Author: MC

Indonesia: A Rise in Religious Freedom in the Most Populous Muslim Country

Source: International Christian Concern, January 24, 2024

Religion is a vital part of a person’s identity in Indonesia. On each citizen’s official National Identity Card, people can identify with one of the six religions recognized in the Constitution—Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism.

A seventh religious category—kepercayaan (belief)—was introduced for identity cards in 2016. But since then, there have been legal and religious challenges to this change, including the Indonesian Ulama Council (an influential national Muslim organization) that opposed this new category.

Indonesia has strict anti-Islam blasphemy laws. Yet Indonesians who are part of minor religions may now openly include their religion in this seventh new category. Government figures show that nearly 140,000 Indonesians have used this new kepercayaan category since its start.

Read the full story or read A Step for Freedom of Religion and Belief in Indonesia (Human Rights Watch).

In other religious liberty commentary, see Islamic Studies No Longer Required for Religious Minority Students in Pakistan; Christians Rejoice (The Christian Post) and A Year of Bumpy Ups and Downs for Religious Liberty in Vietnam (Morning Star News).

Finally, in case you missed it, last week’s Missions Catalyst also highlighted a short video on The Top Ten Countries Where Christians Face Extreme Persecution (Open Doors).

Middle East: God Used Poor Handwriting for His Glory

Source: OneWay, January 31, 2024

Throughout history, God has used human weakness for his glory. That was the case for a OneWay staff member when God took his struggle with bad handwriting and used it to prepare him for international ministry.

When he was a child, “Sparrow” had such poor handwriting that his teachers couldn’t grade his assignments. To help with this, Sparrow’s parents bought him a laptop to use for school, making him among the first people in his community to have one. As he grew in his skills, Sparrow developed a passion for technology, but he didn’t know how to channel it into his passion for missions.

Today, Sparrow works with a large network of missionaries and ministries all over the Arab world as a digital evangelist. He uses Facebook and Google ads to reach out to people in the Middle East who are questioning their faith and connect them with local believers who can answer their questions about Christianity.

Read Digital Evangelism Making an Impact in the Middle East.

See also an article about United Hive, a social media platform designed for Christians to share inspiring “God moments” (Back to Jerusalem).

Data: New Numbers on Global Christianity

It’s a lot to process, so you might want to look for secondary sources citing this resource. See, for example, 8 Encouraging Trends in Global Christianity for 2024 (Lifeway Research). Also consider these tips from Lifeway: How to Use Statistics in Your Sermons.

Of course, there are also some less-than-encouraging trends to be aware of. Voice of the Martyrs also has a new 2024 Global Prayer Guide focused on the persecuted church. Looks like everything is on the website or available in booklet form.

The 2024 World Watch List, an annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution, is now out. Watch and consider how you can share their video, Top 10 Countries Where Christians Face Extreme Persecution (Open Doors).

Sources: Various

Need numbers? The Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary has released its 2024 Status of Global Christianity Report. A related article in the International Bulletin of Missionary Research is a bit pricey for non-subscribers, but you can download the one-page summary for free.

It’s also worth looking for secondary sources citing this resource. See, for example, 8 Encouraging Trends in Global Christianity for 2024 (Lifeway Research). Also from Lifeway: How to Use Statistics in Your Sermons.

Of course, there are also some less-than-encouraging trends to be aware of. Voice of the Martyrs also has a new 2024 Global Prayer Guide focused on the persecuted church. Looks like everything is on the website or available in booklet form.

The 2024 World Watch List, an annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution, is now out. Watch and consider how you can share their video, Top 10 Countries Where Christians Face Extreme Persecution (Open Doors).

Book: 50 Years of Mobilizing for Frontier Missions

Propelled by Hope: The Story of the Perspectives Movement, by Yvonne W. Honeycutt. William Carey Publishing, 2024. 270 pages.

Coming out of the turbulent 1960s, the Jesus Movement revived a generation and led to a new optimism about spreading the gospel to the nations. Explo ’72, sponsored by Campus Crusade for Christ, drew an unprecedented 80,000 students. Then, at the 1973 Urbana Student Missions Conference, thousands of students responded to a challenge from Billy Graham to pursue God’s call in missions. Who would help them find and take their next step? That’s where the story of Perspectives begins.

This new book describes the original residential summer and semester-long courses for young adults and the many changes later made to reflect new emphases and reach new audiences. It explores how Perspectives on the World Christian Movement was both shaped by and shaped people, events, and priorities in the modern mission movement worldwide, despite significant obstacles and setbacks.

Hear the personal stories of Perspectives leaders, contributors, and students and give God glory for what he has done through this movement and the many ministries it has birthed or influenced. I knew some of those stories and had connected some of the dots, but was so encouraged to hear more. An inspiring read.

