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 # 61 (November 2024)
A long-overdue Mission Hits. My apologies.
Regardless of timing, your favourite sections are here as normal. Podcasts, videos, articles, books, tweets and so much more. It's a delight to bring these to you. I hope you feel as encouraged and equipped looking through them as I myself do.
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 again soon for the next edition,
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
I suspect many of you are wrestling with this one, or know people who are: "How do we know when we should be overseas with people who need to hear the gospel or when we should be home with family members who need our help? How can we fulfill our God-given responsibilities to both our families and the nations?" Cyndi Logsdon writes for the Gospel Coalition with five encouragements as people work this through in their own situations…
Essential for Church Leaders
Catalyst Services with 23 examples of how Global South churches can bless and minister to Global North churches. Practical, insightful, crucial, implementable. Pastors thinking through how their church can think and engage globally could benefit greatly from this.
Essential for Mission Agency Workers
Author's privilege! I wrote this for the Upstream Collective blog. I feel like this could be relevant for mission agencies as they keep thinking through processes and policies and expectations with regards to cultural training for training missionaries. "My honest answer is this: Pre-field cross-cultural training is, at its best, a God-given, God-glorifying gift that leads to longer, deeper, more fruitful cross-cultural gospel ministry. Let me briefly justify each of those descriptors."
Essential for Christians Partnering as Senders
Christianity Today magazine explores mental health challenges for missionaries and how some sending churches and agencies "are trying to bring overseas workers off the perfect Christian “pedestal” and into a counselling chair." This is long overdue. I suspect anyone involved in sending or supporting mission partners would do well to grapple with it.
GENERAL (well worth your time)
"Is it possible that—without us realizing it—our primary way of being on mission in the world is sometimes marked less by the curiosity of joining God in the beautiful things He’s doing, and more by the anxiety of trying to do the problem-solving for Him?" Bradley Bell beautifully explores this fascinating question for the 'A Life Overseas' blog.
"It’s easy for us to focus on the needs of our own churches. After all, this is where and to whom God has called us to serve. Yet, God’s design is for us to contribute to and benefit from the global church. It's striking how many topics captivate the global church that many in the American church ignore today." Scott McConnell writing for Lifeway.
Very helpful reflections on polycentric mission and the impact of power imbalances in global Christian partnerships today. "Coming to the table in a spirit of generosity, those who bring knowledge and years of experience, access to financial resources, and strong institutional backing understandably want to share these gifts with others. Yet their self-perceived role may prevent them from seeing their own needs…Equal sharing around the table means not only giving, but also humbly welcoming the unique gifts of fellow leaders whose lives can enrich one’s own." Brent Fulton writing for ChinaSource.
AUDIO/VISUAL (podcasts & videos)
Author's privilege! A 32min YouTube video (or podcast) with myself in conversation with Eric Ortlund about the recent Lausanne Congress in Seoul. We talk about the changing face of world Christianity, polycentric mission, and what the Congress means for mission and ministry in and through our local churches today.
In this 30min YouTube video (or podcast) Gavin Ortlund (Truth Unites) explores the oft-forgotten history of Estifanos, a 15th century Ethiopian Christian who was involved in what some liken to a sort of 'proto-Reformation' decades before that which took place in Europe. A fascinating story.
120 years of global demographic Christian history summarised in just in 5 minutes! Dr Todd Johnson from the Center for the Study of Global Christianity presents the data in clear and accessible ways continent-by-continent. This would be a great thing to show in a church or small group setting to start some conversation/investigation into world Christianity today, and why it all matters.
DIGGING DEEPER (challenging but rewarding)
COALA (which stands for Christ over Asia, Africa and Latin America) is an emerging majority world movement focusing on Global South-led missions. It began last year at the World Evangelical Alliance’s Mission Commission consultation in Chiang Mai, Thailand in February 2023, and met 'informally' following the Lausanne Congress in South Korea to discuss new polycentric models of mission. This report is a fascinating overview of some of what they're discussing.
A very long, but very important post from this missionary in Central Asia arguing that gathering weekly together as missionaries for prayer and fellowship is not a replacement for being part of a local church. I suspect some readers will have strong feelings in both ways about this. As ever, reading strong, well-formed arguments is the best way to refine our own thinking - even if we disagree. This is worth spending time on.
I suspect those in the UK will be particularly interested in this, but those elsewhere - don't look away! This may be more relevant to you than you first realise. It's an easy-to-digest 30-page PDF report on what diaspora churches look like in Scotland today. Notable that 70% of diaspora congregation leaders are bivocational, 70% of diaspora churches are African, and 80% have either already planted a new church or are working towards it. diaspora congregations were double the size of Church of Scotland equivalents at each quartile.
BOOKS (recent releases)
Links are to Amazon for best info/reviews. Other outlets are available...
