Welcome to Mission Hits, a monthly blog highlighting stimulating and significant recent resources related to world mission and world Christianity.
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Welcome to Mission Hits # 60 (August 2024)
The beneficial resources never stop coming do they?! Another wonderful selection of brilliant books, videos, podcasts, articles, courses, blogs, stats, tweets, news articles, quotes, and so much more - all created and curated to help you think and act according to God's global plans and purposes in mission. Whether you're able to click on 3 or 30 of these links, may each one be a blessing to you!
I'll be at the Lausanne IV congress in Seoul in late September. I know many of you will be there too, so if you're around and fancy getting in touch for a chat (and telling me how to make Mission Hits better!) then get in touch by email. I'll no doubt be tweeting about my experiences there at @chrishowles
Because of that (and an immensely busy start of the new academic year here at Oak Hill College) I'm not planning to release a Mission Hits in September. But I look forward to sending you more links to top-class mission resources in October!
If you know anyone who might find this a useful monthly resource to receive, then please do pass this on and encourage them to sign up. And please feel free to send me any suggestions or feedback (chris.howles@fromeverynation.net).
Have a blessed and mission-minded month ahead, and I'll see you in October,
Chris (Howles)
Director of Cross-Cultural Training, Oak Hill College (UK)
Doctorate in Intercultural Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary (US)
ESSENTIALS (if you only have time for one...)
Essential for Missionaries
"Grief is part of the life overseas deal. Ours, our kids’, and the loved ones we leave behind. Layers and levels and loads of grief…Sharp and throbbing in the early months, mellowing as time carries on." Rachel Allord writing for the 'A Life Overseas' blog. Many current missionaries could benefit from this.
Essential for Church Leaders
Six brief bullet points from 9Marks to give one framework (others are available) as to how churches might evaluate missionary work they support..
Essential for Mission Agency Workers
If you ask local partners and leaders what sort of missionaries do they want to receive, as opposed to what we think they want, interesting things happen! Nathan Sloan from Upstream Sending writing for the Gospel Coalition.
Essential for Christians Partnering as Senders
"Our job as senders is to rely on his Spirit and the wisdom of others as we identify, assess, and develop potential missionaries and trust that he will show us when to say “Yes,” when to say “No,” and when to say “Not yet.” Crucial for mission agencies to know when, and how, to make tough decisions like this. Ryan Martin writing for The ever-excellent Upstream Collective blog.
GENERAL (well worth your time)
Praying for missionaries can be a struggle, especially in the absence of recent news. This fun post from a US missionary in Central Asia highlights something all missionaries would value prayer for: to enjoy aspects of local culture that are very different to their own.
"God wants missionaries to be sent, and he is sovereign over their going. Therefore, we can trust him in support raising." Maybe you've read an article something like this before. I have. But I also greatly appreciated reading something like this again. Evan Smith writing for Reaching and Teaching International.
“I just can’t see myself making a difference here"…“If only I could plant a church where I’m in charge"…"“My life isn’t having an impact right now." Have you ever heard such things from prospective missionaries? Or said/felt them yourself? Some helpful reflections here from Alex Kocman for the ABWE blog.
AUDIO/VISUAL (podcasts & videos)
Massively enjoyed and benefitted from this 45min 'Love the Stranger' podcast episode with Dr. Harvey Kwiyani (Centre for Global Witness and Human Migration at Church Mission Society, Oxford) speaking about Christian hospitality in the context of migration. It's spoken from and for a primarily UK context but actually has huge resonance I believe with US and other global listeners too. Highly recommended.
Keelan Cook and Scott Hildreth on whether immigration to the US should be considered an opportunity or a challenge (threat?) for American churches today. I really appreciated the excellent historical and systematic approaches to this topic in this 45-min episode of the 'Sent Life' podcast.
I knew almost nothing of the rather hidden Kingdom of Bhutan and mission there.. After listening to this 17-min episode from the AsiaLink Podcast, I now know some things, and would like to know more!
DIGGING DEEPER (challenging but rewarding)
MissioNexus CEO Ted Esler writes brilliantly here about the flaws and fallacies of 'closure missiology' - the idea that Jesus cannot return and fulfill our eschatological future until the gospel has been preached to the whole world.
'There are lots of good things, but for missions, a focus on the unreached is best' Hugely appreciated this again from Ted Esler. I also, I must admit, appreciated the comment below the article from S.T.Antonio, which struck me as a positive approach to resolving a thorny tension.
"Before an election when migration, and therefore migrants, are being kicked around like a political football it is good to remember that we are not only involved in a complex economic and political issue, but are talking about our neighbours whose lives and experiences should be approached with reverence and respect, and who offer us gifts at the very heart of our faith that we should treasure and internalise" Brilliant by John Root.
BOOKS (recent releases)
Links are to Amazon for best info/reviews. Other outlets are available...
Esau McCaulley, Janette H. Ok, Osvaldo Padilla, Amy L. B. Peeler (eds)
"Listening to scholars from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities offers us an opportunity to explore the Bible from a wider angle, a better vantage point. The New Testament in Color is a one-volume commentary on the New Testament written by a multiethnic team of scholars holding orthodox Christian beliefs. Each scholar brings exegetical expertise coupled with a unique interpretive lens to illuminate the ways social location and biblical interpretation work together."
