The Missions Show

In today’s technology-saturated world, we can “be” anywhere—except where we actually are . Place matters. So how can we identify what our “mission field” is around us and know the way it thinks? In this episode, Scott and Alex dive into the book of Acts for answers about worldview, context, and missional living. Remember to share, rate, leave a review, and subscribe. Together we can bridge th...

In 2020, it’s impossible to escape the topic of privilege . This week, we dive into the archives and bring back our May 2019 interview with Chad Vegas , founding board member of  Radius International  and lead pastor of  Sovereign Grace Church , and our discussion of “gospel privilege.” Perhaps it has never been more timely. Chad is the founding pastor of Sovereign Grace Church. Aft...

The so-called “prosperity gospel” has infected evangelical religious life. But it doesn’t just appear in the overt claims that God wants us to be rich and healthy—it takes far more insidious forms. Is the American dream antithetical to the missionary calling? What role does suffering play in our mission to the nations? Sean DeMars, former missionary known for his appearance in the American Gospel...

Sometimes the missionary task is a balance between evangelism and humanitarianism. William Carey believed that the more evangelized a society was, the more civilized it became—and the more civilized it was, the more open to evangelized it would become. But was he right? C.J. Moore , missions mobilizer, Midwestern Seminary Ph. D. student and fellow, and pastor of Liberty Baptist Church in Missouri,...

Missions means doing hard things in hard places. So are English-speaking churches geared towards expats truly reaching the unreached, or does more need to be done? The answers may surprise you. This week, Scott Zeller, executive pastor of Redeemer Church of Dubai , reframes the issue. Scott Zeller is involved in regional church planting and theological education initiatives from Redeemer Chur...

On August 8, 2020, a simple tweet by Brooks Buser, president of Radius International , ignited a firestorm of controversy: “Thank you for the prayers for Amdu people and team. By God’s grace, there are now members of that people group who are reconciled to God, who no longer have their sins counted against them.” Skeptics, atheists, and even professed Christians joined together to denounce the mis...

Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube. Social justice. Critical theory. Post-colonialism. Intersectionality. These issues have divided believers and unbelievers alike in the church over the last few years, and in 2020 the issue is impossible to escape. Is conservative evangelicalism beginning to compromise biblical teaching on complex social issues? And if so, what effect does that ha...

Christians live in an age of iconoclasm. How can we do church history and modern missions history responsibly—without falling into the opposite errors of hero-worship or “cancel culture”? Jonathan Arnold , Associate Professor of Church History and Historical Theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, weighs in from his perspective as a church historian. For three years, Jonathan served...

On August 4, 2020, the world’s eyes were glued on Beirut, Lebanon as two fatal explosions in a major urban center caused at least 171 deaths, 6,000 injuries, rocked social media, and left an estimated 300,000 people homeless. Pierre Rashad Houssney is Middle East and North Africa Regional Director for Horizons International , based in Beirut, and is a Lebanese-American who grew up in the context o...

“Stay safe, stay home” may be a reasonable mantra during a pandemic, but that thinking long-term suffocates the missionary spirit. Most of us are already technology-addicted, and now streaming video services like Netflix are arguably making it harder to be faithful as a missionary . This week, Tony Reinke of Desiring God explains why the missionary endeavor depends on modern, media-saturated Chris...

When most people think of Norway, they think of gorgeous fjords, bitter cold, and secularism—not a revival of interest in apologetics or biblical doctrine. Is this Scandinavian nation simply circling the drain of postmodernism, or is God doing something new? We ask that question to Nahum O’Brien , ABWE missionary to Norway , along with his national partner and local church elder Edvard Moe. Nahum...

Everyone is discussing the importance of evidence, empirical data, and peer review. What role—if any—should these scientific standards play in missiology? Dr. John Morgan , resident missiologist for ABWE, discusses his latest article exploring the application of evidence-based practice (EBP) in cross-cultural missions strategy. After serving as missionaries to Togo, John and his wife Michele retur...

The Pacific Islands are staggeringly diverse—ethnically and religiously. Pastors and churches are starved for theologically rich, gospel-driven teaching and training. What strategy can solve this problem? In this episode, Chris Bruno provides answers and shares an important update about his ministry with Training Leaders International . Free John Piper Book Download:  Desiring God is giving away J...

