Month: January 2026
Book: Olympic Family Devotional for the Winter Olympics
Source: Mobilizer Mom Alicia Bennett
Whether you live in a climate that has a traditional winter or not, Christian families around the world can easily use the excitement for the Winter Olympic Games to engage their children with God’s heart.
This 50-page, two-week family devotional includes done-for-you daily devotionals that include God’s Word, family discussion time, and fun family activities as beautiful way to “travel” and learn together. It’s an exciting, new way to dig into core spiritual disciplines of Bible reading, worship, and prayer while also following the Olympics (which begin February 6).
Learn more or purchase from Amazon. The author has also created free materials you can use to help kids learn about and pray for Italy, the country hosting these Olympic games (MobilizerMom.com).
Also consider including your family or group in learning and praying during Ramadan, coming up February 18 to March 20. There’s a new version of 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World Just for Kids.
Book: Let the Earth Rejoice
Source: William Carey Publishing
Let the Earth Rejoice: How a Revolution in Worship Launched a Global Missions Movement, by Matthew Burden. William Carey Publishing, 2026. 196 pages.
Maybe you read the author’s previous book, Missionary Motivations, which explored what drove the early church to expand and suggests we would do well to rediscover those motives for ourselves. Loved that one!
Here, he moves forward to the eighteenth century, which began with a somewhat obscure group of churches (British Nonconformists) embracing congregational singing and ends with people like William Carey, coming from the same tradition, launching the Protestant mission movement. Could these two movements be related? And could we see theologically rich music fan fervor for the nations in our day, too?
This book is rooted in solid scholarship in the area of historical missiology but is not a difficult read. I haven’t finished it yet but am happy to recommend it.
Learn more or get the book from the publisher as a paperback or an ebook. While there, check out other new or upcoming titles from WCP.
Readers might also be interested in another new missions book, volume 2 of Liturgies and Laments for the Sojourner. If you missed it, there’s also a how-to book; see Crafting Liturgies for Life Abroad: A Guide to Processing Cross-Cultural Life Through Written Prayer. Each of these resources can help global workers put their feelings and experiences into words.
Podcast: A New One for the Global Goers
Source: Jeannie Marie
Have you ever:
- Taken a short-term trip that changed your life, and wished it could be long-term?
- Wondered if you missed your window but you’re still all-in?
- Felt like you don’t fit the traditional mold for moving overseas but are headed that way anyway?
- Felt more at home when there’s Bollywood music or African accents around but felt like you might be the only one?
This podcast may be for you. So says author, speaker, mobilizer, and prolific content-creator Jeannie Marie. The first few episodes, each about half an hour long, were just posted. See titles below. More to follow.
- Start here: Welcome to the Global Goer Podcast (behind-the-scenes)
- Field realities: 15 things you should know about living overseas (before you go)
- When your lead pastor isn’t passionate about the nations (and what to do about it)
- Ramadan 2026: 3 ways to be intentional with your Muslim friends
Learn more or listen in. Like what you hear? Share it with others. You’ll find many winsome resources on the website.
You might also be interested in the podcast Modern Day Missionaries, which just launched its ninth season with an episode asking global workers, “What if shame is calling the shots?”
Digital Resources: What’s New from Joshua Project
Source: Joshua Project
For decades, Joshua Project has served as a reliable source for data on unreached people groups. The mission hasn’t changed, but the way they deliver that information is getting better.
The homepage, frontier people group (FPG) page, people group adoption page, and resources page have all been redesigned to get you information faster while stripping away friction and ambiguity.
They’ve also launched a new page specifically for people curious about getting started in missions: The Missions Explorer Hub. Take a look.
By the way, the website now defaults to show “people groups across countries” first, rather than listing a group in a dozen countries as a dozen distinct groups. This paradigm leads to a count of 4,487 unreached groups rather than 7,130. But either way, that’s 3.58 billion people, 43.8% of the global population.
Almost a billion belong to just 38 mega groups of ten million or more.
Unreached of the Day offers resources in a variety of formats to help you pray for the unreached. If you like, you can download a 2026 calendar PDF to help keep you on track.
Events: Mission Conferences, Classes, and More for February
Source: Missions Catalyst Calendar
February 2 to June 7, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (online). New online classes begin regularly.
February 3, From Complexity to Clarity: Practical Solutions for International Money Movement (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.
February 5-7, Children in Missionary Families: Stories of Pain, Hope, and Resilience (Wilmore, KY, USA and online). Hosted by Ralph D. Winter Research Center, a project of Frontier Ventures and William Carey International University.
