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Greetings, readers!
A pastor wanted advice on how to talk to his church about unreached people groups. “Do people still talk about the 10/40 Window?” he asked. “Not like they used to,” I said, and glibly trotted out some of the latest jargon, messages, and models, then dove down a few rabbit holes with my own critique and commentary developed by decades of debate. “But keep it simple,” I concluded, realizing my little speech had been anything but.
What would you tell my friend? If you were talking about the least-reached in a church service or in front of a class or small group today, what would your message be? Maybe you’ve done this recently. I’d love to hear your talking points and how you balance clarity with nuance, to empower rather than overwhelm.
Next month I will attend the annual Mission Leaders Conference from Missio Nexus and hope to see some of you there. This year the conference will explore what’s happened with the unreached people paradigm in the last 50 years, how we understand it now, and what the future holds for this kind of thinking. So that may help with my question.
Along those lines, see Ted Esler’s recent article with four reasons to prioritize the unreached as well as one on why closure missiology is bad theology. You might also want to read Len Bartotti’s upcoming book, People Vision: Reimagining Missions to Least Reached Peoples (William Carey Library).
Such topics should also be part of the conversation at the Lausanne Congress coming up. If you’re heading to Korea for that (or attending the interactive online conference), let us know how it goes!
Grateful to partner with you,
Marti
Source: Joshua Project
Looking for a roundup of info all on one page that you can use as a reference or send home with people after an event? Consider this piece from Joshua Project.
Download Status of World Evangelization 2024 (or click on the image below) and browse other graphics created or curated by Joshua Project.
By the way, did you know more than half the world’s population lives in ten countries?
Source: Ben White, CORE Missions
Say you had less than ten minutes to share the most important aspects of preparing for a mission trip. What would make the list? I don’t know Ben or his ministry, but thought this video covered the bases pretty well. (Thanks to MissionGuide for the recommendation.)
See also 5 Reasons Our Short-term Mission Trip Was Successful (A Life Overseas) and Raising Support for Short-Term Missions (Ignite Your Generosity).
Source: Liturgies for a Life Abroad
I know, dear Lord
that no place on this
spinning globe
is without challenge—
the biggest cities to the
most remote villages
each come with a unique
list of difficulties.
And right now
this place,
where I’ve unpacked my bags
and set up a home,
is feeling especially hard to love.
Read the whole prayer (Instagram; also on Facebook). Maybe you can share it with a friend serving cross-culturally or struggling to readjust to their passport country.
See also the related book Liturgies and Laments for the Sojourner.
Source: Catalyst Services Postings, July 2024
“I might be interested in missions,” a young person—or a not-so-young person—tells you. How would you respond? What questions would you ask? What resources would you recommend?
Ellen Livingood from Catalyst Services has some great ideas for responding to initial interest in missions from people in various situations and stages of life.
See also the August Postings, in which three church leaders discuss ways they integrate mission outreach with discipling their congregations.
Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar
September 2-15, Orient Pre-field Training (Joplin, MO, USA). Provided by TRAIN International.
September 2-28, COMPASS (Palmer Lake, CO, USA). Language and culture acquisition provided by Missionary Training International.
September 8-10 and beyond, Sending Church Elements (Louisville, KY, USA and online). Explore how to become a mature sending church. Offered by The Upstream Collective.
September 9 to December 8, Encountering Muslims (online). Also available in other formats and languages; new online classes start several times a year.
September 9 to January 12, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (online). New online classes begin throughout the year.
September 11, Sinai Summit (online). An annual event from Crescent Project featuring powerful stories from former Muslims and insights from leaders in Muslim ministry.
September 11-12, People Raising Conference (online). Be equipped for raising personal support.
September 11-13, Mission Leaders Conference (Louisville, KY, USA). This annual conference from Missio Nexus includes several very practical pre-conference events for specific audiences; take a look.
September 12 to November 7, School of Missions Advocacy (online). Mobilizer training from Globalcast Resources, a ministry of YWAM.
September 13-14, Missions Expo (Cape Town, South Africa). Free, community-based mission conference.
September 16-20, Storytelling Training (online). Get hands-on experience with oral Bible storytelling with five three-hour sessions provided by Story Runners.
September 18 to October 16, Biblical Languages Bootcamp: Greek (online). Begin to read the New Testament in Greek in five weeks. Provided by Mission Media U.
