What is prioritism? What is holism? Is there a middle way? For decades these questions have reverberated throughout the missions community. They aren’t theoretical issues—they affect the daily work of missionaries.
This episode is sponsored by Radius International. You can learn more about Radius International and their gap year program at radiusinternational.org.
Some in the missions world maintain that the Great Commission is simply about serving others—whether or not the gospel is presented. In this week’s upcoming episode, we explain what’s at stake in the long-running missiological debate between prioritism and holism.
What is the church’s mission? Are proclamation and mercy ministry separate tasks, or intertwined? And are we forgetting our foundation—pursuing the glory of God? We explore this week with Justin Schell, US director of Union School of Theology and director of executive projects with Lausanne Movement.
Justin studied mission and biblical theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and business administration at EDHEC Business School. He is coauthor with Glen Scrivener of Come and See: A History and Theology of Mission as well as the forthcoming The Mission of God in the Short Studies in Biblical Theology series by Crossway. He is husband to Megan and daddy to Henry and Evie. They are members at Evergreen Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
This episode is sponsored by Radius International. You can learn more about Radius International and their gap year program at radiusinternational.org.
Is missions about proclaiming the word, deeds of mercy, or both? Justin Schell, US director for Union School of Theology and director of executive projects with Lausanne Movement, answers in our upcoming podcast discussion on his new book Come and See: A History and Theology of Mission.
Many church and missions leaders are concerned that disciple making movements, church planting movements, and other multiplication methodologies are guilty of pragmatism. Conversely, movement practitioners accuse critics of being too tied to tradition. Is there common ground?
In a recent article for Global Missiology, Middle East missionary J.R. Stevenson claims the two sides of the conversation may agree more than previously thought. We interact with these claims in this unique, engaging conversation.
This episode is sponsored by Radius International. You can learn more about Radius International and their gap year program at radiusinternational.org.
What is “revival”? Is it biblical? And if so, should we pursue it in our homes, churches, and across the globe? Scott and Alex wrestle with the timely topic in light of the recent reports from Asbury University.
You can watch the video version of this episode and more on the ABWE YouTube channel.
Revival is in the news. What should we be looking for in terms of biblical revival—in our own lives, our families, our churches, and among the nations? We discuss in this week’s upcoming episode.
Across culture and even within the church, the sufficiency and authority of Scripture are under attack. What is needed is a return to biblical theology, says Dr. Scott Callaham, Ph.D., dean of the Institute for Public Theology. In this conversation, we explore what the whole counsel of Scripture has to say about our mission to the nations.
Scott N. Callaham graduated from the United States Naval Academy (Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering) and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity and Doctor of Philosophy in Old Testament). He is the lead editor of World Mission: Theology, Strategy, and Current Issues, as well as the author of Biblical Aramaic for Biblical Interpreters in both English and Chinese. Dr. Callaham has served as a pastor, chaplain, cross-cultural international missionary, conference speaker, Bible translator, and seminary professor. He has written book chapters and journal articles spanning Hebrew grammar and syntax, biblical theology, preaching, pastoral ministry, missions, worship, and songwriting. He is the host of the Daily Dose of Aramaic podcast and a composer of Chinese worship music for congregational singing.
This episode is sponsored by Radius International. You can learn more about Radius International and their gap year program at radiusinternational.org.
You can watch the video version of this episode and more on the ABWE YouTube channel.
Does the Old Testament give us a theology of missions? Or are we reading our modern convictions into the ancient text? Dr. Scott Callaham, Ph.D., dean of the Institute of Public Theology, weighs in.
Modern people are fiercely independent. In America, our churches tightly hold on to their freedom. What biblical basis is there for church associations? Can Baptists partner together on mission while still holding to local church autonomy? Dr. James Renihan, theologian and president of International Reformed Baptist Seminary, answers.
After a ministry of church planting in central Massachusetts, Dr. James Renihan and his family moved to Escondido, CA in 1998 to begin serving as Dean of the newly formed Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies. He led that work for 20 years, and when it became IRBS Theological Seminary in 2018 was appointed the first president. He has served as a pastor of churches in Massachusetts, New York and California. He is a graduate of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Ph.D.), Seminary of the East (M.Div.), Trinity Ministerial Academy, and Liberty Baptist College (B.S.). His academic work has focused on the Second London Baptist Confession and the broader Puritan theological context from which it arose.