Bradley Bell, Mike Easton, Larry McCrary & Nathan Sloan
Instead of pasting the blurb here, this is what I wrote as an endorsement for this book: "What could be more important for the spiritual health and gospel life of a congregation than helping them to love and live out God's glorious global gospel promises to the ends of the earth! In this wonderful book four of the most gifted and passionate authors I've read lay down seventeen 'building blocks' to help any church respond fervently, faithfully, and fruitfully to Gods gracious invitation to join him in his Great Commission purposes both locally and globally. Biblically grounded from start to finish, this book is clear and practical, inspiring and exciting, hopeful and helpful, and will encourage and equip local churches to be who they're called to be—the sent and sending people of God."
Leonard N Bartlotti
"A mere fraction of global missionaries—less than 4 percent—are devoted to the unreached people groups (UPGs). This glaring disparity reveals a challenge in modern missiology. [This book] is a benchmark study of the people group paradigm that underscores its vital role in the twenty-first century. Leveraging insights from those in the Majority World, over sixty authors reexamine our understanding of people group missiology from the lens of Scripture, reflection, conversation, prayer, and case studies from field workers and church/mission leaders."
Bulus Galadima & Sam George
"Africans are on the move. This is not a new phenomenon. From the days of historic slavery to modern times, Africans in pursuit of education, jobs, business, and safety, have created a vibrant global diaspora. Whether voluntarily or forcibly displaced, they carry their values of spirituality, community, and hospitality wherever they go. This collection of essays freveals the journeys of modern African diasporas from a Christian perspective [revealing] how God moves with African people, making himself known amongst them and through them."
MISCELLANEOUS (varied but valuable)
Last month I released a one-off special edition of Mission Hits to highlight 25 excellent written reflections from Lausanne Congress delegates about what happened in Seoul last month an why it matters for the global church and world mission.
Every month since 2016 Catalyst Services has sent out a PDF 'Postings' report about some aspect of church mission sending and global engagement. The full archive is available and covers an enormous amount of topics . This is well worth scanning, and bookmarking - you'll be referring to it lots if you do!
Translations of the Bible are being launched quicker than at other point in history at a rate of two a week…For the first time ever over half of all languages have some Scripture…Over 6 billion people now have some Bible access in their own language. Many wonderful stats and stories abut Bible translation worldwide in 2024's annual 'State of the Bible' report from Wycliffe Bible Translators. So much to rejoice in, so much to pray about.
QUOTES (wise one-liners)
(1) "Too often mission has been the unidirectional exporting and franchising of particular forms of Christian faith, rather than the mutuality of people being transformed by people who are themselves being transformed."
Michael Stroope
(2) "We are called to ‘make disciples of all nations’ (Matt. 28:19); with immigration, the nations show up on our doorstep. The mission field has crossed our borders and settled into our communities as our coworkers and neighbors"
Jenny Hwang Yang
(3) “The mission was Paul's calling, but not his treasure. His treasure was God himself. Communion with God must be our highest priority.”
Skye Jethani
GLOBAL INSIGHT (critical news & trends)
Beautifully presented and told: "All told, there are more endangered languages in and around New York City than have ever existed anywhere else, says Perlin, who has spent 11 years trying to document them. And because most of the world’s languages are on a path to disappear within the next century, there will likely never be this many in any single place again."
A gut-wrenching article from The Atlantic about the brutal, quite frightening heat of Lahore, Pakistan at this time of year. It's one thing to hear the stats. It's something else to hear the stories and see the pictures.
"21,000 labourers (Indian, Bangladeshi, and Nepalese) have been killed in building work for Saudi Arabia's 2030 vision. More than 20,000 people were also forcefully removed from the region to make way for the building work."
TWEETS (short but significant)
STATS (noteworthy numbers)
(1) The 7 biggest countries in the world (India, China, US, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Brazil) have more people than the rest of the world combined. SOURCE
(2) By 2041, as much as 34 percent of Canada's people could be foreign born, and more than half the population may be immigrants or their Canada-born children SOURCE
(3) Almost 40,000 people died alone in their homes in Japan during the first half of 2024. 10% of them were undiscovered for over a month. SOURCE
HIGHLIGHTS (Most popular from last month's Mission Hits…)
JUST FOR FUN (unrelated but interesting!)
Once a day this little game gives you two countries in the world and you have to write the countries you'd travel through to get from one to the other. Harder than it sounds, and frustratingly good fun. There's also the option to do it between US states.
I know y'all love maps, charts, and stats related to global population and demographics, so you're going to enjoy this one I just know it. Which countries will contribute to the next billion in population?
This is remarkable. 1,000 questions to ask someone to get to know them, and hear their wisdom. Hard to describe, but well worth clicking. I can image many scenarios where list could be useful, to ask of yourself and others.
Full searchable archives of all Mission Hits resources from edition #1
Questions, comments, or suggestions for the next edition?
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