It’s our 100th episode! Listen all the way through the episode for details on how to win our podcast anniversary giveaway. In honor of the occasion, we brought back a favorite friend of the show—Zane Pratt, vice president for global training for the IMB—for a heavy-hitting conversation about why our theology must absolutely, unapologetically shapeContinue reading “Why Theology Must Shape Mission: A Chat With Zane Pratt”
Tag Archives: missiology
Brooks Buser on the Urgency of Eternity and the Dangers of Pragmatism
Do we really grasp the urgency of taking the gospel to those who have never heard? And if the task of making disciples among the unreached is so urgent, why shouldn’t we employ every pragmatic means at our disposal to finish the task? Brooks Buser weighs in this week and discusses pioneer missions, disciple-making movements,Continue reading “Brooks Buser on the Urgency of Eternity and the Dangers of Pragmatism”
What Missionaries Need to Know About the Faith and Works Debate: Chris Bruno on Justification and the Missiology of Paul and James
For New Testament students, fewer topics are more frequently studied and debated than the relationship between faith and works in the book of James and the letters of Paul. The question “how are we justified?” isn’t just a question asked in churches and seminaries—it’s also a vital question that relates to how we do missions.Continue reading “What Missionaries Need to Know About the Faith and Works Debate: Chris Bruno on Justification and the Missiology of Paul and James”
What Is the Mission of God’s People?
What is the mission of the people of God in the world? Christians often get this basic question wrong. Are the people of God primarily called to social work, church planting, evangelistic campaigns, or all three somehow? This week, Scott Dunford explains why Romans 15 establishes a paradigm for the whole body of Christ toContinue reading “What Is the Mission of God’s People?”
Faithfulness or Pragmatism? Andy Johnson on Methodologies
What are the non-negotiables of how we do missions? Is it possible to reverse-engineer what’s “working” on the field to build our methodology, or are we locked in to a finite set of prescriptions from Scripture about how to do ministry—thinks like preaching the word training elders? Andy Johnson (Ph.D., Texas A&M), Associate Pastor atContinue reading “Faithfulness or Pragmatism? Andy Johnson on Methodologies”
Do We Need to Redefine Unreached? Matthew Bennett Answers
For decades, missiologists have assumed the priority of the “unreached”—and for good reason—building entire organizational strategies around it. But do we need to redefine this term? Matthew Bennett, Ph.D., former IMB missionary and current Assistant Professor of Missions and Theology at Cedarville University, weighs in. In a recent article, Matthew argues that we’ve taken theContinue reading “Do We Need to Redefine Unreached? Matthew Bennett Answers”
Tom Ascol and Jared Longshore on the Priority of Preaching, God’s Sovereignty, and Discernment
Is preaching essential to missions, or is it a Western tradition that can be sacrificed for the sake of contextualization? Some advocates of disciple-making movements (DMM’s) claim the latter. In this interview, Tom Ascol and Jared Longshore of Founders Ministries explain why authoritative proclamation is indispensable to ministry in any culture. Later in the episode,Continue reading “Tom Ascol and Jared Longshore on the Priority of Preaching, God’s Sovereignty, and Discernment”
John Taylor: 5 Problems With Money, Nationals, and Helping That Hurts
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 missionspodcast.com/giveaway to enter now. More money, more problems. Wealth, generosity, pay scales, financial practices, and differing standards of living can all be hair-triggerContinue reading “John Taylor: 5 Problems With Money, Nationals, and Helping That Hurts”
Does Business as Mission Work?
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 anyContinue reading “Does Business as Mission Work?”
Zane Pratt: Are Explosive Disciple-Making Movements Really Healthy?
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 movements really healthy and biblical? Zane Pratt joins us today to answer.
Collin Hansen: Social Justice, Racial Reconciliation, and Missions
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 leftistContinue reading “Collin Hansen: Social Justice, Racial Reconciliation, and Missions”
Church Planting: Multiethnic or Homogeneous Units?
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 makingContinue reading “Church Planting: Multiethnic or Homogeneous Units?”
When Everything Is Missions… (Nothing Is): A Chat With Denny Spitters and Matthew Ellison
Is every Christian a missionary? Is there a difference between “missions,” “missional,” and “mission?” Denny Spitters and President Matthew Ellison, authors of When Everything Is Missions, answer.
How Much Contextualization Is Too Much?
Today in missions there’s a lot of talk about contextualization. The “C scale” developed by John Travis makes a case for so-called insider movements—professing believers in the Islamic world who follow Jesus, yet remain culturally and religiously Muslim. Is that biblical? How can we adapt the gospel to new cultures—and how far is too far?