September 18-24, Traction Conference (Wilderswil, Switzerland). Conference to serve men who are global workers serving cross-culturally. Provided by Catalyst International.
September 19 to November 14, Mission Leader Cohort (online). For both new and seasoned church mission pastors from The Upstream Collective.
September 22-24 and beyond, Sending Church Elements (Bothell, WA, USA and online). Explore how to become a mature sending church. Offered by The Upstream Collective.
September 22-28, Fourth Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization (Seoul, South Korea and online). A global gathering, by invitation only.
September 23-24, Standards Introductory Workshop (Merritt Island, FL, USA). Learn to apply the seven standards of excellence in short-term mission; provided regularly in-person and online by MissionExcellence.
September 24-25, The Mobilized Church (Phoenix, AZ, USA). Discover keys to unlocking your church’s mission potential; offered by Sixteen:Fifteen.
September 26 to October 24, Foundations of Digital Engagement Strategies (online). Learn how digital media can accelerate disciple-making in your ministry. Provided by Mission Media U.
September 27-28, One Body: Hope for the Persecuted Church (Arlington, TX, USA). A new event hosted by the Anglican Persecuted Church Network.
September 29 to October 4, Interlude Debriefing Retreat (Philadelphia, PA, USA). A week-long retreat for adult global workers to process their experiences in a contemplative setting with peers and trained debriefers. Offered by Barnabas International.
September 30 to October 3, GACX Forum (Dallas, TX, USA). An annual event from the Global Alliance for Church Multiplication.
View the complete calendar. Submissions welcome.
Note that October will bring the Christian Community Development Association’s annual conference, the Billy Graham Center’s Amplify Outreach Conference, and an interesting event commemorating 500 years since Tyndale’s Bible was published—plus some smaller or more niche conferences, retreats, and training events that may be just what you or others you know need. Take a look.
Source: Religion News Service, August 19, 2024
The world’s 280 million immigrants have greater shares of Christians, Muslims, and Jews than the general population, according to a new Pew Research Center study released Monday (August 19).
“You see migrants coming to places like the U.S., Canada, different places through Western Europe, and being more religious—and sometimes more Christian in particular—than the native-born people in those countries,” said Stephanie Kramer, the study’s lead researcher.
While Christians make up about 30% of the world’s population, the world’s migrants are 47% Christian, according to the latest data collected in 2020. The study found that Muslims make up 29% of the migrant population but 25% of the world’s population. Jews, only 0.2% of the world’s population but 1% of migrants, are by far the most likely religious group to have migrated, with 20% of Jews worldwide living outside their country of birth compared to just 6% of Christians and 4% of Muslims.
Read the complete article. How should these dynamics affect our prayers and ministries?
You might enjoy an article about an opportunity Christian workers had to minister to the family of a pastor who continued to serve those around them after fleeing Pakistan (Beyond).
See also the UN’s recent interactive World Migration Report.
Source: Mission Network News, August 13, 2024
Dozens of Haitians recently survived a tragic boat explosion off the coast of northern Haiti. Roseline DeHart of For Haiti With Love says, “They are guessing there were around 80 people on the boat, but they don’t know because only 30 of them survived.”
Alcohol and fire used in a voodoo ceremony caused the explosion, leaving survivors with severe burns. Many turned to For Haiti’s burn clinic for help when they came ashore, and their treatments continue today.
“Burns are slow healing. [They] take a lot of a lot of bandages, a lot of materials,” DeHart explains.
“We had sent supplies down there just before that (accident) happened, so God had everything in place.”
Clinic workers shared the gospel with every survivor as they began initial treatments. “They were telling us their story, and we started telling them about Jesus and how Jesus is waiting for them to come to him,” DeHart says.
“They said after surviving from that (accident) they were ready for Jesus.”
Today, God is turning what the enemy meant for evil into something good. For Haiti’s burn treatments and discipleship sessions continue. “They come in every other day until they’re healed, and they will hear the gospel while they’re getting treated the whole time,” DeHart says.
“The water is still pushing bodies out; it’s a very tragic time,” DeHart says.
See the full story with prayer points and a few photos.
See also North Carolina Woman Dies During Haiti Vodou Retreat to Become Manbo Priestess (Christian News Network).