Category: Resource Reviews

Source: InterVarsity Press

Short-Term Missions Workbook: From Mission Tourists to Global Citizens (revised and expanded), by Tim Dearborn. IVP Books: October 2018. 144 pages.

Looking for a tool to train a team for a mission trip? This helpful classic may be just what you need. It includes Bible studies, cross-cultural training helps, discussion questions, cultural simulation activities, and a leader’s guide.The content of this new edition closely follows that of the 2003 edition but has been updated throughout. New chapters focus on on facing risks, fear, and suffering and making the most of the trip after returning home. I recommend it highly.

Two things you should know, though:

• Readers are assumed to be Americans traveling to other countries, but the workbook can also be used with teams serving cross-culturally in the US. I don’t think it would work very well for self-study apart from a team.
• Participants are also encouraged to read Beyond Duty: a Passion for Christ, a Heart for Missions (from the same author and publisher and revised in 2013). References are made to it throughout. But the two books can also be used separately.
• The author suggests teams meet weekly for nine sessions, as well as twice following the trip (using video conferencing if necessary).

» Get the paperback for US$12.38 from Amazon (or elsewhere). Get a discount on bulk purchases if you get them from IVP. It’s also available as an ebook.

» Need something simpler or more flexible? Try the bestselling Before You Pack Your Bag, Prepare Your Heart, by Cindy Judge.

Source: Global Missions Podcast

The Global Missions Podcast, out of Canada, has recently launched a new season. In the October 2 episode, Marv Newell of Missio Nexus unpacks three big trends impacting missions today, with practical ways that churches and mission agencies can respond to these realities. Nothing we haven’t heard before, but I’m not sure we’ve adjusted our approaches enough in light of these factors.

» Listen to the podcast. There’s also a brand-new episode about how the upcoming Urbana Conference.

» The Taking Route Podcast, a fun one for women living cross-culturally, has also launched a new season you or someone you know might enjoy.

Source: Catalyst Services

Often orphanage ministry is one of a church’s most-popular global missions efforts because there is such an emotional attachment to needy children. Yet disturbing facts about the orphanage model, especially the impact of Western short-term ministries in majority world orphanages, are causing many churches to rethink their strategy for orphan ministry abroad.

» Full article includes case studies, best practices, and more. You can read it online or download as an eight-page PDF.

Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar

See the online calendar for links.

October 18, Stewarding the Purpose Inside Your People (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

October 11-12, Support Raising Bootcamp (Rogers, AR, USA). Provided by Support Raising Solutions.

October 18-20, B4T Expo (Kansas City, MO, USA). Business for transformation. Sponsored by OPEN USA (formerly NexusB4T).

October 19-20, Missions Fest Seattle (Bellevue, WA, USA). Free annual community missions event.

October 19-20, MissionFest Toronto (Milton, ON, Canada). Free annual community missions event.

October 19-20, Check-IT-Out Fall Conference (Charlotte, NC, USA). For IT and software professionals and students on technology in missions/translation.

October 21-26, ABIDE (Joplin, MO, USA). Debriefing and reentry help for returning missionaries.

October 22 to November 17, COMPASS Prefield Training (Palmer Lake, CO, USA). Provided by Missionary Training International multiple times a year.

October 27, Heart for Muslims conference (New York, NY, USA).

October 28 to November 11, 15 Days of Prayer for the Hindu World (global).

October 30 to November 27, Using Mobile Phones in Missions (online). Mentored course to leverage ministry outreach using phones. Provided by Mission Media U.

November 1, The New Normal for Mission in China (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

November 1-2, Finishing the Task through Children (Carlsbad, CA, USA). Gathering sponsored by Missio Nexus and Kids Around the World.

November 1-3, Christian Community Development Association (Chicago, IL, USA). An annual event.

November 1-3, Crescent Project National Conference (Columbus, OH, USA).

November 4, International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (global).

November 1-4, GO Equipped Tentmaking Course (Velbert, Germany).

November 4-30, Mobilizer Equipping School (Chiang Mai, Thailand). Provided by SVM2.

November 5 to March 17, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (online).

November 7, The Missionary Pipeline (online). Free webinar from Sixteen:Fifteen.

November 7-11, GO Equipped Tentmaking Course (Ceski Tesin, Czech Republic).

November 8, The Place of Orality in Church Planting (online).

November 8-10, Global Missions Health Conference (Louisville, KY, USA). Annual event focused on medical missions.

November 14-15, Standards Introductory Workshop (Cincinnati, OH, USA). Presented by Standards of Excellence in Short-term Missions.

November 15, Insights from Respected Women in God’s Mission (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

November 15-17, GO Equipped Tentmaking Course (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). Hosted by Tent Brazil.

November 15-18, Mental Health and Missions Conference (Angola, IN, USA).

November 15-18, The International Conference on Missions (Cincinnati, OH, USA).

November 27-28, Support Raising Bootcamp (Colorado Springs, CO, USA). Provided by Support Raising Solutions.

