The Mission Matters

In Bolivia, women caught in sexual exploitation often face layers of poverty, abuse, manipulation, and limited opportunity—but Project Suma is walking alongside them with compassion, practical support, and the hope of Christ. In this episode of Mission Matters, Matthew Ellison and Ted Esler talk with leaders from Project Suma about the realities of trafficking and exploitation, the long road towar...

What does church planting look like in one of the least-reached English-speaking countries in the world? In this episode of The Mission Matters Podcast, Ted Esler talks with Irish church planter, researcher, and writer Jonny Pollock about the changing spiritual landscape of Ireland, rapid secularization, immigration and the growth of diaspora churches, and the challenges of cross-cultural missions...

For more than 50 years,  Perspectives on the World Christian Movement  has helped Christians see the Bible—and their own lives—through the lens of God’s global mission. In this episode, Perspectives president  James Mason  joins Matthew Ellison and Ted Esler to unpack why the course has had such lasting influence, what new Barna research reveals about its impact, and what’s changing in the newly r...

What happens when church growth becomes more about bigger buildings, larger budgets, and better programs than making disciples who make disciples? In this episode of the Mission Matters podcast, Matthew Ellison and Ted Esler talk with Todd Wilson, founder of Exponential and author of  How Did We Get Here? , about the 75-year evolution of the modern church growth movement. Todd explores how the Ame...

What happens when people hear the Bible in their own heart language for the very first time? In this fascinating conversation, Morgan Jackson of Faith Comes By Hearing shares incredible stories from the frontlines of global missions—where entire villages encounter Jesus through audio Scripture, oral Bible translation is accelerating access to God's Word, and technology is helping bring the gos...

What can churches and missions leaders learn from  Barnabas  in today's rapidly changing global missions landscape? In this episode of the  Mission Matters Podcast , hosts Matthew Ellison and Ted Esler sit down with  Josh Irby , author of  The Barnabas Factor: How Cross-Cultural Partnership Amplifies Global Mission , to explore the future of missions in a world where the gospel is moving  from...

Women make up the majority of the global missionary workforce, yet their voices and leadership experiences are often overlooked in conversations about missions. In this episode of  The Mission Matters Podcast (with hosts Ted Esler and Matthew Ellison) , SEND U.S. CEO Michelle Atwell shares her personal journey into missions leadership, the unique challenges women face in mobilization and church-pl...

In this episode of the Mission Matters Podcast with hosts Ted Esler and Matthew Ellison, guest Jim Harries challenges traditional Western missions models through the concept of “vulnerable mission.” Drawing from decades of ministry experience in East Africa, he argues that missionaries often maintain power through the English language and financial resources, unintentionally creating barriers to a...

Why are so many Gen Z students turning to tarot cards, crystals, mindfulness, and alternative spirituality while walking away from the church? In this thought-provoking conversation, Mark Matlock, Executive Director of Urbana and Senior Fellow at Barna Group, unpacks what younger generations are really searching for and why many are asking not just “Is Christianity true?” but also “Is it beautiful...

Matthew Ellison and Ted Esler sit down with Aaron Abramson, CEO of Jews for Jesus, to explore the organization’s mission of reaching Jewish people with the gospel while honoring their cultural and historical identity. Abramson explains how Jews for Jesus operates globally by prioritizing local, indigenous believers rather than relying on traditional sending models, creating long-term, culturally r...

In this episode of the  The Mission Matters Podcast , Matthew Ellison and Ted Esler sit down with  Dennis Martin (of One Challenge's Sexual Wholeness Initiative) to address a largely unspoken issue in global missions: sexual sin/brokenness. Drawing from both personal experience and global research, Dennis explains how silence, shame, and isolation have allowed struggles like pornography, abuse...

Matthew and Ted's conversation with Dr. Ed Stetzer explores the meaning and history of  missio Dei  (the idea that mission originates from God, not the church). He traces how missions thinking has shifted over the past century, from “the Church has missions” to “God’s mission has the Church,” and highlights both the biblical strength and the theological risks of that shift. While affirming tha...

In this episode of the Mission Matters Podcast, Sarah Breuel shares her experience as a Brazilian missionary serving in Rome and leading a university student movement across Europe. With nearly 20 years in cross-cultural missions, she discusses the growth of the Global South in missions, the rise of Brazilian missionaries, and what it looks like to reach secular, post-Christian contexts like Italy...

