Category: Resource Reviews

1. DATA: If There Were Only 100 Christians
2. BOOK: World Christian Encyclopedia, Third Edition
3. EVENT: On Mission Online Mission Conference
4. CURRICULUM: Dinner Party Devotions
5. ARTICLE: Every Missionary Needs Friends
6. EVENTS: March Conferences and Training

January 29, 2020, Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary

• If 100 Christians represented all of global Christianity, 67 would live in Asia, Africa, Latin America, or Oceania, while 33 would live in Europe or Northern America. Most would be found in urban areas (65) as opposed to rural (35).
• Linguistically, 16 would speak Spanish as their mother tongue, 10 English, 8 Portuguese, 5 Russian and 3 Mandarin Chinese.
• Most (64) would be between the ages of 15 and 64, while 26 would be under 15.
• Eleven Christians would be illiterate, and 35 would have little to no access to secondary education. Roughly half of Christians would have access to the internet. Fourteen would have no access to safe water, and five would have malaria.
• Most Christians (79) would live in countries with moderate to high corruption; 35 would live in countries with low development.

A typical Christian today is a non-white woman living in the global South, with lower-than-average levels of societal safety and proper health care. This represents a vastly different typical Christian than that of 100 years ago, who was likely a white, affluent European.

» Read The World as 100 Christians and study the graphic. It’s inspired by The World as 100 People but uses data from the recently updated World Christian Encyclopedia (see below).

» An article from another source shows that eight in ten evangelical Christians live in Asia, Africa, or Latin America (Evangelical Focus). See also a visualization of the world’s 100 most-spoken languages.

Source: Edinburgh University Press

The World Christian Encyclopedia, now in its third edition, documents the changing status of World Christianity over the past 120 years from historical and social scientific perspectives. It records the continued shift of Christianity to the Global South and contains estimates for religious and nonreligious affiliation in every country of the world, including detail on Christianity to the denominational level. This reference work features comprehensive descriptions of all Christian traditions, including current information on the uniqueness of Christian experiences around the world.

At 1000 oversized pages and more than US$200 a copy, this encyclopedia is not for everyone. If you lead a global ministry, maintain a mission education library, or specialize in mission research, you will want a copy. The rest of us may just want to know someone who has one we can use for reference. The publisher also plans to sell the 32-page introductory overview as a separate resource, as well as allow  readers to purchase just the info about one country or region. That could be very helpful for those working in or researching a specific area.

» Learn more or buy a copy from the publisher. In the US, you can get a copy from Christianbook.com for US$213.49. No ebook edition (yet).

Source: Missio Nexus

The Church today has such great sending potential—yet current attrition statistics show an ongoing need for sending workers to unreached people groups. How can churches and agencies get people mobilized for the work of Christ?

On Mission, the annual online mission conference from Missio Nexus, will explore these questions and more. The three-hour live-streamed event will feature 15-20 short (ten-minute) video presentations from presenters from around the world.

Participate live on March 11 (12-3pm Eastern) or watch the videos on your own or with a group at your own pace. Videos from the last three years are also available online. You might want to browse through them for content to stimulate discussion with others.

» Learn more or register for the event.

Source: Wycliffe Women

God chose unlikely people throughout the Bible and hand-picked them to declare his glory. Discover stories that highlight God’s astonishing way of working paired with fun international recipes in the free PDF dinner party devotional, “Lessons from Lesser Knowns.” It’s about 30 pages long and includes material for six sessions with Bible references, devotional articles, discussion questions, and recipes for each session.

You’ll also be invited to sign-up for emails and resources geared specifically toward women.

» Learn more or download this material and find other resources at Wycliffe.org/women. Wycliffe also offers a free kids cookbook as part of Wycliffe.org/kids.

» See also You Are Always Welcome, a family activity to help you and your kids cultivate a habit of welcoming those from other cultures into your home (Weave).

Source: Catalyst Services

Jesus delivered his Acts 1:8 commission as a priority for all of his followers. In the 21st century, his Church has more ways than ever before to strategically engage every believer in fulfilling this Jerusalem-to-the-ends-of-the-earth command. A list of Great Commission roles includes goer, sender, welcomer, intercessor, and mobilizer. But there is at least one other overlooked and undervalued role to include—we’re calling it missionary “Friend” with a capital “F.”

» Read the article (PDF download) and share it with others. Missionaries will thank you!

» You may also want to check out Why, When, and How to Visit Your Missionary (Global Missions Podcast).

Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar

March 2 to July 5, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (online).

March 4-5, Support Raising Bootcamp (Charlotte, NC, USA). Provided by Support Raising Solutions. Additional bootcamps this month will be held in Malaysia (March 16-18) and Guatemala (March 19-20).

