The Missions Show

Why does Western society believe in ideals like freedom and equality? Where did we get the notion of human rights or self-sacrifice? What about the idea of “secularism” itself? This week, author and apologist Glen Scrivener explains how the specter of Christianity continues to haunt the Western mind—and how, as missionaries, we can reclaim it. Glen is the author of The Air We Breathe: How We All C...

Western culture is haunted by the spectre of Christianity. How did the cross revolutionize the direction of history? Author and director of Speak Life, Glen Scrivener , shares in this week’s upcoming episode. Believe in our mission?  Support this podcast . Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email  alex@missionsshow.com .

English-speaking churches in cities like Dubai or Bangkok don’t appear to be the most missiologically strategic—at least on paper. But as with any local church, there’s more to international churches than meets the eye. Dr. Michael Crane returns to the show to share the beauties, challenges, and unique blessings of expat fellowships abroad and multiethnic churches at home. Michael and his wife mov...

In our next episode, missiologist Dr. Michael Crane returns to the show to talk about international churches and the unique intersection of missiological issues they unearth. Believe in our mission?  Support this podcast . Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email  alex@missionsshow.com .

What should missionaries do when a sending church withdraws their support? If we value submission to the local church as much as we value missions, the answer isn’t always easy. This week, Scott Dunford and Alex Kocman discuss how overseas workers can address rifts with their home church.  Believe in our mission?  Support this podcast . Want to ask a question or sugge...

Coming up this week, we’re having a candid conversation about what happens when a missionary’s church withdraws his or her support. Stay tuned. Believe in our mission?  Support this podcast . Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email  alex@missionsshow.com .

What do missionaries need to know about apologetics? Veteran author, speaker, and apologetics Josh McDowell reminds us about our commitment to defending truth—and sharing the evidence. Josh McDowell has been at the forefront of cultural trends and groundbreaking ministry for more than 58 years. He shares the essentials of the Christian faith in everyday language so that people of all ages and stag...

Christians in the US and across the world live among people that are hostile to truth. Are we equipped to defend our faith? Veteran apologist Josh McDowell asks some penetrating questions in this week’s episode. Believe in our mission? You can support this podcast  through ABWE. Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email  alex@missionsshow.com .

The generation now coming of age is fraught with anxiety and feeling isolated. What will it take for missionaries and church leaders to motivate Generation Z towards cross-cultural missions? We explore this fascinating question with Dr. Jolene Erlacher , author, speaker, consultant, leadership coach, and teacher. Dr. Jolene Erlacher founded Leading Tomorrow in 2014 with the aim of equipping church...

This week, researcher Dr. Jolene Erlacher shares the differences between mobilizing Millennials for cross-cultural missions and motivating Generation Z. Support this podcast  and impact God’s mission. Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email  alex@missionsshow.com .

Steven Chmil serves as a surgeon and church-planting missionary in  Togo . Now returned from his first term overseas, Steven shares the unique challenges, blessings, and opportunities of ministry in an Islamic context where precision—theological and medical—matters. Learn more about Steven’s ministry or support him and Bethany  here . Watch the video version of this episode on the ...

What does healthcare have to do with theology? Missionary surgeon Steven Chmil shares why having surgical precision is essential in both domains. Support this podcast  and impact God’s mission. Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email  alex@missionsshow.com .

Where are the leaders in the church—much less the mission field? Pastor Joel Wayne of  bethechurch.org  and Chapel Pointe weighs in this week on how churches and missionaries can solve the leadership pipeline and raise up leaders when it counts. Joel’s is also the founder and executive director of Be the Church, a movement to revitalize the local church through authentic leadership development. Jo...

Pastor Joel Wayne shares a stirring challenge for Christians on the mission field and at home in changing days. Tune in this upcoming Sunday night to hear the full episode. Support this podcast  and impact God’s mission. Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email  alex@missionsshow.com .

Globalization has made the world smaller and smaller. Increasingly, cities are overtaking suburban and rural areas as the center of society. What does all this mean for church planting? Is the ethnolinguistic people group definition itself outdated? Missiologist Dr. Michael Crane unpacks the implications of what he calls “glurbanization.” Michael and his wife moved to Southeast Asia working in a v...

Coming up in this week’s episode: missiology Michael Crane explains why missiology’s outdated views of ethnicity need to change. Support this podcast  and impact God’s mission. Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email  alex@missionsshow.com .

In this tenth and final exclusive from the Radius Missiology Conference , Alex Kocman and Scott Dunford discuss their favorite takeaways from their conversations with Kevin DeYoung, Ian Hamilton, Brad Buser, Brooks Buser, Wayne Chen, Chad Vegas, Jonathan Master, and Steve Meister. Watch the video version of this episode on the  ABWE YouTube channel . Listen to all of our RMC22 exclusives&nbsp...

Right now, two controversies are brewing. In the world of theology, conservative evangelicals are torn over classical theism and pre-modern hermeneutics. And in the missions world, Bible translation methodologies remain a lightning-rod issue. In this meaty conversation from the  Radius Missiology Conference , Steve Meister, pastor and board member for Bible Translation Fellowship , explains why th...

What does it mean for a Christian on mission to “grow in grace”? Dr. Jonathan Master, president of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, explains at the recent  Radius Missiology Conference . Learn more about GPTS’s new partnership with Radius at gpts.edu/radius-partnership . Watch the video version of this episode on the  ABWE YouTube channel . Listen to all of our RMC22 exclusi...

What is the state of the church in Asia? And what makes Asian missions so unique? We talk to Wayne Chen , director of Radius Asia, at the recent Radius Missiology Conference . Watch the video version of this episode on the  ABWE YouTube channel . Listen to all of our RMC22 exclusives  here . Support this podcast  and impact God’s mission. Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? E...

Before helping found Radius International, Brad Buser served among the Iteri people of Papua New Guinea. Continuing our theme of finishing well, we ask him how he instills endurance in the missionaries he trains in this interview from the recent Radius International Missiology Conference . Watch the video version of this episode on the ABWE YouTube channel . Listen to all of our RMC22 exclusives h...

How can missionaries serve in the midst of difficult, spiritually-dry seasons? And did Jesus himself ever feel like all his labors were for nothing? Dr. Ian Hamilton—theologian, minister, author, and president of Westminster Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Newcastle, England—shares some surprising answers at the recent Radius International Missiology Conference . Watch the video version of th...

Missions done well means staying the course. So how do you know when it’s time to transition off the field and entrust local believers with leadership? Brooks Buser, president of Radius International, discusses his experience among the YembiYembi people in Papua New Guinea at the recent Radius International Missiology Conference . Watch the video version of this episode on the ABWE YouTube channel...

What is the church’s mission? Better yet, what isn’t her mission? Alex and Scott talk to pastor, author, and theologian Kevin DeYoung at the recent Radius International Missiology Conference . Watch the video version of this episode on the ABWE YouTube channel . Listen to all of our RMC22 exclusives here . Support this podcast  and impact God’s mission. Want to ask a question or suggest a top...

For some Christians, missions is out of sight and out of mind. For others, it’s the absolute center of the Christian life. Is it possible for us to make an idol out of missions? If so, how would we know we’ve done so? We ask Chad Vegas, co-founder of Radius International and pastor of Sovereign Grace Church in Bakersfield, CA in this second RMC22 exclusive. Watch the video version of this episode...