The Missions Show

Today we’re taking a break from our regular interview lineup to address the recent death of missionary John Allen Chau . In his final letter before being arrowed to death by the hostile North Sentinelese islanders, Chau penned, “It’s worth it to declare Jesus to these people.” As we mourn Chau’s loss, how should discerning Christians react to Chau’s gospel zeal, methodology, and apparent mot...

We live in an age of perpetual outrage and cynicism, and lost hope takes its greatest toll upon the missionary endeavor. This week we spoke with Dr. Jason Duesing, passionate missions sender and academic Provost and Associate Professor of Historical Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary , author of the new book  Mere Hope: Life in An Age of Cynicism   (B&H, 2018). We discuss how...

Is mentorship the missing ingredient in missions? This week, Marvin Brubacher , Executive Director of MentorLink Canada and ABWE board member emeritus, joins to share from his decades of experience in promoting deep, one-on-one relationships of discipleship and personal development in international settings. Previously, he served as the first President of Heritage College and Seminary in Cambridge...

Behind every great missionary, there’s a great sending pastor. That was certainly true in the case of Andrew Fuller , the pastor of William Carey and a fellow advocate of the modern missionary movement among the English Particular Baptists of his day. What can modern ministers learn from this influential local church leader who helped launch a global movement without even leaving home? We ask that...

The early 2000’s wasn’t a prime time for Americans visiting the Middle East. But that’s when our guest, the son of a Kansas farmer, found himself called to the mission field in an undeniable way. On today’s episode, he shares stories of death-defying ministry to mullahs and how God used his ministry to plant the gospel in the surprisingly fertile soil of the Middle East—and how God is opening door...

It’s the final week to enter our giveaway!  As a way of thanking our loyal listeners, we’re giving away some great, free books and spiffy, new ABWE swag.  Click here for details and to enter our drawing. According to UNICEF, nearly 2 million girls are exploited/sold into the global sex trade each year—and 1 million of them are in India. To boot, Kolkata, the capitol of India’s West Bengal state, b...

Announcement: It’s the show’s first birthday! As a way of thanking our loyal listeners, we’re giving away some great, free books and spiffy, new ABWE swag. Click here for details and to enter our drawing. “It’s the economy, stupid.” Economics is complicated enough already, but injecting a Christian perspective adds a new layer. How do we think Christianly about economics? And specifically, how sho...

Announcement: It’s the show’s first birthday! As a way of thanking our loyal listeners, we’re giving away some great, free books and spiffy, new ABWE swag. Click here for details and to enter our drawing. What is God’s will for my life? Is God calling me to missions? Is there such a thing as a missionary calling—and if so, what is it? ABWE missionary to Ukraine Caleb Suko joins us this week to hel...

Announcement: It’s the show’s first birthday! As a way of thanking our loyal listeners, we’re giving away some great, free books and spiffy, new ABWE swag. Click here for details and to enter our drawing. The Islamic revolution of the 1970’s plunged Iran into a state of political and spiritual darkness, but God’s kingdom hasn’t been halted. This week we talk to a missionary converted from a Muslim...

What does it look like to meet physical needs, share Christ, and risk persecution to serve in a 99.9% Islamic country? Two anonymous, female ABWE missionaries in North Africa join us over the phone to share from their experiences in tilling the soil, building trust, avoiding security risks, and praying that God gradually opens hearts to the gospel. Remember to share, rate, leave a review, and subs...

Dreams and visions in the Islamic world. Miraculous healings. “Power-encounters.” What is the role of the Holy Spirit in missions? Are miracles still normative in front-lines missions—and specifically, what about the apostolic sign gifts seen throughout the Book of Acts? There’s perhaps no one better to ask than Dr. Thomas R. Schreiner , one of the leading New Testament scholars of our day, and au...

Announcement: We’re giving away 2x free VIP tickets (a $220 value!) to For the Church in Kansas City, Sept. 24-25! Enter by Sept. 19 to be eligible for the prize. Go to missionsshow.com/giveaway to enter now. More money, more problems. Wealth, generosity, pay scales, financial practices, and differing standards of living can all be hair-trigger issues in dealing with relationships with nationals w...

