Month: August 2025
Service: A Source for Fractional Innovation Leadership
Source: Jon Hirst, Innovation in Mission
Every nonprofit needs an innovation process, no matter how simple. It is like the oxygen replenishing the lifeblood of an organization with the new ideas that will be tomorrow’s best programs.
However, most nonprofits do not have innovation and its management built into their budgets at the level needed. Fractional innovation leadership can reduce the costs by as much as two-thirds while still providing an organization with experienced executive-level support for the organization’s innovation agenda.
Learn more. If your ministry needs a Chief Innovation Officer, this is how you can get one on a fractional basis (a strategy businesses are using to access expertise in finance, technology, and more). And if you aren’t ready, you can still find free resources and sign up for the monthly newsletter on the website. Well worth your time.
Articles: On Mental Health, Hospitality, and Moving Abroad
Sources: Various
Missionaries and Mental Health
Would-be missionaries ask, “Do my mental health challenges disqualify me from serving in missions?” Don’t let fear or stigma hold you back. Read Can You Be a Missionary and Take Antidepressants? (Pioneers-USA).
It Starts With Hospitality
“I would argue that hospitality is the only biblical practice that accomplishes the Great Commission and the Great Commandment at the same time,” says Colorado pastor Nirput Alphonse. Read an interview about how his church does it (Outreach Magazine).
Know Before You Go
What should you pack and what should you leave home? What do you need to look into or take care of before you go? Find helpful input in The Ultimate Guide to Moving Abroad: Everything You Need to Know (My Baggage, via OSCAR).
Mission Biographies: Greg Livingstone and Katharine Barnwell
Sources: Kregel Publications, B&H Publishing
“What do you think about missionary hero stories?” I asked you in July, and many of you acknowledged their limits but defended the value of missionary biographies as a whole, at least, you know, “the good ones.” Here are two I read in August and am happy to put in that category. Interestingly, Katharine was born in 1938 and Greg in 1940, so these two mission pioneers lived through many of the same events.
You’ve Got Libya: A Life Serving in the Muslims World, by Greg Livingstone. Monarch Books, 2014 (later republished by Kregel, 2018). 320 pages.
As we mentioned in a previous edition, Frontiers founder and mobilizer extraordinaire Greg Livingstone passed away in July. But more than a decade before, he wrote an autobiography. I’d always meant to read it. After I shared the sad news of his death with a fellow Livingstone fan, he sent me a copy of the book (after re-reading it, of course!) What a great read. Don Richardson called it “an utterly real, high-impact, sham-free life story” and Phil Parshall called it “A hard book to put down!”
This is anything but a hero story, as the author is well aware of his limitations and failures and shares them freely. Many memoirs falter by including too many unrelated anecdotes and dropping too many names. Here, I thought the stories and relationships added to its charm and brought it to life. Let me know if you agree.
Katharine Barnwell: How One Woman Revolutionized Modern Missions, by Jordan K. Monson. B&H Publishing, 2025. 304 pages.
Unless you’re a Bible translator yourself, you’ve probably never heard of a British mission leader named Katy Barnwell. But her influence has been tremendous, and her strategies for translation, rooted in her experiences as a translator in Nigeria, have brought the Bible to millions of people in thousands of languages. This book is both the story of one remarkable woman and the story of Bible translation, with an emphasis on the essential hand-off of the job to groups of local Christians rather than highly trained outsiders. So, it provides a refreshing contrast to some of the missionary-as-hero stories that make me squirm.
A few caveats: The author’s awe for his subject and his overuse of footnotes and personal asides make this book less focused and readable than it might have been, but perhaps a better resource for anyone who wants to dig deeper. And it’s still a good read, especially to those interested in modern mission trends and why things are the way they are. I learned a great deal. Listen to Monson talk about Barnwell on the Working for the Word podcast.
Book: Missiology for Missions Pastors
Source: The Upstream Collective
Missiology for Mission Pastors, edited by Bradley Bell and Ted Esler. The Upstream Collective, 2025. 229 pages.
Many who are charged with leading the church into global missions find themselves with a map but no compass. The urgency to act is clear. The way forward is not.
Missiology for Missions Pastors is designed to be a guide for the journey. With accessible chapters from trusted voices, it applies healthy missiology to the church’s missions strategy. Whether you’re a pastor, director, or volunteer, this book will help you chart a faithful course in today’s missions landscape.
Contributors include J.D. Payne, Miriam Adeney, Jason Mandryk, Mark Byrom, Dave Childers, Sharon Hoover, Julius Tennal II, Nathan Sloan, Brian Fikkert, and Ray Mensah.
Looks like the book is only available in paperback at this point.
Two more new things from Ted Esler that might interest you: Read What People Groups Are You Reaching? (try this one stupid trick to change the course of history in a people group) or listen to a discussion on The State of Missions (Aaron Renn show).
See also The Sending Shepherd: Leading Churches to Disciple All Nations, by Matthew Ellison and Denny Spitters. This new book, based on a recent Barna study of pastors’ priorities and expectations related to missions, will come out sometime in September from 16:15 Outfitters. They are taking pre-orders now.
Events: Conferences, Retreats and More Coming in September
Source: Missions Catalyst Calendar
September 6, September 13-14, Missions Expo (Pretoria and Cape Town, South Africa). Free, community-based mission conferences.
September 8 to August 4, COMPASS (Palmer Lake, CO, USA). Language and culture acquisition provided by Missionary Training International.
