More often than not, “partnering in missions,” means small churches give what little money they think they can afford to a larger church or a missions sending agency that will handle mobilization, screening, indoctrination, training, sending, and maintenance of missionaries on the field. This is not “partnering,” it’s outsourcing.
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I love church planters. They really are a unique breed. Anyone who would launch out on their own to navigate the waters of societal indifference, institutional competition, and sustained discouragement in efforts to start a church deserves some respect (Or pity. Maybe both.) I get to meet a lot of church planters from across the [...]
It seems that everyone either has a network or is starting a network. A couple years ago, we started the Upstream Collective, a group of churches that think and act like missionaries. We looked around and didn’t see anything like it. We thought we could help. We saw a need, and we set out to [...]
Believers often look to the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul as the model for missions. He did, after all, travel around telling people about Jesus and leave a trail of networked churches in his wake. But Paul isn’t the best picture of a missionary. Paul didn’t seem to0 concerned with contextualization- mostly because [...]
Currently, there’s a trend among pastors and church leadership to define their roles. Lead Pastor. Teaching Pastor. Executive Pastor. Counseling Pastor. Pastor of Evangelism. As if the Bible didn’t define “pastor” well enough. Following the lead of the churches that support them, missionaries have likewise specialized within their calling. I’ve met “church planting missionaries” who [...]
If, during play, a child’s ball is punctured and begins to lose air, these are the steps to repairing it: Find the puncture Take any remaining air out of the ball Remove the thorn, nail, claw, etc. that caused the puncture Clean the damaged area Patch the ball with glue and like material Allow the [...]
Much of what I write here centers around metrics- how we measure what we do. I believe that our desire to have measurable results of some kind has driven our strategy into a deeply human-centered pragmatism. From numbers to feelings, we try everything to try to get a handle on what it is that God [...]
Tags: fruit, metrics, obedience, persecution, unity
You may have heard about the controversy over the elephant exhibit at the Los Angeles Zoo. The zoo is building a $42 million exhibit for Billy, its only elephant. There are three sides to the argument: those who say that $42 mil is too much to spend on one elephant, those who say the new [...]
If you read my last post, you know that after six years, I am moving back to the United States. I’m filled with mixed emotions as I try to sort through what this means for my life and retirement plan. I’ve moved into that pensive, reflective mode; everything I do here may be “the last [...]
Tags: , Practice makes better, reflecting, transition
After reading Dr. Malcolm Yarnell’s paper entitled, Shall We “Build Bridges” or “Pull Down Strongholds”? I was inspired to respond. I don’t usually do this sort of thing, but here’s an excerpt: I, however, believe that the gap between the mainstream culture and the “Christian” subculture many Americans find themselves in should be filled. This [...]
Tags: Missiology, Papers
They say that Coca-Cola is the world’s most recognizable brand. No matter where you go in the world, chances are that you can get the familiar caramel-colored fizzy drink. Coke is everywhere. Coke doesn’t taste the same in every country, though. They adjust the flavor based on local tastes. In Europe, the cola is less [...]
Tags: Coke, contextualization, gospel, reintroduction
Unless writing a lot makes one a "writer," Ernest is a former missionary. After more than six years in Western Europe, he moved to Portland, where he drinks too much coffee and over-analyzes human behavior. For more about Ernest, visit the About page where you can read a long-time reader's interview with him. Or, if you don't mind waiting a very, very long time, send him an email.associations attrition Books change Church church planting Coke contextualization Counterintuitive denominations entering culture ethics Evolution Favors Fear Finances Giving gospel Hobby Humanitarian trips Impractical Insuffiecient resources Interesting Person Kingdom learning leaving Megachurch Missiology missional Missions Missions Strategy Mom-and-Pop Money Papers Person of Peace Pragmatism reintroduction Rules small churches threat Training UpStream worldview
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