February 6-8, Missionfest Manitoba (Winnipeg, MB, Canada). Annual, community-based mission festival.
February 9-13, Storytelling Training (online). Offered regularly by StoryRunners, a ministry of Cru.
February 10-16, 7 Days of Prayer for the Buddhist World (global).
February 12, Grounding Your Innovation Work in a Spiritual Framework (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.
February 12-14, Haven Retreat (Somone, Senegal). For kingdom-minded women serving overseas from various nations. Provided by Azmera.
February 12-14, MissionFest British Columbia (Chilliwack, BC, Canada). A free, annual community-wide mission conference.
February 18 to March 2, 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World (global).
February 19, Beyond Retention: Equipping Global Workers to Thrive, Impact, and Endure (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.
February 20-23, Haven Retreat (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania). For kingdom-minded women serving overseas from various nations. Provided by Azmera.
February 25, Help! My Pastor Doesn’t Seem to Care About Missions! (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.
February 23, Missional Innovator Collab Day (Dallas, TX, USA). Come build next-gen mobilization pipelines to connect with future missionaries! Provided by SiteStacker; hosted by E3 Partners.
February 26, Engaging Gen Z: What Research Says About the Attitudes and Behaviors of this Emerging Generation (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.
View the complete calendar, updated throughout the year. Your submissions are always welcome.
Most Dangerous Places, Ways to Pray & More
- From the Editors: Trends & Tools
- World: The 50 Most Dangerous Places to Be a Christian
- India: New Believers Escaping Through the Flames
- Kazakhstan: Police Pressure Churches to Register with the State
- Iran: Ways to Pray for a Nation in Crisis
- Angola: Celebrating 50 Years of Independence with a Commemorative Bible
Read or share the email edition, or scroll down for more.
From the Editors: Trends & Tools
Greetings!
This time of year, we see an uptick in annual reports of various kinds, many of them providing info and insights you can use to update your own messages, presentations, and more.
Looking for data on religion?
At this writing, Gordon-Conwell’s Status of Global Christianity page still shows last year’s report, but a new one should be released soon. Meanwhile, check out two interesting pieces that came out last year from the Pew Research Center. As you read, ask yourself: What are the implications?
- Many religions are heavily concentrated in a few countries
- If the U.S. had 100 people: Charting Americans’ religious affiliations
We also have new data on religious persecution.
Open Doors has released its 2026 World Watch list, an annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution. See story and video below.
And see also the recently released 2026 Red List, which also reports on the most dangerous places to be a Christian according to five categories of concern (Global Christian Relief).
Plus some interesting links…
For when life feels precarious, Marti came across news about an interesting new proof-of-life app developed in China. “Are You Dead?” has become the #1 paid iPhone app in China (BGR).
If you were born somewhere else, how would your life be different? Check out a great data visualization comparing income, education, life expectancy, and more (Giving What We Can, via Flowing Data). Spin the globe and scroll down the window for a one-minute, three-question quiz to test your knowledge of global inequality. I (Pat) failed big time!
On a more positive note, you might want to check out What the World Eats to discover and compare global cuisines with data-driven culinary infographics. Fun!
Hope this gives you something to chew on.
Pat and Marti
World: The 50 Most Dangerous Places to Be a Christian
Source: Open Doors, January 2026
The World Watch List is Open Doors’ annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution. Explore each country profile and download the data and stories for in-depth information about following Jesus in the most dangerous places. You’ll learn more about Christian persecution and discover how to stand with your brothers and sisters in prayer and action.
Watch the video below or read about the trends, some of them encouraging. You can find many related resources on the Open Doors website.
You might also appreciate an article about the report, The 50 Countries Where It’s Most Dangerous to Be a Christian in 2026 (Christianity Today).
India: New Believers Escaping Through the Flames
Source: Asia Harvest, January 17, 2026
As we step into a new year, we’re reminded that much of the work we do to serve persecuted believers in Asia happens quietly and often goes unseen.
In fact, many urgent needs we meet never get reported due to the surrounding dangers—but every so often, we’re able to share a glimpse into what believers are facing and how timely help can make a difference. This video captures one such moment from India, where 11 new Christian believers narrowly escaped being burned alive when extremists set their homes on fire as they slept, leaving everything they owned in ashes.
Meanwhile, for the first time in its history, neighboring Pakistan held state-sponsored Christmas celebrations as a display of support for the nation’s Christians. See Pakistan Makes Christmas Official (God Reports).