MISSIONS PODCASTS: A Roundup

Sources: Various

In recent months, several missions-related podcasts have gone dormant, while others thrive and new ones launch. Follow links below to podcast websites or find them wherever you like to listen.

Missionary Mobilization Podcast

(Center for Missionary Mobilization and Retention)

“The Missionary Mobilization Podcast is a resource for Christian leaders who want to increase the number of missionaries around the world. Our goal is to equip and encourage missions mobilizers and missions pastors for greater Kingdom impact.”

This podcast launched in 2019 and is going strong. Check out episode 34, “Missionaries in an Age of Global Christianity,” with Dr. Todd Johnson.

Better Mission Trips

(Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission)

“This podcast highlights topics that every mission leader thinks about. These conversations with mission leaders are meant to spark thoughtful consideration and equip you to make your mission trips better.”

There are six episodes so far. The one I found most thought-provoking was episode three, “Doing Distribution Ministries Well.”

Relentless Pursuit Podcast

(Pioneers USA)

“This podcast interviews [Pioneers] missionaries who wrestled through tough seasons in their pursuit of God’s glory among all nations. These raw and real stories will help you learn what it looks like to pursue the Lord in your life. Come grow and be stretched.”

Episode five just launched. The strongest might be the first, “What If God Doesn’t Use Me?” and the fourth, “What If I Suffer?”

Six More Mission Podcasts

Crescent Project Radio, from Crescent Project: “A podcast about God’s miraculous movement in the Muslim world.”

Global Missions Podcast, from SEND International: “A show for Christ-followers who want to participate more effectively in God’s work both at home and to the ends of the earth.”

Mission Mobilization Chats, from Global Mission Mobilization Initiative: “A podcast of cutting-edge topics related to cross-cultural mission and mission mobilization empowering denominations, church networks, organizations, local ministries, and individual believers to engage with God’s heart for the world.”

Movements with Steve Addison, from MOVE: “Stories and insights from the field on multiplying disciples and churches. Everywhere.”

The Missions Podcast, from ABWE International: “The Missions Podcast exists to answer hard questions about theology, missions, and practice to help goers think and thinkers go.”

The 1040 Podcast, from The Go Fund: “We explore stories of ordinary people playing an extraordinary role in reaching the unreached.”

Got a favorite? Maybe another you love that’s not on the list? Let us know.

NEW BOOK: Essentials for Fundraising and Development

Source: Missio Nexus

fundraising book cover

Essentials for Fundraising and Development: A Collection of Best Practices, Ideas, and Strategies, edited by Michael R. VanHuis and Heather Pubols. Missio Nexus: 2021. 192 pages.

More than a dozen fundraising experts contributed to this volume to bring practical insights and help you and your organization get your ministry funded and flourishing.

Learn more or get the book (US$10 for ebook editions, US$24.95 for print). You can also download a sample that includes the table of contents, introduction, and first chapter. Note that Missio Nexus will be holding a series of webinars on fundraising and development in coming months, with the first scheduled for February 16.

Raising “personal” support? Consider the online course Fundraising Fundamentals and other resources (including free webinars and a blog) from Tailored Fundraising, or plan to attend a Support Raising Bootcamp (more info below).

EVENTS: Conferences, Courses, and Webinars

Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar

February 1, Navigating Short-Term Trips in 2021 (online). Webinar from The Upstream Collective.

February 1 to June 6, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (online). New classes begin regularly.

February 7-19, Second-Language Acquisition Course (Union Mills, NC, USA). Provided by the Center for Intercultural Training.

February 11, Propagating: Gospel-Driven Discipleship (online). Part of The Greenhouse, a series of workshops for church mission leaders from Pioneers USA.

February 11, Your Best Kingdom Workers Are Hidden in Plain Sight (online). Webinar about engaging business people, provided by Missio Nexus.

February 11, Three Easy Ways to Drive Innovation (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

February 11, Speaking of Jesus: Non-evangelism to reach your neighbors (online). Ignite online training event from All Nations.

