Photo Sensitivity: Looking through the Lens of the Local People
Bob was sent by his church to check out a project they were supporting in Africa. At the height of his welcoming ceremony by the African people, Bob was busy unloading all of his photography equipment in order to quickly snap pictures before he lost this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Owning Our Past the Right Way
The Crusades are one of the saddest moments in the history of the world, when the Church found itself being carried away by geopolitical, spiritual, financial and cultural factors.
The Effective Use of Resources in Missions Partnerships
This is what an African national staff member told his Western missionary leader after ten years of working with a parachurch organization: “You have really ruined me. I don’t know how to survive now without my laptop and the standard of living I am accustomed to. I don’t think I can ever go back to how I lived before.”
Short-term Medical Teams: What They Do Well…and Not So Well
Short-term medical teams take many forms and serve in many ministry settings. This article is limited to general medical teams.
A Really Useful Theological Doctorate for Africa
Twice a week for two years I commuted across Nairobi, Kenya, to teach at the Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology. During these commutes, I regularly passed a business with the unique and descriptive name “The Really Useful Landscaping Company.”
Partnership Revisited
Sometimes you’ve just got to go back to the basics. When Vince Lombardi, former coach of the National Football League’s Green Bay Packers, wanted to stop the team’s losing streak, he started by telling his players, “This is a football.”
The German Church Planting Movement: Have We Missed the Boat?
With eighty-two million inhabitants, Germany continues to be a desperate mission field in need of thousands of new churches. The good news is that over 1,500 new churches have been planted in Germany in the past ten years, with a total membership of well over 100,0001 (“In Deutschland wurden…” 2004, 16).
Keeping Nationalization in Perspective
In one week I heard three references to the importance of nationalization in mission. During a meeting, one of our missionary staff said, “If our sole purpose for being on the mission field is nationalization, then…” Later, another missionary asked, “Isn’t nationalization our primary reason for being a missionary?”
Integrating Technology in Leadership Training
When I began my missionary career in the Philippines in 1986, making a long-distance telephone call was a major project. Very few private homes had telephones so there weren’t many people to call anyway.
Leadership on the Move: From One Culture to the Next
Our generation is seeing fewer and fewer missionaries spend their entire missionary career in one place.