Category: Resource Reviews

One more thing. You may know the month is noted for feasting as well as fasting, since good food always shows up when the sun goes down. A few years ago, our friend Shane Bennett threw down a tasty challenge to try.

“My family plans to make and enjoy a special meal once a week during [Ramadan]. Each meal will represent a significant Muslim population and we’ll remember them in prayer.”

Ask a Muslim friend for tips (and a possible dinner invite), see what Google can tell you, or just download this ready-made, four-meal menu for the Muslim world. You might also appreciate Shane’s article with 4 things every Christian should know about Ramadan.

Source: Via Families

God is worthy of our worship! He desires the worship of our families, our churches, and the nations. We sing of God’s might, holiness, justice, and love, but how often do we sing about his heart for the nations? Let’s give God the praise he deserves as he fulfills his mission to be known and worshiped by people from every nation, tribe, and tongue.

We invite you to listen to, learn and sing these 10 worship songs with your family. The lyrics speak of God’s love for the whole world, his worthiness to receive praise from all peoples, and the hope he brings to all nations. Check out the full playlist on YouTube.

See if your favorites made the list and get five tips on using worship songs with your family.

Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar

March 4 to July 7, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (online). New online classes begin regularly.

March 5-7, Standards of Excellence introductory workshop (online). Provided regularly to help short-term mission leaders and mobilizers make their mission trips better. Also offered May 7-9.

March 10, Virtual Prayer Gathering: Call to Prayer (online). Join others to engage the Muslim world through prayer on the second Sunday of each month. This month, hear a testimony from Saudi Arabia.

March 10 to April 8, 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World (global). An annual global prayer event coinciding with the observation of the Ramadan fast.

March 11, Coast to Coast: Covering Ramadan in Prayer (online). Join Frontiers in covering the Muslim world in prayer during this four-hour event.

March 11 to April 6, COMPASS (Palmer Lake, CO, USA). Language and culture acquisition provided by Missionary Training International.

March 12 to May 14, Frontier Filmmaking Seminar (online). Learn to make cross-cultural evangelistic films with Create International.

March 18-22, Storytelling Training (online). Get hands-on experience with oral Bible storytelling with five three-hour sessions provided by Story Runners.

March 19, Contend: Monthly Day of Prayer For Mission Mobilization (global). Coordinated by GMMI. Held on the third Tuesday of each month.

March 21, Digital Storytelling: How to Build an Effective and Engaging Story Site (online) Peer2Peer webinar for marketing and communication staff from Missio Nexus.

March 25-26, Support Raising Bootcamp (Orlando, FL, USA). Provided by Via, formerly Support Raising Solutions. More classes held around the world throughout the year.

March 28, A Journey toward Polycentric Missions Leadership (online). A webinar from Missio Nexus.

View the complete calendar, updated regularly. Submissions welcome.

1. Data: New Numbers on Global Christianity
2. Book: 50 Years of Mobilizing for Frontier Missions
3. Infographic: Crossing Cultures for the Gospel
4. Article: Blessed Are the Peacemakers
5. Events: Helpful Conferences and Courses in February

It’s a lot to process, so you might want to look for secondary sources citing this resource. See, for example, 8 Encouraging Trends in Global Christianity for 2024 (Lifeway Research). Also consider these tips from Lifeway: How to Use Statistics in Your Sermons.

Of course, there are also some less-than-encouraging trends to be aware of. Voice of the Martyrs also has a new 2024 Global Prayer Guide focused on the persecuted church. Looks like everything is on the website or available in booklet form.

The 2024 World Watch List, an annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution, is now out. Watch and consider how you can share their video, Top 10 Countries Where Christians Face Extreme Persecution (Open Doors).

Sources: Various

Need numbers? The Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary has released its 2024 Status of Global Christianity Report. A related article in the International Bulletin of Missionary Research is a bit pricey for non-subscribers, but you can download the one-page summary for free.

It’s also worth looking for secondary sources citing this resource. See, for example, 8 Encouraging Trends in Global Christianity for 2024 (Lifeway Research). Also from Lifeway: How to Use Statistics in Your Sermons.

Of course, there are also some less-than-encouraging trends to be aware of. Voice of the Martyrs also has a new 2024 Global Prayer Guide focused on the persecuted church. Looks like everything is on the website or available in booklet form.

The 2024 World Watch List, an annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution, is now out. Watch and consider how you can share their video, Top 10 Countries Where Christians Face Extreme Persecution (Open Doors).

Propelled by Hope: The Story of the Perspectives Movement, by Yvonne W. Honeycutt. William Carey Publishing, 2024. 270 pages.

Coming out of the turbulent 1960s, the Jesus Movement revived a generation and led to a new optimism about spreading the gospel to the nations. Explo ’72, sponsored by Campus Crusade for Christ, drew an unprecedented 80,000 students. Then, at the 1973 Urbana Student Missions Conference, thousands of students responded to a challenge from Billy Graham to pursue God’s call in missions. Who would help them find and take their next step? That’s where the story of Perspectives begins.

