Category: Resource Reviews

Source: Peregrini Press

Forged on the Field: Letters from Global Mission Leaders, edited by T.J. MacLeslie. Peregrini Press, 2015. 253 pages.

Imagine yourself at a mission leadership conference. You are surrounded by hundreds of mission leaders from diverse contexts all over the world. There is no way you would have the time to spend even a few minutes with each person at the conference. In this book, in a sense, you can.

Forged on the Field presents more than 70 letters from global mission team leaders writing to inspire, encourage, and train new team leaders. Contributors share lessons learned (mostly the hard way), answer the “what do you wish you’d known?” question, and more. A majority (but not all) of the letters were submitted by leaders of church planting teams with MacLeslie’s organization (mine, too), which is Pioneers. Most, though, seem aware they are writing to a broader audience.

Books on leadership abound, but few speak directly to the concerns of those who lead mission teams in cross-cultural contexts or give such leaders a voice. So this is a unique book, and I found it to be a treasure. It’s also intended to be the first in a series of similarly structured “field notes,” one volume a year, with advice for prospective missionaries, perspectives on preparation, and suggestions for workers re-entering their own cultures. I’m looking forward to volume 2.

» Learn more or buy the book from Amazon or elsewhere. The paperback is US$16.99 and the Kindle edition US$9.99.

Source: Evangelical Missions Quarterly

“For years, I have been dreaming that we would be able to make portions of EMQ available for free, especially for those who are unable to pay for the subscription cost,” explains Laurie Nichols, managing editor of that helpful magazine. “I am so excited to announce that we are now offering EMQ Audio, 35-minute podcasts which include interviews with EMQ authors expanding on the articles they wrote in EMQ.”

Episode 2 includes both an interview with John Jay Travis (originator of the much debated “C-Spectrum”) on “C1-C6 Spectrum after 15 Years” and one with Warrick Farah and Kyle Meeker on “W-Spectrum: Worker Paradigms in Muslim Contexts.” These two related articles were published in the October 2015 issue of EMQ. You will find this conversation helpful if you work with Muslims or support those who do.

» Listen to the free podcast or access it through iTunes by searching for “EMQonline.”

» I’d also encourage you to consider a subscription to Evangelical Missions Quarterly. A print subscription is US$36.95/year, but for US$24.95/year you can read it online and have access to 50 years of fully searchable archives.

Source: Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion, Institute for Study of Religion, Baylor University

Since the 1960s, there has been a substantial increase in the number of known conversions from Islam to Christianity. Most of these conversions have been to forms of evangelical or Pentecostal Christianity, but there have also been conversions to Catholic and Orthodox Christianity. Still other converts claim to remain in some way both Muslims and followers of Jesus.

“Global Consensus of Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background,” a 19-page article by Patrick Johnstone and Duane A. Miller, explains how they obtained estimates of the number of converts, the complexities involved in this task, and an annotated list of countries by continent with the estimated number of believers in Christ from a Muslim background. The article includes charts with maximal, minimal, and medium estimates of this population from 1960 to the present.

» Read the article. You’ll have to create an account, but the journal is free.

» We rejoice at what God has done and is doing among Muslims. But as the Lausanne Movement asks, Why has Christianity not been successful among Buddhist peoples? Thoughts?

Sources: Fort Sherman Academy, Crisis Consulting International

In today’s unpredictable world, many ministries, mission agencies, and other organizations are considering how well prepared they are to respond to crises. Several groups with experience in this area now offer web-based training that may interest local churches, short-term missionaries, and others who have not had easy access to training in the past.

Fort Sherman Academy has put together Safe Travel Solutions, a 15-session, video-based security training course previously available on DVD. Now it’s a subscription-based online course. Pricing starts at US$99/year for groups up to ten people.

Crisis Consulting International is just starting to move in this direction. Their first course, Security Orientation Level 1, covers travel security and personal safety and might be just what you need for training a short-term team. It costs US$35/person and will take each participant 60-90 minutes to complete.

You can still send your people to one of the security training events both organizations offer regularly. CCI will be providing a Crisis Management Seminar in Pennsylvania November 12-14.

Source: Missions Events Calendar

November 1-7, Recalibrate! (Aurora, IN, USA). Week-long group and personal missionary debriefing, programs for children of all ages.

November 2 to March 13, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement Course (online). Provided by the Perspectives Study Program.

November 5, Preparing for Educational Transitions (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

November 5-7, Global Missions Health Conference (Louisville, KY, USA). An annual event.

November 5-7, Oasis Conference East (Herndon, VA, USA). Crescent Project annual conference held on the east coast.

November 7, Global Marketplace Impact event at Cairn University (Philadelphia, PA, USA). Impacting the world through business.

November 12, U.S. Missionaries in the Majority World: Come Here or Go Home? (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

November 12-14, Crisis Management Seminar (Harrisburg, PA, USA). Provided by Crisis Consulting International.

November 12-15, GO Equipped TENTmaking Course (Gothenburg, Sweden). Provided by Global Opportunities.

November 14, Sending New Missionaries (Wayne, PA, USA). One-day workshop provided by Catalyst Services.

November 17, Who Is Your Mission Trip Really For? (webinar). Provided by DELTA Ministries.

November 19, Impacting Culture with the Gospel: Transform World 2020 (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

November 19-20, Support Raising Bootcamp (Atlanta, GA, USA). Provided by Support Raising Solutions.

December 1, Sending New Missionaries (Greenville, SC, USA). One-day workshop provided by Catalyst Services.

