Category: Resource Reviews

Sources: Various

You probably know this by now, but Ramadan starts this week, and with it, 30 days of prayer for the Muslim world (April 24 to May 23). Several organizations have produced material you can easily download and share with your friends, family, and church even when so many of us are unable to meet face to face. Would one of these strategies work for you?

• Purchase and download PDF booklets from the 30 Days website.
• Subscribe to emails and watch prayer videos from across the Muslim world from Prayercast. See their calendar of topics.
• Sign up for That All May Know, a 30-day prayer series from Frontiers.
• Use the time to focus prayers on one people group, country, or ministry in the Muslim world which God has put on your heart.

» Ramadan and the Eid Al Fitr holiday that follows will sure be different this year. Let’s ask God to use this time to draw many to himself.

Source: Grow2Serve

Maybe you’re preparing for cross-cultural ministry or are responsible for people who are, and you see how many conferences and training events are being called off or postponed. But many training programs are already built for distance learning. A growing number of mission agencies are offering inexpensive, online training courses through Grow2Serve.

In addition to the kinds of training cross-cultural workers will always need, like culture and language acquisition courses, they have several new ones that seem particularly relevant at this time:

• Sustainable Resilience was developed in partnership with the Center for Intercultural Training. It’s a two-week course that requires a time commitment of nine hours.
• Living on Mission in Times of Crisis is a new course developed in partnership with Multiply. It’s a 12-day course that requires ten hours to complete. Several mission agencies are now offering the course.

» See the Grow2Serve Calendar.

» Need training to serve among Muslims? See several options below, and note that The Zwemer Center is offering 50% off non-credit seminar courses for the next 30 days. Check their social media channels for the discount code.

Source: Missions Catalyst Missions Events Calendar

Event organizers canceled or postponed the face-to-face event on our May events calendar, but online events go on and have multiplied. For your convenience, this list includes upcoming events described above.

May 1, Global Missions Amidst a Pandemic: A Live Prayercast (online). YouTube event from Missions Pulse and partners.

May 4 to August 2, Encountering the World of Islam (online). Embracing Muslims with the love of Christ. Classes start several times a year.

May 4 to September 6, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (online). New classes launch regularly.

May 7, National Day of Prayer (USA). An annual event.

May 12, Leveraging Youth Mission Trips for Long-Term Spiritual Growth (online). Webinar from the Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission.

May 14, Keeping the Missions Flame Burning During a Pandemic: God, Germs and Missions Part II (online). Webinar from Sixteen:Fifteen.

May 14, From City to Shore: Jesus Film Project is Seeking to Equip the Global Church (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

May 18-19, Prayer ConneXion (online). An annual event and ministry of Mission ConneXion, based in Portland, Oregon. Now moved online.

May 20-27, Parenting Third Culture Kids (online). Distance-learning course provided by the Center for Intercultural Training.

May 26 to June 5, Summer Institute on Islam (online). Learn to share your faith effectively with Muslims; intensive course now moved online.

May 28, Pathways for Women in Leadership (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

May 30 to June 1, Together: Making Disciples Among the Nations (online). Annual conference of the Association of Christians Ministering Among International Students (ACMI), now moved online.

May 31, International Day for the Unreached (global). An annual event.

» View complete calendar. Submissions and corrections welcome. We will continue to make updates about canceled and postponed events.

In this issue:

1. VIDEO: Pray During COVID-19
2. BOOK: Ephesiology
3. ARTICLE: Motus Dei
4. FILMS: Streaming Sooner Than Expected
5. EVENTS: All Online for April

Source: Prayercast

There is something you can do about the COVID-19 coronavirus. Many of us are in various degrees of quarantine and lockdown, but nothing will ever stop the power and reach of prayer.

» Join us in lifting our eyes from the headlines and fixing them on Jesus with this new prayercast video. This might be a good one to share with your church, group, or organization.