March 5, Finding God-Prepared People (online). Nugget training from Beyond.

March 5, Networking Practitioners Ministering Among the Muslim Diaspora in North America (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

March 5-7, IMPACT Gathering (Atlanta, GA, USA). Annual event for those desiring CPM among UPGs of SE Asia; pre-conference training events also scheduled March 2-4.

March 6-7, Treasure Valley Missions Conference (Boise, ID, USA). Free, community-wide missions conference.

March 6-7, Standards Introductory Workshop (Boise, ID, USA). Training in the Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission. Part of the Treasure Valley Missions Conference.

March 7, Short-Term Missions Trip Leaders Training (Columbia, SC, USA).

March 9-11, Crisis Management Seminar (Cleveland, OH). Provided by Crisis Consulting International.

March 10, Realistic Expectations: Equipping and Empowering Team Leaders (online). From the Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission.

March 11, OnMission (online). Free virtual conference from Missio Nexus; focused on mobilization.

March 12, Praying the Promises of God (online). Proactive prayer training from Beyond.

March 12-15, Multiply DMM Summit (Chicago, IL, USA). Changing ministry-as-usual to disciple-making multiplication.

March 15-20, ABIDE re-entry debriefing for global workers (Joplin, MO, USA).

March 15 to April 10, Equipping for Cross-Cultural Life and Ministry (Union Mills, NC, USA). Provided by the Center for Intercultural Training.

March 19, Challenges in the North American Church Defining Mission (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

March 20-22, Everywhere to Everywhere (Wichita, KS, USA). Missional training and outreach event.

March 26-28, B4T Expo (Detroit, MI, USA). Transforming nations through business; an annual event.

March 26-28, Christian Community Health Conference (Cincinnati, OH, USA). Provided by the Christian Community Health Fellowship.

March 27-29, Jesus to the Nations (Halifax, NS, Canada). Free, annual, community-based mission festival for all ages.

March 30 to April 1, The Future of Religion and Mission (Hamilton, MA, USA). Celebrating the launch of the World Christian Encyclopedia, 3rd edition.

» View complete calendar. Suggestions and submissions welcome.

In this issue:

1. FILM: Free Burma Rangers
2. VIDEO SERIES: Off-Road Encounters
3. DATA: Status of Global Christianity
4. BOOK: Recent Titles
5. EVENTS: February Conferences and Training

Source: Lifeway Films and Deidox Films

In 1997 David Eubank, his family, and local partners in Burma (Myanmar) started a unique organization inspired in part by Eubank’s experience in US Special Forces. The Free Burma Rangers come alongside internally displaced people on relief and rescue missions. They minister to the oppressed, document atrocities, and tell their stories. Though they began serving on the front lines of the Burmese civil war, they have also conducted missions in Iraq, Syria, and Sudan. This documentary includes footage from missions in Burma and Iraq as well as interviews with the Eubank family and others.

Viewer discretion is advised due to violent and intense scenes. This is not a Sunday school missionary story and it has some ambiguous elements. It was not easy to watch. I went into it wondering what Jean Johnson, author of We Are Not the Hero, would say.

But the longer we watched it, the more we came to like Dave Eubank and respect how he and his family live out their faith in a war zone. They won us over. They may carry guns (sometimes), but their hearts are for peace and reconciliation. They wrestle with fear and forgiveness. They pray and do what God says. They love, honor, and serve their local partners. And, with humility and sincerity, they inspire viewers to do the same.

The film will be in theaters across the US for two days only on February 24-25. Bring your friends but not young children. If you take a group, I’d recommend you allow some time for discussion and debriefing.

» Learn more or purchase tickets. See also Who Are the Free Burma Rangers? (Missions Pulse).

» Interested in theater showings of Christian films with global themes? I know, those are rare! Good news: A docudrama about St. Patrick will be in theaters a few nights in March. A film about mission aviation will come out in August.

Source: Jeannie Marie

In this eight-episode video series, viewers join the (American) Richardson family on an adventure to four countries around the world to discover the truth about Muslims: how they live, what they believe, what they hope for, and what values we share.

Each episode is fun, fast-paced, and 8-10 minutes in length. Jeannie has written new discussion questions and activities to go with them. Subscribers get the material by email once a week. Looks like this is aimed for families with elementary-school aged children. You could also use it in a classroom setting. And the whole thing is free.

Sound a bit familiar? This curriculum was developed in 2014 by Frontiers in collaboration with Sonlight Curriculum before being relaunched here. Jeannie Marie, author of Across the Street and Around the World, has also collected and created many more educational resources now available on her website. Take a look.

» Learn more about Off-Road Encounters or watch the first episode.