December 2-3, Support Raising Bootcamp (Lombard, IL, USA). Provided by Support Raising Solutions.

December 2-4, Finishing the Task Conference 2015 (Lake Forest, CA, USA).

December 10, Mid-Career Assessments (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

December 27 to January 1, Urbana Student Missions Conference (St. Louis, MO, USA).

December 28 to January 2, Mission-Net (Germany). Gathering of younger Christians passionate about serving God.

» View the complete calendar and/or submit an item.

Missions Catalyst Resource Reviews 9.30.15

1. WEBSITES: Ten Sites for Those with TCKs
2. SERVICE: Online Mission Trip Planning Tool
3. WEBINAR SERIES: Missionary Care for Churches
4. ARTICLE: “I Wish My Church Understood”
5. EVENTS: October Classes and Conferences

Dear Readers,

Ready for some armchair travel or training? We’re excited to tell you about great websites for families with third-culture kids as well as a new web-based service for managing short-term teams called “My Mission Journey.”

A good number of webinars and web-based workshops are planned for October. These include a four-session series for mission leaders and several webinars from Missio Nexus. DELTA Ministries has a webinar on managing risk for short-term teams. Sixteen:Fifteen is offering a free, three-part series for sending churches dealing with missionary care (more info on this below).

Several longer courses are about to launch as well, including another six-week course from the Mobile Ministry Forum on using mobile technology for ministry, and an online “Perspectives” class. To learn more, see the events list below (which also includes events where people actually meet face to face!)

I’ve recently learned of several ministries that work with mission groups to provide high-quality online training courses for cross-cultural workers. Check out Crosswired and Grow2serve. I’m also keeping an eye on several newer projects, Culture Voyager and Missions Academy.

Few (if any) of these sites and services could have existed when Missions Catalyst began tracking mission resources twenty years ago. Isn’t it great to see today’s technologies harnessed for the kingdom? May God be glorified!

Blessings,
Marti Wade

Source: Tim Smith, Pioneers USA

Are you a parent serving cross-culturally? Maybe your church or ministry supports or partners with families serving internationally. One of my colleagues at Pioneers who works with families put together this list of his favorite websites and blogs by, for, or about missionary kids (MKs) and other “third-culture” kids (TCKs). These sites will lead you to many other resources, too.

• Michele Phoenix: This popular blog by TCK author and speaker Michele Phoenix includes lots of articles for understanding TCKs.
• TCKid: Site serves as a home for third-culture kids of all ages.
• The Mama Bear Effect: Site focuses on building stronger families and protecting children from sexual abuse.
• Slurping Soup: True stories and activities to help TCKs through transition.
• Cross Cultural Kids Blog: Ruth Van Reken’s website for cross-cultural kids, about whom Ruth Van Reken and David Pollock “wrote the book.”
• Taylor Joy Murray: Insightful blog of a 17-year old TCK from Japan.
• Empowered to Connect: Site from Dr. Karyn Purvis on adoption and attachment is not directly about TCKs but excellent for any parent wanting to connect with their child.
• Among Worlds: Learn what TCKs may become through this publication for adult TCKs. A related blog is no longer being updated but includes interesting articles and links.
• Denizen: Check out this (secular) online magazine by and for TCKs.
• A Life Overseas: This popular multi-voice mission blog isn’t just for mission families, but it covers issues that concern them.

» Comment on the Missions Catalyst website or Facebook page to let us know what resources you find helpful.

Source: STM Toolbox

Looking for tools to help you with mission trip planning? My Mission Journey is an online mission trip planning tool for the team members and leaders. Designed to be simple and focused, this planning tool has the following features:

• Online fundraising capacity
• Team member blogs
• Access to team documents and training materials
• Downloadable helps for leaders

Pricing starts at US$25 per person, and you can “test drive” it before you sign up by accessing demo pages.

This is a brand-new resource, launching October 1, so we can’t tell you about its track record of success. The folks at STM Toolbox have, however, spent the last five years serving churches, schools, and mission organizations as they implement short-term mission strategies and asking those partners what kind of help they need. This resource is designed with those needs in mind.

» Visit My Mission Journey or check out other resources from STM Toolbox.

» See also Software and Services: What tools can I use to track team members, budgets, donors, and details? (ShortTermMissions.com).

Source: Sixteen:Fifteen

Does your church send out missionaries? In a free, three-part webinar series through Sixteen:Fifteen, Jeff Jackson of Shepherd’s Staff describes three essential structures you can establish to effectively send and care for your church’s missionaries. You will have to register in order to participate, but there’s no cost. You can sign up for just one of the one-hour sessions, or participate in all three.

• October 14: Session 1, Making It Practical
• October 21: Session 2, Creating a Missionary Nurture Team
• October 28: Session 3, Building a Missionary Crisis Management Team

» Learn more or register for these sessions.

» You might also want to check out this year’s International Conference on Missions, October 29 to November 1 in Richmond, Virginia, which will feature a track on Equipping Local Churches for Missionary Care.

Source: Catalyst Services

How can we establish and maintain healthy dialog between global workers and their sending and supporting churches? Transparency and sensitivity on the part of both parties are essential.

The August issue of Postings features hypothetical conversations that highlight what churches sometimes say to their missionaries and what global workers may be thinking. It then suggests alternate church messages that could open doors for greater transparency and benefit.

» Read the article or download it as a 6-page PDF. We’d also encourage you to subscribe or browse the archives.