» Get regular updates on what God is doing during this season through various ministries from Mission Network News.

Source: William Carey Publishing

Ephesiology: A Study of the Ephesian Movement, by Michael T. Cooper. William Carey Publishing, 2020. 347 pages.

Acts 19:10 reports all who lived in the Roman province of Asia heard the word of the Lord during the two years Paul was in Ephesus. What does that mean? How in the world did it happen? And what can we learn from it that might help us today?

Ephesiology is a thorough exploration of this movement as described primarily in Acts 19, Ephesians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Revelation 2-3. The author steers clear of contemporary models and debates; this may make this book more appealing to those who object to aspects of what they see elsewhere. What he seeks to offer is an accessible biblical missiology—or, as he puts it, a missiological theology of the Bible—for readers who want to see their world transformed as Ephesus was. This is not an easy read but a worth the effort.

» Learn more or purchase for US$9.99 (Kindle) or $15.99 (paperback) from Amazon or elsewhere. See also the Ephesiology website which includes a course, blog, and podcast.

» William Carey Publishing has also released a new, special edition of the late Steve Smith’s book Spirit Walk: The Extraordinary Power of Acts for Ordinary People. Take a look.

Source: Global Missiology

How does what we’re seeing in disciple-making movements today fit into our understanding of Missio Dei, the overarching mission of God? How much common ground might there be between those focused on catalyzing disciple-making movements and those with a broader, maybe more holistic understanding of mission?

Check out what author and missiologist Warrick Farah has to say as he explores how the topic connects with various (sometimes competing) conversations in the field of mission studies and introduces the term motus Dei, movement of God.

» Read the article. You might be interested in another from the author, A Missiology of Social Distancing: Ministry Innovation in the Midst of Biosecurity Events (Circumpolar).

Sources: Various

Some of you may have seen Free Burma Rangers, a documentary we reviewed in January. The producers are working on digital delivery to replace theater screenings. Keep an eye on their website or social media channels if interested.

I Am Patrick, CBN’s new docudrama about Ireland’s patron saint, was to debut the very day major theater chains were shutting down. So now, for US$15, you can get it on DVD with simultaneous streaming. It’s a thoughtful, interesting, and well executed film. I recommend it.

» See also St. Patrick and the Great Commission, a piece I wrote for Pioneers USA.

Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar

Not surprisingly, event organizers cancelled or postponed the face-to-face event on our April events calendar. But check out these webinars and courses you can still participate in. I’m including a few for late March which may be of interest.

March 25 to April 1, Guilt, Shame, Fear… and Faith (online). Training course from the Center for Intercultural Training.

March 30 to April 6, Spiritual Warfare—the Super and the Natural (online). Training course from the Center for Intercultural Training.

March 30 to April 6, Onramp (online). Training course from the Center for Intercultural Training to help launch you into cross-cultural ministry.

April 1, God, Germs and Global Missions (online). Webinar from Sixteen:Fifteen. Free.

April 2, Mobilization: Helping Others Uncover Their Dreams and Callings (online). Global update provided by Beyond.

April 6 to August 9, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (online). Offered regularly; another course begins May 4.

April 9, TECHnically Connected: Navigating Distance on Virtual Teams (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

April 14, Engaging the Church as Senders (online). Webinar from the Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Missions.

April 16, Character vs. Skill: Biblical Paradigms for Leadership (online). Nugget training from Beyond.

April 23, Overcoming through Prayer (online). Proactive prayer training from Beyond.

April 24 to May 24, 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World (global). Annual. Consider purchasing the (paper or electronic) 2020 prayer guides for kids and adults. Watch and share the promo video.

» View complete calendar. Submissions welcome. We are starting to see May events cancelled and will continue to make updates.

» Cancelled your mission trip? Still in wait-and-see mode? Standards of Excellence in Short-term Mission has posted the recording  of a March 17 webinar on COVID-19 and Mission Trips with specialists in several areas. No cost. Check it out.