The concept of "people groups" has radically affected they way we do missions. It used to be that missionaries were sent to minister to the people of a given country. These days, however, we recognize that people group themselves and identify with communities that may not necessarily conform to (sometimes ...

I've been part of a couple of conversations lately about whether or not we still need denominations or associations of churches. Many times, supporters of these associations cite the benefits of smaller churches partnering with larger ones to be more effective in missions. There may be a good reason to ...

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 ...

A key part of our ministry is building relationships with the people God brings to us. God has often used us in ways similar to His use of Joseph in the Old Testament. Not so much in the "Pharaoh-naming-us-Vice-Pharaoh" sort of way; more in the sense of "I had a ...

Statistics. Demographics.Lostness. Evangelization.Need. Opportunity.Resources. Support.Trends. Movements. Reaction.Creativity. Good ideas.Common sense.Duty. Tradition.Ease. Difficulty.Guilt, pity, fear.Passion, compassion, desire.Love.We are constantly tempted to allow these things to dictate our missions activities. In many cases, these are the motives that were used to recruit us into sacrificial giving and to service. We all ...

God called me to missions in Western Europe by giving me a vision for what He could (would?) do among the people here. I was excited about being part of God's interaction with the postmodern, postchristian people of Europe. I really believed that God was going to start a church ...

It occurs to me that much of our missionary efforts today are carried out as though God wasn't on the field.God doesn't "send" us. He calls us to join Him. There's a difference. If we think that we're doing something great for God, or that He (or the "nations") needs ...

Missions- (mish-uh ns) -noun: 1. a group of persons sent by a church to carry on religious work, esp. evangelization in foreign lands, and often to establish schools, hospitals, etc. 2. missionary duty or work 3. organized missionary work or activities in any country or region 4. a ...

A key element of our missiology is our understanding of what heavenly worship will look like. This will affect the degree to which we value the individual cultures of the nations. It seems that most of us tend toward one of two extremes. Of course, I simplify here for the ...

In keeping with my complete inability to leave well enough alone, I'd like to illustrate the point of my last post. Some of you will be surprised to learn that there was, in fact, a point to my last post."Church planting movement" is the term we've adopted to describe a ...