The world seems more chaotic than ever. The church feels increasingly paralyzed with fear. What power is available to us to engage the immense task of the Great Commission? The power of God for our mission is found in the foolishness of God in the cross, the foolishness of his servants in the church, and the foolishness of the message we preach. Hear Alex Kocman preach at Mount Calvary Church on 1...

Click here to watch the video version of this episode. In this episode, ABWE President Paul Davis sits down (virtually) with Alex Kocman and Scott Dunford for a GARBC 2020 conference breakout session on global missions and how churches can become next-level senders. To learn more about the Live Global adopt-an-unreached-people-group initiative, visit liveglobal.org/unreached . And while you are co...

Ministry is hard. For many, the temptation to throw in the towel is an ever-present reality. How can pastors, missionaries, and other Christian workers develop a sustained pattern of daily endurance? Doug Gehman , president of Globe International and author of Before You Quit: Everyday Endurance, Moral Courage, and the Quest for Purpose (Moody, 2020) , draws on his cross-cultural experiences how t...

While our eyes were glued to Western news, Cyclone Ampham struck India and Bangladesh with deadly results. When tragedy strikes in affluent North America, we can recover much more quickly—but what happens to ministries in the developing world when natural disaster strikes? This week, Live Global partner Smita Singh returns to the show to discuss the physical and spiritual climate of Kolkata and th...

Click here to watch the video version of this episode . Sheriff Chris Swanson in Genesee County near Flint, Michigan, went viral two weeks ago when he took off his helmet and riot gear, approached the crowd of demonstrators gathered in response to the killing of George Floyd, and reached out in love to build a bridge between law enforcement and racial minorities. In this exclusive interview, Chris...

Between global illness, national riots, and the ordinary lump-in-the-throat feeling that often accompanies Christian obedience, the temptations to retreat in fear—or simulate real risk with risk-free alternatives—are plentiful. But this is not the time for cowardice cloaked in carefulness. Now is the time for fearless mission. This week on The Missions Podcast, Charles Smith discusses his recent a...

Missiologists are always talking about contextualizing the church to the surrounding culture. But should we accommodate to a post-Christian culture, or a culture of death like we see in the West today? It’s time for us to rethink the ubiquitous acceptance of the logic of contextualization, says C.R. “Chris” Wiley. This week, Chris returns to the show to defend his thesis. Chris Wiley is pastor of...

“Absolutely no mercy.” That’s how leaked documents describe the treatment of China’s Uyghur Muslims detained in “re-education” camps, according to the New York Times . In recent years, China has detained more than one million members of the ethnic minority concentrated in Xinjiang. What is really happening, and what should Christians do about it? This week, Scott and Alex speak to a former oversea...

Every church wants to send. So why aren’t we? Could it be that we aren’t willing to pay the price—or worse, that local churches are relying on parachurch organizations to do what only the body of Christ can? This week, Pastor Nathan Sloan of Sojourn Church weighs in with some loving rebukes and encouraging insights from his own testimony. Nathan is the Pastor of Sending at Sojourn Church Midtown i...

With global travel restrictions and months-long shutdowns in place, what is happening to world missions? Scott and Alex interviewed ABWE President Paul Davis to answer from his perspective overseeing work in 70 countries. In this episode, Paul shares his new rhythms in life, what missionaries are telling him, what he’d be doing right now if he were a local church pastor, and why our best weapon th...

Let’s admit it: ministry depends on money. But ministry partnership development, deputation, or raising missionary support were already hard enough. Now, with global economic shutdown and mass layoffs, making the “ask” feels wrong. How can missionaries connect with partners and churches and maintain funding in a way that is good, decent, and biblical? Jason Ruch explains. Jason is Director of Infr...

Does online worship count as “church?” Is Sunday unique as the Lord’s Day? Does the Bible give us a regulative principle or worship, or a normative principle of worship? The current global crisis has brought up these important questions about ecclesiology—questions that missionaries already face in parts of the world where gathering openly and regularly may be impossible or illegal. In this episod...