Mission Hits #71 (April 2026)
- From Every Nation (Chris Howles)
- Apr 17
- 9 min read
Welcome to Mission Hits, a monthly blog highlighting stimulating and significant recent resources related to world mission and world Christianity.
Welcome to Mission Hits # 71 (April 2026)
As ever I've tried to pull together resources that help us all to reflect on how we live, think, and serve faithfully in a changing global mission landscape.
So whether you’re sending or supporting, mobilising or migrating, praying or pondering, giving or going, there should be something here to inform and refine you.
If Mission Hits helps and blesses you, would you do me a favour and share it with some others who it might also serve?
Have a 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
For any Dads (any parents!) in ministry, this (from an anonymous US missionary in Central Asia) is gold. Two simple but significant pieces of advice to help ensure that our families are not sidelined by our busy, demanding, ministries.
Essential for Church Leaders
Ted Esler (President, MissioNexus) examines why mission is often absent from the regular preaching diet of local churches and how both expository and topical approaches can sideline the missional arc of Scripture. A sharp but constructive challenge for church leaders seeking to lead their congregations into their global mission call.
Last edition hundreds of you tried clicking on this article below which unfortunately had a dud link. Apologies. Let's try again: How to involve the whole congregation in thinking and sending globally. From the Global Missions Toolbox website.
Essential for Christians Partnering as Senders
Brent Fulton (ChinaSource) explains why missionary care is particularly complex for gospel workers from China due to some very unique cultural factors at play. It strikes me that this is highly relevant to other sending cultures too…
GENERAL (well worth your time)
The always-helpful/thoughtful Darren Carlson on Romans 14: "What are you fully convinced in the Lord of, and yet still can bless another Christian to practice something that contradicts your theological conviction? Unity is easy when people bend toward you. How will you bend toward your brothers and sisters?" I'm convinced that his challenge is a crucial question for Western Christians learning to navigate these new realities within a diverse global church.
What does it mean for the global church to sound like a “beautiful harmony” rather than a single dominant voice? Pointing to Jesus’ formation of the 12 and his sending of the 72, it shows how diversity and collaboration are built into the DNA of mission. A challenge to any one-voice approach to theology, leadership, and mission practice.
I huge appreciate mission writing that takes something puzzling and uncovers the deeper cultural logic beneath it. This blog is a thoughtful reflection on why hospitality runs so deep in this Central Asian context, and what we in the West might learn from it.
AUDIO/VISUAL (podcasts & videos)
Author's privilege! I was pleased to join Ben and Robin on the Everyday Dadding podcast (UK) to think about how global mission might shape our everyday parenting rhythms. 21-min episode, useful and relevant for both family life and church contexts.
One in five people worldwide still do not have access to Scripture in their first language. In this 31-min episode of the UK-based In:Dependence podcast (FIEC), Adrian Reynolds speaks with James Poole (Executive Director, Wycliffe Bible Translators) about how translation fuels evangelism, strengthens churches, and supports wider community development.
The 'Global Missions Podcast' (hosted by Rob Magwood and Maddy Postma) is one of the best out there. They've just celebrated 250 episodes, and have picked their 10 favourites.
DIGGING DEEPER (challenging but rewarding)
These two articles represent two different perspectives on a (the?) key question in contemporary missiology: What is mission? Both Chris Wright and Ted Esler are key contemporary mission thinkers.
i) First, Chris Wright writes for the Lausanne Movement website arguing that 'Gospel-centred integral mission is now my own preferred phrase for what I believe to be the biblical mission mandate'
ii) Then Ted Esler (President, Missio Nexus) respectfully critiques Wright's definition.
Thought-provoking essay from Harvey Kwiyani as he continues to call the Western mission movement to a more decolonised missional posture: "Our missiology often still operates within mental maps inherited from the conflicts of earlier centuries. We sometimes talk about mission as though the church were still defending Christendom against an encroaching Islamic world. Our language easily slips into the grammar of anxiety, competition, and strategic rivalry. But mission driven by fear is rarely faithful to the gospel."
Justin Lau asks how the Bible’s language of battle should be understood in light of Jesus’ non-violent mission. His Substack essay argues for a clearer distinction between spiritual and physical warfare, while engaging questions of colonial mission, authority, and the reality of the demonic. Particularly helpful for those of us in the West reflecting on mission and power, in light of the global church.
BOOKS (recent releases)
Links are to Amazon for best info/reviews. Other outlets are available...
David K. Ngaruiya, Elizabeth W. Mburu & Nathan H. Chiroma (Editors)
"In this tenth volume from the annual conference of the Africa Society of Evangelical Theology, contributors explore God's mission and the church's participation, reflecting on how missiology relates to other theological fields while also being rooted in reality to ultimately encourage the church's interaction with the world in a way that reflects God's missionary heart. These essays work together to build a contemporary understanding of how we can put theory into practice as we consider God's mission and the African church's place in it."
Matt Rhodes
"Persecution in Missions: A Practical Theology presents a scriptural view of suffering, including its role in the Christian life and in the missionary task. Rhodes tackles challenging topics, such as when to flee or face risk, how to minister to those suffering for Christ, and the dangers of downplaying or romanticizing persecution. Reassuring readers with God’s promises of redemption, this compelling study equips missionaries to face suffering and endure with joy."
