Welcome to Mission Hits, a twice-monthly blog highlighting stimulating and significant recent resources related to world Christianity, world church, and world mission.
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PLEASE PASS ON TO INTERESTED FRIENDS, COLLEAGUES & CHURCH MEMBERS
Please note there will only be one 'Mission Hits' email for next month, May.
Normal twice-monthly service will resume from June onwards.
ESSENTIALS (must reads)
If you or your church/organization is involved in any sort of cross-cultural partnership or ministry relationship these 5 tips from (Cedarville Assistant Professor of Missions) Joshua Bowman may be a blessing and benefit to you.
Wayne Chen (Radius International) gives three reasons how the hope of heaven ought to drive missions: "So we can say with certainty that we go to the ends of the earth because we think there is always hope. Every person on the planet will live forever. The sooner we accept that reality, the sooner we will pursue missions with urgency, focus, and perseverance."
It's a question that will continue on until the very end, but it's a vital discussion. In this short blog post. Neil Brighton (Latin Link) outlines some important questions to consider.
GENERAL (worth your time)
The role of parents in raising and sending mission-minded followers of Christ is crucial, and yet often it clashes with our desires for our children's lives: "Do I want my daughter to go? As a Christian, as someone who believes the gospel and understands my own desperate need for it, I know the answer must be yes. The Great Commission was not given to a select few." From missiology instructor Keelan Cook.
Written for the US church but more relevant for the UK church than we might think (as well as for the church in some other parts of the world too). "We must face the reality that our culture is not to be our primary identity. Our culture is a mission field. We must see ourselves as people on mission. This is not our home. This is our mission field."
Five crucial principles for those living and ministering in contexts where they are learning a new language. This is also a useful read for those who are partnering with those doing this.
AUDIO/VISUAL (podcasts, videos)
Peter Rowan (co-National Director, OMF-UK) gives an excellent 10-min video devotion on the theme of engaging missionally with our multicultural cities in the UK: "The more diverse our local congregations become, the more they become a sign of that future reality of Kingdom shalom. And that's a vision that our communities desperately need to see and hear".
Sam and Derrick, Ugandan mission leaders, explain some of the strengths, opportunities and challenges of mission sending in Uganda today, and what role there might be for Westerners in this. Helpful and humbling 28-min podcast from AIM.
Lovely, insightful interview with Harriet Algeo, who is raising 3 kids as a British Crosslinks mission partner in The Gambia. Covers topics such as making friends, dealing with risk, and contextualizing your parenting. Useful for any parent bringing up kids in a cross-cultural context, or anyone wishing to understand of what that might entail.
DIGGING DEEPER (challenging but rewarding)
An interesting 10-min talk (podcast) from Dr Michael T.Cooper from the Ephesiology website. I enjoyed his identification of wonder, discovery, and curiosity as core features of missiological theology.
'Defining and discerning what missiology is—and how it can help you'. From Ed Stetzer.
I can scarcely think of any question in mission history that produces such certain yet contradictory conclusions as the question of whether or not the Reformation leaders were 'missions-minded' (anachronistic terminology, of course). I see both 'sides' argued with absolute conviction. This article gives one perspective and does it well.
BOOKS (best recent releases)
Murray Moerman
"[This book] provides realistic expectations of what it takes to facilitate a movement and how to gain the support of various partners needed for long-term success, resulting in whole-nation church planting saturation. Writing for novices as well as practitioners, Moerman casts a vision for completing the Great Commission and invites us to mobilize movements."
George Braswell
"Believers need to increase their curiosity and understanding of world religions that have made their home in the US. After 60 years of cross-cultural ministry, Dr. Braswell shares his 14 journeys of interacting with religious leaders across the world. As you walk through these…you will learn what it means to engage others with the gospel with curiosity, civility, and charity in an increasingly diverse country"
Leanne M. Dzubinski & Anneke H. Stasson
"This accessibly written book tells the story of women throughout church history, demonstrating their integral participation in the church's mission. It highlights the legacies of a wide variety of women, showing how they have overcome obstacles to their ministries and have transformed cultural constraints to spread the gospel and build the church."
MISCELLANEOUS (varied but valuable)
David Williams, Director of Development and Training for CMS Australia, on a Biblical understanding of the Homogeneous Unit Principle. 10am (UK time) Wednesday 28th April. 10AUD, but free for current serving missionaries.
For those in the States, William Caray Publishers are offering 50-80% discounts on a wide-range of mission-books…
Several missions-related book reviews in the latest edition of 'Themelios' journal (46.1, April 2021).
MISSIONS QUOTES (thought-provoking one-liners)
(1) "The Church is the pilgrim people of God. It is on the move—hastening to the ends of the earth to beseech all men to be reconciled to God, and hastening to the end of time to meet its Lord who will gather all into one"
Lesslie Newbigin
(2) "The need is great, the gospel is good, the command is clear, the world is waiting, and ultimately our God is worthy.”
David Platt
(3) "The Holy Spirit’s empowerment is not about self-achievement and fulfillment but about mission and ministry."
Craig Keener
AND FINALLY (unrelated but interesting!)
I thought this was fascinating. Guardian long-read article: "A drone sighting caused [Gatwick] airport to close for two days in 2018, but despite a lengthy police investigation, no culprit was ever found. So what exactly did people see in the Sussex sky?"(audio reading available here)
Wonderful 1-minute video helping you to visualize the speed of light. Seems simultaneously faster and slower than I might have anticipated.
I enjoyed this helpful 10-min video (computer animation and real-life reconstruction) of Solomon's temple. Justin Taylor from the Gospel Coalition explains: "(1) Having worked closely with Leen Ritmeyer (one of the world’s leading experts on these reconstructions) on the ESV Study Bible, I think [this is] quite accurate. (2) These videos are produced by Mormons. So I would not recommend subscribing"
Full searchable archives of all Mission Hits resources from edition #1
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