- 8/31 ~ DOING MISSIONS IN THE LOCAL CHURCH ~ Ministry Action Teams by Kathy Appleton (catalystservices.org)
"... Kathy Appleton explains how Irving Bible Church went from a small missions committee focused on little more than approving budgets to 14 ministry action teams engaging over 100 people in their areas of global passion."
- 8/28 ~ PERSPECTIVES COURSE ~ New, "Down Under" Perspectives Promo Video (perspectives.org)
All Perspectives alumni should love the amazing creativity that went into this new promo video ... so well done that it's now being used to promote the course here in the US! (Source: August Perspectives in Practice newsletter).
- 8/27 ~ RESOURCE REVIEWS ~ Lampungese of Sumatra, UPG Profiles, Books and New Events Listings by Marti Smith (Missions Catalyst)
»PRAYER GUIDE - Lampungese of Sumatra (and Others)
»WEB SITE - Asia Harvest Site Includes Videos, 1,500 UPG Profiles
»BOOK - Movements that Change the World
»BOOKS - God's Heart for Children
»EVENTS - Prayer for Global Harvest, Conferences and Retreats, and More
- 8/26 ~ MISSIONARY PERSPECTIVES ~ When The World Comes To Your Field by C. Holland (missionaryconfidential.com)
"Western Europe has seen a huge increase in immigrants, mostly from Third World countries. Many have little to no grasp of the English language. Because of all the prior mission work that’s happened in the 10/40 window, a good portion of these immigrants are evangelical Christians. And when they land here, they look for a church to join, which is a great thing. But it’s presented some interesting dilemmas in a country where less than 1% are evangelical Christian."
- 8/25 ~ FUNDING MISSIONS ~ What Belongs in the Missions Budget? by David Mays (davidmays.org)
"People have many different ideas about missions. Churches are becoming "missional." Our terminology has changed. What one was clear has become cloudy. So what belongs in the missions budget?"
- 8/24 ~ COMMUNICATIONS TRENDS ~ Statistics Show Social Media Is Bigger Than You Think (socialnomics.net)
This video is followed by a transcription of its 37 quotes on the emerging dominence of social media, including hyperlinks to their sources.
- 8/22 ~ PRAYER INITIATIVE ~ Thirty Day Muslim Prayer Focus ~ August 22 thru September 20 (30-days.net)
"Come!... join the millions of Christians around the world who have participated in this largest ongoing international prayer focus on the Muslim world. Note: For great background information on the meaning of Ramadan, click here.
- 8/21 ~ WHEN GOD SHOWS UP ~ The Tornado, the Lutherans, and Homosexuality by John Piper (desiringgod.org)
"On a day when no severe weather was predicted or expected...a tornado forms, baffling the weather experts—most saying they’ve never seen anything like it. It happens right in the city. The city: Minneapolis." Note: See also Piper's later response to this posting.
- 8/20 ~ ISLAM ~ World’s First Muslim Superheroes, the 99, Out to Conquer the West (timesonline.co.uk)
"The 99, a Sharia-compliant version of the X-Men ... has taken the Arab world by storm and has its sights set on the West. The franchise, which was created as a cartoon strip three years ago to counter the effects of jihadist agitprop on Muslim minds, is poised to make its debut on British television this year."
- 8/19 ~ STRATEGIC MEDIA NETWORK ~ Visual Story Network: In the Beginning (visualstorynetwork.com)
"In 2005, Jim Green (Executive Director, JESUS Film Project) and Rob Hoskins (President, OneHope /Reach the Children Foundation) were waiting for a plane together in Bangkok, Thailand. Both shared a deep desire for the body of Christ to be more effective in leveraging visual media for the Gospel. Several conversations followed that led to a May 5, 2006 meeting in Orlando between leaders of the OneHope (formerly Book of Hope), the JESUS Film Project, Bearing Fruit Communications (“The End of the Spear”) and the Caleb Group. Amidst the voices of the 20 people gathered, one Voice emerged."
- 8/18 ~ COMMUNICATIONS TRENDS ~ Is Social Media Making Church Websites Less Important? by Joe Suh (Digital @ Leadership Network)
"Mashable raises this question for corporate websites, citing Vitamin Water's campaign to direct their ad viewers to their Facebook fan page instead of their main website."
- 8/17 ~ BOOK INTERVIEW ~ Movements That Change The World ~ Ed Stetzer interviews Steve Addision (edstetzer.com)
"Steve Addison is the Director of Church Resource Ministries (CRM) Australia, and the author of a new book, Movements That Change The World. Steve is called to encourage church planting movements around the world and is therefore a student of the history of movements that spread the gospel. His new book is a look at that history."
