Month: April 2024

Source: Lausanne Movement, April 16, 2024

The Lausanne Movement, renowned worldwide for its historic congresses and leadership in global mission over the past five decades, will soon introduce its State of the Great Commission report [analyzing] the most crucial gaps and opportunities in fulfilling the Great Commission.

The report was enriched by the insights of more than 150 global mission experts from various corners of the world, with 40% representing the global South, 35% from the global North, and 25% from the global East. Additionally, the investigation tapped into hundreds of sources of information, as well as publishing original research. First published in English, it will soon be accessible in six additional languages: Spanish, Portuguese, French, Korean, Chinese, and Russian.

Report Highlights:

1. The Great Commission in a Digital Age

In today’s digital era, evangelism faces new challenges, as online platforms shape identities and communities, making outreach more complex than mere content provision. To succeed, great commission efforts need to intentionally cross digital borders.

2. The Question of Humanness

This is an unprecedented age of technological development, and what it means to be human is being questioned amidst rapidly changing dynamics of everyday life. These broader culture movements present new alternative paths for hope, salvation, and redemption, effectively altering the plausibility of the gospel.

3. The New Middle Class

Around 2020, the middle-class became the majority of the global population and by 2050, it will increase by 2 billion individuals. This demographic shift will significantly alter global dynamics, requiring necessary adjustments in the efforts of the Great Commission.

4. The Global Aging Population

People aged 60 years and older represent the fastest-growing global population, projected to increase from 1 billion to 2.1 billion by 2050. Global ageing has not been a primary focus for Christian missions in previous decades, a failure that has a significant impact on the extraordinary opportunity to reach and disciple the rapidly growing 60+ cohort.

The report will be released globally on April 23, 2024. You can access the report by visiting Lausanne.org/report.

Readers might also be interested in Cru’s Mission Shift podcast, which explores the changing face of global missions (now in its second season).

Source: Frontiers USA, April 15, 2024

I gently laid my daughter in her crib before tiptoeing out of the nursery and into the living room, where I sank onto the sofa beside my husband. We usually went to bed shortly after our daughter, but we had an appointment at a nanny agency in the morning. We needed the time together to pray.

My husband and I had agreed that we needed help so we could continue the ministry and language learning we’d already begun in our new country. But we both worried about finding someone we could trust to care for our daughter.

As we prayed for a solution, I stared at the rug. I was afraid I’d fall asleep if I closed my eyes. “Lord, would you guide us to the right person?”

The next day, my husband and I visited the nanny agency. We were taken into a small room full of women, all lined up to meet us. It was a normal process in this part of the world, but I’d never felt quite so awkward.

I fumbled through introductions, my discomfort rising as I quickly made my way through the line. Eventually, I reached a woman named Jannah.

She smiled. “It means heaven.”

“Really?” My uneasiness melted away, and I began to sense the Lord at work. “My daughter’s name is Celeste. It also means heaven.” When I was pregnant, we were guided to this name, and we hoped it would serve as a lifelong reminder to keep her focus on Christ and her eternal home.

I wondered if the meaning had similar significance for Jannah. “Tell me about yourself.”

At first, she described her experience caring for children. Then, with a gentle smile, she identified herself as a believer. “I’ve been praying for the chance to work for a Christian family.”

I could hardly believe it! Yet, I shouldn’t have been surprised. God always proved himself faithful in the big things and the little.

We were Jannah’s answer to prayer, and she was ours.

Read the whole story.

Did you know? Opportunities to bless missionary families by helping care for or educate their children are abundant. Want to make a difference? Ask if your church’s missionaries or others you know could use a hand, or contact an international school, mission agency, or MissionNext.