Steve Richardson
"If God blesses you with "discretionary years" later in life, when you have fewer work and family responsibilities, how will you steward them? Millions of mid-life and retired Christians have time, flexibility, and a sense of adventure. What would it take to increase the involvement of these mature believers in especially needy parts of the world? What if more of them devoted five or ten years to global missions?"
MISCELLANEOUS (varied but valuable)
Global Trellis have been doing good work looking into the widespread problem of sexual harassment/assault for mission partners serving cross-culturally - both within the organisation, and within the wider host culture. Check out the main report here a collection of resources designed to help people discuss and understand the issue here a blog article '8 Ways to Address Sexual Harassment in a Cross-Cultural Context' here and a podcast discussion here.
The latest edition of 'Afrigo' ('Encouraging the African Church in World Mission') looks at the place of miracles in mission movements from/in Africa. I know many of you will be interested in the topic.
Two free email courses designed by the Joshua Project to build your missions foundation. Delivered via email over several weeks to do according to your schedule. "Missions 101a: Foundations covers the basics: what are unreached people groups, why they matter, and how the global church is responding. Missions 101b: Strategic Engagement goes further, exploring practical pathways from prayer to action, including short-term trips, long-term service, and digital evangelism."
QUOTES (wise one-liners)
(1) "Worship is an expansive and a contagious joy, and thus it becomes the fuel for missions. A shared joy is a doubled joy."
John Piper
(2) "There is a big difference between a church that “has” missionaries and a church that “sends” missionaries."
John Piper
(3) "You can do with 12 disciples what you cannot do with 12,000 consumers."
Alan Hirsch
GLOBAL INSIGHT (critical news & trends)
"An increasing number of Chinese Christians are leaving the country, and they seem to be doing so in disproportionate numbers (some estimates suggest 15–20% of recent migrants are believers). For many, tightening legislation, surveillance, and pressure on church life are making it harder to remain. Yet alongside this, some are beginning to see their relocation in explicitly missional terms… as an opportunity to carry the gospel through diaspora communities around the world."
An infographic showing what regions/countries African migrants end up in. I imagine this isn't what many of us expect?
"South Korea’s fertility rate rose for a second consecutive year in 2025, a rare bright spot for a country that has long struggled with the world’s lowest birth rate….While the increase remains modest — and too recent to declare a lasting trend — it suggests some government programs aimed at reversing population decline may be gaining traction."
TWEETS (short but significant)
Missiology Twitter has been hollowed out enormously since I started this section 5 years ago, with so many wonderful mission-Tweeters leaving the site. Of course some remain and I'm thankful for them, but this section is getting harder to populate each month. It may become more sporadic going forward.
STATS (noteworthy numbers)
(1) Africa's urban population increased from 31% in 1990 to 44% in 2023, and some estimates expect it to reach 60% by 2050. SOURCE
(2) By 2075 there's expected to be 6,100,000 congregations worldwide, over double the number there was in the year 2000. SOURCE
(3) The number of people worldwide without access to hearing the gospel will increase by 450 million to 2.76 billion between now and 2075. SOURCE
ONLINE EVENTS (Zoom webinars)
(1) The Limits of Letting Go: Navigating the Complexities of Submitting to Local Leadership (16th April)
"How far should Western missionaries and practitioners go in relinquishing control and submitting to local leadership? What are the risks, tensions, and transformative possibilities when ministry is carried out in indigenous languages and with local resources alone?" Deborah Bernhard and Jim Harries for the Alliance for Vulnerable Mission: Thursday 16th April 2026 – 14:00 GMT. Free.
"Is there a difference between recruiting new missionaries and mobilizing them? Our thoughts about this topic directly impact the numbers of new missionaries we send. That’s why it’s important that we define these terms and determine our particular philosophy of recruitment and mobilization." With Dave Jacob (Gospel Mobilization), April 23, 2026, 12:00pm EDT, free for Missio Nexus members.
Online cohort-based class for church leaders: "a space for theological reflection, practical engagement, and shared learning". Run by Dr Harvey Kwiyani, through the Liverpool School of Theology - based on the 2020 book 'Multicultural Kingdom'. Takes place over 8 Tuesday evenings (7-8.30pm) between 12 May and 30th June 2026. £150.
HIGHLIGHTS (Most popular from last month's Mission Hits…)
JUST FOR FUN (unrelated but interesting!)
This is sobering for those of us living in affluent countries. Spin the globe randomly and then see how your life compares to that of someone born in that country (life expectancy, income, child mortality etc). h/t to the ever-excellent Missions Catalyst weekly email.
Click on any country in the world and get a list of books from/about that place. Great resource for those preparing to go to, or already in, particular parts of the world.
It'll give you two countries worldwide and a foodstuff. Guess which one eats more of that, on average. Surprisingly hard! How well do you know global food?
Full searchable archives of all Mission Hits resources from edition #1
Questions, comments, or suggestions for the next edition?
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