The Mission Matters

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...

In this episode of the  Mission Matters Podcast , hosts Matthew Ellison and Ted Esler welcome Dr. Matthew Elliott, President of Oasis International and publisher of the  Africa Study Bible . Elliott shares his journey from serving with George Verwer to leading Oasis International, a ministry devoted to contextualizing discipleship resources for Africa. With over 350 contributors from 50 countries,...

This episode of The Mission Matters podcast features a conversation between Ted Esler, Matthew Ellison, and guest Steve Leston, focusing on the topic of "church-centric missions." The discussion stems from a popular Substack post Ted wrote that ignited dialogue about the role of the local church in global missions. Steve shares his personal journey, describing his early passion for the church and...

In this episode of  The Mission Matters  podcast, Ted Esler welcomes guests Matthew Ellison and Denny Spitters from Sixteen:Fifteen to discuss their new book,  The Sending Shepherd: Leading Churches to Disciple All Nations . The book emerges from a Barna study commissioned in partnership with Pioneers, which surveyed over 400 U.S. Protestant pastors about their understanding of missions. The resul...

In this episode of The Mission Matters podcast, hosts Matthew Ellison and Ted Esler speak with Dr. Lawrence Oseje, a Kenyan pastor, theologian, and leader of Destiny Impact Mission International. Dr. Oseje shares his journey from pastoring in a Muslim-majority city to training pastors and missionaries across Kenya and beyond. He emphasizes the urgent need for theological training in Africa, citing...

In this episode of the  Mission Matters  podcast, Matthew Ellison and Ted Esler welcome Mark Luckey, Executive Director of Every Child Ministries (ECM), to discuss how the face of missions in Africa is changing. With decades of firsthand experience, Mark shares how improved infrastructure, evolving government involvement in child welfare, and a stronger local church have transformed both the needs...

In this episode of  The Mission Matters Podcast , hosts Matthew Ellison and Ted Esler sit down with veteran missions mobilizer Jeff Lewis to explore the deep connection between biblical disciple-making and global missions. Jeff also shares about the newly-released 30th anniversary edition of  God’s Heart for the Nations , a study resource he created that has shaped thousands of students and church...