Both Ends of the Rope

When Jay introduced Dr. Chris Dewelt at the top of this episode, he called him "the first real live missiologist on the missions podcast" — and then said "feels fitting." He wasn't wrong. Chris has a doctorate in missiology, eight years as a missionary in Chile, and decades training missionaries at Ozark Christian College and Lincoln Christian Seminary. He also happens to be a longtime mentor to b...

Who does a missionary actually answer to? Chad and Jay get honest about accountability structures, supporter pressure, and why every missionary needs to know exactly who their authority is before they hit the field. Chapters 00:00 — Intro 02:11 — Who are you actually accountable to? 06:01 — The problem with 8 sending churches 07:09 — "I wrote the bylaws so I could be fired" 11:37 — Who is your sup...

Most churches want to be sending churches. Few know what that actually requires. In this episode, Chad Farmer and Jay Greer walk through what it actually looks like for a local church to send a missionary well — from assessing the candidate before they go, to communication and accountability on the field, to evaluating mission effectiveness and asking hard questions about spiritual health. They co...

Short-term mission trips can get a bad reputation. Sometimes for good reason. But they can also be one of the most strategic tools a sending church has when everyone involved knows what they are actually trying to do. In this episode, Chad Farmer and Jay Greer sit down with James Miyashita, born and raised in Japan, now church planting in Nagoya, to talk through what makes a short-term trip genuin...

Missionaries aren't just crossing borders. They're crossing cultures. And the words they've used their whole lives don't always make the trip. In this episode, Chad Farmer and Jay Greer work through what contextualization actually means — and why it matters more than most sending churches realize. They start with five phrases from American evangelical culture that don't translate: "do community,"...

Japan is one of the least-reached countries in the world. The need for workers is real and urgent. But does that mean we will take anyone? In this episode, Chad Farmer and Jay Greer talk through what they are actually looking for when someone says they want to go to the mission field — and what gives them pause. They work through the qualities that matter most, the red flags that are hard to ignor...

Japan has fewer Christians per capita than almost anywhere on earth. Two missionaries who have lived and worked there for a combined three decades want to talk about why that matters — and what it actually looks like to go and to send. In this episode, Chad Farmer and Jay Greer introduce Both Ends of the Rope, explain what the name means, and lay out the theological foundation the whole show is bu...

Both Ends of the Rope is a podcast for those who send and those who go. Hosted by Chad Farmer and Jay Greer from Tokyo, Japan, we talk about missions and the local church — who to send, how to support missionaries well, how to evaluate the work faithfully, and what long-term faithfulness looks like on the field. Episode 1 coming soon. Voiceover by Ben Mayer — benmayerdonethat.comTheme music compos...