Category: Resource Reviews

Source: NAAMC

Did you see NAAMC’s big announcement, below?

» Read more about NAAMC’s vision and plans.

Source: Perspectives Study Program

Due to COVID-19, the folks who organize Perspectives on the World Christian Movement courses are conducting a National Virtual Class in English this spring via Zoom. Anyone in the US is welcome, but the goal is to provide a class for people who don’t have one in their area or don’t feel safe attending a class in person.

The class starts Sunday, January 17 with registration and orientation and concludes May 23. Will you help spread the word? They would love to have 200-300 people in the class. Alumni get a discount. They’re also looking for some alums to volunteer as mentors and graders.

Perspectives also offers the class in a flexible, pre-recorded online format which may work better for some. New classes start about once a month. In 2021, a number of groups plan to host traditional 15-week, in-person Perspectives classes for their cities, while others will take to the internet.

» Learn about or register for the National Virtual Perspectives Class. Perspectives Canada is also offering a virtual course for Canadians. Don’t forget to download activity sheets to include your kiddos!

» You should also check out Pathways to Global Understanding and the Kairos course, independent incarnations of much the same sort. Need something shorter? Consider the six-week class MomentumYes.

Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar

See our online calendar for a handful of in-person events as well as some events planned for 2021. Got submissions? Send them my way!

December 2, Conversations on When Everything Is Missions: Rediscovering the Mission of the Church. Webinar from Missio Nexus.

December 3, Counting the Cost of Movements. Part of a training series from Beyond, but each can stand alone.

December 3, Fertilizing the Soil: Define Missions. Part of The Greenhouse, a free series for church mission leaders from Pioneers USA.

December 8, Mission Trips, COVID, and 2021. Webinar from Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission.

December 8-10, Support Raising Bootcamp. Provided by Support Raising Solutions. Similar events offered throughout the year (live or virtual).

December 10, The Five Directions to Guide Investing Your Leadership. Webinar from Missio Nexus.

December 28-30, CMC Global 2020. Chinese Mission Convention, organized by Ambassadors for Christ. Completely new format with multiple events.

December 29-30, Cross Conference. Student missions conference. Previously scheduled for Louisville, KY; now moved online.

» View complete calendar. Corrections and submissions welcome.

1. DEVOTIONAL: The Hands and Feet of Jesus
2. ARTICLE: Eight Tips on Writing Newsletters that Rock
3. REPORT: The Future of Missions
4. BOOK: Misreading Scripture Through Individualist Eyes
5. EVENTS: Videos from Online Events for Mission Leaders
6. EVENTS: Happening Online in November

Source: Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission

We may not see mission trip participation return to its previous levels any time soon, but some churches and organizations are using this season to prepare for doing mission trips better when the doors open again.

Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission has published a new reading plan with scripture, short articles on ministry principles, and reflection questions. It’s set up as a 14-day pre-trip devotional but you could use it other ways.

» Learn more or get the plan from You Version / The Bible app. While you’re there, check out the 40-day devotional series from Missio Nexus, The Great Commission: Perspectives from Leaders.

» Sad about cancelling that mission trip? You might be encouraged by this report about what Christar did when they had to call off their usual summer mission program: Redeeming a Summer of Cancelled Plans.

Source: Support Raising Solutions

“I’ve observed that most missionaries struggle with one of two things when writing their prayer and update newsletters. Either they struggle to design a newsletter layout that is both attractive to the eye and easy to read, or they struggle to use language that speaks to the heart and inspires the reader. Here are four quick tips on the layout of your newsletter and four quick tips on the language in your newsletter.”

» Read Eight Tips on Writing Newsletters That Rock.

» See also How to Wow Your Supporters with Video Updates and How to Raise Missionary Support During COVID-19 (TEAM).

Sources: Barna and others

Have you been asked to address a group or write an article about the future of missions, missions and the next generation, or missions in a post-pandemic world? There seems to be a lot of that going around!

Some of the conversation circles around the recent 100-page report released by Barna. The International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention commissioned Barna to research how young Christians’ perspectives on missions are different from older believers’ and this is the result. The Future of Missions: 10 Questions About Global Ministry that the Church Must Answer with the Next Generation. But there are several ways to explore the findings besides reading the report.

1. Attend the IMB’s online summit The Future of Missions on Thursday, October 29, 7-9pm Eastern. The two-hour presentation will feature Barna President David Kinnamin and a “panel of experts” talking about diversity in missions, implications of urbanization, the state of the American church, and what Gen Z thinks about missions.
2. Listen to Barna’s Savannah Kimberlin on The Future of Mission Mobilization, interviewed by David P. Jacob on the Missionary Mobilization podcast. Google can help you find other places she is discussing this content.
3. Read three blog posts discussing the report’s findings and implications at A Life Overseas, written by Rebecca Hopkins, and/or three more posts from UK missiologist Eddie Arthur (who finds the report seriously flawed and raises some helpful points).