This episode is sponsored by Radius International. You can learn more about Radius International and their gap year program at radiusinternational.org.
You can watch the video version of this episode and more on the ABWE YouTube channel.
What does associational church membership have to do with the Great Commission? Everything, in fact. Dr. James Renihan of IRBS shares more in this week’s upcoming show.
Is the American evangelical house in order? Or is it in need of a remodel? Or—even worse—should we sell the house altogether and look for another home? Matt Bennett answers these timely questions from the missionary perspective of Lesslie Newbigin.
Dr. Matthew Bennett joined the faculty at Cedarville University in fall 2017 after serving and living in North Africa and the Middle East since 2011. He currently teaches The Bible and the Gospel, Theology I, Urban Missiology, Contemporary World Missions, Global Theology, and World Religions. Hear our previous interviews with Matt here.
You can watch the video version of this episode and more on the ABWE YouTube channel.
The church has the answer for our broken, secular culture. In this week’s upcoming answer, Matt Bennett shares how the missionary identity of the church serves as a beacon to a watching world.
Before his current role, Nathan led global missions at Sojourn Church in Louisville, Kentucky and served as one of their teaching pastors. Under his leadership, Sojourn sent numerous members out as mid and long-term missionaries, including six church-based teams. Nathan and his wife Sarah were also cross-cultural missionaries in Kathmandu, Nepal, discipling young leaders and working with an unreached people group. Nathan holds a doctorate of missiology (D.Miss.) from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Nathan and Sarah have two children.
Coming up this Sunday: Upstream Sending Executive Director Nathan Sloan shares what makes missions necessary and why churches can’t afford to lose their zeal for the lost.
Defining the word “nation” is crucial, and not just in missions—in culture and even politics, too. How does Scripture define “nation,” and what does it mean for the Great Commission? Indian philosopher and Christian activist Vishal Mangalwadi returns to the show to explore this multifaceted issue.
What do you think of Mangalwadi’s view? Let us know in the comments.
You can watch the video version of this episode and more on the ABWE YouTube channel.
What defines a “nation” has never been more controverisal. This week, Indian philosopher Vishal Mangalwadi returns to the show to unpack this complex issue biblically.
How has the face of Europe changed since the Russian war against Ukraine reached its current escalation? And what can US churches learn as they try to reach immigrants? Pastor Maksym Sliazin, a Ukrainian refugee himself, shares how God is working through the local church among refugees in Poland despite ethnic tensions. Also in this episode, ABWE Missionary Ron Davis explains the miraculous way God called him to Poland to serve with Pastor Sliazin.
You can watch the video version of this episode and more on the ABWE YouTube channel.
How do you hold together a church of Ukrainians, Poles, Belarusians, and more in the midst of a tense war? A Ukrainian refugee pastor shares in this week’s compelling conversation.
How can missionary parents raise children who are godly Christ-followers on the mission field? How should missionaries make education choices for their children—whether to choose home schooling, international school, or public school? And what happens when MKs have special needs? Dr. Cheryl Winget joins to answer these complex and important questions.
Cheryl Winget (D.Ed. in special education/educational psychology, Regent University) is the MK education coordinator for ABWE. She and her husband, Steve, have two adult children and served as missionaries in Budapest, Hungary, for almost 28 years. She taught at the International Christian School of Budapest for 12 years where she directed supplemental services.
You can watch the video version of this episode and more on the ABWE YouTube channel.
Parenting is always hard. Parenting missionary kids is just… different. This week, ABWE’s own Dr. Cheryl Winget (D.Ed. in special education/educational psychology, Regent University) explains why.
For some, missionaries are faith-filled heroes—out on the far reaches of society, sharing the good news in faraway lands. For others, “missionary” might be synonymous with words like “colonizer” or “imperialist.” What’s in a word? In this episode, Alex Kocman and Scott Dunford wrestle with the implications of the “m” word in terms of language, contextualization, and faithfulness.
You can watch the video version of this episode (and others!) on the ABWE YouTube channel.
A new year is upon us. It’s the time to set new goals—including reading goals. To help us count down the top must-read missiology texts for 2023, Chris Howles joins the show.
