In This Edition: Recognizing untapped potential
- ARTICLE: Untapped Potential
- VIDEO: The Fuel of Death-defying Missions
- BOOKS: Member Care Resources for Missionaries
- VIDEOS, ILLUSTRATIONS: Resources from GemStone
- EVENTS: May/June Missions Events
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 share it freely!
ARTICLE: Untapped Potential
Source: Catalyst Services
“The untapped potential sitting dormant in every church is power ready to be released for the Kingdom of God. Yet too many times it is wasted, often because it isn’t even recognized,” writes Ellen Livingood. The February issue of the Catalyst Services Postings can help you identify some of the hidden treasure God has invested in your people for global outreach. For example, during certain periods of life, people can more easily invest significant amounts of time in global ministry:
Gap year: More and more teenagers are investing a year in missions between high school and college (a certain level of maturity required).
Recent college graduates: While the recession has made finding a job difficult, young adults can invest time in overseas ministry, especially if their church will help with college loan payments.
Teachers: Sabbaticals may be harder to snag, but most teachers have several months during the summer that they could invest in missions.
Businesspeople: Today some of the highest-impact ministries are carried out by businessmen and women who can arrange their schedules to spend several weeks at a time, several times a year, in overseas ministry.
Retirees: Since “70 is the new 50” for many senior adults, their potential productivity during retirement years is huge. Opportunities abound!
>> Read the rest of the article.
>> See also an article from another source that asks, “Can a small church have a robust missions program?” (The Missions Moment).
VIDEO: The Fuel of Death-defying Missions
Source: Together for the Gospel
In 2006, four long-time friends began sponsoring a pastor’s conference called Together for the Gospel. David Platt’s presentation at the 2012 event hit the ball out of the park (as we Americans might say).
Find something you can preach or teach or show to others in the hour-long recording of Divine Sovereignty: The Fuel of Death-defying Missions. Rather read? See Pastor: Global Evangelism Tragically Neglected, or check out the transcript.
>> Readers, maybe you could let us know of any great sermons and other online sessions on topics like this one which you’d recommend.
BOOKS: Member Care Resources for Missionaries
Source: Missionary Care
The last time we featured the Missionary Care website we told you they had six free books online, books to help missionaries understand reentry, parenting, and navigating the common struggles of cross-cultural living. Since then the list has doubled to a dozen. Most originated as series of brochures or articles; they tend to be simple, practical, timeless, and direct.
Here are 12 book-length resources you can download and/or share with others:
What Missionaries Ought to Know
Third Culture Kids and Adolescence: Cultural Creations
Coming “Home”: The Reentry Transition
Before You Get “Home”: Preparing for Reentry
We’re Going Home: Reentry for Elementary School Children
I Don’t Want to Go Home: Parent’s Guide for Reentry for Elementary Children
Reentry after Short Term Missionary Service
>> This may be a good time to put in another plug for Member Care Media, which produces daily radio programs on these topics and more. Lots of encouragement and helpful suggestions for cross-cultural workers and the rest of us as well.
VIDEOS, ILLUSTRATIONS: Resources from GemStone
Source: GemStone Media
Our friends at GemStone Media (a ministry of Greater Europe Mission) have created some excellent (and free) media resources you might be able to use, too. The Voice tells the story of a Bulgarian believer who makes the choice to pursue and trust God completely. Reach the World illustrates the multiculturalism of Europe.
Need a good, simple evangelism tool? The Creation to Christ Story is a simple way that you can share a summary of the Bible’s basic message with people who have heard little or nothing about the gospel. One of GemStone’s graphic designers made a series of 20 original illustrations to help.
“Each image contains visual prompts that will help guide the teller throughout the story and also provide a way for the viewer to better remember and interact with what they are hearing.” You can download the illustrations in several formats to use them on your phone or tablet to share the gospel with friends and acquaintances in small group settings and one-on-one conversations. Good stuff.
>> Readers might also be interested in Ludmilla, one of the beautiful short films from Deidox. It’s about prayer and hospitality in the life of an elderly Czech woman. The latest from Deidox is Kimberly, an exploration of integrating faith and work. And if you’re interested in Bible storying tools and principles, see The 70%: Orality and the Mission of the Church (Lausanne).
EVENTS: May/June Missions Events
Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar
May 07 to 09 – CONFERENCE: Consortium on the Support of Indigenous Ministries (Phoenix, AZ, USA). A gathering for learning and networking focused on cross-cultural partnership.
May 09 to 11 – CONFERENCE: Hispanic Connection (Rockville, VA, USA). Connecting US agencies with the US Hispanic church.
May 14 to 18 – MEETING: World Prayer Assembly (Jakarta, Indonesia).
May 15 to 16 – CONFERENCE: Church. Agency. Now. (Kansas City, MO, USA). Avant Ministries event explores new ways churches and mission agencies can partner together to build the kingdom.
May 18 to 20 – RETREAT: The Journey Deepens (Philadelphia, PA, USA). Sense God is calling you into missions, but need help in discerning your direction? The Journey Deepens Retreat is a great next step.
May 20 – SEMINAR: Tentmaking Business as Mission (Portland, OR, USA). Free. Provided by Global Opportunities.
May 23 to 25 – CONFERENCE: Global Children’s Ministry Equip Conference (Chiang Mai, Thailand). Coordinated by Kidzana.
May 24 – WEBINAR: Ten Commandments to Counteract Dependency – A Peruvian Case Study. A learning initiative from Missio Nexus.
May 27 – EVENT: Global Day of Prayer (international).
May 30 to July 11 – CLASS: Kingdom Expansion 101 (online). Six-week intro-to-missions course provided by DualReach.
June 04 to August 26 – CLASS: Encountering the World of Islam (online). Twelve-week course will help you discover God’s heart for Muslims.
June 08 to 15 – CLASS: Perspectives One-week Intensive (Valley Forge, PA, USA). Alternative to the regular semester class. Curriculum workshop (coordinator training) to be held following the class.
June 10 to 20 – RETREAT: Refresh! (Grenoble, France). Provided by Heartstream Resources for Cross-cultural Workers.
June 12 to July 02 – CLASS: Perspectives Three-week Intensive (Pasadena, CA, USA). Alternative to the regular semester class.
June 15 to 17 – CONFERENCE: American Society of Missiology (Techny, IL, USA).
June 16 to 24 – RETREAT: Single Vision (Gibraltar). Renewal for single missionaries.
June 20 to 30 – RETREAT: Breathe (Wilderswil, Switzerland). Ten days designed to refresh and renew cross-cultural workers. Provided by Catalyst International.
Marti Smith is a writer, speaker, and project manager for the Church Partnerships Team at Pioneers. Since the mid-90s she has helped prepare cultural research teams to explore unreached communities and mobilize efforts to serve them.
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.
Hello.This post was really remarkable, especially since I was searching for thoughts on this subject last Saturday.