MC – Page 86 – Missions Catalyst

Video Series: The Five Habits of a Global Christian

Source: Global Frontier Missions

Sometimes participation in the Great Commission gets relegated to taking a short-term missions trip one week out of the year. How can we make it a lifestyle cultivated day in and day out, all year round?

Whether you’re new to the whole missions thing or you’ve been intentionally pursuing the lifestyle of a global Christian for a while now, we invite you to consider five foundational habits for this journey: Pray, welcome, go, send, and mobilize.These videos are short, just two to three minutes long, so they are easy to share. Learn more or watch the videos. Also available as a playlist on the GFM YouTube channel.

You may also remember a series of longer videos that cover similar ground in a different style and with more examples. 6 Ways to Reach God’s World was created by OMF International and the Perspectives Study Program. Watch both to see which better suits your purpose.

Website: The Unreached in North America

Source: UPGNorthAmerica.com

Over recent months, a team of mission-minded folks has been working on a collaborative “organization neutral” website to identify the least-reached diaspora (immigrant) communities in North America, mobilize prayer for them, and encourage an increase in ministry efforts.

The site includes interactive point-of-interest maps with mosques, temples, markets, etc. as well as virtual prayerwalks for specific cities. See pages about Afghans in the San Francisco Bay area and Moroccan Arabs in Chicagoland, for example.

Visit UPGNorthAmerica.com. They are still building this site and looking for content and feedback. What would you add or change? Let them know.

Global Christianity: A Guide to the World’s Largest Religion from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe

Global Christianity: A Guide to the World’s Largest Religion from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, by Gina A. Zurlo, Zondervan Academic, 2022. 352 pages.

Global Christianity succinctly describes how Christianity has changed since the year 1900 and continues to change today. It includes information on Christianity in six continents, in six religious traditions and major movements, and in 234 countries and provides helpful maps, charts, and bullet points.

The book is based on research conducted for the 2019 World Christian Encyclopedia, now condensed and updated in this much less extensive and less expensive volume for a broader (but primarily American) audience.

I grabbed a highlighter and went through the 30 or so summary pages that precede the “Afghanistan” entry, marking pithy statements and figures I might be able to use in PowerPoint presentations and social media posts. For example:

In 1900, nine of the ten countries with the most Christians were in the global North. This completely reversed by 2020, when there were only two global North countries in the top ten. (p. 4)
Africa’s population continues to grow more than 2.5% per year. By 2050 there will likely be 2.5 billion people on the continent. (p. 7)
In 1900, seven of the ten countries with the most Catholics were in Europe. By 2020, only three European countries were in the top ten. (p. 21; those countries and their Catholic population figures included)
Of the roughly 5 million pastors and priests across World Christianity, only an estimated 5% have formal theological training. (p. 23)
Country with the largest population of Protestants: Nigeria. Fastest growth: Albania. Largest decline: United States. (p. 27)

Author and religious demographer Gina Zurlo is the Co-director of the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

You may be wondering, as I did, if this book should replace that 2010 edition of Operation World on your bookshelf. Global Christianity is more up-to-date and includes topics you won’t find much in OW. But keep them both, because this one isn’t designed for prayer, specifically, and is very much focused on Christianity in its various contexts rather than the whole world. Each of the 67 countries with more than 5 million people who identify as Christian gets a two-page spread and 108 countries with fewer Christians get a full page. But for the 59 countries with fewer than 100,000 people who identify as Christian, the entries are only half a page and do not include some of the most interesting data points covered in the other entries (such as the number of Bible translations, churches, and missionaries sent from and to that country).

It may also be helpful to acknowledge that the book includes a brief but clear explanation of its methodology and sources but does not footnote specific statements.

Learn more. The book retails for US$29.99 but it looks like you can currently get a paperback copy from the publisher for US$20.99, with Amazon selling the Kindle edition for US$19.99.

See also Quick Facts about Global Christianity and Status of Global Christianity 2022 (Center for the Study of Global Christianity).

Book: Life-Changing Cross-Cultural Friendships

Life-Changing Cross-Cultural Friendships, by Gary Chapman and Clarence Shuler. Zondervan, 2022. 160 pages.

