Category: Resource Reviews

Source: Missions Events Calendar

October 1-3, Open B4T Expo (Minneapolis, MN, USA). Transforming Nations through Business.

October 1-3, Oasis Conference West (Brentwood, CA, USA). Crescent Project annual conference held on the west coast.

October 2-3, Mission Next Forum (Tulsa, OK, USA). Find your fit in missions.

October 5 to February 15, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement Course (online). Provided by the Perspectives Study Program.

October 6, Mobile Ministry Training Course (online). Start of six-week class, repeated several times a year. Learn how to use mobile technology for evangelism.

October 7, Evaluating and Recalibrating Your Ministry (online). Start of web workshop from Missio Nexus; four Wednesdays in October.

October 8, Missions Funding and Global Missions (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

October 9-10, Missions Fest Seattle (Edmonds, WA, USA).

October 10, Bridges Seminar (Huntington, WV, USA). Building bridges to reach Muslims. Provided by Crescent Project.

October 11-16, ABIDE (Joplin, MO, USA). Re-entry and debriefing for singles, couples, and families provided by TRAIN International.

October 14, Missionary Care: Making It Practical (online). Free webinar for sending churches, part 1 of 3 from Sixteen:Fifteen.

October 15, Hospitality and the Great Commission (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

October 16-18, THARS Security Seminar (Mi-Wuk Village, CA, USA). Provided by Morton Security Solutions.

October 19-20, Support-raising Bootcamp (Rogers, AR, USA). Provided by Support Raising Solutions.

October 19-22, Thrive Retreat (Rimini, Italy). Refreshment and renewal for North American women serving cross-culturally.

October 19-23, Kairos Course (Louisville, KY). Intensive one-week version.

October 21, Missionary Care: Creating a Missionary Nurture Team (online). Free webinar for sending churches, part 2 of 3 from Sixteen:Fifteen.

October 24, Bridges Seminar (Des Moines, IA, USA). Building bridges to reach Muslims. Provided by Crescent Project.

October 27, Evaluating and Managing Risk on Your Short-term Mission (webinar). Provided by DELTA Ministries.

October 28: Missionary Care: Creating a Missionary Crisis Management Team (online). Free webinar for sending churches, part 3 of 3 from Sixteen:Fifteen.

October 29, When Helping Hurts: Cross-Cultural Leader Development (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

October 29 to November 1, International Conference on Missions (Richmond, VA, USA). Conference of the Christian Church/Churches of Christ.

October 31, Heart for Muslims Conference (New York, NY, USA).

» View the complete calendar and/or submit an item. It’s time to start putting together our 2016 calendar. We’d appreciate your help!

In This Issue: Great Words about the Great Commission

1. GRAPHIC: Great Quotes on the Great Commission
2. BOOK: Engaging the Church in Missionary Care
3. PODCAST: Engaging Missions
4. BOOKS: Three New Titles
5. VIDEOS: Pray with Ecuador, Brazil, Ghana, and Iraq
6. EVENTS: September Classes and Conferences

Source: GMI Missiographics

While most of us can recite the famous words of the Great Commission, it’s another thing to walk faithfully in them. Take a moment to look at the Great Commission in light of these powerful words and be encouraged in your outreach.

Great Quotes on the Great Commission includes 17 quotations are all included in the book Expect Great Things: Mission Quotes that Inform and Inspire, compiled by Marvin J. Newell.

» Access full-size graphic in several formats and read some thoughts about how to use it, then browse the Missiographics library or subscribe to receive Missiographics by email.

Source: Mind the Gaps

Mind the Gaps: Engaging the Church in Missionary Care, edited by David J. Wilson, Believers Press, 2008.

Trinity Church in Redlands, California, put together a Missionary Care Team which has been developing a system of proactive care for their missionary families since 2008. In this book they share their firsthand accounts along with results of their research on missionary care. Mind the Gaps is designed to equip your church with tools to create your own system of proactive care and reduce burnout and attrition.

A few things about this book are unusual. It’s written by a committee, rather than a single author. It’s written by and for church leaders, rather than from industry professionals. It also covers a broad array of related topics: everything from recruiting a missionary care team and establishing a philosophy of ministry to predicting missionary success and evaluating mission agencies, as well as more traditional topics of missionary care such as meeting spiritual, emotional, and practical needs and walking with missionaries through transitions.

The result is a bit overwhelming, and maybe especially for churches that don’t have a mission pastor and a strong mission committee like Trinity’s. On the other hand, the book covers so much ground and provides so many practical tips that even if your church has a well-developed strategy for missionary care, there’s probably something here that you can use.

» Purchase from Amazon (or elsewhere) for US$10.95. Electronic editions not yet available but expected soon. To learn more:

1. Visit the Mind the Gaps website. It features links and downloadable resources mentioned in the book.
2. Attend the Mind the Gaps webinar that David Wilson, Trinity’s Mission Pastor, will lead for Missio Nexus on September 16.
3. Send people from your church to the Mind the Gaps conference March 3-5, 2016 in Redlands, CA, which will feature some top leaders in missionary care today. More info will be posted on the Mind the Gaps website by mid-September.

Source: Engaging Missions

Every episode of Engaging Missions includes interviews with missionaries, ministry leaders, disciple makers, and church planters as they share about God’s work in their lives and ministries.

You can listen online, get updates by email, or subscribe through iTunes or other services. Host Brian Entzminger has recorded about 60 interviews to date. Here are a few of his favorites:

Can You Believe God Did This in the United States?: Gary Stump left business to pastor a church. Then God called him to flip everything on its head and plant a new church using the T4T principles.

