Missions Catalyst

Sunrise over an Australian beach. Wherever you are today, we hope you find something you can use in today’s edition of Missions Catalyst.
Photo by Igor Kasalovic on Unsplash.

1. ARTICLE: Experiencing the Olympics with God in Mind
2. BOOK: Window on the World
3. PODCASTS: Voices from Europe
4. BOOK: African Christian Leadership
5. EVENT: US-Based Mission Exposure Tours
6. EVENTS: Upcoming Courses and Conferences

Source: Weave Family

Do you watch the Olympics with your kids? A new article from Weave Family suggests specific ways to not only spark your children’s interest in athletics and friendly competition, but also give your family a bigger picture of God’s world.

» Read the article. For daily devotions, activities, or crafts to do with your children during the Winter Olympics, join the author’s Missional Olympics Facebook group.

Window to the World: The Numbers Behind the Need, by Andrew Knight. Independently published, 2018, 45 pages.

“Numbers can change lives and destinies,” claims Andrew Knight, “A statistic can communicate more in an instant than rationale in an hour-long speech or hundreds of pages in a book. I have been told multiple times how stats and numbers have caused people to reflect and then ultimately redirect.”

Window to the World compiles 100 world mission statistics into ten categories (global economics, missionary force, money, urbanization, poverty, refugees, religion, reachedness, etc.) to illustrate needs and opportunities in our world. Each chapter is just two pages: a page of commentary and then a page of 10 striking statistics on that global topic.

This book is self-published and I can’t tell you anything about the author. But everything is footnoted, and many of the numbers are drawn from the Center for the Study of Global Christianity’s status of global Christianity, a document revised annually. That and the author’s commentary could be helpful if you want to use this book as a resource for quick numbers to easily fold into your teaching and mobilization efforts.

» Preview or purchase on Amazon. The Kindle edition is just US$.99, but you can also get it in paperback for US$3.99.

Source: Pioneers in Europe

Is listening to podcasts part of your commute, workout, or morning routine? Check out a new podcast featuring conversations with veteran church planters and mission leaders from various sending countries who work among the least reached in Europe.

They’re all with Pioneers (also the agency that sponsors Missions Catalyst), but they do a great job describing what it’s like to serve in their contexts and providing solid, thoughtful advice for anyone considering joining ministries in these places. Each episode is about 20 minutes long.

Episode 1: Martin, a European serving in the UK
Episode 2: Graham, an Australian serving in Italy
Episode 3: Steve, an American serving in France
Episode 4: James, a American serving in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Episode 5: Lauren, an Australian serving in France
Episode 6: Shane, an Australian serving in Spain

» Listen to the Pioneers in Europe podcast.

» I’ve also been listening to a podcast some of you might enjoy called Taking Route. It’s a bi-weekly podcast for expat women about living abroad, and it’s hilarious! What’s in your earbuds? Let me know (especially if it’s appropriate to feature in Missions Catalyst).

Source: African Leadership Study

African Christian Leadership: Realities, Opportunities, and Impact, edited by Robert J. Priest and Kirimi Barine. Orbis Books, 2017. 320 pages.

Wish you had a better understanding of the issues and questions African Christians face as they seek to live out their faith in their cultural context? Wonder how Africans themselves frame these questions and their answers?

Would you like access to actual research that can confirm your own experience or bring new information to your attention that would deepen and broaden your understanding?African Christian Leadership, the result of a multiyear study implemented by African scholars, offers insights on the support and training necessary to promote African Christianity and to foster the healthy development of Africa. Featuring input from over 8,000 African survey participants and dozens of in-depth interviews, it provides invaluable insight and concise analysis of the dynamics of the development of African Christian leaders today.

» Learn more or purchase the Kindle edition for US$15.12. Also available in paperback. Want to dig deeper into the data and analysis? The Africa Leadership Study website includes resources to help you engage further.

Source: Global Frontier Missions

Are you a pastor or missions leader looking for ways to help your church catch a vision for global missions or international ministry in your hometown? Looking for an opportunity to give your family or small group a cross-cultural experience that will impact their worldview? Maybe you’re a college student looking for exposure to unreached people groups and cultures without spending a fortune. Check this out.

Every month, Global Frontier Missions offers “Global Missions Journeys,” reasonably priced, thoughtfully designed, weekend experiences in multi-ethnic Clarkston, GA for missions exposure and training. They include mission education, prayer walking, interacting with people from different cultures and religions, and resources you can take home to use in engaging your local church in cross-cultural ministry at home and abroad. GFM adheres to the Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission, and that’s always a good sign.

“Global Missions Tours,” scaled down to eight hours, are also available in Atlanta, Houston, and Richmond, and now in Sydney, Australia.

» Learn more. Other opportunities from GFM include internships, missionary training programs, and an online course.

» This and several other mission exposure programs are described in Start Here: First Steps to Ministry with Least-Reached Peoples (Catalyst Services).

Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar

February 1, Five Types of Strategies for Mission Organizations (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

February 2-3, Santa Barbara Mission Conference (Santa Barbara, CA, USA). An annual event.

February 2-4, Missionfest Manitoba (Winnipeg, MB, Canada). Free, annual, community-based mission festival for all ages.

February 2-8, Thrive Retreat (Paphos, Cypress). For North American women serving cross-culturally.

February 5 to June 10, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (online). This intro-to-missions course follows a four-month format.

February 6-9, Support Raising Leaders Conference (Orlando, FL, USA). Provided by Support Raising Solutions.

February 11-23, Second Language Acquisition Course (Union Mills, NC, USA). Provided by the Center for Intercultural Training.

February 12 to March 10, COMPASS (Palmer Lake, CO, USA). Language and culture acquisition provided by Missionary Training International.

February 14-21, Learning Culture through Purposeful Observation (online). Course provided by the Center for Intercultural Training (CIT).

February 14 to March 25, Seek God for the City (global). Annual prayer campaign coordinated by Seek God for the City.

February 15 to March 15, Foundations of Media Strategy (online). Training course from Mission Media U.

February 18-23, ABIDE (Joplin, MO, USA). Debriefing and re-entry help for returning missionaries.

February 21, Mobilizing the Next Generation of Missionaries (online). Free webinar from 16:15 and Cafe 10/40.

February 21-23, International Conference on Turkey (Mesa, AZ, USA). Sponsored by the International Turkey Network.

February 21 to March 21, Story in Ministry (online). Mentored course by Mission Media U on applying elements of story to your outreach.

February 22-23, Standards Introductory Workshop (Portland, OR, USA) presented by Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission.

February 23-24, Midwest Conference on Missionary Care (Burnsville, MN, USA). An annual event.

February 23-24, Defy the Ordinary (Portland, OR, USA). Conference focusing on short-term missions presented by Short-Term Mission ConneXion and Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission.

February 23-25, Missions Fest Alberta (Edmonton, AB, Canada). Free, annual, community-based mission festival for all ages.

» View the complete calendar. Please let us know about mistakes or omissions. For more about a specific event, though, contact the event organizers.