After knowing each other for decades, bestselling author Gary Chapman and counselor and diversity trainer Dr. Clarence Shuler have come to believe that we can heal the racial divides in our country, one relationship at a time. Are you in?

I haven’t read this book yet, but our friend Shane Bennett has. Read his review for the Dennison Forum.

October Events: Helpful Training, Conferences & More

Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar

October 3 to February 12, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (online). New online classes begin regularly.

October 4-6, GACX Forum 2022 (Minneapolis, MN, USA). Sponsored by a global alliance for church multiplication.

October 4-7, Pastoral Training in Member Care (Asheville, NC, USA). For anyone involved in caring for global workers; usually held annually.

October 4-30, Equipping for Cross-Cultural Life and Ministry (Union Mills, NC, USA). Provided regularly by the Center for Intercultural Training.

October 5, Preparing Missionaries to Go to the Hard Places (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

October 7-8, EMS Annual Conference (Dallas, TX, USA and online). An annual event from the Evangelical Missiological Society. The International Society for Frontier Missiology will also participate in this event.

October 13, Mobilizing Latin Americans (online). Free webinar from Sixteen:Fifteen, part 3 in a series on mobilizing people of color.

October 17-19, Standards Introductory Workshop (online). Learn about the Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission.

October 17-21, ABIDE re-entry debriefing for global workers (Joplin, MO, USA). Provided regularly by TRAIN International.

October 18, Contend: Monthly Day of Prayer For Mission Mobilization (global). Coordinated by GMMI and held on the third Tuesday of each month.

October 18-19, Amplify Outreach (Wheaton, IL, USA). Conference from the Billy Graham Center focused on evangelism, apologetics, and church leadership.

October 20 to November 17, Strategic Storytelling for Movements (online). Accelerate your media strategy through the power of story. Offered regularly by Mission Media U.

October 20-21, Support Raising Bootcamp (Knoxville, TN, USA). Provided by Support Raising Solutions.

October 21-22, NWA for the Nations (Fayetteville, AR, USA). Northwest Arkansas Missions Conference.

October 22-23, Voices of the Persecuted Church Conference (Dallas, TX, USA). Provided by the Back to Jerusalem Movement.

October 24-27, Thrive Retreat (Prague, Czech Republic). For cross-cultural workers from the US and Canada who serve overseas.

October 24 to November 19, COMPASS (Palmer Lake, CO, USA). Language and culture acquisition provided by Missionary Training International.

October 27-29, Refugee Highway Partnership North American Roundtable (Beaverton, OR, USA).

October 27-29, 24:14 DMM/CPM Conference (Spring, TX, USA). Multiplying disciples and churches across North America.

October 28-29, Help! We’re Going on a Short-Term Trip (Philadelphia, PA, USA). Seminar for team leaders from CultureLink, this time in partnership with Catalyst Services.

October 28-29, The Mobilized Church Workshop (St. Louis, MO, USA). Provided by Sixteen:Fifteen.

View the complete calendar, updated regularly. We welcome submissions.

When God Gives the Words We Need

In this week’s News Briefs:

North Africa: When God Gives the Words We Need
Zambia: Christians Rejoice as Bible Translated into Native Languages
Mongolia: More Than 2,000 People Decide to Follow Christ
Thailand: Chinese Congregation Seeks Refugee Status in the U.S.
Roundup: Pew Report, Peace Day, March for Martyrs, and More

Read or share the email edition or scroll down for more.

North Africa: When God Gives the Words We Need

Source: Frontiers USA, September 12, 2022

Aptitude tests said that he shouldn’t be able to learn a second language. But when God called him to share about Jesus in North Africa, no test score could hold him back.

The smell of baked goods floated above the chatter of voices in the apartment. Nicholas hunted for a spot to sit, stepping carefully to avoid crawling babies and squirming toddlers. Fitting 40 adults plus their children into his living room for their weekly [ministry team] meeting was a challenge.

However, finding enough elbow room was nothing compared to their goal of starting a church in their unreached community. The North African region where the team worked was a tough place to live, much less engage in conversations about Jesus. The last missionary in the area had left over 50 years earlier, driven away by threats of violence.

One way [the] team tried to connect with Muslim men and women was through a radio station that offered listeners the chance to study the Bible. But so far, nobody had taken them up on their offer.