September 8 to December 7, Encountering Muslims (online). Also available in other formats and languages; new online classes start several times a year.
September 8 to January 11, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (online). New online classes begin regularly.
September 10-11, The Mobilized Church Workshop (Albuquerque, NM, USA). Provided by 16:15 Global Outfitters.
September 12-13, Great Commission Dental Conference (Carrollton, TX, USA). Provided by the Christian Dental Association and the Christian Dental Society.
September 13-15, Hostile Environment Awareness Training (Cairo, Egypt). Provided by Crisis Consulting International. Other trainings held in various locations throughout the year.
September 14-20, Recalibrate! (Aurora, IN, USA). Debriefing and renewal retreat for missionaries sponsored by Paracletos.
September 15-20, Thrive Retreat (Buenos Aires, Argentina). Retreat attendees must be women who are full-time, support-based, cross-cultural workers from the U.S. and Canada and currently living overseas. Retreats regularly held in locations around the world. Azmera, a similar ministry, will hold two retreats in Europe in October and November.
September 16-17, Support Raising Bootcamp (Phoenix, AZ, USA). Provided by Via in various locations throughout the year.
September 17-20, New Wineskins Global Missionary Conference (Black Mountain, NC, USA). An Anglican event held every three years.
September 18-24, Traction Conference (Wilderswil, Switzerland). Conference to serve men who are global workers serving cross-culturally. Provided by Catalyst International.
September 21-26, Interlude Debriefing Retreat (Lebanon 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. Another retreat is planned for November in Arizona.
September 22-26, Storytelling Training (online). Get hands-on experience with oral Bible storytelling with five three-hour sessions provided by Story Runners.
September 24-26, Mission Leaders Conference (Orlando, FL, USA and online). Provided by Missio Nexus. This year: Echo, amplifying the need for global evangelism. Includes multiple pre-conference training events.
September 28 to October 24, Equipping for Cross-Cultural Life and Ministry (Union Mills, NC, USA). Provided regularly by the Center for Intercultural Training. Followed by a language-learning acquisition course.
September 29 to October 2, GACX Forum (Asheville, NC, USA). An annual event from the Global Alliance for Church Multiplication.
View the complete calendar, updated throughout the year. Your submissions are always welcome.
Faith in the Caucasus, tension in Tajikistan and more
Russia: People of the Caucasus Putting Faith in Christ
Source: Evangelical Focus, August 8, 2025
According to the North Caucasian Evangelical Alliance, at the beginning of 2024, substantial groups of locals in almost every ethnic group in the Russian part of the Caucasus professed faith in Jesus.
Just a few years ago, most of the peoples of the Caucasus were considered unreached by the gospel. Professing Christians were virtually unknown among them. This has changed significantly in the meantime. According to the North Caucasian Evangelical Alliance, at the beginning of 2024, substantial groups of locals in almost every ethnic group in the Russian part of the Caucasus professed faith in Jesus.
Among them are 3,000 Ossetians, 700 Adyghe, 200 Kabardians, 100 Balkars, 70 Chechens, 50 Karachays, 40 Circassians, 15 Abazins, 15 Nogais, 3 Ingush, and around 300 representatives of the peoples of Dagestan.
The ice seems to be breaking. However, this development is less due to the efforts of missionaries, and certainly not to Western missionary efforts in the region, but rather marks an impressive spiritual awakening among the Caucasians.
As far as the Caucasus is concerned, we will probably have to go back to the origins of the Christian faith in the region and restore God’s history with the peoples of the region. Only in this way will they return to their own identity and thus also to the lost faith of their fathers.
Read the full story; quite thought-provoking and includes source info.
World: UK, Australia, and France No Longer Majority Christian, New Report Finds
Source: Crosswalk, August 4, 2025
A recent Pew Research report found that the number of countries with Christian majorities declined between 2010 and 2020. Despite Christianity being the most geographically widespread world religion, representing 29% of the global population and consisting of the majority in 60% percent of countries, there has been an evident decline in the growing number of people leaving the faith, while there has been an increase in those who are religiously unaffiliated.
The report also found that the most significant changes took place in the United Kingdom, Australia, France, and Uruguay, with a 50% drop in the number of professing Christians in that 10-year span. Meanwhile, Uruguay stood out as the only country in the Americas (as of 2020) without a Christian majority, with 52% of people who are unaffiliated and 44% identifying as Christian.
See also Where Is the Most Religious Place in the World? (Pew Research).
From the UK, a Pentecostal church has forced London authorities to overturn a ban on street preaching (Christian Post).
Tajikistan: Urgent Call to Prayer as Afghans Face Deportation
Source: SAT-7, August 7, 2025
SAT-7 has been in regular contact with an Afghan man called Alborz, based in Tajikistan, whose brother was killed in Afghanistan for his faith.
“When my brother was killed by the Taliban because of his faith in Jesus, for a long time I struggled to forgive them,” Alborz told our team.
After meditating on the Sermon on the Mount, he felt able to forgive, but the thought of returning to Afghanistan is still extremely concerning for his family, especially for his teenage daughter, Armita.
“Many of our fellow [Afghan] believers have been deported from Tajikistan… and in Afghanistan, unmarried girls like me are being forced into marriage, which is very distressing. I don’t even know how to express the terror we are experiencing. The conditions here are really tough,” [said Armita].
We also saw some distressing news from Pakistan in Christian Man Dies after Years of Neglect in Prison (ASSIST News Service) and Court Orders Investigation into Growing Abuse of Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws (International Christian Concern).