What is really happening inside Iran right now, and how should the Church respond? In this episode, Ted and Matthew sit down with Sasan Tavassoli, an Iranian pastor and leader who came to faith in Christ after being raised in a Shiite Muslim home. Now serving the Iranian underground church, Sassan shares firsthand insight into one of the most significant spiritual movements in the world today. Des...

In this episode of the Mission Matters podcast, Ted and Matthew talk to Dave Jacob from Gospel Mobilization and Katy White from GoCorp. They unpack findings from the  2025 Launch Survey , a North American study of 2,400 new and aspiring missionaries. The survey explored what motivates people toward long-term missions and what barriers hold them back. Across generations, the strongest motivators we...

Matthew Ellison and Ted Esler welcome Michele Okimura, founder of Explicit Movement, to discuss sexual integrity as a critical and often overlooked issue in global missions. Michele shares her background as a teacher, church planter, and nonprofit leader, and explains how her ministry equips youth, parents, church leaders, and missionaries to address topics that are frequently avoided, including p...

Ted Esler and Matthew Ellison revisit the story of  John Chau , seven years after his death on North Sentinel Island, through a conversation with  Mary Ho , International Director of  All Nations . Mary reflects on John’s extraordinary preparation, his calling to an uncontacted people group, and why his story captured global attention, noting factors like his youth, his nationality, and modern anx...

In this episode of  The Mission Matters , Matthew and Ted are joined by  Bradley Bell , Executive Director of  Upstream Equipping , to discuss Bradley and Ted's newly released book,  Missiology for Mission Pastors . Written specifically for those leading missions within the local church, this book addresses a growing gap. Many missions pastors and directors find themselves in the role with dee...

The episode explores what Ted calls “third party partnerships,” a Kingdom model where ministries unite not for their own benefit but for the sake of a third party, illustrated through a deep collaboration to reach the Tarahumara people of northern Mexico. Chris Nickerson of Light Shine shares how their long term work among this hard to reach, historically hope starved indigenous group has grown in...

Matthew Ellison and Ted Esler close out the year on The Mission Matters podcast by reflecting on key missions trends in 2025 and their most-listened episodes. They revisit a controversial conversation on borders and immigration with Alex Kocman, an innovation-focused episode with Tyler Prieb of Missional Labs, and their highly viewed discussion with Mary Ho on the documentary  The Other Side of th...

On this episode of the Mission Matters Podcast, Matthew Ellison and Ted Esler talk with Ryan Finke, CEO of International Friendships, Inc. about why international student ministry is one of the most open doors in global missions and how local churches can step into it with simple hospitality and friendship. Finke explains that 70–80% of international students never enter an American home even thou...

Ted Esler defines 'deconstruction' as ideas and practices that dilute a Great-Commission focus on discipling the nations. He argues critical reflection is healthy, but postmodern habits and critical-theory framings can overcorrect, obscuring biblical priorities. Ted outlines four current lanes or areas in which deconstruction is apparent: “When everything is missions”;  “It’s somebody else...

Matthew Ellison and Ted Esler welcome guests Megan Gahima (Missions Director, Parkway Church on the Mountain, Roanoke, VA) and Joel Wagner (Senior Pastor, Colonial Baptist Church, Blue Ridge, VA). Megan and Joel recount how a cross-denominational coalition of Roanoke-area churches formed and started partnering to bring Scripture to a Bible-less people in Southeast Asia. The conversation traces the...

Matthew and Ted sit down with Al Mueller, President and Founder of Excellence in Giving (EIG), to explore what makes Kingdom philanthropy effective. It all started with a midnight call from God; Al traces his journey from Wall Street to advising high-capacity families and explains EIG’s model: rigorous research, transparent relationships, and reporting that fuels celebration and renewed generosity...

In this episode of the  Mission Matters Podcast , hosts Matthew Ellison and Ted Esler speak with Luke Perkins, President of Crossworld, about the vital role marketplace professionals play in global missions. Luke shares his personal journey—from short-term trips to Haiti, to teaching theology there, and ultimately leading Crossworld’s efforts to mobilize professionals across all vocations. Their m...