
The Hole in Our Gospel: What Does God Expect of Us? by Richard Stearns. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2009. 302 pages.
Mission Handbook, 21st Edition, ed. by Linda J. Weber. Wheaton, IL: EMIS, 2010. 624 pages.
African Friends and Money Matters, by David Maranz. Dallas, TX: SIL International, 2001. 240 pages.
Humanitarian Jesus: Social Justice and the Cross, by Christian Buckley and Ryan Dobson. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2010. 218 pages.
Global Mission Handbook: A Guide for Crosscultural Service, by Steve Hoke and Bill Taylor. Madison, WI: InterVarsity Press, 2009. 303 pages.
Giving Wisely: Killing with Kindness or Empowering Lasting Transformation? by Jonathan Martin. Redmond, OR: Last Chapter Publishing, 2008. 199 pages.
>> Read more book notes from David Mays.
EVENT: May Is Digital Outreach Month
Source: Tony Whittaker, Internet Evangelism Day
“Digital media are transforming evangelism and ministry,” says the team at Internet Evangelism Day. To help Christians understand these amazing opportunities, they have designated the entire month of May as a time for churches and individual believers to explore this potential. At the center of the month is Internet Evangelism Day itself, set for Sunday, May 15.
Internet Evangelism Day is a worldwide initiative of the Internet Evangelism Coalition, based at the Billy Graham Center, Wheaton, Illiois. It is supported by a wide range of leaders and groups.
Churches and other groups can use free downloads from IE Day’s resource site to showcase these opportunities – video clips, PowerPoints, handouts, free music, drama scripts, and posters. A range of evangelism-related books and other resources will be offered as special free downloads during the month.
>> Visit the IE Day website for more information.
>> One intriguing resource they mention is @stickyJesus, a new book that explores social networking and evangelism. Interested? Learn more or read the first chapter online.
Marti Smith is a writer, speaker, and project manager for Pioneers. Since the mid-90′s she has helped prepare cultural research teams and sent them out to explore unreached communities and mobilize efforts to serve these groups. Marti manages and publishes Missions Catalyst and is the author of Through Her Eyes, a book about the lives of missionary women in the Muslim world.
