Amazon to the Himalayas

Today, we are talking with a missionary who serves in South Asia, deep within the Mountains of the Himalayas. James and his wife, Grace, have been living in South Asia for 8.5 years. They work among Buddhist people in the Himalayas and are laboring to reach them with the Gospel. James grew up in Africa, spent a few years at Seminary, and then, in 2015, headed to South Asia, focusing on learning th...

Our guest today is Clark Atwood. Clark and his wife, Elizabeth, have been married 20 years and have four kids - 2 boys and 2 girls - from teenager to toddler. They both grew up and went to college in Georgia and had previous careers before going overseas. They have lived in South Asia for over 10 years, serving with a missions-sending agency. Their context is majority Muslim, but also a notable pe...

Today, we are back in a rural American context. I am having a conversation with a pastor who serves in rural Eastern Kentucky as a bi-vocational pastor. Our guest today is Pastor William Dooley. William Dooley is a high school teacher and the bi-vocational pastor of Middletown Baptist Church in Berea, KY, as well as an adjunct communication professor at Eastern Kentucky University and Bluegrass Co...

Our guest today is Scott Branson. Scott and Laura Branson and their two children have served with the International Mission Board (IMB) in South America for 15 years. The first 8 years of their time on the field were spent in Andes Mountains in a very hard-to-reach village 9 hours from the nearest city. After that project ended, the Bransons moved down the Andes Mountains to the Amazon Basin. They...

In this episode, we are going to focus on a rural American context. There are joys and difficulties in every ministry context, and we tend to hear a lot about cities and Urban contexts, but what about the rural context? Many will say that rural America is its own mission field, and so I am excited to talk more about it. I am thrilled because today we are going to have a conversation with Dr. Bart...

What does it look like to do missions and ministry in challenging contexts? This season is focused on that very question. We will talk with people who are working in Jungles, Mountains, Islands, and Rural Contexts around the world and here in North America, people living in extreme cold, and many other challenging environments and contexts. I hope that this season will help us to understand some o...

Today we are going to talk about the life and impact of pastor and missionary, George Liele. Liele was an African American emancipated slave that went to Jamaica from the United States in 1782, making him the first-ever Baptist missionary from the United States to take the Gospel overseas. Our guest today is Pastor Nate Bishop Jr., pastor of Forest Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. Follow Am...

Drs. Paul Akin and Hershael York got together to record a joint episode of their podcasts for Great Commission Week 2023 at Southern Seminary to discuss what it means to pastor your congregation well in the Great Commission. This episode was filmed in front of a live audience at The Bookstore at Southern.

Today we are going to talk particularly about Southern Baptist missions and a missionary that is very well known to many, Charlotte Diggs Moon, known by most as Lottie Moon. It is hard to overstate Moon's impact on Southern Baptist missions. Our guest today is Dr. David J. Brady. Questions addressed in this episode: -What drew Lottie to China? Any major life events that led her down that path? -Wh...

Arguably one of the most well-known missionaries from recent times, and Dr. Paul Akin's favorite, is Jim Elliot. It would be impossible to explain the impact that both Jim and Elisabeth Elliot's lives and ministry have made on the Church in such a short episode, but with us to talk about this very thing today is Dr. Danny Akin, president of the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of th...

We have talked broadly about different eras in church history, and now we are going to switch gears and talk about some of the individual Christian missionaries that have made enormous impacts on the church and for the kingdom of God. The first missionary we are going to talk about is Samuel Zwemer, often called the "Apostle to Islam." With us to talk about him is Dr. Clayton Cloer, president of B...

Today we will focus on our final time period, Missions in the 21st Century, thinking primarily about the present and the future as we consider what God is doing around the world today. Our guest today is Dr. Michael Goheen, a professor at Covenant Seminary and an expert on this topic. Questions addressed in this episode: -What global realities and megatrends are impacting missions today? -What imp...