- 8/14 ~ MICROFINANCE/VIDEO ~ Microfinance Credit Crisis Brews (The Wall Street Journal Online)
"... India's booming micro-loan industry could be headed for trouble as more people seek the loans just to pay the bills -- not start businesses." Note: Comments from Christian micro-loan ministries are very welcome on this story.
- 8/13 ~ BLESSING THE NATIONS AMONG US ~ Cross-Cultural Evangelism Made Easy by Phillip Connor (onmission.com)
"If your community is anything like mine, it’s a much different place than it was a decade ago. You might remember a time when most people shopping in your supermarket spoke the same language as you, generally dressed the same way, and were born and raised in the general vicinity. Today, you pass by the curry sauce intended for Indian customers, your groceries are scanned by an elderly Chinese man, and then your food is packed by an immigrant from Mexico. Things have changed, and although change can be difficult, these changes in the face of your community provide you with an amazing opportunity to share Christ with the nations of the world in your own backyard."
- 8/12 ~ CAMPUS OUTREACH ~ Are Today's Students on Your Radar? by Ken Cochrum (lausanneworldpulse.com)
"Leaders worldwide recognize the time is ripe for change. The next few years represent a significant window of opportunity. If we’re serious about trusting God for lasting societal change, we must—both in ministry philosophy and concrete field application—put college students on our radar and bring widespread effective campus movement launching and building to the forefront of all we do."
- 8/11 ~ ACTIVATING THE CHURCH ~ How to Develop a Compelling Missions Movement in the Local Church by Dr. James O. Davis (Billion Soul Network)
"Every Christian and every minister has been commissioned to get a bride ready for Christ! This is our measuring rod. We have to ask ourselves, how much do we do, or does our church do, that has to do with fulfilling the Great Commission?"
- 8/10 ~ DEAF MINISTRY ~ Sounds of Silence by Emily Belz (worldmagazine.com)
"About one in 1,000 people is deaf—but the deaf are often invisible to those in mainstream churches. Only one in 100 deaf people regularly participates in church, and deaf communities around the world are typically the last to receive the gospel in any culture."
- 8/07 ~ PERSECUTED CHURCH ~ Is the Blood of the Martyrs Really the Seed of the Church? by Glenn Penner (persecutedchurch.blogspot.com)
"There is a danger ... in assuming that persecution invariably causes church growth. As persecution takes on such a positive role, it may result in a consequent lack of awareness of and concern for the increasing persecution of Christians around the world as believers in the West feel no great need to address the issue. Why, the question may be asked, should we be concerned about something that has such positive results?"
- 8/06 ~ ORALITY/COLLABORATIVE WEB SITE ~ Scripture Promotion and Resource Knowledgebase (SPARK) Website (vernacularmedia.org)
"This site will help you reach the lesser-known language groups with God's Word through the use of oral strategies. SPARK's ... focus is not on products but on guidelines and methods aimed at increasing effectiveness when working with oral ethnic groups. While the site does include some print strategies, the primary focus is on other strategies. " Note: Read the About SPARK page first. As you explore further you'll discover SPARK a very helpful source of oral ministry assistance.
- 8/05 ~ ONE LIFE TO LIVE ~ My Last Letter by Ed Stetzer (edstetzer.com)
"It's actually an ancient tradition of soldiers and missionaries who as they board a ship, write their family and friends a letter that they think might be their final communication! The resurrection of this ancient tradition is to inspire a new generation to think and pray through the reason for their life - and possibly the sacrifice of their life for a cause greater than themselves."
- 8/04 ~ CHRISTIAN/MUSLIM DIALOG ~ His Peace Upon Us - A New Blog by John Piper (desiringgod.org)
"Muslim-Christian relations are troubled, important, and necessary. The necessary navigation of these important, troubled waters requires a trusted, Gospel-saturated, experienced, courageous follower of Jesus. I only know a few such trusted navigators. One of them has been blogging for about six weeks now ... Walk with him as he walks with Jesus among Muslims in the Middle East"
- 8/03 ~ STRATEGIC MISSION ~ Forum of Bible Agencies / Find A Bible (ifoba.com)
"The Forum of Bible Agencies International (FOBA-I) is an alliance of more than 25 leading international Bible Agencies and other missions organizations with a shared vision: “working together to maximize the worldwide access and impact of God’s Word.” The Find A Bible Project is one of the strategic global initiatives undertaken by Forum members in alliance with one another as a way to maximize the access and impact of God’s word around the world. It is the most comprehensive list of majority and minority language Scriptures in existence. The site provides links for access to resources including Bibles, New Testaments, and Scripture portions in print, audio and visual formats." Note: Found in August 09 edition of World Pulse/News from around the World.
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