Jonathan Black
"At just over a century old, the Pentecostal Movement accounts for over 500 million believers worldwide and continues to grow. Still, confusion abounds over what Pentecostals believe and teach about the Holy Spirit, worship, salvation, healing, and much more. In [this book] Jonathan Black provides an accessible overview of the historical, theological, biblical, and experiential factors that make Pentecostalism a vibrant and worldwide Christian movement."
E.D. Burns
"Amid life's constant change and uncertainty, the call to serve in the Great Commission can often feel overwhelming and isolating. How can one maintain steadfastness and joy through the pressures and obscurities of such a calling? The answer is found not in the strength of our own efforts but in a deep, transformative truth often overlooked due to its simplicity: life in Christ. In [this book] [the author] skillfully unfolds the peace-giving assurance of our union with Christ. This weighty truth provides not only the foundation but also the force behind our endeavors, allowing us to labor with confidence even in barren fields.."
MISCELLANEOUS (varied but valuable)
I've linked before to the recently published magnificent 'State of the Great Commission Report' from Lausanne, but you may not have noticed this section of it: reports concerning the current situation of mission and church in 12 different regions of the world. There's a good balance of depth, broadness and brevity to each one that makes these both fun to read and easy to learn from.
Pew research Centre have just released a new report on global migration. It's full of clear, fascinating stats, trends, and graphs. I learn, for example, that 68% of migrants to North America are Christian (higher than the % of North Americans who are Christian). For Europe, it's 56% of migrants, but migrants to Europe are getting proportionally more Christian each year - contrary to what many people assume.
'Every Voice' in partnership with 'Seminary Now' are offering some free online video courses. This one caught my eye - 'Reading the Bible around the World' with seven 20-minute video lectures by Justin Marc Smith, Alice Yafeh-Deigh, Kirsten Oh, Federico Alfredo Roth, and Kay Higuera Smith. "By presenting a range of readings from different regions and people groups, with particular attention to marginalized groups, the teachers demonstrate the importance of contextually sensitive approaches."
QUOTES (wise one-liners)
(1) “Missionary zeal does not grow out of intellectual beliefs, nor out of theological arguments, but out of love.”
Roland Allen
(2) 'When the church becomes intercultural, it does not preach reconciliation to the world, it lives it.'
Safwat Marzouk
(3) 'There is no mission of God without an attempt by the devil to stop it.'
Opoku Onyinah
GLOBAL INSIGHT (critical news & trends)
It's all so deeply concerning. Pray for South Sudan right now.
"Hotels round here filled up with refugees. Word got round that this was a welcoming place in an otherwise hostile environment. And we’ve gone from a congregation of thirty people to a hundred. If refugees are coming for the welcome, they’re staying for the word."
"A leading interfaith group in Malaysia has criticized a top Islamic official’s suggestion that Muslims be allowed to preach in churches. The controversy erupted after the Mufti of Terengganu stated that Muslims have the right to enter places of worship of other faiths to spread Islam. The Mufti’s remarks sparked outrage among non-Muslim communities, who view the proposal as a direct challenge to religious freedom and interfaith harmony in the predominantly Muslim nation."
TWEETS (short but significant)
STATS (noteworthy numbers)
(1) Exactly two-thirds of worldwide Christian growth between 2000 and 2050 has come/will come from Africa. SOURCE
(2) 85% of the world's population will be African or Asian by the end of the century (currently 72%). Europeans will make up 4% of the world's population (currently 9%). SOURCE.
(3) Christians make up 32% of the world's population, but 47% of global migrants. SOURCE
ONLINE EVENTS (Zoom seminars and conferences)
For Third Culture Kids (including grown-up ones!), parents, teachers and anybody who cares for the welfare of TCKs. We'll hear from a variety of people sharing their experience and wisdom. If you can't make it live, sign up anyway to access the recording." Free webinar from Field Partner International, starts 24th Sep 12:00pm BST.
The recently established Centre for Global Witness and Human Migration is having its inaugural conference on 26th and 27th September. Keynote speaker is Jehu Hanciles, (Professor of World Christianity at Emory University): "We will gather to think Christianly together about current trends in migration, to reflect critically on the factors behind the trends, and to attend to stories of migrant Christians — all this to help us discern what God may be up to in this new age of migration and how we can play our roles in it." £30 for online tickets for both days.
"As we see a daily influx of people from almost every tribe, tongue and nation enter our communities, we can’t ignore the fact that God is orchestrating an opportunity for the people of God to welcome these beautiful people into the Body of Christ. What are amazing opportunities that any local church can take advantage of for the purpose of spreading the gospel amongst the Diaspora?" Tonya Zunigha (Faith Bible Church, Oklahoma) for MissioNexus, 1-2pm EDT October 2nd, free for members.
HIGHLIGHTS (Most popular from last month's Mission Hits…)
JUST FOR FUN (unrelated but interesting!)
As you all know well by now, I love different ways of displaying world population. I see different things each time. I enjoyed this one which I stumbled across this month, where each countries populations is listed in order as circles by size.
I enjoyed this list of unusual but surprisingly interesting titbits of advice for life, including: 'Most arguments are not really about the argument, so most arguments can’t be won by arguing'…'In a museum you need to spend at least 10 minutes with an artwork to truly see it. Aim to view 5 pieces at 10 minutes each rather than 100 at 30 seconds each.'…'Forget diamonds; explore the worlds hidden in pebbles. Seek the things that everyone else ignores.'
This is interesting. They asked 300 experts in different fields (though note: most from the US) about what they thought would happen in the world in the next 10 years. The results are in some ways more bleak than I would have imagined, in other ways less…
Full searchable archives of all Mission Hits resources from edition #1
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