Month: February 2016
BOOK: Lessons from Ruth on Thriving in Mission
Source: GMI Books
Crossing Cultures with Ruth: Lessons on Thriving in Mission, by James Nelson. Colorado Springs, CO: GMI Books, 2014. 177 pages.
Crossing Cultures with Ruth: Study Guide for Christian Workers, by James Nelson and Marti Wade. Colorado Springs, CO: GMI Books, 2015. 79 pages.
A lot of great people in the Bible lived cross-culturally, but there’s really only one book that focuses on the beginning experiences of somebody who is entering into a new culture: Ruth. What can we learn from her experience (as well as contemporary research) to help those who launch out and say “your people shall be my people” to transition well and come to a place of effective ministry?
A recently published study guide, written to enrich Crossing Cultures with Ruth, provides readers with more detailed, practical guidance, steeped in further research and reflection, as they seek to apply these lessons to their current assignments or challenges they will face down the road. It frames the first book’s 14 chapters into six lessons that individuals and groups can use in a variety of ways: for a weekly study, to guide a mission mentoring relationship, or to use in a small group or ministry training class.
I (Marti) greatly enjoyed working on this project and am pleased with the result. Will you take a look to see if there’s a way you can put it to use?
» Learn more or purchase the two resources together for US$11.99 (ebooks) or US$19.99 (print).
RESEARCH: Church Mission Leader Survey
Source: Missio Nexus
Interested in objective data about what’s going on with other church missions pastors and leaders and how they see their task? Me too! Missio Nexus, the association of North American mission leaders, is conducting a survey. They’re asking (American) church mission leaders about changes they observe in their ministry over the last three years and what challenges and opportunities they anticipate. Data will be compared with results of a similar survey being conducted among mission agency executives. In each case, the 30 questions will require about 20 minutes to answer. If we all chip in, there will be some good data that could help everyone.
Findings from these surveys will be available by the end of the year, highlighted at the September 2016 Mission Leaders Conference in Louisville, KY, and included in the next edition of the Mission Handbook which is schedule for release late in 2017.
» Can you help with this research? Complete the Church Mission Leader Survey or the Mission Agency CEO Survey online. Thank you!
» See also OnMission, a free, four-hour online conference for church mission leaders put on by Missio Nexus April 6. It will feature 20 ten-minute talks, each dealing with an aspect of missions related to churches.
DISCUSSION: Refugee Crisis—Trojan Horse or Macedonian Call?
Source: The Mission Table
Our friends at Sixteen:Fifteen and their ministry partners are preparing to release a new series of web-based interactive conversations to help us dig deeper and explore fundamental questions about the mission of God.
New episodes of The Mission Table will be released on a monthly basis and feature a great lineup of prominent mission speakers dealing with critical issues. The next episode debuts March 8 and will be a discussion of the current refugee crisis. Are the waves of displaced people a Trojan horse? Or are they a Macedonian call for the Church?
Future episodes deal with child sponsorship, compassion ministries, business as mission, responding to radical Islam, and more.
Even if you are confident in your views on the topics explored in each episode, The Mission Table could be a good place to get fresh perspective and consider how to respond to the views of others.
» Learn more, register for the first episode, or sign up to receive updates. You can watch and participate in these conversations for free.
BOOK: An Insider’s Guide to Praying for the World
Source: Bethany House Publishers
An Insider’s Guide to Praying for the World, Brian C. Stiller. Bloomington, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2016. 288 pages.
I haven’t read it yet, but this new book from Stiller, Global Ambassador of the World Evangelical Alliance, caught my eye. Its 52 short chapters give the reader glimpses of 40 countries, with a variety of more topical pieces woven in. Each chapter includes some basic facts and history along with the author’s first-hand reports, scripture, and prayer points from local Christians. You could use it for personal devotions, or with your family or small group.
» Learn more or purchase for US$9.99 (Kindle) from Amazon or elsewhere; US$12.98 for the paperback edition. See the author’s website for additional resources and dispatches from his travels.
» See also Justin Long’s curated list of prayer guides, many of them available for download.
EVENTS: Upcoming Conferences, Training, and More
Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar
March 2, Refugees: How Should the Church Respond? (online). Free webinar from Sixteen:Fifteen, with Engage Global.
March 3, C1 to C6 Spectrum After 15 Years (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.
