Month: April 2026

1. Note from the Editor: Catalyst on Sabbatical
2. Book: Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (Fifth Edition)
3. Articles: World Cup Readiness, a Rule of Digital Life, and More
4. Model: Measuring the Progress of the Gospel
5. Podcasts: A Handful of Helpful Episodes
6. Events: Conferences, Classes, Training and More in May

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Greetings!

This Friday, May 1, I begin a three-month sabbatical. The last one I took was 15 years ago. Since then, I’ve gotten married, started and finished a master’s degree, made three cross-country moves, survived a global pandemic (you, too?!), and more. Somewhere along the way, I also said yes to more interesting and strategic things than I can manage with just 24 hours a day, and now I’m struggling.

So, it’s time for a hard reset. I look forward to rediscovering who I am when not behind a keyboard and screen and spending more time with the Lord and other people. Could you pray toward that end?

This will be our last edition of Resource Reviews until August. You may get a few more editions of News Briefs. And in a few months, I expect to return refreshed and renewed, ready to follow God in what’s next.

Wishing you all the best,
Marti Wade

Source: William Carey Publishing

Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: A Reader (Fifth Edition), edited by Ralph Winter, Steven C. Hawthorne, and Pam Arlund. William Carey Publishing: 2026. 558 pages.

Each year more than 10,000 students—in nearly 40 countries and 9 languages—participate in Perspectives courses, discovering their role in God’s story and joining his global purpose. Others use the Perspectives reader for teaching or training.

I think you’ll like the new edition. It includes 20% new content but is 25% shorter (by word count). The 150 contributors include more women and people from diverse backgrounds, and the whole book is more accessible for global audience than previous editions, with many articles updated and edited for greater clarity.

I got a pre-release version of the digital book and study guide and am impressed. Printed books are expected to begin shipping in early May, with the digital edition released more broadly in August.

Learn more or pre-order books. A Spanish edition will be available soon.

William Carey Publishing has many other new books you might appreciate, including a fun, pray-for-the-world alphabet book for kids called From Argentina to Zimbabwe, and, from Patrick Johnstone, God’s World to Win: The Story of Operation World.

Sources: Various

The Nations Are Coming: Preparing for the World Cup Moment

Sources: Everywhere to Everywhere

Explore four simple ways to engage the nations as the world gathers for the biggest event on earth.

Read the article.

Also check out this outreach kit from Cru: Victory Beyond the Cup.

Five Digital Rules for Missionaries

Source: A Life Overseas

The digital world pulls us into its steady stream of consciousness, asking for as much as we can give, and then some. We are sorely mistaken if we think that as ministry workers we will avoid this.

Get some suggestions.

Also from A Life Overseas, read Confronting Risk and Managing Fear in the Uncertainty of War. It links to a bunch of helpful resources.

Rerouted and Reaffirmed

Source: Mission Frontiers

Longevity remains an appropriate goal in many contexts, but God is now moving his workforce around the globe with increasing frequency.

Consider the implications.

Also in this edition, read A Letter to the Returning Ones.

Ten Ways to Develop a Missions Culture in Your Church

Source: ABWE

We want every member to find and fulfill their role in the Great Commission, challenging the myth that missions is only for the elite. But how do you get there?

Read the ten ways. We featured this 2023 article previously.

See also On Different Pages, comparing how church mission leaders and mission agency leaders see missions (Ted Esler).

Source: Joshua Project

How do we measure the progress of the gospel? For years, many relied on data about the percentage of a group identified as Christian or evangelical, and whether anyone was known to be “engaging” that group with the gospel. But more clarity was needed about engagement.

Now, Joshua Project, in collaboration with Frontiers, IMB, Engage Network, Vision 5:9, and Accelerate, has created The Phases of Engagement Toolkit. It defines seven phases (from entry to sustained gospel presence) and a dozen strategies that tend to accelerate engagement (like prayer!) Put them together and ask strategic diagnostic questions to see the gospel spread.

Take a look and download the toolkit.

See also It Doesn’t Matter What the Data Says If You’re Asking the Wrong Question (Bud Houston).

Sources: Various

The Future Begins with Z

Source: Gospel Mobilization

Dr. Tim Elmore helps us discover how Gen Z’s fresh perspective can be your greatest asset—and why dismissing their differences risks missing the future of mission work and mobilization.

Listen in.

Discerning Your Calling

Source: The Global Goer Podcast

“A couple of years ago, I sat in a room with about 50 cross-cultural wokers living in South Asia and asked: what kept you here? Every single one of them said the same thing: calling.”

Explore what calling means.

When Faith Is a Crime: The Maryam Rostampour-Keller Story

Source: Story Partners

Maryam was a young woman in Iran searching for God. When she couldn’t find him through Islam, she cried out in desperation—and He answered.

Hear from Maryam.

Inside the Persecuted Church in Nepal

Source: Radical

Trek the Himalayan mountains with Steven Morales and the Radical crew to the Lhomi church—and discover the cost of making Jesus known in Nepal, one of the world’s hardest-to-reach places.

Watch the story (this one is a fully produced video)

Three more caught my interest, though I haven’t listened to them yet:

• A Brazilian missionary serving in Rome addresses the question, Are Western Missionaries Still Needed? (Mission Matters podcast).
• Ellen Livingood unpacks Four Key Responsibilities of a Church Missions Leadership Team (The Global Missions Podcast).
• A leader working with the persecuted church in Nigeria shares perspective in “Jesus Is My Savior. I have No Regrets” (VOM Radio).

Source: Missions Catalyst Calendar

Note: I’ve done my best to populate the online calendar with June and July events as well but, due to the sabbatical, don’t plan to email them out. Take a look.

May 1, Global Day of Faith at Work (international). Sponsored by the Lausanne Workplace Network and World Evangelical Alliance, and meant to be annual.

May 3-29, Equipping for Life and Ministry (Union Mills, NC, USA). Pre-field training provided by the Center for Intercultural Training; followed by a language acquisition course May 31 to June 12.

May 4 to July 19, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (online intensive version).

May 5-7, Standards Introductory Workshop (online). Make your mission trips better with the seven standards of excellence.

May 7, National Day of Prayer (USA).

May 7, Building a Shared Foundation for Cross Cultural Workers (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

May 13-14, Support Raising Bootcamp (Fayetteville, AR, USA). Provided by Via in various locations throughout the year.

May 14, Ignite Online Training: Loving Refugees & Muslims (online). Provided by All Nations.

May 14, Beyond Preparation: Training Families and Singles to Flourish (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

May 15-16, Care Connexion (Portland, OR, USA). A conference for those who care for missionaries, provided by MissionWorks.

May 16, The Nexus: Greater Cincinnati (Fort Thomas, KY, USA). A one-day regional event for church mission leaders; provided by Missio Nexus.

May 18-21, Eurasia Media and Distribution Consultation (Chiang Mai, Thailand). Usually known as EMDC, this group meets once a year. Those working with minority language media content creation and distribution are encouraged to attend.

May 19, The 8 Things Healthy Missions Agencies Do Consistently (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

May 19-31, Missionary Pre-field Training (Joplin, MO, USA). Provided regularly by TRAIN International.

May 20, Mobilizers—Join the Conversation! (online). Regular gathering from Missio Nexus and Gospel Mobilization.

May 20-22, Crisis Management Seminar (Colorado Springs, CO, USA). Provided by Crisis Consulting International.

May 21, How to Build a Metrics Dashboard for a Missions Agency (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

May 24, International Day for the Unreached (online).

See the complete calendar. Submissions welcome.