Category: News Briefs

Source: Lausanne Movement, April 16, 2024

The Lausanne Movement, renowned worldwide for its historic congresses and leadership in global mission over the past five decades, will soon introduce its State of the Great Commission report [analyzing] the most crucial gaps and opportunities in fulfilling the Great Commission.

The report was enriched by the insights of more than 150 global mission experts from various corners of the world, with 40% representing the global South, 35% from the global North, and 25% from the global East. Additionally, the investigation tapped into hundreds of sources of information, as well as publishing original research. First published in English, it will soon be accessible in six additional languages: Spanish, Portuguese, French, Korean, Chinese, and Russian.

Report Highlights:

1. The Great Commission in a Digital Age

In today’s digital era, evangelism faces new challenges, as online platforms shape identities and communities, making outreach more complex than mere content provision. To succeed, great commission efforts need to intentionally cross digital borders.

2. The Question of Humanness

This is an unprecedented age of technological development, and what it means to be human is being questioned amidst rapidly changing dynamics of everyday life. These broader culture movements present new alternative paths for hope, salvation, and redemption, effectively altering the plausibility of the gospel.

3. The New Middle Class

Around 2020, the middle-class became the majority of the global population and by 2050, it will increase by 2 billion individuals. This demographic shift will significantly alter global dynamics, requiring necessary adjustments in the efforts of the Great Commission.

4. The Global Aging Population

People aged 60 years and older represent the fastest-growing global population, projected to increase from 1 billion to 2.1 billion by 2050. Global ageing has not been a primary focus for Christian missions in previous decades, a failure that has a significant impact on the extraordinary opportunity to reach and disciple the rapidly growing 60+ cohort.

The report will be released globally on April 23, 2024. You can access the report by visiting Lausanne.org/report.

Readers might also be interested in Cru’s Mission Shift podcast, which explores the changing face of global missions (now in its second season).

Source: Frontiers USA, April 15, 2024

I gently laid my daughter in her crib before tiptoeing out of the nursery and into the living room, where I sank onto the sofa beside my husband. We usually went to bed shortly after our daughter, but we had an appointment at a nanny agency in the morning. We needed the time together to pray.

My husband and I had agreed that we needed help so we could continue the ministry and language learning we’d already begun in our new country. But we both worried about finding someone we could trust to care for our daughter.

As we prayed for a solution, I stared at the rug. I was afraid I’d fall asleep if I closed my eyes. “Lord, would you guide us to the right person?”

The next day, my husband and I visited the nanny agency. We were taken into a small room full of women, all lined up to meet us. It was a normal process in this part of the world, but I’d never felt quite so awkward.

I fumbled through introductions, my discomfort rising as I quickly made my way through the line. Eventually, I reached a woman named Jannah.

She smiled. “It means heaven.”

“Really?” My uneasiness melted away, and I began to sense the Lord at work. “My daughter’s name is Celeste. It also means heaven.” When I was pregnant, we were guided to this name, and we hoped it would serve as a lifelong reminder to keep her focus on Christ and her eternal home.

I wondered if the meaning had similar significance for Jannah. “Tell me about yourself.”

At first, she described her experience caring for children. Then, with a gentle smile, she identified herself as a believer. “I’ve been praying for the chance to work for a Christian family.”

I could hardly believe it! Yet, I shouldn’t have been surprised. God always proved himself faithful in the big things and the little.

We were Jannah’s answer to prayer, and she was ours.

Read the whole story.

Did you know? Opportunities to bless missionary families by helping care for or educate their children are abundant. Want to make a difference? Ask if your church’s missionaries or others you know could use a hand, or contact an international school, mission agency, or MissionNext.

In this edition:

1. China: Hainan, Pearl of the South China Sea
2. Haiti: Sincere Intercession Needed
3. Germany: Jazzed-up Psalms Reaching Berlin’s Heart
4. Eritrea: Giving Voice to a Forgotten Nation
5. Guatemala: Public Schools Fight Gang Culture With Bible Study

Read or share the email edition.

