Nearly anyone can live abroad. But incarnation is about more than just location. Successfully entering a culture that is different from yours requires that you learn the rules. If you're trying to influence across cultures, the rules are crucial.
Society is made up of rules. There are rules for how a ...
I've spent the last couple of days reading through my blog. I'm amazed at how much I've written about pretty much the same thing. There were times when thoughts and questions flowed and I posted frequently. There were other times where everything dried up and I hardly wrote anything at ...
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 ...
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 ...
I've always been taught to do what Jesus would do. So much so, that the question of "what" Jesus would do completely eclipsed the concept of "why." Jesus was selfless and always put other people's needs before His own. He spent time in public with people who were known as ...
Our regional (and organization-wide) mission and strategy is to "facilitate a Church Planting movement among people groups and/or population segments greater than 100,000 people and less than 2% evangelized. In past posts, I've taken issue with the definitions of "people groups" and "evangelized," and I've voiced my confusion over the ...
Every six months or so, I have to post my thoughts on "the missionary task." In my opinion, this is the single most important topic that no one is talking about. In another attempt to incite some discussion, I've also posted this to the Church Planting Forum.Below is an outline ...
Unless writing a lot makes one a "writer," Ernest is an unemployed former missionary. After more than six years in Western Europe, he is moving 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.