February 11, The Buddhist World (online). Regional update from Beyond.

February 16, Three Steps to Kickstart Your Fund Development Program (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus; first in a series of three.

February 17-19, Support Raising Bootcamp (online). Similar events held throughout the year in various locations by Support Raising Solutions.

February 17 to March 28, Seek God for the City (global). An annual prayer campaign coordinated by WayMakers.

February 18, Good News for Honor/Shame Cultures (online). Ignite Training from All Nations.

February 18 to March 18, Foundations of Media to Movements (online). Training course from Mission Media U.

February 19-20, Short-Term Mission ConneXion (online). If you plan mission trips, lead them, are going on one, or even just considering going on a mission trip, this conference is for you.

February 22 to March 20, COMPASS (Palmer Lake, CO, USA). Language and culture acquisition provided by Missionary Training International.

February 24-26, Crisis Management Seminar (Orlando, FL, USA). Provided by Crisis Consulting International.

February 25, Go to the Mosque: Connecting with the Lost (online). Nugget training from Beyond.

February 25, Move (online). Virtual missions conference provided by Johnson Ferry Baptist Church.

February 25, Innovating Theological Education: How BibleMesh Can Prepare your Staff for Ministry (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

View complete calendar. Corrections and submissions are welcome.

Happy New Year!

Readers,

Happy New Year! ’Tis the season for articles about the best, worst, or most significant happenings of the last year. We may include some in next week’s news briefs. But here are a few to start with.

  • Best Mission Books of 2020, from our friend Ellen at Catalyst Services. Some of these we reviewed in Missions Catalyst.
  • Prayercast’s 2020 year in review video; see below. God still reigns, worth remembering as we reflect on the ups and downs of 2020.
  • Check out YearCompass, a free booklet of questions and exercises to help you reflect on your year and plan for your next one.
  • As you consider 2021, take a look at our calendar for mission conferences, courses, and other events. Many are now free online, which has not previously been the case. Seize the day!
Blessings,
Marti
Year in review screen shot 2 - prayercast

EVENTS: Conferences, Courses, and More

Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar

January 4-30, COMPASS (Palmer Lake, CO, USA). Language and culture acquisition provided by Missionary Training International. There’s a wait list for this one, but MTI plans to offer COMPASS six more times in 2021.

January 11 to April 11, Encountering the World of Islam (online). New online classes start several times a year; also available in other formats/languages.

January 11 to May 16, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (online). New online classes begin regularly. Note that a special virtual class will take place from January 17 to May 23 and taught via Zoom rather than using recordings as the usual online course does. Perspectives Canada has a similar offering. There are also classes in Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.

January 10 to February 5, Equipping for Cross-Cultural Life and Ministry (Union Mills, NC, USA). Provided by the Center for Intercultural Training. CIT plans to offer the course four more times in 2021. They also offer a second-language acquisition course; many participants come for both.

January 12, Planting the Seed: Gospel-Driven Discipleship (online). Part of a free series for church mission leaders from Pioneers USA.

January 14-15, The Mobilized Church: Keys to Unlock Missions Potential (online). Two-day interactive workshop provided by Sixteen:Fifteen and the National African-American Missions Council. For a taste of this, register for the executive preview January 6.

January 14, Publishing in a New Era (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus, featuring Denise Wynn of William Carey Publishing. This may help you figure out what to do with that manuscript you worked on during lockdown.

January 15-16, Mission ConneXion (online). Formerly a regional conference based in Portland, OR, this has been turned into a virtual, worldwide event. Related events include a Short-Term Mission ConneXion which will be online this year as well, February 19-20.

January 26-28, Support Raising Bootcamp (online). Similar events held throughout the year in various locations by Support Raising Solutions, but provided virtually as needed. The next virtual event is February 17-19. You might also look at Tailored Fundraising for personal coaching in this area.

January 28, Through the Wall (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus, featuring psychologist Bill Gaultiere. Looks like it’s focused on soul care.

January 29-30, Missions Fest Santa Barbara (online). Usually offered in Santa Barbara, CA but moved online this year.