Christianity isn’t spreading into Africa; it’s already there. But as our guest this week shares, it is afflicted by the problem of syncretism, hyper-charismatic influence, so-called prosperity “gospel” teaching, and weak theology. How can pastors and missionaries confront these threats and help the African church develop theologies that are rich, sound, and historically rooted? Conrad Mbewe answer...

Tentmaking. Platform. Business as mission. BAM. All terms that are used sometimes interchangeably throughout the missions community—but what do they mean? Is it really practical to use a for-profit business venture as a ministry platform in another culture, and how can we make sure we’re doing it the right way? How can there be any time to make disciples if a missionary spends 40+ hours working pe...

In 2016, Todd DeKryger, surgeon and medical missionary to Togo in West Africa, died in Cologne, Germany, where he had been evacuated to receive treatment for illness contracted in Africa. His wife, Jennifer, was by his side—and he left behind four young boys. In the time since, God has used grief, brokenness, and suffering to teach Jennifer the valuable lesson on absolute dependence upon Christ—so...

When the gospel enters a new place—like Togo in West Africa—those who hear the message have a tendency to interpret it through their worldview lens. This week, John Morgan shares the sobering results of his studies relating to how professing believers in this African nation are still wrestling with their traditional views of animism, witchcraft, and spiritual activity. You’ll be challenged to thin...

There are lots of names of women who could vie for the title of being a “mother” of the modern missions movement—and Lucy Peabody is certainly one such candidate. This pioneer missionary to India endured the loss of her first husband, mobilized marginalized women across the country to give millions of dollars towards missions, befriended President Taft and the Rockefeller family—and, along the way...

We’ve all struggled to share our faith in one-on-one conversations. We also struggle with personal spiritual disciplines intimately connected to our effectiveness in evangelism—i.e., prayer. On this episode, Josh Daggett , lead pastor at Living Waters Fellowship in Des Moines, Iowa, shares his own encouragements, failures, and victories in these critical areas of ministry. We dig into a theology o...

In this episode, Scott and Alex discuss the uniquenesses of racial reconciliation and multiethnic church planting in South Africa. With Apartheid a mere 20 years in South Africa’s rearview, ethnic tensions still threaten to divide the church. In this insightful interview, our guest, an 18-year veteran of church planting missions to South Africa, shares simple strategies their team has used in brid...

Protestants in the West have a rich heritage of systematic theology—but it doesn’t always translate easily into new cultural contexts. Is a return to narrative-focused, biblical theology the answer? Chris Bruno , Assistant Professor of Greek and New Testament at Bethlehem College and Seminary , joins us to answer and weigh in on his own cross-cultural experiences in Hawaii. We also address ways fo...

On this episode, ABWE President Paul Davis  joins us to share why it’s crucial that missionaries be theologians. We dive into why a “big God” theology that acknowledges the absolute supremacy of Christ is the only theology weighty enough to compel an unbeliever to convert and commit “treason” against their old gods. It’s also the only theology big enough to compel a believer to go as a missionary....

The President of China was just appointed to lifelong office. Church buildings are being demolished. Cults are on the rise due to a lack of trained church leaders. What is God up to in China? Steve Schirmer , president and founder of Silk Road Catalyst , joins us to answer. Steve is a missionary who has poured out his life out for the least-evangelized since 2000, and Silk Road Catalyst exists to...

You’ve probably heard that Muslims are coming to Christ throughout the Islamic world in record numbers, many of them prompted by dreams and visions. Perhaps you’ve also heard of related  disciple-making movements and  church-planting movements that report exponential multiplication of converts and fledgling churches. But what’s the real story behind these stats, and are these explosive growth move...

What is a biblical definition “social justice” and how does it relate to the gospel? What bearing does the recent conversation about racial reconciliation—and the resulting controversy—have for missionaries ministering to disparate and people groups and ethnicities? How can the church do a better job of addressing social justice and racial issues without proposing leftist or statist solutions? We...

Should churches aim to be multiethnic, or should we stick to the homogenous unit principle inherited from missiologists? In today’s episode, Brian (last name withheld), a former IMB missionary to the Middle East and current missions pastor focusing on diaspora ministries, shares why the answer isn’t as simple as it seems—and how globalism is making cultural boundaries fuzzier than ever. The church...