Category: Resource Reviews

Source: Gospel Mobilization and Missio Nexus

What are the most significant factors that help and hinder potential missionaries? How do generational differences affect our mobilization efforts? 

The 2025 Launch Survey included more than 2,400 current or aspiring missionaries from North America. The latest in a series of surveys, it was conducted in early 2025 and was the first to include Gen Z respondents.

If you’re a mission mobilizer, especially one trying to understand, engage, equip, and care for Gen Z workers, set aside some time to watch Decoding the Missionary Pipeline (75 minutes, Missio Nexus).

You will learn:

• Why traditional mobilization approaches are failing younger generations (and what works instead)
• The top factors that motivate different generations to relocate for the gospel
• The specific obstacles that derail missionary candidates—and how to help them overcome each one
• Onboarding recommendations for current missionaries to build sustainable, thriving teams

Explore related materials on a landing page from Gospel Mobilization. More will be added in days to come.

Source: Crisis Care Training International

Could you use an effective tool to help kids identify and work through their feelings and losses stemming from traumatic experiences?

These booklets and facilitator guides, first created by Dr. Phyllis Kilbourn in 2014, are relevant for survivors of diverse traumatic situations, can be used one-on-one or in groups, and can be duplicated as needed. And now they are available in 17 languages, for free.

Learn more or download materials. CCTI also offers online training events for those working with children and youth in crisis.

See also Bible coloring pages and more in many languages (Bible Parent).

The Life of Greg Livingstone (1940-2025)

You may have heard that Frontiers founder Greg Livingstone passed away on July 19. He will be missed. Here are a few articles about his life.

• Greg Livingstone, Founder of Frontiers, Dies at 85 (Frontiers USA)
• In Memory of Greg Livingstone (Frontiers UK)
• So Long, Greg Livingstone (Shane Bennett, Muslim Connect)
• God’s Sheepdog: My Tribute to Greg Livingstone (John Piper)

Crossing Cultures: Engaging Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists

Have you found engaging with people of other religions awkward or uncomfortable? The following stories may help you as you wrestle, or perhaps give you something new to wrestle with.

• Read Visit to a local mosque for a first-person account of reaching out to Muslim neighbors (Encountering Muslims). 
• Listen to Indian Challenges in Following Christ, an interview with a Hindu follower of Christ, Satya Chakrapani (The Missions Drop).
• Read Jesus in the Buddha Belt, a new book about a former Buddhist monk, a comfortable Christian, and two urban immigrants following Jesus in war-torn Myanmar (William Carey Publishing).

On the Podcasts: The Future of Missions

Do you listen to missions podcasts? Many take a break in the summer, but consider catching up on those of interest to you.

• Watch an interview with Operation World’s Jason Madryk on global trends, strategic intercession, and the future of the church (Lausanne Movement Podcast).
• Listen to a discussion of the changing landscape of missions and the emerging generation’s role in the church (Urbana Podcast).
• Hear from a technologist on reaching and mobilizing Gen Z through VR and gaming (Gospel Mobilization Podcast). 

Source: Missions Catalyst Calendar

August through October, Missionary Care Cohort (online). Help your “sent ones” stay connected. Provided for local churches by The Upstream Collective.

August 2, Frontier Missiology Forum (online). Provided by the International Society for Frontier Missiology, a ministry of Frontier Ventures. Watch recordings of previous forums.

August 2-7, Interlude Debriefing Retreat (Barrington, IL, USA). A week-long retreat for adult global workers to process their experiences in a contemplative setting with peers and trained debriefers. Offered by Barnabas International.

August 3-29, Equipping for Cross-Cultural Life and Ministry (Union Mills, NC, USA). Provided regularly by the Center for Intercultural Training. Followed by a language-learning acquisition course.

August 4 to December 7, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (online). New online classes begin regularly, including a second August class August 11 to December 14 and a Spanish-medium course August 20 to November 19. Check the website for many in-person classes also starting in August in cities across the U.S.

August 6, Network of Christian Ag Professionals Conference (Indianapolis, IN, USA). Followed by a Farming God’s Way course August 7-9.

August 17-23, Recalibrate! (Aurora, IN, USA). Debriefing and renewal retreat for missionaries sponsored by Paracletos.

August 19-21, Integral Disciple Making Movement (IDMM) training (Vancouver, WA, USA). Learn how to reach out to felt needs in the community through discovery groups. Provided by Medical Ambassadors International.

August 21, Ignite Online Training: Ignite Movements (online). Webinar from AllNations.

August 27-28, Support Raising Bootcamp (Denver, CO, USA). Provided by Via in various locations throughout the year.

August 28, Turn Email into Missional Impact: Strategies to Grow Support & Engagement (online). Webinar for communications and marketing professionals, provided by Missio Nexus.

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

1. Devotional: 31 Days of Daring Faith
2. Play & Pray: Unreached People Playing Cards
3. Course: Self-Debriefing for Cross-Cultural Workers
4. Links & Lists: 15 Verses, 24 Pictures and 10 Ways to Be a Great Commission Christian
5. Events: Training, Conferences, Retreats, and More in July

Read or share the email edition, or just scroll down.

Source: Within Reach Global

The Mind of a Missionary 31-Day Devotional: 31 Days of Daring Faith, by David Joannes. Within Reach Global, 2024. 150 pages.

David Joannes, mission leader and author of the book The Mind of a Missionary, has produced a companion devotional that chronicles and reflects on the experiences of Christian pioneers like Amy Carmichael, Hudson Taylor, Jim Elliot, and other history-shaping kingdom workers.

Step into the lives of lionhearted missionaries who risked everything to advance the gospel.

