In This Issue: Books, Articles, Websites, Classes, and More
- WEBSITE: Pathways to Mission
- BOOKLET: Igniting a Life of Generosity
- ARTICLES: Good Practice Guides for Churches
- BOOK: Who Is My Neighbor?
- ARTICLE: Tips for Leading a Multi-cultural Network Meeting
- EVENT: Global Day of Prayer, June 12
- CLASSES: Perspectives in the Intensive Format
Missions Catalyst is a free, weekly electronic digest of mission news and resources designed to inspire and equip Christians worldwide for global ministry. Use it to fuel your prayers, find tips and opportunities, and stay in touch with how God is building his kingdom all over the world. Please forward it freely!
Resource Reviews, edited by Marti Smith, are published once a month.
WEBSITE: Pathways to Mission
Source: Sean Boucher, WEC Australia
We’ve written about Internet evangelism, but how much thought have you given to Internet mobilization? In a day when many people take their most tentative questions or heartfelt desires to the web, maybe there’s more we could do to come alongside missionary wannabes in a virtual way.
It’s something our friends at WEC Australia have been considering. Their mobilization team is spread out across the country and can’t be everywhere at once, so they’ve created a friendly way to connect with people through the web. The site is called Pathways to Mission. It highlights WEC’s ministries and is written for an Australian audience, but others might find it helpful as well.
The goal was to meet people where they are and address the questions people seem to be asking about how to get involved in missions. The site is designed to work well on a mobile phone. If you want to talk to a real person, you can take that step at any time.
“We’re keen to keep adding to the questions, so if anyone has commonly asked questions we’d be glad to hear them,” writes Sean, the team leader. “And if anyone has resources that might help answer the questions that are already there (or new questions), we’d be glad to get them too.”
“The site is still only about a month old so response hasn’t been huge yet. Initial response is positive – especially since we’re starting where people are rather than requiring them to be further along their journey before we relate to them. That’s good, because that’s the message we want to get out: that everyone has a place in (and therefore a pathway to) mission.”
>> Visit Pathways to Mission.
BOOKLET: Igniting a Life of Generosity
Sources: ECFA, DELTA Ministries International
Igniting a Life of Generosity, by Chris McDaniel. Winchester, VA: ECFA Press, 2011. 60 pages.
Want to grow in the grace of giving? Igniting a Life of Generosity, by Chris McDaniel of DELTA Ministries International, is designed to be a devotional for donors and a gift for ministries to give to those who support them. It blends stories and stewardship principles in a winsome way. It’s published by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.
“God continues to call his Church to a deeper level of generosity in spite of what is happening in the world economically,” says the author. “All of us need to continue to grow in the giving of our time, talents, and treasures. How can we expect to grow without having candid conversations with God and others about this subject?”
Are you a church or ministry leader who struggles with talking about money? Igniting a Life of Generosity might help you think it through.
The booklet is sold in packages of five, 30, or 100.
>> Purchase five copies for US$25 plus shipping from ECFA. You can also get a free sample by calling 800.323.9473 or emailing Susan.
ARTICLES: Good Practice Guides for Churches
Source: Global Connections, OSCAR
Our friends at OSCAR, the UK information service for world mission, gave us the tip. They write:
“Global Connections have produced a series of guides for churches as they think about making global choices and connecting with the world beyond their doorstep. They can be used to help develop your church’s mission policy or stimulate discussion. They include guides for church visits to mission partners.”
These look like handy tools for mission committees.
Global Connections is a growing, vibrant network of UK agencies, churches, colleges, and support services, with a vision of “mission at the heart of the church, the church at the heart of mission.”
>> Read or download Good Practice Guides for Churches.
BOOK: Who Is My Neighbor?
Source: NavPress, Steve Moore
Who Is My Neighbor? Being a Good Samaritan in a Connected World, by Steve Moore. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2011. 176 pages.
The question was challenging it was first posed to Jesus, but at least it was fairly straightforward. In a world where we can hear about, connect with, and help one another from almost any part of the globe, the neighborhood is shrinking. The question, “Who is my neighbor?” has never been more complicated.
Who Is My Neighbor? is part Bible study, part personal development tool, part global affairs book. It begins by revisiting the story of the Good Samaritan and what it meant to its first hearers, then explores the implications of living in a connected world on our responsibility for serving others. It provides models for the reader to use in identifying his or her passions and how to harness them for setting priorities for ministry, as well as exploring God’s own passion and priorities as expressed in his affinity for the poor, the oppressed, and the lost.
>> Purchase for US$19.99 from NavPress (or elsewhere). Learn more from the Who Is My Neighbor? website. You can also download the electronic (Kindle format) version of this book for free – yes, free! from Amazon.
ARTICLE: Tips for Leading a Multi-cultural Network Meeting
Source: International Partnership Associates
Planning a multi-cultural meeting – or coordinating an international partnership? A recent issue of the Partnership eNewsletter from visionSynergy’s Power of Connecting network featured an article on inter-cultural differences by Alex Araujo of International Partnership Associates.
The author lists twelve common issues with bullet-point lists describing what to consider and what may help. This article is written for those serving in complex international ministry networks, but the principles seem just as applicable and practical for inter-cultural events on a smaller scale.
Some of the issues may seem obvious, such as cultural differences in approaches to problem solving and consensus building, but there were a few issues I might not have considered at all or known what could be done to address them.
>> Read or download the nine-page article.
EVENT: Global Day of Prayer, June 12
Source: Global Day of Prayer
Planning to participate in the Global Day of Prayer? Of course we’d love to see you praying for the world every day, but here’s a chance to join your voice with believers from all around the world, maybe millions of them.
One simple way to participate would be to download A Prayer for the World and pray it aloud with your congregation on June 12. They’ve even made a PowerPoint for you and provided some tips on using the prayer. Couldn’t be easier.
>> Additional resources are available on the GDOP website. The colorful 10 Days of Prayer for children looks like a great tool for families with kids.
CLASSES: Perspectives in the Intensive Format
Source: Perspectives Study Program
Are you a fan of the Perspectives on the World Christian Movement course? If you do not have a regular 15-week class offered near you or if it does not fit your schedule, try the one-week or three-week intensive format. Three such events are coming up in the U.S.:
June 03 to 10 – One-week intensive (Valley Forge, PA).
July 06 to 13 – One-week intensive (Dallas, TX).
July 18 to August 05 – Three-week intensive (Gainesville, FL).
Marti Smith is a writer, speaker, and project manager for Pioneers. Since the mid-90′s she has helped prepare cultural research teams and sent them out to explore unreached communities and mobilize efforts to serve these groups. Marti manages and publishes Missions Catalyst and is the author of Through Her Eyes, a book about the lives of missionary women in the Muslim world.