Learn more or buy the book from William Carey Publishing, available in paperback or ebook.

Infographic: Crossing Cultures for the Gospel

Source: FieldPartner International

Do you think missionaries today are well-trained? What happens if they aren’t? FieldPartner International did a survey exploring this questions and more.

Read their full report, peruse the infographic below, or check out an article about the survey from A Life Overseas: What Missionaries Need Today.

Article: Blessed Are the Peacemakers

Source: Global Witness, Globally Reimagined

“At a recent mission conference in Africa, I sat through a sermon (disguised as a seminar paper) that sought to mobilise Africans to be drafted into God’s army, to join the missions force, and to let God deploy them to the trenches on the frontline where they can make a surprise attack on the enemy,” writes mission leader Harvey Kwiyani.

“I was told they were planning to send a battalion of young men and women as missionaries to occupy—like an occupying force—a city near me.”

How would you feel if you heard someone describe ministry in your area that way? It would not go over well in Malawi, says Kwiyani.

Read more. See also A Missiology of Non-Violence.

Events: Helpful Conferences and Courses in February

Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar

February 1, How to Double Your Next Fundraising Campaign (online). From Missio Nexus for mission communication and marketing teams.

February 1-3, Azmera Stateside Summit (Dallas/Fort Worth, TX, USA). A mission event just for women. Provided by Azmera. Be sure to also check out their Haven retreats for women serving cross-culturally. For 2024, retreats are planned for Namibia, Tanzania, Bolivia, Malta, and Israel.

February 3-4, Missionfest Manitoba (Winnipeg, MB, Canada). Community-based mission festival.

February 3, Santa Barbara Mission Conference (Santa Barbara, CA, USA). An annual regional mission event.

February 7, Missionary Care for the Local Church (online). From Missio Nexus for church mission leaders.

February 7-14, Culture Shock (online). An online course from Grow2Serve.

February 8, Finding Great Stories When You Can’t Be There in Person. From Missio Nexus for mission communication and marketing teams.

February 9-12, Field Security Seminar (Union Mills, NC, USA). Provided by Crisis Consulting International.

February 10, Generational Discipleship (online). Three-hour training event from AllNations.

February 11, Virtual Prayer Gathering: Call to Prayer (online). Join others to engage the Muslim world through prayer on the second Sunday of each month.

February 12-13, Support Raising Bootcamp (Austin, TX, USA). Provided by Via, formerly Support Raising Solutions. More classes held around the world throughout the year.Note that two virtual bootcamps will be held in February, one for folks in Australia (February 5-7) and another for the UK (February 27-29).

February 15, Winter Coordinates and The Shifting Center of the Global Church. Webinar from Missio Nexus.

February 15-17, MissionFest Vancouver (Vancouver, Canada). A free, community-wide mission conference.

February 16-17, Help! We’re Going on a Short-Term Trip (Tampa, FL, USA). Seminar for team leaders from CultureLink.

February 20, Contend: Monthly Day of Prayer For Mission Mobilization (global). Coordinated by GMMI and held on the third Tuesday of each month.

February 20-23, Critical Skills for Emerging Leaders (Winter Park, FL, USA). A Missio Nexus training event.

February 22-24, TELL Training: Bridges to Oral Cultures (Joplin, MO, USA). Provided by TRAIN International. Check out their other pre-field training and debriefing programs.

February 22-24, The International Congress on Language Learning (online). Learn about field-based language learning, best practices, coaching language learners, and connecting with experts in second language acquisition.

February 22-25, Refugee Highway Partnership Roundtable (Warsaw, Poland). An annual gathering.

February 23-24, Midwest Care Connexion (Roseville, MN, USA). An annual event, formerly Midwest Conference on Missionary Care (MC2), now a ministry of MissionConnexion and MissionWorks.

February 28-29, Move Conference (Marietta, GA, USA). Annual mission conference sponsored by Johnson Ferry Baptist Church. All are welcome.

View the complete calendar, updated regularly. Submissions welcome.

Editor’s Note: Dedication of a Temple

Greetings!

Did you catch the live stream of the big temple dedication? It was celebrated globally. More than a billion people around the world watched and 8,000 were present.

No, it wasn’t the temple in Israel. It was India’s new temple of Ram, built on the site of a former mosque and dedicated last Monday in what some see as a symbol of the nation’s turn away from the secular, multicultural vision of its founders.

As you take it in, ask the Lord to guide you in praying for India and the watching world.

You might also be interested in news about a mosque destroyed last month in Gaza. Previously, it was the site of the Dagon temple we read about Samson destroying in Judges 16:25-30 (perhaps the sort of thing described in Isaiah 42:8) and after that a Byzantine church and a Catholic cathedral (Religion News).

Thanks for praying,

Pat Noble