Source: IVP Academic

Misreading Scripture with Individualist Eyes: Patronage, Honor, and Shame in the Biblical World, by E. Randolph Richards and Richard James. IVP Academic, 2020. 304 pages.

I haven’t been able to read this one yet, but here’s the publisher’s description:

The Bible was written within collectivist cultures. When Westerners, immersed in individualism, read the Bible, it’s easy to misinterpret important elements―or miss them altogether. In any culture, the most important things usually go without being said. So to read Scripture well we benefit when we uncover the unspoken social structures and values of its world. We need to recalibrate our vision. Combining the expertise of a biblical scholar and a missionary practitioner, Misreading Scripture with Individualist Eyes is an essential guidebook to the cultural background of the Bible and how it should inform our reading.

E. Randolph Richards and Richard James explore deep social structures of the ancient Mediterranean―kinship, patronage, and brokerage―along with their key social tools―honor, shame, and boundaries―that the biblical authors lived in and lie below the surface of each text. From Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar to Peter’s instructions to elders, the authors strip away individualist assumptions and bring the world of the biblical writers to life.

Expanding on the popular Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes [co-authored by Richards], this book makes clear how understanding collectivism will help us better understand the Bible, which in turn will help us live more faithfully in an increasingly globalized world.

Richards is a professor at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Richard James (pseudonym) is involved in church-planting ministry in the Middle East. Nijay Gupta, professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary, wrote a review of the book for Christianity Today.

» Learn more or purchase from Amazon (or elsewhere) for about US$20.

» See also a new book from William Carey Publishing, Honor, Shame and the Gospel: Reframing Our Message and Ministry or read articles on the topic from the latest edition of Missio Dei, an online missions journal.

Source: Missio Nexus, Finishing the Task, MoreDisciples.com

Missio Nexus cancelled the conference that attracted 1,000+ mission leaders in 2019 but held a four-hour online event in its place on September 24. Anyone can now watch the entire event, Focus Spotlight 2020. Good stuff. I need to watch some of these sessions again.

» Watch videos.

The Global Assembly of Pastors for Finishing the Task was held online October 13-15. Organizers are now offering free access to online presentations about church-planting and disciple-making principles, practices, and strategies worldwide.

» Watch videos.

On October 1, MoreDisciples.com and 24:14 kicked off MultiplyUs, a new network for those who want to see disciple-making movements launch in North America and other Western contexts where they’ve been slow to grow. You can watch the launch event online. A follow-up is planned for November 7. Both focus on the vision to see disciple-making movements happen in North America and other Western contexts.

» Watch videos or sign up for the next event.

Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar

See our online calendar for a handful of in-person events as well, most of them specialized training events for small groups of people.

November 1, International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted. Some also observe this November 8 or during/throughout the month of November.

November 2 to March 14, 2020, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement Online Course. Classes start regularly throughout the year.

November 4, How Do I Get My Pastor Engaged in Missions? Webinar from Missio Nexus and Sixteen:Fifteen.

November 4-25, Contend! International Prayer Campaign. Interceding for an increase of mission mobilization in the global Church; register your participation to receive prayer materials. Coordinated by Global Mission Mobilization Initiative.

November 5, Multiplying Disciplemakers Toward Movement. Nugget training from Beyond.

November 5, Creating a Culture of Innovation. Webinar from Missio Nexus.

November 7, MultiplyUs Conference (online). Focused on igniting disciple-making movements in North America.

November 10, Preparing Next Gen Short-Term Missionaries for Success. Webinar from Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission.

November 11-13, Support Raising Bootcamp. Similar events held throughout the year in various locations; note a Spanish-language course will also be offered online November 19-21.

November 12-13, Mission Fest Seattle. Free, community mission conference for all ages; now moved online for greater access.

November 12-14, Global Missions Health Conference. Annual event focused on medical missions. Was planned for Louisville, KY. Now a virtual event.

November 16-17, Mobilizing Communities of Color. Workshop from Missio Nexus.

November 16-18, Standards Introductory Workshop. Ten-hour seminar on making mission trips better, from Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission.

November 17-19, Trends and Issues in Missions Mobilization (online). Free graduate class from Trinity Graduate School.

November 19, Multiplying Churches Toward Movement (online). Nugget Training from Beyond.

November 19, Sacred Siblings: What Married and Single Teammates Thought They Knew About Each Other. Webinar from Missio Nexus.

November 19-22, The International Conference on Missions. Come in person (Indianapolis) or attend virtually.

» View complete calendar. Submissions and corrections welcome. We will continue to make updates about canceled and postponed events.