Chris holds a doctorate in intercultural studies from Fuller Theological Seminary. He’s the founder of From Every Nation, a resource hub for missionaries. He and his family serve as missionaries with Crosslinks in Uganda.
The birth of Christ is the exclamation point on all of Scripture’s claims regarding God’s plan for the nations. Alex Kocman and Scott Dunford reflect on the beauty of Advent and Christmas and why it matters for missions in this holiday exclusive.
You can watch the video version of this episode (and others!) on the ABWE YouTube channel.
It’s easy to underestimate the sacrifice parents make when their children and grandchildren are sent to the nations. But to hold the rope well for cross-cultural missionaries also means caring for the parents and grandparents mourning the loss of relationship with their sent ones. In this special episode, Alex and Scott sit down with Dan and Amy of ABWE’s Member Care program focused on loving parents of missionaries well.
You can watch the video version of this episode (and others!) on the ABWE YouTube channel.
Coming up: Dan and Amy of ABWE’s Member Care team join to explain why parents of missionaries are often overlooked in churches and missions organizations—and what we can do to change that.
Increasingly, we’re seeing people in ministry disqualify themselves or adopt harmful, abrasive, and even abusive styles of leadership. How can pastors, missionaries, and engaged lay leaders equip themselves to persevere in God’s work? Josh Zeichik, director of church engagement for Focus on the Family, explains why pastors and missionaries must be “focused.”
Originally from Los Angeles, California, Josh came to Focus on the Family in 2017. Josh earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in biblical counseling from The Masters University, and spent time in youth ministry, banking, and as a church-planter. He is currently pursuing his doctorate with an emphasis in pastoral leadership. You can get more content from Josh at The Focused Pastor.
You can watch the video version of this episode (and others!) on the ABWE YouTube channel.
What’s the key to lasting in ministry—in a world that’s increasingly chewing up and spitting out Christian leaders? Josh Zeichik of Focus on the Family explains why God’s self-sufficiency is good news for those in ministry.
Sending missionaries is only half the battle. If churches don’t continue to care for missionaries, both the missionary and the church will fail in ministry. In this episode, Ryan Martin shares critical insights from his new book Holding the Rope: How the Local Church Can Care for Its Sent Ones.
Ryan serves as director of missions and operations with Lightbearers Ministries. He graduated in 2022 with a Doctor of Ministry from Southeastern Baptist Theological seminary, where he also serves as a trustee. He has received an MDiv in Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (2008) and an undergraduate degree from Union University in Jackson, TN (2005). Prior to joining Lightbearers, he served for thirteen years as a missions pastor in the local church. Ryan lives in Fayetteville with his wife, Rebekah, and three children: Hudson, Annie, and Hattie.
You can watch the video version of this episode (and others!) on the ABWE YouTube channel.
Personal productivity isn’t just important to professional success. It’s also important to the cause of global missions. This week, author Matt Perman lays out a theology of work, productivity, and cross-cultural ministry, drawing upon his book What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done.
Matt is director of career development at The King’s College NYC and co-founder of What’s Best Next. Previously he worked for Desiring God and Made to Flourish.
It’s almost the holiday season. Not a great time for productivity, right? But this week, gospel-centered productivity expert Matt Perman explains why we should be realistic about our limits—and let God’s grace spur us on to greater activity.
Steve Richardson has served as president of Pioneers-USA since 1999. Pioneers mobilizes and supports 3,200 missionaries and marketplace professionals who impact 500 unreached people groups in 95 countries. Steve was raised in Indonesia, where his parents planted churches in a jungle tribe. He witnessed the impact of the gospel on their war-like society, a story documented in his father’s missionary classic, Peace Child. Steve and his wife, Arlene, also spent eleven years planting churches among an unreached people group in Southeast Asia. The Richardsons now live in Orlando, FL and have been blessed with four daughters and ten grandchildren.
We’re called to make disciples of all nations. But how? Is discipleship a separate program added to the life of the church, or is it the sum total of the entire ministry of the church? And how do we know if we’re succeeding? Alex and Scott wrestle through these critical questions.
What is discipleship? Alex Kocman and Scott Dunford explore this often-misunderstood concept and its implications for global missions and local church life.
