There is an obvious disconnect between the resources being disseminated on the topic of mission, and the actual mission-izing of local churches. Publishers continue to make printed resources available, and conferences and seminars are regularly offered.
by By Gilles Gravelle These days, many well-established mission agencies and faith-based non-profits operate on the assumption that the funds they raise will achieve good results. Yet the goals
While many, especially in the West, are just now hearing about orality, it is in fact a significant breakthrough in the global mission movement.
Many missionary administrators feel that they are already overburdened with responsibilities. The prospect of being asked to recognize symptoms of stress and trauma in their missionaries may seem like an overwhelming and unreasonable expectation. However, if missionary administrators can become better equipped in recognition and referral skills, it will ultimately lead to less stress for them.
Communication is more than content. It is also media, or the channels and ways in which content is communicated. This fact is crucial for church leaders and other Christians in our increasingly diverse and pluralistic society. The challenge is how to present a church unified around the truth of God’s word, yet diverse in its expressions of worship, and in its affirmation of each personality.
Since 2009, I have been on a learning journey about the dynamic of honor/shame in scripture and its significance for cross-cultural ministry. By God’s grace, I’ve had the opportunity to read and conduct research, to write on the subject, to introduce the subject of honor/shame (H/S) through numerous seminars and workshops, to create resources, and to teach collaboratively with two indigenous ministry partners.
The cry heard most often from the Church in the Majority World is for pastors who can preach/teach the word of God in a way that is understandable and applicable to their congregations. While the orality movement has spoken significantly to this need, there are aspects of the preaching/teaching process which beg further attention.
It was one of those moments that you look back on in life with great pride. Early morning rain had forced our Saturday family time indoors. As the hours ticked by, we had progressed through our usual downtime activities—dance party, horse rides, wrestling, craft time, and book reading.
I want to pull back the curtain to show The Church at Brook Hills’ culture of disciple-making and share some of the foundational matters that support this culture and our field activities. This is not my attempt to say you should replicate what we are doing. We do not claim to have it all together.
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