Nicholas found an open spot on the floor next to two men deep in conversation and sighed as he sank down against the wall. Maybe the radio program was a lost cause.

As if on cue, the team’s leader, Brad, burst into the meeting with a huge grin. “Someone wants to study the Bible with us.”

The team went quiet for a moment, then exploded into excited chatter.

“The radio station called,” Brad continued, motioning for everyone to quiet down. “They want the team member with the best language ability to meet Tahar, the student.”

Everyone looked at Nicholas.

Read the full story. God did something amazing that continues to bear fruit years later. May this story give hope to those in the early days of their cross-cultural work.

Also from North Africa: Libyan Christians urge us to pray for a young man who converted to Christianity a few years ago and has been sentenced to death for apostasy (Middle East Concern).

Zambia: Christians Rejoice as Bible Translated into Native Languages

Source: Christian Headlines, September 7, 2022

Christians in Zambia, Africa, are celebrating the latest milestone in Bible translation, the creation of Bibles written in their native tongues.

According to CBN News, the effort is led by Wycliffe Associates, an organization that offers Bible translations in countless languages. Currently, [more than] 5,000 people are working in Zambia to translate the Bible into 20 native languages.

Believers in Mansa, Zambia, were reportedly dancing after they got to read and listen to the reading of the New Testament in Aushi, their native language, for the first time.

“It’s like God is speaking our language,” Mumba said.

[Bishop Henry Mumba] also shared that the Bible is the first written literature in the Aushi language.

“Our country has 73 languages. And only seven were considered official languages. Those were the only ones who had scripture translated,” pastor Buster Paul Tembo Tembo of Livingston explained.

Read the full story. You might also want to read about a key strategy for accomplishing such projects; they call it church-owned Bible translation (Wycliffe Associates).

See also 4 Things You Need to Know About Sign Language Bible Translation (Wycliffe Bible Translators).

Mongolia: More Than 2,000 People Decide to Follow Christ

Source: The Christian Post, September 13, 2022

Thousands of Mongolians heard the gospel of Jesus Christ during an unprecedented outreach by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association [working alongside nearly 250 churches], in which more than 2,000 reportedly made decisions for Christ.

More than 17,300 people attended the two-night Festival of Hope held at Steppe Arena in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar [September 10-11], according to BGEA.

Sandwiched between Russia and China, the Central Asian country of roughly 3.3 million people has a long tradition of Buddhism and, more recently, a rise in the practice of shamanism, the worship of the elements.

But after 20 years of prayers from Mongolian church leaders, the plan for the Mongolian outreach came together, marking the first time in Mongolia’s history that hundreds of churches gathered for such a large-scale event, BGEA reports.

Read the full story. Note: Per the BGEA report, 9,000 attended the in-person event, while another 8,600 watched online. Youth aged 10-18 were the group with the largest number of decisions to follow Christ.

Thailand: Chinese Congregation Seeks Refugee Status in the U.S.

Source: International Christian Concern, September 6, 2022

The world is watching the ongoing crisis of the entire church congregation who left China due to religious persecution to seek asylum in South Korea. Shenzhen Holy Reformed Church, which is comprised of nearly 60 members, traveled to Thailand last week to seek protection from religious persecution with the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR.

The congregation left China between late 2019 and early 2020, settling in South Korea. However, when they did not receive refugee status in South Korea, they began to seek resettlement in the United States as another option.

[September 5] they submitted their UNHCR applications in Bangkok. They left South Korea and traveled to Thailand on 15-day tourist visas, hoping that their applications could be processed unprecedentedly quickly. If their visas run out, they could be deported back to China.

The church’s pastor, Pan Yongguang, emphasized the gravity of their plight. “This is dangerous but it is an opportunity,” he said. “If we stayed in Jeju, we would have had no chance.”

Read the full story or a longer article about this church in which the pastor compares their journey to that of the pilgrims who came to America on the Mayflower (Christianity Today).

See also, from Afghanistan, letters to a Christian radio station (Sat-7) from listeners in Afghanistan (via God Reports) and a report about a mom who sold her kidney (but not her daughter) to put food on the table (World Vision). Keep praying for that country as well.