The Missions Show

What is the mission of the church? In this week’s upcoming show, we talk about the biblical role of the church in missions and why this very podcast exists—helping goers think and thinkers go. Subscribe now  to never miss an episode when it drops. Support this podcast  and impact God’s mission. Want to ask a question or suggest a topic?  Email us .

Watch the video version of this episode here. Tensions are rising between Ukraine and Russia. The US is considering involvement. What does that mean for Christian workers and churches in Ukraine? Caleb Suko , pastor and ABWE worker, shares his first-hand perspective. Since 2007 Caleb has served as a missionary in Odessa, Ukraine where he is pastor at Hope for People Church and director of the “Eva...

Coming up this week: Caleb Suko explains what workers and national believers are facing in Ukraine firsthand. Subscribe now  to never miss an episode when it drops. Support this podcast  and impact God’s mission. Want to ask a question or suggest a topic?  Email us .

Everyone says they believe in sending missionaries. But what about when it hurts? What about when your church’s most gifted people leave? And what about when missions seems to compete in priority with local outreach? In this episode, Josh Teis weighs in. Josh pastors  Southern Hills Baptist Church  in Las Vegas, N.V. He earned his B.A. in Pastoral Theology from Pensacola Christian Colleg...

Watch the video version of this episode here. In June of 2021, a well-known pastor made waves for connecting partnership development with concepts surrounding systemic injustice and racism. It forces us back to a foundational question: Is it right for missionaries to develop financial support partnerships? Is a centralized, salaried model of missions support better? And what does Scripture have to...

Should missionaries stop asking for money? We ask partnership development guru Steve Shadrach of the Center for Mission Mobilization. Subscribe now  to never miss an episode when it drops. Support this podcast  and impact God’s mission. Want to ask a question or suggest a topic?  Email us .

Watch the video version of this episode here. This week, we continue our conversation with Chad Vegas defining proclamation, outlining the dangers of pragmatism, and sketching a vision for a biblically-driven missiology. Miss part 1? Listen here. Chad is the founding pastor of Sovereign Grace Church of Bakersfield, the founding board chairman of Radius International and Radius Theological Institut...

Coming up: Part two of our conversation with Chad Vegas, where we get to the bottom line definition of healthy missions and its implications for overseas workers. Subscribe now  to never miss an episode when it drops. Support this podcast  and impact God’s mission. Want to ask a question or suggest a topic?  Email us .

Watch the video version of this episode here. In the missions world, there’s a rift between movement practitioners and advocates of biblical proclamation. Why the disagreement? And is there such a thing as the “proclamational model”? Chad Vegas weighs in this week. Chad is the founding pastor of Sovereign Grace Church of Bakersfield, the founding board chairman of Radius International and Radius T...

Does a missionary have to be confrontation in evangelism? Chad Vegas, pastor of Sovereign Grace Church in Bakersfield, California, explains one of the inescapable aspects of faithful evangelism. Subscribe now to never miss an episode when it drops. Support this podcast  and impact God’s mission. Want to ask a question or suggest a topic?  Email us .

As global travel uncertainty continues, will short-term missions trips happen in 2022? No one knows the answer for sure, but as Christian leaders, we must plan for the future. So when missions trips do come back at full strength, what can we do to do them better ? This week we’re diving into the archives to bring you, once again, our interview with Launch Point Executive Director Jason Phillips. J...

How do missionaries feel when separated from holiday traditions back home? Should global workers feel guilty for the abundance they enjoy at Christmastime? And what can churches do to support missionaries who feel stuck in the middle between home and the field? Stephanie Boon, ABWE missionary to Tanzania, shares. Read Stephanie’s advent devotional article here. Stephanie Boon lives in Tanzani...

Abortion isn’t just a US problem. In Papua New Guinea, too many working-class women expect that rape will happen to them at some point in their lifetimes—and almost as many women, when they become pregnant, are unaware that what is inside them is alive. For ABWE missionary Lori Smith , this isn’t just a social problem—it’s a spiritual problem with a gospel solution. From her clinic where their tea...

Every day, ABWE missionary Lori Smith is seeing women’s hearts and lives change. In this week’s episode, find out why abortion is such a particularly pivotal issue in Papua New Guinea. Support this podcast  and impact God’s mission. Want to ask a question or suggest a topic?  Email us .

Across the globe, many folk religions try to find peace in life by honoring ancestral figures. So when evangelical missionaries think encounter Roman Catholic tradition and its Marian dogmas and traditions venerating the saints, how should they respond? Dr. James Fryer joins us to discuss this powderkeg issue tackled in his dissertation. James Fryer, Ph. D. (Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary...

It’s Christmas. Images of Mary are everywhere. But when missionaries encounter veneration of saints among Roman Catholics and others, what should our response be? Dr. James Fryer joins this week to share. Support this podcast  and impact God’s mission. Want to ask a question or suggest a topic?  Email us .

How can a missionary discern where they should serve? Is it biblical for a church missions program to target some countries but not others? And what’s the reason more missionaries don’t go to the unreached? To sign up to learn more about ABWE’s upcoming Open Initiative as it launches, click here . Support this podcast  and impact God’s mission. Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? ...

The barriers to reaching unreached people groups are real. This week, Harry G., overseeing South Asia for ABWE, returns to the show to explain why they still matter—and how churches can recapture a pioneering spirit. Support this podcast  and impact God’s mission. Want to ask a question or suggest a topic?  Email us . The Missions Show is sponsored by  ABWE’s Global Gospel Fund .

Our conversation with Ted Esler continues as we try to define words like “disciple” and “church” and map out both the common ground and the battle lines. Then, we try to chart the path forward. You can  listen to part one. Ted Esler is the president of  an association of agencies and churches representing over 30,000 mission workers worldwide. Ted worked in the computer industry before becomi...

This week, we continue our crucial conversation with Ted Esler as he shares his opinions about methodologies, movements, and the biblical definition of “fruit” in ministry. Hear part 1 here. Support this podcast  and impact God’s mission. Want to ask a question or suggest a topic?  Email us . The Missions Show is sponsored by  ABWE’s Global Gospel Fund .

What are disciple-making movements and church planting movements? Do these methods, carried to their logical conclusions, undermine our doctrines of the local church and of conversion? Or are we being too theologically rigid? Let’s reason together, build common ground, and determine where the real issues lie. Hear part 1 in a two-part series with Missio Nexus president Ted Esler. Hear our previous...

This week, Ted Esler returns to the show for a frank conversation about movement methodologies and the biblical doctrine of the local church. Support this podcast  and impact God’s mission. Want to ask a question or suggest a topic?  Email us . The Missions Show is sponsored by  ABWE’s Global Gospel Fund .

Why does God give us a glimpse of the future? How can we prepare for suffering in missions? This week, hear a special presentation from Alex Kocman to members of Westminster Theological Seminary’s Global Missions Fellowship on 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, taken from Alex’s upcoming book with Chad Vegas on integrating doctrine and practice. Support this podcast  and impact God’s mission. Want to ask...

Coming up this week: Alex Kocman presents why enlisting in ministry means enrolling in God’s seminary of suffering. Support this podcast  and impact God’s mission. Want to ask a question or suggest a topic?  Email us . The Missions Show is sponsored by  ABWE’s Global Gospel Fund .

What is obedience-based discipleship, and is it biblical? The issue isn’t as simple as it seems. This week, Alex and Scott discuss Alex’s article addressing the topic and explore all the related questions of law, gospel, and salvation by faith alone. Support this podcast  and impact God’s mission. Want to ask a question or suggest a topic?  Email us . The Missions Show is sponsored by&nb...