The 19th and 20th century is a time when the church, particularly in the West, experienced deep missionary fervor to get the Gospel to the nations. What was happening in the culture for this kind of passion to spark missionaries such as William Carey, Adoniram Judson, and Samuel Zwemer? With us to talk about this is Dr. Ed Smither, Professor and Dean of the College of Intercultural Studies at Colu...

It is a commonly held belief that the period of the Protestant Reformation is a low point in Great Commission missions fervor, but is that entirely true? Our guest today is Dr. Ray Van Neste, Dean of the School of Theology & Missions and Professor of Biblical Studies at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. Listen to what he has to say on the matter. Some questions addressed in this episode: -Ho...

The Medieval church is often a confusing and controversial time in church history. However, despite this reality, we can still learn things from the missionary efforts of the believers during this time. In this episode, we talk with Dr. Stephen Presley about the state of the church and missions during the Middle Ages. Some of the questions addressed in this episode: -What impact did monastic order...

This season on the podcast we have been discussing Missions History. Today we are stepping aside to talk about some of the recent events at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. At the time of this recording, the Hughes Auditorium has been filled now for well over a week with students, faculty, staff, community members, and visitors from all around the United States gathering to worship pray, an...

Figures such as Saint Patrick, Columba, and Columbanus, may be familiar to us, especially in Western contexts, but what impact did these figures make on the Church during their lives? Our guest today is Dr. Michael A. G. Haykin, professor of church history & biblical spirituality at Southern Seminary. Tune into to this episode to hear how Ireland, Scotland, and the surrounding areas were reached w...

The Early Church era is considered to be a time of exponential growth for the spread of Christianity. However, it is also a period known for intense persecution. How do these two things go hand-in-hand? In this episode, Dr. Paul Akin is interviewed about the state of missions in the Early Church. Some questions addressed in this episode: -What impact did persecution and suffering have on the early...

On this season of Amazon to the Himalayas, we are going to be focusing on the history of Christian missions. How has the gospel spread since the founding of the church? We are kicking off this season with a look at missions during the Apostolic era with our guest, Dr. Rob Plummer, the Collin and Evelyn Aikman Professor of Biblical Studies at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of the q...

The final phase of the Missionary Task is probably the most misunderstood. When is it time for the missionary that has uprooted their lives to pack up and go home? Or move on to another unreached location? Today we talk with Adam Hailes a veteran missionary who, along with his family, served many years off the coast of Africa in Madagascar. Recently, however, they have all relocated to East Africa...

Our guest today is Dr. Conrad Mbewe, pastor of Kabwata Baptist Church in Lusaka, Zambia since 1987. His church has also planted about 20 churches in Zambia and around Africa. Today, he is on the podcast to discuss the importance of Leadership Development on the field. Some of the questions addressed in this episode... -What do you look for in a potential leader for the local church? -How do you pe...

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus proclaims that He will build His church, and nothing will be able to stop that great task. Therefore, Healthy Church Formation is an essential part of the Missionary Task. But how do we establish healthy churches as the Gospel spreads around the world? Our guest today is Mark Collins, a pastor and church planter who has been ministering in Asia for 18 years. Some questions...

Our guest today is Brian Harrell, a missionary with the IMB in Mozambique, Africa. Brian has served in Africa since 2004, working with unreached people groups influenced by Islam and animism. He joins us on the podcast today to discuss the importance of effective discipleship once someone comes to Christ, and what that looks like specifically in his context. Some of the questions addressed in this...

Today's guest on the podcast is author and veteran missionary, Elliot Clark. Elliot served in Central Asia with his family and now works with Training Leaders International, equipping pastors for the work of the ministry all over the world. He is the author of "Evangelism as Exiles: Life on Mission as Strangers in Our Own Land" (TGC, 2019) and "Mission Affirmed: Recovering the Missionary Motivatio...

Learning the language of a people group that doesn't know your native tongue is essential for effective communication, especially when it comes to sharing the Gospel. But even in cultures that may know and converse in English (or another language), learning and communicating in a person's heart language helps us to get below the surface and share the treasures of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Mat...