Source: Asia Harvest, March 16, 2024

Hainan is a small tropical island province situated off China’s southern coast. Once nicknamed “The Gateway to Hell,” Hainan had few Christians until the 1990s, when God sent a powerful revival which touched every part of society there. Today, Hainan is home to more than 600,000 vibrant Christians.

Uniquely, the instrument the Lord used to impact the island was not a Chinese church leader, but a humble American Baptist missionary family, who implemented God-given strategies that resulted in a revival so powerful that house church leaders from other parts of China traveled to the island to learn from it.

The growth of the Church in Hainan did not come without intense struggle, with many believers suffering for their faith.

The fire of the Holy Spirit fell here with great power, and subsequently [we have heard] numerous firsthand accounts of “power encounters” against the forces of darkness which transformed entire communities.

Read more about God’s work in Hainan and consider picking up a copy of Paul Hattaway’s new book on the topic, the eighth volume of the China Chronicles, a province-by-province account of what the author calls the greatest revival in history. I (Marti) just got my copy.

See also Christianity in Post-Pandemic China: Navigating the Shifting Landscape (ChinaSource).

In news from another country that’s often a religious battle ground, read Indian State Moves to Criminalize Praying for the Sick (Christianity Today).

Source: INcontext, March 6, 2024

On Sunday, March 3, the Haitian government declared a 72-hour state of emergency and night curfew after gangs stormed the country’s two biggest jails and freed more than 3,800 inmates. Before the prison break, gangs already controlled around 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince. The previous week saw gangs burning down police stations, attacking the main airport, and threatening to seize the national palace.

Observers see little reason for optimism over Haiti’s immediate future. No elections have been held in Haiti in the past seven years, and almost three years ago, the unelected president, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated. In addition, it’s been more than a year since the last elected officials left office.

While the most recent crisis can be traced back to the president’s assassination in 2021, the roots of Haiti’s chaos go far deeper. These include its slavery and colonial past, the spiritual impact of the practice of voodoo, and the generational economic impact of the vast “reparations” Haiti was forced to pay to France after independence in 1804, which equates to approximately $20 billion in current monetary terms. Years of occupation under the control of American marines was followed by the 29-year dictatorial father-son rule of François and Jean-Claude Duvalier. The Caribbean nation has also endured frequent natural disasters, including hurricanes and the horrific earthquakes of 2010 and 2021.

Read the whole story. It includes a three-minute prayer video. As you may know, Haiti has been a big mission field for American evangelicals. As of 2020, the Center for the Study of Global Christianity estimated 1,700 career missionaries were serving in Haiti.

Source: Eternity News, March 13, 2024

When we arrived in Berlin nine years ago, we knew that being musicians would unlock the doors of this city to us, as a city that is a hub for artists and musicians from across the world. We have met many people through jam sessions, meeting at performances, and busking on the streets. It made sense, through the support of European Christian Mission, to do a jazz recording, bringing God’s Word though original jazz music.

The Berlin Psalm Project was born out of the desire to write creative music for an established church in the north of Berlin. As often happens, the project grew bigger and bigger. We gathered together a group of local musicians to play the music, going from a group of five to a group of seven, including a three-piece horn section.

Despite the very clear Christian lyrics straight from the Psalms, [local musicians] were very keen to be a part of the project. In Germany, despite the pervasive secular atheism that is normalized here, there is a strong biblical and church music heritage, so we believe it’s a ripe time and place to be performing the Psalms.

Read the whole story.

Praise God for new life coming from many directions. Also from Europe, read Harnessing the Power of Europe’s Migrant Churches, in which a seminary professor from Sierra Leone shares how African migrants are changing the church in Belgium and beyond (Christianity Today).

Source: International Christian Concern, March 6, 2024

After seeing the rise of oppressive governments, ICC’s Africa Regional Team created a comprehensive report on a repressive regime that mainstream media often forgets.

