Author: MC

Roundup: 16 of the Best Missions Books of 2025

Source: Catalyst Services

Our friends at Catalyst Services asked readers to recommend their must-read books of 2025. I pitched my own picks for the list but am happy to see some I hadn’t heard of.

See what made the list. Share it with a church mission leader. Maybe you want to choose a title to read with your team or tribe.

You might also want to peruse The Gospel Coalition’s 2025 Book Awards.

Article: Three Reasons Why Missions Gets Ghosted

Source: Ted Esler

“A few weeks ago, I was in a conversation about preaching in churches regarding missions. I was struck by one comment. ‘If a church has a “missions Sunday” (and most do not) that will be the one Sunday of the year that the pastor will invite somebody outside of their church to preach. Most preachers ghost missions.’”

Read Ghosting Missions for three reasons why contemporary approaches to preaching might be behind the lack of sermons—and what preaching missions might look like in practice.

What do you think? Do you agree?

Here’s another article you may find provoking. Er, thought-provoking. According to a survey by InterVarsity, Members of Gen Z are committed to missions but insist on changes to old models before they sign on (Baptist News Global).

Events: January Events on the Missions Calendar

Source: Missions Catalyst Calendar

January 1-3 or 5-7, CROSS Conference (Louisville, KY, USA). Calling a new generation to make their lives count by making the name of Jesus known.

January 4 to March 24, Frontier Filmmaking Seminar (online). Learn to make cross-cultural evangelistic films with Create International. Want to learn animation? A course in that starts February 2 and goes through March 27.

January 5 to May 10, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (online). An additional class launches on January 12 monthly thereafter. Many in-person classes will also start this month.

January 12 to April 12, Encountering Muslims (online). Classes start several times a year. You can also take the class as a group and form your own cohort.

January 15, Freeing Up Time for Innovation (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus, the first of three on this topic.

January 16-17, MissionConnexion Northwest (Portland, OR, USA). A free, regional missions conference. Come early for Leadership Connexion or a MissionExcellence workshop on best practices for short-term missions.

January 20, Contend: Monthly Day of Prayer for Mission Mobilization (global). Coordinated by GMMI for the third Tuesday of each month.

January 19 to February 14, COMPASS (Palmer Lake, CO, USA). Language and culture acquisition provided by Missionary Training International.

January 23-24, Help! We’re Going on a Short-Term Trip (Marietta, GA, USA). Seminar for team leaders from CultureLink.

January 26 to February 17, 21 Days of Prayer for the Buddhist World (global).

January 27-28, Support Raising Bootcamp (Orlando, FL, USA). Provided by Via in various locations throughout the year.

January 29, Alumni to Advocates: How to Use Alumni to Personalize Your Marketing on a Budget (online). Webinar for communications and marketing professionals from Missio Nexus.

January 30 to February 1, Go Equipped (La Grange, GA, USA). Three-day training for tentmakers from Global Intent and Tent International. Similar events are held around the world.

View the complete calendar, updated throughout the year. Your submissions are always welcome.

Muslim World: Stolen from Her Family. Guided by God.

Source: Frontiers USA, December 3, 2025

I knew as soon as my husband’s phone rang that something was wrong. We never received calls so late at night. “Who is it?” I asked.

Henry read from his screen. “Hakim.”

It took me a moment to place the name. Hakim was a Muslim-background believer my husband had befriended in a previous host country. But we’d moved away years ago. “Have you kept in touch?”

Henry shook his head as he answered. “Hello?”

Though his voice was muffled, I heard Hakim apologize for calling at such a late hour. “I need help. And when I prayed, your family came to mind.”

Read how a Muslim-background believer was taken from her husband and child and the role a missionary couple played in bringing them back together. 

Hong Kong: Deadly Fire Rips Through Seven Apartment Buildings

Source: Back to Jerusalem, November 29, 2025

Many of you will have seen the headlines about the terrible fire that destroyed seven apartment buildings in Hong Kong, each with over 30 floors. Over 4,000 people have lost their homes. For a city with, generally speaking, good safety standards and many regulations, a disaster on this scale is unheard of. It is the largest fire in 80 years. [Editor’s note: the death toll has surpassed 150 at this writing].