January 29-31, Mission Central Conference: Serve (online). Formerly Missions Fest Vancouver, the largest mission event in Canada has been recast into three parts. Part 2, Grow, will be February 19-20, and Part 3: Create (focused on the arts) will be February 26-27. Note that several other Canadian Mission(s) Fests have been called off for 2021.

» View complete calendar. Right now it is not very complete; still too much uncertainty for many of the sponsoring organizations. Any corrections and submissions are welcome.

The Expat Cookbook

Expat CookbookSource: Rachel Pieh Jones, via A Life Overseas

The Expat Cookbook: Travel, Cook, Eat, Love, by Rachel Pieh Jones. Independently published, 2020. 145 pages.

The Expat Cookbook is more than a cookbook. It is 60+ recipes that can be adapted into dozens more. It is a guidebook for cooking, packing, transporting, even mailing food, all designed to contribute to a flourishing international life.”

» Learn more or purchase the Kindle edition for US$9.99 or US$15.99 for a paperback.

» Can’t live on bread alone. Another contributor to A Life Overseas, Amy Young, wrote Connected: Starting Your Life Overseas Spiritually Fed.

» William Carey Publishing has released a new, 30th anniversary edition of the practical book, Managing Conflict Creatively: A Guide for Missionaries & Christian Workers, by Donald C. Palmer. Includes case studies, discussion questions, and more.

Two New Titles from Pioneers

Source: BottomLine Media / Pioneers USA

Here are a couple of titles from our parent ministry, Pioneers. They may interest many of you. Both will be released next week (December 1) but can be pre-ordered now.

1. A Sequel to When Everything Is Missions

Convos cover 2

Conversations on When Everything Is Missions: Recovering the Mission of the Church, edited by Denny Spitters and Matthew Ellison. BottomLine Media, 2020. 146 pages.

In their previous book, When Everything Is Missions, Denny Spitters and Matthew Ellison raised seven questions that shape how we think about and carry out the global mission of the Church and called readers to refocus their gaze on the gospel and the Great Commission.

Conversations on When Everything Is Missions adds the voices of mission leaders J. D. Payne, Ted Esler, Jeff Jackson, Gary Corwin, Pam Arlund, James Mason, Jean Johnson, Jeff Lewis, Steve Beirn, David Platt, Mark Vowels, Dick Brogden, Ed Stetzer, and others. They write on the same theme but from different angles. Some chapters were previously published in the November/December 2019 edition of Mission Frontiers.

» Preorder the Kindle edition (available December 1) for US$4.99 or paperback for US$9.99 from Amazon or elsewhere. Missio Nexus member? You might want to catch a webinar with Spitters and Ellison on December 2 (see events calendar, below).

» For a different look at tensions between mission priorities and how to navigate them in a local church context, see Sharon Hoover’s excellent 2018 book Mapping Church Missions: A Compass for Ministry Strategy.

2. An Adaptation of Peace Child

Treachery cover 2Treachery on the Twisted River, by Don Richardson, adapted by Karen Robertson, BottomLine Media, 2020. 180 pages.

This book is a young-adult adaption of the late Don Richardson’s 1974 bestseller Peace Child. Both describe the early years of his family’s ministry among a tribe of headhunters and cannibals in New Guinea in the 1960s. After more than 50 years, perhaps it’s no spoiler to tell you many of them become followers of Jesus and saw their community transformed (a story revisited in the documentary Never the Same).

Treachery on the Twisted River was condensed and adapted by a teacher who wanted a version of the story to share with her students. It simplifies the language and removes some of the description and context for a younger and/or less patient audience. There’s too much violence and intensity for young/sensitive children; that’s intrinsic to the story. But this is certainly an easier read for today’s teens (and adults) than Peace Child.

» Preorder the Kindle edition (available December 1) for US$5.99 or the paperback for US$13.99 from Amazon or elsewhere. It might make a good Christmas gift for someone on your list.The Pioneers bookstore also has related titles.