» View the complete calendar. Please let us know about mistakes or omissions. For more details, contact the event organizers.

1. BOOK: Seven Thorny Questions for Church Mission Leaders
2. E-BOOK: Sharing the Gospel with Asian Atheists
3. MOBILE APP: 10/10 Prayer and Fasting
4. EVENT: Hindu World Prayer Focus
5. EVENTS: Coming up in October

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Source: InterVarsity Press

Mapping Church Missions: A Compass for Ministry Strategy, by Sharon R. Hoover. IVP Praxis, 2018. 193 pages.

Should we prioritize evangelism or works of service? Local ministries or global missions? What’s more important: giving our money or giving our time? Crisis response or building sustainable, long-term ministries? And what do we make of short-term missions? Will we focus more on discipling those we serve or developing those doing the serving? What’s our attitude toward risk—will we embrace it or avoid it?

God has given our people a wide variety of gifts and passions, but how will we steward them? No church can do it all. In a book that just came out this week, church mission leader Sharon Hoover takes on seven thorny questions that often divide Christians and churches and have probably led to gridlock at some point in your church. She provides tools and examples to help you find your place on each spectrum and understand the values and perspectives of those who might be on the other side. The author’s succinct summations of the shifting and competing trends that have led to some of these tensions are particularly helpful.

» Learn more or pick up the paperback from Amazon (or elsewhere) for US$13.00, and slightly less for the Kindle edition. See also the publisher’s website.

Source: Brigada Today item, September 16, 2018

You’ve no doubt been following the crackdown on religion in China. In the face of all this persecution, Chinese Christians are becoming all the more bold in their willingness to speak out about Christ, while at the same time clarifying that they have no desire to overthrow the government. In fact, they are testifying that Christians pray for their leaders and try to be good citizens. Either way, in times like these, some find it easier to bring up issues of faith with their Asian friends. But how do we begin with an Asian friend who has atheistic world view? Our good friends at 10/40 Connections [Chad and Leslie Segraves] have made it easier for all of us by putting together this free e-book, about 50 pages long.

» Download Saving Face and All the Rest: Share the Gospel with Asian Atheists (PDF).

Source: 10/10 Prayer and Fasting

A partnership of Christians desiring to see God draw Muslims to himself has an audacious goal: mobilize believers who will join together to pray 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for ten years, asking God for at least ten percent of the Muslim world to be saved by 2028.

What do you think? You in?

Earlier this year they released a mobile prayer app—10/10 Prayer and Fasting—which, if you turn on notifications, will send you a short prayer request each day and remind you to pray. Registration required.

» Learn more or get the app (Google Play). Thanks to Encountering the World of Islam for reminding us of this one.

Source: World Christian

The second annual Hindu World Prayer Focus, coinciding with the Hindu Festival of Lights (Diwali), is scheduled to take place October 28 to November 11. Copies of a 32-page booklet are being distributed globally and available in the US from WorldChristian.com for US$3 (with discounts for multiple copies). This is a great chance to help your church or group learn about and pray for the world’s more than one billion Hindus.

» To learn more, visit the international website.

» Also see Modeling Prayer for Hindu Background Believers (IMB).

Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar

October 1 to February 10, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (online).

October 2 to December 20, Serving Others Through Listening Well (online). Part of Sharpening Your Interpersonal Skills. Provided by International Training Partners.

October 3-5, The Patronage Symposium (Beirut, Lebanon). Exploring the gospel in patron-client contexts.

October 4, Welcoming the Stranger (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

October 5, Quarterly Update (online). A survey of trends affecting the unreached. From Justin Long.

October 12-14, EMS National Conference (Dallas, TX, USA). From the Evangelical Missiological Society.

October 17-18, Mission Agency Consultation (Albuquerque, NM, USA). Provided by Sixteen:Fifteen.

October 18, Stewarding the Purpose Inside Your People (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

October 11-12, Support Raising Bootcamp (Rogers, AR, USA). Provided by Support Raising Solutions.

October 18-20, B4T Expo (Kansas City, MO, USA). Business for transformation. Sponsored by OPEN USA (formerly NexusB4T).

October 19-20, Missions Fest Seattle (Bellevue, WA, USA). Free annual community missions event.

October 19-20, MissionFest Toronto (Milton, ON, Canada). Free annual community missions event.

October 19-20, Check-IT-Out Fall Conference (Charlotte, NC, USA). For IT and software professionals and students on technology in missions/translation.

October 21-26, ABIDE (Joplin, MO, USA). Debriefing and reentry help for returning missionaries.

October 22 to November 17, COMPASS Prefield Training (Palmer Lake, CO, USA). Provided by Missionary Training International multiple times a year.

October 27, Heart for Muslims conference (New York, NY, USA).

October 28 to November 11, 15 Days of Prayer for the Hindu World (global).

October 30 to November 27, Using Mobile Phones in Missions (online). Mentored course to leverage ministry outreach using phones. Provided by Mission Media U.

» View the complete calendar. Please let us know about mistakes or omissions. For more details, contact the event organizers.