March 3-5, Mind the Gaps Conference (Redlands, CA, USA). Engaging churches in missionary care.
March 5, Sending New Missionaries (Johnson City, TN, USA). One-day workshop provided by Catalyst Services.
March 8, Refugee Crisis: Trojan Horse or Macedonian Call? (online). Free, web-based, interactive conversation from The Mission Table.
March 10, The W-Spectrum: Exploring Paradigms of Ministry in Islamic Contexts. Webinar from Missio Nexus.
March 11-12, Muslim ConneXion (Portland, OR, USA). Training event provided by Mission ConneXion.
March 11-12, People Raising Conference (Oak Brook, IL, USA). Be equipped for raising personal support.
March 13-19, Recalibrate! (Aurora, IN, USA). Five days of group and personal missionary debriefing. Offered again in November.
March 14-15, Support Raising Bootcamp (Rogers, AR, USA). Provided by Support Raising Solutions.
March 17, Beyond the Local Church: The Necessity of Apostolic People and Structures in the Mission of God (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.
March 18-19, Kingdom Business Conference (Charleston, SC, USA). Provided by Charleston Southern University.
March 18-20, Jesus to the Nations (Halifax, NS, Canada). Free, annual, community-based mission festival for all ages.
March 21-24, Engaging Islam (Hong Kong). Evangelism training course provided by Horizons International.
March 23, How Senior Pastors Catch Missions Vision (online). Free webinar from Sixteen:Fifteen, with Catalyst Services.
April 1-2, The Journey Deepens (Portland, OR, USA). A weekend retreat for prospective missionaries. Provided by Mission Next and Mission ConneXion.
April 3-8, ABIDE (Joplin, MO, USA). Re-entry and debriefing for singles, couples, and families provided by TRAIN International.
April 4-June 26, Encountering the World of Islam (online). Course on embracing Muslims with the love of Christ.
April 6, OnMission (online). This is a free, virtual, 4-hour conference focused on issues and subjects relevant to church mission leaders.
April 9, Care Connexion (Beaverton, OR, USA). Workshop for churches about creating teams to care for their missionaries.
April 11, Sending Church Roundtable (Louisville, KY, USA). Asking: How can sending churches do global missions well? Hosted by Sojourn Church and Upstream Collective.
April 12, Does Child Sponsorship Really Work? (online). Free, web-based, interactive conversation from The Mission Table.
April 13-15, Crisis Management Seminar (Lake George, CO, USA). Learn how to develop a competent security and crisis management program; Crisis Consulting International.
April 14, Global Day of Prayer for the 4/14 Window (global). Praying for the world’s children (especially those aged 4-14).
April 16, Bridges Seminar (Lancaster, PA, USA). Building bridges to reach Muslims. Provided by Crescent Project.
April 17-20, Field Security Seminar (Lake George, CO, USA). Skills for field staff working in dangerous environments around the world; Crisis Consulting International.
April 18-19, Support Raising Bootcamp (Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA). Provided by Support Raising Solutions.
April 20, Knowing Who to Send: Predicting Missionary Fruitfulness and Failure (online). Free Webinar from Sixteen:Fifteen, with Pioneers.
April 25 to May 8, ORIENT (Joplin, MO, USA). Learn key skills for surviving and thriving cross-culturally. Provided by TRAIN Internationals. Also offered September 5-18.
April 25-28, Thrive Retreat (Fortaleza, Brazil). For North American women serving cross-culturally.
April 27-29, Northwest Mission Leaders Conference (Raymond, WA, USA). Theme: Changing Church Culture. Sponsored by World Venture.
World News Briefs
In this issue:
- MIDDLE EAST: Jesus Appears to Muslim Family and Tells Them He Is Sending a Man to Tell Them More
- CHINA: Revival Falls on State-Controlled Churches
- VIETNAM: Spiritual Climate
- INDIA: Humiliating Attack Tests Young Pastor’s Faith
- DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: The War on Christianity
Greetings,
For the first time in almost 1000 years, the leaders of two major church traditions met and agreed… on at least some things. Read Russian Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis Meet in Cuba, Sign Declaration (The Moscow Times). To see what they agree on, read the declaration (Catholic Herald). You might also be interested in coverage of the event from World Watch Monitor.