Eritrea is north of Ethiopia and Somalia on the Horn of Africa. Eritrea is often not covered in the news due to its lack of natural resources or strategic location. Despite the lack of interest from many international politicians, Eritrea holds value because of its rich history of Christianity. Tracing back to Semitic tribes living in Eritrea in 1000 BCE, Eritrea was home to some of the world’s first Christians. Through years of conflict and devastation, Eritrea has found itself governed by a dictator who commits egregious crimes against the people of his nation. Under his rule, thousands of people have died during a 30-year war, been imprisoned because of their religious beliefs, and fled the country to escape the oppressive regime.

Conditions in the “North Korea of Africa” have deteriorated with no acceptance of blame from [Ethiopian President Isaias] Afwerki. The report provides a concise yet robust historical and current overview of Christian persecution, two case studies of Christians in Eritrea, and policy recommendations. Through this report, ICC intends to raise awareness of the plight of Christians in Eritrea and recommend ways government leaders can alleviate their suffering.

Read the whole story.

In another religious liberty news story from East Africa, Christian Solidarity International reports that they helped free 1,500 Christian Sudanese slaves in the last year (Christian Broadcasting Network).

Source: Religion News Service, March 4, 2024

Terra Nueva is a tough area. Potholed roads make journeys difficult. Shops on the main thoroughfares are rundown. Many families have endured poverty and disruption since the time of the nation’s civil war, which lasted nearly four decades and led many rural families to move to the metropolitan area’s relative safety. But the cities have a high level of crime, much of it linked to gangs.

Many children in the Guatemala City metropolitan area leave school at 14. In rural areas it can be as young as eight. For those who do attend, there’s often a shortage of teaching materials, including textbooks and modern reading devices. In Mixco, 650 pupils share just 12 computers.

In response to these challenges, Mixco school administrators have introduced a program created by the Bible Society in the United Kingdom called Open the Book that dramatizes Bible stories, with students singing and dancing along as a way of learning both reading and the Bible.

Read or listen to the whole story. to see how the community is changing.

You might also be interested in another RNS story about iBible, a new animated Bible series aims to reach post-reading generation. Looks like it will launch on Easter.

1. World: Churches Accelerate Progress Toward the Bible in Every Language
2. Middle East: Regional Leaders Worry as Ramadan Approaches
3. Tanzania: 11 YWAM Missionaries Killed in a Road Accident
4. Algeria: Ministry Leader Charged for Holding an Unauthorized Assembly
5. Tajikistan: Demand for Exorcisms on the Rise, Despite Crackdown

Read or share the email edition.

Source: Mission Network News, February 16, 2024

Approximately 1,300 languages still lack God’s Word, but that number is shrinking at a faster rate with every passing year. In 1999, new translation projects were begun every two weeks on average. Now, the pace has accelerated to every 17 hours, according to Wycliffe USA.

John Chesnut, President and CEO of Wycliffe USA, recently visited a church translating Scripture in Madagascar. “They drafted four full Bibles in four years. And then they said, ‘Hey, we want to get the quality better. Can you come help us?’”

“They will dedicate four completed New Testament translations this summer. The translations are part of a goal Wycliffe USA set 25 years ago and hopes to complete next year. They called it Vision 2025 and started praying for Bible translation to begin in every remaining language.

“It was really a God-sized prayer saying, ‘Lord, what would we need to do in order to see all these languages started by 2025?’” says Chesnut.

Praise God that churches like those in Madagascar are stepping up to the challenge. Wycliffe USA reports more and more churches are engaging in Bible translation for their local languages.

Read the full story.

See also From Flicker to Flame, a short documentary from Ethnos360 about the dedication of the Simbari Bible (Papua New Guinea) and read an OMF report about the dedication of the new Tampuan Bible Dedication (Cambodia).

See also Wycliffe Bible Translators to Sell Florida Headquarters (Ministry Watch).