This new book describes the original residential summer and semester-long courses for young adults and the many changes later made to reflect new emphases and reach new audiences. It explores how Perspectives on the World Christian Movement was both shaped by and shaped people, events, and priorities in the modern mission movement worldwide, despite significant obstacles and setbacks.

Hear the personal stories of Perspectives leaders, contributors, and students and give God glory for what he has done through this movement and the many ministries it has birthed or influenced. I knew some of those stories and had connected some of the dots, but was so encouraged to hear more. An inspiring read.

Learn more or buy the book from William Carey Publishing, available in paperback or ebook.

Source: FieldPartner International

Do you think missionaries today are well-trained? What happens if they aren’t? FieldPartner International did a survey exploring this questions and more.

Read their full report, peruse the infographic below, or check out an article about the survey from A Life Overseas: What Missionaries Need Today.

Source: Global Witness, Globally Reimagined

“At a recent mission conference in Africa, I sat through a sermon (disguised as a seminar paper) that sought to mobilise Africans to be drafted into God’s army, to join the missions force, and to let God deploy them to the trenches on the frontline where they can make a surprise attack on the enemy,” writes mission leader Harvey Kwiyani.

“I was told they were planning to send a battalion of young men and women as missionaries to occupy—like an occupying force—a city near me.”

How would you feel if you heard someone describe ministry in your area that way? It would not go over well in Malawi, says Kwiyani.

Read more. See also A Missiology of Non-Violence.

Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar

February 1, How to Double Your Next Fundraising Campaign (online). From Missio Nexus for mission communication and marketing teams.

February 1-3, Azmera Stateside Summit (Dallas/Fort Worth, TX, USA). A mission event just for women. Provided by Azmera. Be sure to also check out their Haven retreats for women serving cross-culturally. For 2024, retreats are planned for Namibia, Tanzania, Bolivia, Malta, and Israel.

February 3-4, Missionfest Manitoba (Winnipeg, MB, Canada). Community-based mission festival.

February 3, Santa Barbara Mission Conference (Santa Barbara, CA, USA). An annual regional mission event.

February 7, Missionary Care for the Local Church (online). From Missio Nexus for church mission leaders.

February 7-14, Culture Shock (online). An online course from Grow2Serve.

February 8, Finding Great Stories When You Can’t Be There in Person. From Missio Nexus for mission communication and marketing teams.

February 9-12, Field Security Seminar (Union Mills, NC, USA). Provided by Crisis Consulting International.

February 10, Generational Discipleship (online). Three-hour training event from AllNations.

February 11, Virtual Prayer Gathering: Call to Prayer (online). Join others to engage the Muslim world through prayer on the second Sunday of each month.

February 12-13, Support Raising Bootcamp (Austin, TX, USA). Provided by Via, formerly Support Raising Solutions. More classes held around the world throughout the year.Note that two virtual bootcamps will be held in February, one for folks in Australia (February 5-7) and another for the UK (February 27-29).

February 15, Winter Coordinates and The Shifting Center of the Global Church. Webinar from Missio Nexus.

February 15-17, MissionFest Vancouver (Vancouver, Canada). A free, community-wide mission conference.

February 16-17, Help! We’re Going on a Short-Term Trip (Tampa, FL, USA). Seminar for team leaders from CultureLink.

February 20, Contend: Monthly Day of Prayer For Mission Mobilization (global). Coordinated by GMMI and held on the third Tuesday of each month.

February 20-23, Critical Skills for Emerging Leaders (Winter Park, FL, USA). A Missio Nexus training event.

February 22-24, TELL Training: Bridges to Oral Cultures (Joplin, MO, USA). Provided by TRAIN International. Check out their other pre-field training and debriefing programs.

February 22-24, The International Congress on Language Learning (online). Learn about field-based language learning, best practices, coaching language learners, and connecting with experts in second language acquisition.

February 22-25, Refugee Highway Partnership Roundtable (Warsaw, Poland). An annual gathering.

February 23-24, Midwest Care Connexion (Roseville, MN, USA). An annual event, formerly Midwest Conference on Missionary Care (MC2), now a ministry of MissionConnexion and MissionWorks.

February 28-29, Move Conference (Marietta, GA, USA). Annual mission conference sponsored by Johnson Ferry Baptist Church. All are welcome.

View the complete calendar, updated regularly. Submissions welcome.

Missions Catalyst Resource Reviews

1. Afghan Mountain Faith: Stories of Justice, Beauty, and Relationships
2. Roundup: Five Links You Might Want to Follow
3. Articles: For Missionary Families from A Life Overseas
4. Events: Helpful Conferences and Courses Planned for Early 2024

Thanks for reading Missions Catalyst in 2023! We love writing for you and pray your new year gets off to a great start. In the meantime, here’s a quick book review and a roundup of articles and events. Enjoy.

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