This week’s news has some interesting “East meets West” themes, but I find a greater overarching theme: that of the unstoppable gospel. Perhaps the words of Jesus to Peter in Mark 16 are less about who is the head of the church than about who builds it: “…I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”
Be encouraged. He is building.
Pat
MIDDLE EAST: Jesus Appears to Muslim Family and Tells Them He Is Sending a Man to Tell Them More
Source: God Reports, February 2, 2016
Tyler Connell with the Ekballo Project has been touring college campuses around the U.S., sharing stories and video from his most recent trip to Middle East, where he documented a dramatic move of God among Muslims, particularly with refugees.
In the last few months, he and his team visited Harvard, MIT, Iowa State, Clemson, and the University of Georgia, among other campuses. “In every stop we saw the presence of Jesus break in to these college campuses and touch students, with bodies healed, people saved, and people giving their lives to serve in the mission field,” Connell exclaims.
College students are amazed to learn what God is doing in Iraq and the surrounding region. “Jesus is moving in these Middle East nations,” he says. “Many there are disillusioned and broken and just want to know the truth. Now more than ever there is a harvest among Muslims that has not been seen in history.”
[Ekballo’s] film [Life in the Desert] chronicles a young missionary from the Northeastern US. Two years ago he moved to the Middle East to work with Syrian refugees.
“They go house to house and visit these Muslim families and sit with them and talk with them and find out their names, their stories, and love them. As trust is built, they begin to open up about the Gospel,” [explains Connell].
One afternoon [the missionary] walked into a white tent with a family of eight people inside. [He introduced himself and announced] “I’m here to tell you about Jesus.”
He wasn’t quite prepared for their reaction…
» Read about what happened next and (though that particular story isn’t in the film!) watch Life in the Desert.
CHINA: Revival Falls on State-Controlled Churches
Source: CBN News, via Joel News International, February 15, 2016
It’s Thursday evening in Fujian Province, southeast China. Scores of men and women are dancing, waving flags, blowing shofars, singing and worshiping God. You might think these images come from a charismatic service in America or Africa. But they’re not. This is communist China. And what is remarkable about this scene is that it’s happening in an officially government-controlled congregation known as Three-Self Church.
“Dramatic changes are happening,” evangelist Duan Huila told CBN News. “God is moving in a powerful way inside these Three-Self Churches.” He and his wife have witnessed this move first-hand. Both are evangelists and have for several years crisscrossed the Chinese countryside documenting the Holy Spirit’s move among Three-Self Churches. “The most amazing thing is that the Lord is raising up God-loving people in these churches—so many brothers and sisters who love God deeply and want to serve him,” Duan said.
» Read full story and watch related video from CBN. See also a 2014 Joel News story on the paradox of the rapid spread of Christianity in China and consider subscribing to Joel News for more stories about the advance of God’s kingdom.
» Also read Leave China, Study in America, Find Jesus (Foreign Policy).
VIETNAM: Spiritual Climate
Source: OMF Blog, February 2016
Hoa came to know Christ at age 17. Like many of her peers, she grew up in a Buddhist family. When school friends invited her to church, she met Christ and gave her life to the Lord. She eventually moved to Ho Chi Minh City to work in business.
Over time, however, Hoa’s fervor for the Lord diminished. She married a non-Christian man and was ridiculed by her mother-in-law who worshiped ancestors and wanted Hoa to do the same. After a bout of severe illness in her family, Hoa learned that her mother-in-law had asked a spirit doctor to curse them. When the spirit doctor died, the family’s health returned. Through these trials, Hoa was driven to the arms of her Savior once again.
Hoa’s story is not unlike many Christians in Vietnam. In fact, in a population of 93 million, less than two percent are evangelical Christians.While Buddhism and Confucianism are widely accepted, ancestor worship is the dominant religious practice, inciting a fear of spirits in many people. Introducing the good news of Jesus Christ to Vietnam’s people will require reaching entire families and communities, not just individuals, with God’s love.
Praise God that a small Christian population is steadily growing in Vietnam. A small number of Kinh believers (the majority group) follow Christ in the North and South, totaling around 447,000 believers.
» Read full story and download prayer materials for Vietnam. Throughout February, receive daily prayer points on weekdays by texting PRAYVIETNAM to 24587.
» For news about religious dynamics in another Buddhist-majority country, see Spiritual Battle Rages in Sri Lanka (Christian Aid Mission).