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Source: DMMs Frontier Missions
The Multiplier’s Mindset: Thinking Differently About Discipleship, by Cynthia Anderson. DMMs Frontier Missions, 2023. 230 pages.
Ever struggled with making disciples or experienced frustration when you tried to fulfill the Great Commission? This book will show you how to recognize and overcome the mindsets that block our fruitfulness and impact.
YWAM leader and trainer Cynthia Anderson leans into Scripture, tells stories, and raises questions related to what we believe about God, ourselves (specifically how God can use us) and how to make disciples who make disciples.
I love this book. It’s written for church-planting, disciple-making missionaries pursuing movements, but much of it has broader application. It’s a quick read but worth working through slowly.
The Kindle edition is just US$9.99 but it’s also available as a hardcover book or paperback. Learn more and get the book or related resources from the book website. You might also consider reading her blog, listening to the interviews she conducted for the book, or taking an online class.
Source: HBO
Here’s an important but disturbing story. Renee Bach was a U.S. missionary who set up a feeding clinic in Jinja, Uganda and is accused of causing the deaths of malnourished children whom she cared for despite a lack of medical training.
Explore the story in Savior Complex, a three-part HBO original documentary that premiered this week on Max. See trailer below.
Maybe, like me, you don’t have access to watch the series. But you can read an article about it in The Guardian or listen to an eight-part podcast series (The Missionary; scroll back to 2020).
See also Shadow Side of Missions, part 1 of 3 in a series on ethics by Ed Stetzer (Church Leaders).
Source: Global Witness, Globally Reimagined, September 14, 2023
Harvey Kwiyani writes:
I grew up in a revival in Malawi—the kind of revival that turned many nominal Christians into fervent followers of Christ, ever ready to pray and evangelize. I learned after leaving the continent that the revival was a widespread phenomenon that touched almost all sub-Saharan Africa and has been going on for decades. In the context of a revival, mission and evangelism tend to be straightforward. I saw many people miraculously convert by themselves because of dreams and other spectacular phenomena. Many of them are still active following Christ today, 30 years later.
Central to all this revival is a theology (shaped by an African worldview) that requires that God acts for and on behalf of people. Even in African (traditional) religion, a god who does not heal or provide is useless and will have no followers.
Yet, such is the God that many other Christians worship, especially in the post-Enlightenment West. Many people profess to follow Christ, yet, they live as if they are atheists. They are Christians, yet they are so self-sufficient that they do not need help from God. They live out their faith as if everything depends on them.
Read the full article and a follow-up, “Will This Jesus Protect Us?” Thought-provoking.
Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar
October 2 to February 4, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (online). New online classes begin regularly.
October 3-4, Support Raising Bootcamp (Krakow, Poland). Provided by Via Generosity (formerly Support Raising Solutions).
October 3-5, GACX Forum (Dallas, TX, USA). An annual event from the Global Alliance for Church Multiplication.
October 3-6, Pastoral Training in Member Care (Asheville, NC, USA). For anyone involved in caring for global workers; usually held annually.
October 4-7, Christian Community Development Association National Conference (Cincinnati, OH, USA). Learn about CCD and network with others to help people and communities experience God’s shalom.
October 8-9, The Mobilized Church: Keys to Unlocking Your Church’s Mission Potential (Dallas/Fort Worth, TX, USA). Provided by Sixteen:Fifteen.
October 8 to November 3, Equipping for Cross-Cultural Life and Ministry (Union Mills, NC, USA). Followed by a Language Learning Accelerator course, November 5-17. Provided by the Center for Intercultural Training.
October 10 to December 12, Mission Leader Cohort (online). Designed to help mission pastors be further developed in the head, heart, and hands of their unique and crucial role. Provided by Upstream Collective.
October 9-13, Culture for Global Gospel Workers (online). Training course offered several times a year by CultureBound.
October 12, Missionary Education in the 21st Century (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.
October 13-14, Evangelical Missiological Society Annual Conference (Dallas, TX, USA and online). Theme: Educating for contemporary mission.
October 16-17, Support Raising Bootcamp (Monument, CO, USA). Provided by Via Generosity (formerly Support Raising Solutions).
October 17, Contend: Monthly Day of Prayer For Mission Mobilization (global). Coordinated by GMMI and held on the third Tuesday of each month.
October 16-19, Thrive Retreat (Cape Town, South Africa). For North American women serving cross-culturally.
October 16 to November 11, COMPASS (Palmer Lake, CO, USA). Language and culture acquisition provided by Missionary Training International.
October 17-18, Amplify Outreach Conference (Wheaton, IL, USA). An annual event from the Billy Graham Center in partnership with Outreach magazine.
October 23-27, Language for Global Gospel Workers (online). Training course offered regularly by CultureBound.
October 23-27, Abide Debriefing (Joplin, MO, USA). Help for moving forward with hope and momentum; from TRAIN International (held eight times a year).
October 19-23, International TCK Conference (Chiang Mai, Thailand).
October 24-26, DigitalMediaCon 4.0 (virtual event). This three-day conference for Christian communicators, held by the Evangelical Press Association and the National Association of Evangelicals, is an annual event.
October 24-26, Standards Introductory Workshop (online). An introduction to the Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Missions, from Mission Excellence.
October 25-27, Support Raising Bootcamp (Nairobi, Kenya). Provided by Via Generosity (formerly Support Raising Solutions).
October 26, The End of the Beginning (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.
October 26-29, Haven Retreat (Marathon, Greece). For kingdom-minded women serving overseas from various nations. Provided by Azmera.
October 27-28, Field Security Seminar (Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire). Provided by Crisis Consulting International.View the complete calendar, updated regularly. Submissions welcome.