Sue, a believer and employee of an insurance company in Hong Kong, asks us to pray. She contacted the help centers nearby but was told that people are bringing in plenty of supplies and do not need any more at this time. But the emotional and spiritual need is massive. Sue’s insurance company has many Christian employees, and they are going to the affected neighborhood to pray for and with people. People need comfort and hope.

They asked us to pray that good will brought out of this disaster and people will turn to God.

These were buildings where a large percentage of the residents were senior citizens, many of whom had little altars for idols in their homes. With their idols burnt, may they turn to the God who is alive and can truly help them.

Read the full story.

For more about the fire and how Christians are responding, read Hong Kong Church Rallies After 60 Congregants Lose Homes in Deadly Fire (Christianity Today).

See also When God Sent Rain, a long but interesting story about a ministry team in another part of East Asia that God led to a drought-stricken region where they planted trees, restored a well, prayed for rain and pointed many people to the Lord (Beyond).

Iran: Water Shortage Pushes New Strategies and Spiritual Questions

Source: Mission Network News, November 21, 2025

Drought-stricken Iran added cloud-seeding to its efforts in late November, as a years-long water crisis comes to a head.

But there’s no quick fix to the drought, even if rainfall surges. For example, rain did come over the weekend in the west and northwest of Iran—and it led to damaging floods.

“This drought is happening at the same time as years of bad management in the old infrastructure, and climate change. So, recovery will take a long time,” says Edwin Keshish Abnous with Heart4Iran.

Iranians are already struggling with daily life needs, especially in Tehran. “The general feeling is that life is getting more and more fragile,” says Abnous.

“Water shortages have also an effect on health, sanitation, and food supply, which are all problems that hit the poor hardest. But despite that, we still see amazing bravery and spiritual hunger in Iranians who are looking for hope in the middle of a crisis.”

Heart4Iran’s call center team sees God at work in even these crippling challenges.

“As things get worse, our team is getting ready to answer more questions about fear, provision, and God’s faithfulness. Every time there is hardship and challenges in the land, the spiritual curiosity goes up.”

Read the full story with prayer points.

Read more about the droughts and lift up the people who are suffering in Pray for Iran (INcontext International).

Middle East: Smuggled Bibles Are Changing Lives

Source: Global Christian Relief, November 18, 2025

The two men were risking it all, crossing borders to sneak illegal materials across hostile regions in the Middle East. They knew they could be fined, thrown in prison, even tortured—or worse. Yet, despite the dangers they took on, they didn’t even believe the words in the books they were smuggling.

One day, as they stopped to rest, the men grew curious about the books they carried. As they flipped through copies of the New Testament, their curiosity only grew. They approached the man who coordinated the smuggling operation, and he told them about the gospel.

Soon, these men decided to become followers of Jesus and were baptized. The words they had been risking their lives for ended up changing their lives forever.

Read the full story. It includes the related video, Is This the Most Dangerous Job in the Christian World? (also below; 3.5 minutes).

Bible smuggling may be less common with digital and audio Scripture access on the rise. But have you heard of the pill-sized hologram Bible? Check it out (Back to Jerusalem).

May stories about the risks people take to access or give others access to Scripture encourage those of us with easy access and many copies, tools, and translations to treasure the Bible more.

Australia: Diaspora on the Doorstep

Source: Lausanne, September 19, 2025

When people move to a new country, they face unknown new streets, languages, and loneliness. Yet in these vulnerable moments, God works powerfully. In Australia, everyday believers are reaching out to diaspora communities—like Elena supporting international students, Pastor Tay serving seafarers, and Amanda walking alongside migrants in Sydney—opening extraordinary doors for the gospel through ordinary acts of kindness.

Elena is a teacher by trade and has her own business, which she started 10 years ago. While working, she noticed the challenges international students face when they arrive in Australia. Most of them seek casual or part-time jobs, but the hurdles of documentation, resume writing, cover letters, and interview preparation often leave them discouraged and alone.

Seeing this, Elena had a vision in 2015 to help these students find their footing. She created four tailored programs and even secured a contract with the South Australian government to provide educational support for job seekers. Around 8,000 students have benefited from her work. Remarkably, 90% of these students came from countries where the gospel is restricted or Christians are a tiny minority.

Read the article. Each of the three stories it tells includes a short video.

For another story about the power of welcome, watch a video about the refugee ministry of Sugar Land Baptist Church outside of Houston, Texas (World Relief).