• Walk the jungle paths of New Guinea with Don Richardson as he carries the gospel to headhunters.
• Follow Jackie Pullinger through the crime-ridden alleys of Hong Kong’s infamous Walled City.
• Witness a pregnant Maria Taylor jump from a second-story building as bandits set fire to her home in China.
• Watch in shock as David Eubank runs toward ISIS gunfire to rescue a five-year-old girl in Iraq.
• Join Henry Martyn in Iran while he translates the Persian Bible for millions of Muslims.

Could you fold these inspiring stories and more than two dozen others into your own teaching and mobilization efforts? It’s not footnoted, but resources for further reader are listed at the end. This book might also make a good gift.

Learn more or purchase Kindle or paperback editions from Amazon or elsewhere, or read the entries online. The author has two more books coming out this year, also 31-day devotionals inspired by the lives of great missionaries: C.T. Studd and Amy Carmichael.

If you dig mission history, you may appreciate a podcast Chris Howles mentioned in his May edition of Mission Hits (check that out, too!) It’s called Martyrs & Missionaries. The latest episode is a two-part telling of the story of William Carey.

Speaking of companion volumes, if you loved Liturgies and Laments for the Sojourner or follow Liturgies for a Life Abroad on social, you’ll want to check out Crafting Liturgies for Life Abroad: A Guide to Processing Cross-Cultural Life Through Written Prayer, by Heather Fallis. Looks very helpful. It comes out on July 1, but you can pre-order it now.

Source: Chasm Gaming

Could you bring a missional twist to your next game night with a new set of playing cards featuring the unreached? Maybe help your family get to know UPGs in a fun way? Or what about dealing them out to your next mission class for prayer or using them as a supporter gift?

The deck features 48 unreached people groups, including the group name, home country, population size, major religion, percentage of Jesus followers, and status of Bible translation as well as additional material to provide definitions and context. 

Learn more or pre-order card decks. They will be shipped in August.

You might also want to read a recent, thoughtful article on Why Some People Groups Should Be Prioritized Over Others (Joshua Project). 

Source: Global Trellis

This time of year, our Missions Catalyst calendar is full of retreats and debriefing opportunities for missionaries—see below. They can super helpful, but may also be expensive and are not always convenient. Do you (or someone you know) need one but can’t make it work? 

Global Trellis has developed a seven-day self-debriefing course cross-cultural workers can use anywhere anytime. Designed to be completed during two hours a day for seven days, it can also be used as a weekend intensive.

Either way, the idea is to help missionaries feel lighter and less overwhelmed as they process the good and the bad and make a record of what they’ve experienced over the last 12 months.

Learn more or sign up.

Know someone coming back for good? Melissa Chaplin’s book Returning Well is a helpful resource.

Don’t forget that short-termers need debriefing, too. You could start with this list of debriefing questions (SEND International).

Sources: Various

15 Bible Verses to Help You Rest

Focusing on verses about rest can offer you relief, whether from physical exhaustion, emotional strain, or spiritual turmoil (The Navigators).

Meditate on these life-giving words.

24 Pictures of The World’s Largest City

Go ahead, make a virtual trip to Chongqing in southwestern China—the world’s largest city by some measures (The Guardian).

See these striking pictures.

10 Ways to Be a Great Commission Christian

Consider these concrete ways you and your church can think globally and grow in your passion for the nations (Chuck Lawless).

Peruse this practical list.

Up for a challenge? Consider what Lawless has to say in 7 Reasons We Older People in Church Need to Be Willing to Change.

Source: Missions Catalyst Calendar

July 9-12, International Conference on Computing and Missions (Hannibal, MO, USA). An annual event. Looks like ICCM Latin America will be online July 13. ICCM West Africa is planned for August in Nigeria.

July 9-15, TCK Young Adult Re-entry Retreat (Union Mills, NC, USA). Provided by the Center for Intercultural Training and Interaction International.

July 11-13, Rethinking Forum (Dallas, TX, USA and online). Hosted by the MARG Network for people who share both a love for Jesus and a love for Hindu people.

July 14-16, Crisis Management Seminar (Auburn, AL, USA). Followed by a one-day Security Orientation Workshop. Provided by Crisis Consulting International.

July 14-18, Abide Debriefing Retreat (Joplin, MO, USA). Help for moving forward with hope and momentum. Provided regularly by TRAIN International.

July 17, Decoding the Missionary Pipeline (online). Explore data-driven strategies for mobilizing and onboarding new missionaries. Webinar from Missio Nexus.

July 18-23, New Wilmington Mission Conference (New Wilmington, PA, USA). Annual, week-long multi-generational mission conference; now in its 120th year!

July 20-25, Debrief Retreat (Union Mills, NC, USA). Provided by the Center for Intercultural Training.

July 20-27, Wake (Boundary Waters Canoe Area, MN, USA). A deepening adventure for men working in missions. Offered by Barnabas International.

July 21 to August 16, COMPASS (Palmer Lake, CO, USA). Language and culture acquisition provided by Missionary Training International (MTI).

July 22-23, Support Raising Bootcamp (Orlando, FL, USA). Provided by Via in various locations throughout the year.

July 26 to August 2, Classic ReBoot (Calgary, AB, Canada). Eight-day re-entry retreat for MKs/TCKs (aged 17-20) re-entering Canadian society. There’s also a wilderness edition for older MKs.

July 28 to August 1, Rekonnect Kids Camp and Teen Camp (Derbyshire, England, UK). Five-day camp for TCKs who have recently returned to the UK. Two sessions, one for kids 6-12, the other for teens aged 13-18).

July 28 to August 1, Engage Spiritual Retreat (Union Mills, NC, USA). Sponsored by Mesa Global and the Center for Intercultural Engagement.

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