Day: May 22, 2024

In this edition:

1. Book: A History and Theology of Mission
2. Article: Social Media Guidelines for Short-Term Missions
3. Podcast: The Power of Intentional Prayer
4. Podcast: Five Joshua Project Tools to Help You Mobilize
5. Data: Disasters, Displacement, and Synchronized Baptisms
6. Events: Missions Conferences and More in June

Read or share the email edition.

Source: Union Publishing

Come and See: A History and Theology of Missions, by Glen Scrivener and Justin Schell. Union Publishing, 2022.

Could you use a “mission 101” resource that covers the biblical basis for mission and the expansion of Christianity for your church, mission committee or student small group? Here’s a solid option.

Learn more or buy the book in paperback or a digital edition; a video series (ten 30-minute videos) and a free, downloadable study guide are also available.

See also The Mission of God and the Witness of the Church, Justin Schell’s new book coming out next month from Crossway, or Glenn Scrivener’s 2022 book The Air We Breathe, which explores Christianity’s extraordinary impact on history and culture.

Source: The Chalmers Center

Many Western Christians’ first engagement with cross-cultural ministry is through a short-term mission trip. When we go, though, we also need to commit to embodying healthy and dignifying ways of telling others about the trip.

We live in a “pics or it didn’t happen” culture where every latte, sunset, or family gathering is fair game for a picture and a social media post. For many of us, it’s how we allow friends and family to share in our day-to-day lives. But we need to be mindful of how these habits play out in short-term missions (and cross-cultural ministry settings more generally).

Chalmers has created a social media guidelines sheet you can share with your short-term teams. They also have a whole book on helping without hurting in short-term missions.

Speaking of sharing our stories, see One Big Change to Make for Ethical Storytelling (Nonprofit PRO) and Creating Change Through Marketing (Lasting Change Podcast).

Or maybe you want to learn ways to share Jesus stories with people who don’t know him. All Nations has been doing webinars and workshops on that and now offers self-paced online courses.

Source: Lausanne Podcast

Do you feel stagnant in your ministry? Dr. Jason Hubbard, the leader of International Prayer Connect, shares how he was once a prayerless pastor of a prayerless church, and tells of his journey turning to God in intentional prayer igniting a revival in his congregation and leading to multiple church plants in his community.

The episode offers practical advice, inspiring stories, and insights to help you make prayer for the global mission of God a cornerstone of your ministry.

Watch or listen to the episode (43 minutes). Among other things, it states that 90% of the unreached live in or near 110 large cities—a great focus for prayer. What cities, you ask? These ones.

Source: Gospel Mobilization Podcast

How many people groups are there in the world, and what do people need to know about them to take action? Hear about what’s happening at Joshua Project (including a big change in the works) and how you can best use the tools they provide. Chris Clayman, now the Executive Director, has some fun and inspiring stories to tell.

Listen to the episode. Also from Gospel Mobilization: Check out the mobilization continuum—a tool you could use to help someone express their posture toward world mission.

By the way, about 1,000 people have taken the Joshua Project Survey. Got five minutes? They especially want to hear from missiologists and mission educators, researchers, prayer coordinators, strategists, and tech workers.

If mission data is what you do, it’s not to late to sign up for the Mission Information Workers Conference (see calendar item below).

Sources: Various

1. Wonder how often a major earthquake, tsunami, or volcanic eruption happens? See the Days Since Incident dashboard (via Justin Long). Fun, in a dark sort of way, if you live in a region bracing for the next “Big One.”
2. Did you know the number of internally displaced people has grown 50% in the last five years? So says the International Displacement Centre in a recent report. That’s a new record and reflects a lot of people in need; more than 75 million. How can we respond?
3. More than 12,000 people were baptized over two days in what Baptize California organizers say is America’s largest baptism ever. They also announced plans for another event, Baptize America, scheduled for Pentecost Sunday, 2025. Look for a variety of reports online.

June 2-28, Equipping for Cross-Cultural Life and Ministry (Union Mills, NC, USA). Followed by a Field Security Seminar and a Language Learning Accelerator course, all from the Center for Intercultural Training.

June 3-5, Mission Information Workers Conference (online). Accelerate the development of mission information and the mission information community.

June 3 to August 6, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (online). New online classes begin regularly.

June 5-6, The Mobilized Church (Denver, CO, USA). Discover keys to unlocking your church’s mission potential; offered several times a year by Sixteen:Fifteen.

June 6-8, ACMI Virtual Conference (online). An annual event for people ministering among international students. From the Association of Christians Ministering among Internationals.

June 22-23, Mission Agency Consultation (Littleton, CO, USA). Workshop for organizational leaders provided by Sixteen:Fifteen.

June 14-16, Rethinking Forum (Philadelphia, PA, USA and online). Hosted by the MARG Network for people who share both a love for Jesus and a love for Hindu people. This one’s been going for 20+ years now. Come early for meetings focused on Indian international student ministry, June 13.

June 17-21, Abide Debriefing (Joplin, MO, USA). Help for moving forward with hope and momentum; from TRAIN International (held multiple times a year; also June 24-28, July 22-26 and July 20 to August 2).

June 18, Contend: Monthly Day of Prayer For Mission Mobilization (global). Coordinated by GMMI and held on the third Tuesday of each month.

June 19-29, Breathe (Wilderswil, Switzerland). A retreat for mission workers offered annually by Catalyst International.

June 20, World Refugee Day (international). Many churches observe this with prayer on the Sunday before or after.

June 20, Launching Collaboration in the People Care & Development Community (online). From Missio Nexus.

June 25-27, Safe Travel in Risky Environments (Laurens, SC, USA). Security training for missionaries from Morton Executive Decisions.

June 27, The Ethical Edge—Leveraging AI for Authentic Content Strategy and Creation (online). Peer2Peer webinar for marketing and communications professionals from Missio Nexus.

June 28 to July 1, Field Security Seminar (Union Mills, NC, USA). Provided by Crisis Consulting International.

June 29, Day of the Christian Martyr (international). An annual event from Voice of the Martyrs.

June 30 to July 6, Wilderness Reboot (Blue Bronna, Alberta, Canada). Re-entry retreat for MKs/TCKs (aged 21-35) navigating the ongoing re-entry into Canadian society; an event for teens (17-20) will be held in August.

View the complete calendar. Submissions welcome.