How to Impact Lostness: While on a mission trip to Laos, Troy Cooper was convicted about how a “successful” ministry wasn’t impacting lostness. What happened between him and God has shaped his ministry going forward.

How to Get from Hello to a Gospel Presentation: In this episode, Kevin Greeson shares a simple framework to connect with someone through conversation and naturally bridge the gap to the gospel.

How to Recognize and Share God’s Love to a Sikh: After years in the corporate world, God to James Human in a new direction. Now, he’s a bit of an expert and helps train people to share the gospel with Sikhs.

How to Pray, Love and Minister During Ramadan. Don Perry is an expert on Islam but he’s not a pundit. He’s a minister and teacher with a heart for reconciliation and God’s Kingdom. As Ramadan kicks off in 2015, he shares his perspective on Christians and Ramadan.

» Learn more or browse contents.

Source: Marti Wade

As I head into the final stretch on a grad school degree I’m having trouble keeping up with all the books I’d like to read for my own sake as well as to share with you! So I haven’t picked up these inspirational volumes yet. If you have, can you let the rest of us know what you think of them?

Called for Life: How Loving Our Neighbor Led Us into the Heart of the Ebola Epidemic, by Kent and Amber Brantly, with David Thomas. Waterbrook Press, 2015. 240 pages. Get the inside story on the couple’s commitment to serve and their battle with Ebola.

Martyrs of Malatya: Martyred for the Messiah in Turkey, by James Wright. Evangelical Press, 2015. 216 pages. The story of three men who gave their lives for Christ on April 18, 2007. We’ve reviewed several of Wright’s previous books here before.

Boundless: What Global Expressions of Faith Teach Us about Following Jesus, by Bryan Bishop. Baker Books, 2015, 240 pages. Bishop, a writer and researcher with Youth with a Mission, provides firsthand accounts of fresh expressions of faith in Jesus outside the boundaries of traditional Western Christianity.

» Share your thoughts about these books or other new releases you’d like to recommend on our website.

Source: OneWay Ministries

We love the Prayercast videos! Check out new videos designed to help you learn about and pray alongside the people of Ecuador, Brazil, Ghana and Iraq for their countries. Each piece is insightful, engaging, and God-focused. How could you use them with your family, students, church, or small group?

» See the whole collection.

Source: Missions Events Calendar

September 3-5, Missions Fest Kinshasa (Kinshasa, DRC).

September 4-5, Missions Fest Pretoria (Pretoria, South Africa).

September 7-11, ETHNE Global Gathering (South Asia). ETHNE is a global movement focused on seeing each people group reached with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

September 7-20, ORIENT (Joplin, MO, USA). Pre-departure training for cross-cultural workers provided by TRAIN International.

September 11-12, Without Borders (Houston, TX, USA). A conference for Christian women to learn how to reach Muslim women. Provided by Crescent Project.

September 14-15, Support-raising Bootcamp (Richmond, CA, USA). Provided by Support Raising Solutions.

September 14 to December 13, Encountering the World of Islam (online). Twelve-week class will help you discover God’s heart for Muslims.

September 15-21, Traction Conference for Men (Wilderswil, Switzerland). Provided by Catalyst International.

September 16, Mind the Gaps: Engaging the Church in Missionary Care (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

September 17, Mission in Honor-Shame Cultures (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

September 17-19, Field Security Seminar (Lake George, CO, USA). Skills for field staff working in dangerous environments around the world.

September 17-19, GO Equipped TENTmaking Course (Chennai, India). Provided by Global Opportunities, hosted by Tent.

September 18-20, The Journey Deepens (Jacksonville Beach, FL, USA). A weekend retreat for prospective missionaries.

September 18-20, Controversies in Christian Mission (Dallas, TX, USA). Annual meeting of the Evangelical Missiological Society.

September 24-26, “Upward” Mission Leaders Conference (Orlando, FL, USA). Provided by Missio Nexus.

September 26, Heart for Asia Conference (San Mateo, CA, USA). Join OMF’s 150th anniversary celebration.

September 29, Do Your Short-term Mission Trips Measure Up? (webinar). Provided by DELTA Ministries.

September 29-30, Fund Raising for Ministry Organizations (Longview, TX, USA). Provided by Missionary TECH Team.

September 29 to October 3, GO Equipped TENTmaking Course (Detroit, MI, USA). Provided by Global Opportunities and Send International.

September 30 to November 25, Mobilizer Equipping School (Chiang Mai, Thailand). Provided by Student Volunteer Movement 2.

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

In This Issue: Where else will we run?

1. VIDEO: God Wrote a Book
2. MAP: Top 40 Least-Reached Places
3. BOOK: Ministry in Guilt, Shame, and Fear Cultures
4. ARTICLES: The Middle East in Crisis
5. EVENTS: Upcoming Classes and Conferences

Source: Desiring God

Overwhelmed by world events and the barrage of news stories, conflicting perspectives, and calls to action? “Keeping up” is part of our job at Missions Catalyst, but sometimes it all becomes too much. How glad I am that amid all the books written, resources produced, and opinions expressed, I can restore my focus through the Book that God wrote.

I’d encourage you to watch this five-minute video about knowing God through his Word. (“God wrote a book. Where else will we run?”)

» Watch the video (or click on image above).

» For more short, inspirational videos to use in presentations or share with others, check out Moving Works.