Scripture commands us not only to preach the gospel but to care for the poor and suffering. But affluent North Americans can sometimes do more harm than good. How can we help without hurting? Author and professor Brian Fikkert joins to discuss his landmark missions book When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor… and Yourself—and what the consequences of that book have been since its first publication 13 years ago.
Dr. Brian Fikkert is a professor of economics and the founder and president of the Chalmers Center at Covenant College. Dr. Fikkert earned a Ph.D. in economics from Yale University, specializing in international economics and economic development. He is the author of numerous articles in both academic and popular journals and co-author of five books. Prior to coming to Covenant College, he was a professor at the University of Maryland College Park and a research fellow at the Center for Institutional Reform and the Informal Sector.
Coming up this week, Brian Fikkert, coauthor of When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor . . . and Yourself, explains why good intentions aren’t enough when it comes to serving the needy across the world.
By any measure, the number of unreached people groups coming to the US is at an all-time high. How should Christians react—not only politically, but spiritually? Scott Dunford and Alex Kocman wrestle through this question from the text of Scripture and discuss what God is doing through ABWE’s Afghan Initiative.
You can hear a recent sermon Alex preached on this topic from 1 Kings 8 here.
Even in the Old Testament, God’s heart isn’t just for Israel but for all the world. How should that affect our view of the globe today? We’ll explore in our next episode.
What lessons does history teach us about the intersection of missions and mercy ministry? John Mark Yeats sits down to discuss missions movements in Great Britain, adoption, and more.
Yeats serves as Vice President of Student Services, Dean of Students and Student Success, Title IX Coordinator, and Professor of Church History at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Spurgeon College. He earned his Ph.D. in Church History from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and also holds degrees from Southern Seminary, Oxford University, and Criswell College. Yeats has authored three books and has contributed articles to multiple journals. John Mark is married to Angie, and they have four children: Briley, Sean, Cadie, and Jackson.
What does the doctrine of adoption have to do with reaching Muslims for Christ? Dr. Joe Allen explains the connection.
Joe Allen serves as Assistant Professor of Missions at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He wrote his dissertation on “Soteriological Adoption for Muslim Evangelism: Engaging Muslims with the Trinitarian Love of God.”
How does God show his heart for the nations in the Old Testament? And how is he still showing it throughout the least-reached parts of the world? Dr. Jason DeRouchie, research professor of Old Testament and biblical theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, gives some powerful exhortations.
In addition to his seminary duties, Dr. Allen has served as pastor and interim pastor of several Southern Baptist churches. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama, as well as M.Div. and Ph.D. degrees from Southern Seminary. Currently, in addition to his responsibilities as president of Midwestern Seminary, he serves the church more broadly through writing and preaching ministries.
You can access all of our For the Church National Conference exclusives here.
Charles Spurgeon is beloved as the “prince of preachers.” But what did his church do for global missions? We explore with Geoff Chang, Assistant Professor of Church History and Historical Theology and the Curator of the Spurgeon Library at Midwestern Seminary.
You can access all of our For the Church National Conference exclusives here.
Chang is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin (B.B.A.), The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div.). Most recently, he completed his Ph.D. at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he wrote his dissertation on Charles H. Spurgeon’s ecclesiology. Prior to Midwestern, Geoff worked as a database consultant until he discerned a call to ministry. Since leaving the business world, he has served on the ministry staff at Houston Chinese Church (Houston, TX) and Capitol Hill Baptist Church (Washington, DC), and most recently as associate pastor at Hinson Baptist Church (Portland, OR). He also serves the Book Review Editor for History & Historical Theology at Themelios, the academic journal for The Gospel Coalition. You can follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
Missions exists to spread the knowledge of God. But who is God? And how are evangelicals today getting the Trinity wrong? Dr. Matthew Barrett of Midwestern Seminary gives such much-needed insights at the For the Church conference.
Matthew Barrett is Associate Professor of Christian Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, as well as the founder and executive editor of Credo Magazine. He is the author of several books, including None Greater: The Undomesticated Attributes of God; God’s Word Alone; Canon, Covenant and Christology; 40 Questions About Salvation; Salvation by Grace; Owen on the Christian Life; Reformation Theology; and The Doctrine on Which the Church Stands or Falls. He is the series editor of The 5 Solas Series with Zondervan. He is also the host of the Credo Podcast where he talks theology with the best theologians today about the most important doctrines of the Christian faith.
