How can the church hold to its foundational truths while effectively engaging in a rapidly shifting cultural landscape? This episode features Michael Clary, a seasoned ministry leader with insights into church planting and cultural engagement. As we delve into topics like the dangers of cultural Marxism within the church and the balance between truth andContinue reading “Beyond Winsomeness: Michael Clary on the Church Planting Movement and Contextualization in an Age of Sexual Confusion”
Tag Archives: missional living
A Crisis in Evangelism? A Conversation With Paul Akin
We’ve launched our premium membership! Visit missionspodcast.com/premium to join and gain access to exclusive bonus content. In this episode of The Missions Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Paul Akin, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, to discuss the critical and evolving landscape of evangelism in today’s rapidly changingContinue reading “A Crisis in Evangelism? A Conversation With Paul Akin”
Making Disciples in Light of the Trinity: Chase Davis
Have we focused too much on contextualization and not enough on who God is? This week, we talk to J. Chase Davis, author of Trinitarian Formation: A Theology of Discipleship in Light of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In this episode, we explore how the doctrine of the Trinity can deepen our understanding ofContinue reading “Making Disciples in Light of the Trinity: Chase Davis”
You Are Sent: A Conversation With Nathan Sloan
What is the crux of missions? What does Scripture have to say about the plight of the lost, and are churches doing enough about it? This week, Nathan Sloan, executive director of Upstream Sending and previous ABWE missionary, answers with insights from his latest book, You Are Sent: Finding Your Place in God’s Global Mission.Continue reading “You Are Sent: A Conversation With Nathan Sloan”
The Stranger on Our Shore With Joshua Sherif
Watch the video version of this episode here. Joshua Sherif grew up Muslim, escaped from Egypt, and found Christ in the US. In The Stranger at Our Shore, he shares his remarkable testimony, Chicago pastor Joshua Sherif calls the Western Church to reconsider the plight of the modern day sojourners in our land—the strangers atContinue reading “The Stranger on Our Shore With Joshua Sherif”
How to Reach LGBTQ With the Gospel: Jim Childs
Enter our giveaway to attend the Radius Missiology Conference in person or virtually. Details at missionspodcast.com/radius22. Many of us are afraid to directly present Christ to those caught up in the LGBTQ subculture. Should we be afraid? How can we win the person, not just the argument? And what does Scripture say? In this episode, weContinue reading “How to Reach LGBTQ With the Gospel: Jim Childs”
Does Evangelism Have to Be Scary?
Evangelism can’t be one-size-fits-all. Or can it? This week, Scott Dunford and Alex Kocman discuss their upbringing doing door-to-door evangelism, methods of presenting the gospel, contextualization, and the Book of Acts. If you’ve ever been discouraged in your efforts to share your faith, this conversation will embolden you. Subscribe now to never miss an episode whenContinue reading “Does Evangelism Have to Be Scary?”
Mission Affirmed: Elliot Clark on Recovering Paul’s Missionary Motivation
Watch the video version of this episode here. Christians talk a lot about grace. We get it from the Apostle Paul. Yet Paul also yearned to be approved by the Lord on the last day for his missionary work. How do we hold these themes together? Elliot Clark, author of Mission Affirmed: Recovering the MissionaryContinue reading “Mission Affirmed: Elliot Clark on Recovering Paul’s Missionary Motivation”
Some Mocked, But Some Believed: Scott Dunford on Acts 17
The Apostle Paul models missional apologetics in Acts 17. What can we learn? In this episode, Scott Dunford walks through a crucial text and draws application for cross-cultural ministry at home and abroad. This episode features a sermon originally preached at Community Evangelical Free Church of Harrisburg, Pa. on June 13, 2021. Want to askContinue reading “Some Mocked, But Some Believed: Scott Dunford on Acts 17”
#RMC21: Rick Davis of Engage Global Explains Hands-On Missions Training
Recorded live at the Radius Missiology Conference in Minneapolis: Engage Global is more than an educational experience—it takes missions-minded believers to the streets to immerse them into a cross-cultural experience in the US. In this midweek exclusive, Rick Davis shares how their unique approach is helping believers and churches reframe their perspectives on the worldContinue reading “#RMC21: Rick Davis of Engage Global Explains Hands-On Missions Training”
Reforming Short-Term Missions: Chip Lamca Explains
Short-term missions needs to change. Missions trips shouldn’t be a means to an end—they should be mission. This week, former missionary and professor Chip Lamca unpacks his recent dissertation work and explains how to reform the uniquely modern phenomenon of short-term missions. We also tackle guidance for college students, what “reverse short-term missions” trips are,Continue reading “Reforming Short-Term Missions: Chip Lamca Explains”
Why the Great Commission Doesn’t Mean What You Think
Why have we been left in the world? We talk often about the Great Commission, but do we truly understand it? According to a 2019 Barna study, about three quarters of US evangelicals don’t. In this episode, Alex Kocman walks through the text of Matthew 28:18-20 to show what is beneath the surface. This talkContinue reading “Why the Great Commission Doesn’t Mean What You Think”
Know Your Place: How to Identify and Study Your Mission Field
In today’s technology-saturated world, we can “be” anywhere—except where we actually are. Place matters. So how can we identify what our “mission field” is around us and know the way it thinks? In this episode, Scott and Alex dive into the book of Acts for answers about worldview, context, and missional living. Remember to share,Continue reading “Know Your Place: How to Identify and Study Your Mission Field”
Is Netflix Killing Missions? Tony Reinke on Media and Technology
“Stay safe, stay home” may be a reasonable mantra during a pandemic, but that thinking long-term suffocates the missionary spirit. Most of us are already technology-addicted, and now streaming video services like Netflix are arguably making it harder to be faithful as a missionary. This week, Tony Reinke of Desiring God explains why the missionaryContinue reading “Is Netflix Killing Missions? Tony Reinke on Media and Technology”
Sheriff Chris Swanson on Faith, Justice, and Missions
Click here to watch the video version of this episode. Sheriff Chris Swanson in Genesee County near Flint, Michigan, went viral two weeks ago when he took off his helmet and riot gear, approached the crowd of demonstrators gathered in response to the killing of George Floyd, and reached out in love to build aContinue reading “Sheriff Chris Swanson on Faith, Justice, and Missions”
Coronavirus and Plague: Lessons From Church History With Glenn Sunshine
The COVID-19 pandemic is challenging churches to be more bold, evangelistic, and loving towards our neighbors than we’ve ever needed to be. But this isn’t the first time in church history that Christians have faced the challenge of a plague. In this episode, our friend Glenn Sunshine returns to share a history of pandemics, theContinue reading “Coronavirus and Plague: Lessons From Church History With Glenn Sunshine”
Serve in Place: Missions in a Pandemic
Global travel restrictions are in place. Hordes of healthy people throughout the U.S. and abroad can’t even get to their local church service in-person—much less to the mission field. Should we temporarily shift our focus away from global missions during the current crisis? Scott Dunford and Alex Kocman explore this complex question in this exclusiveContinue reading “Serve in Place: Missions in a Pandemic”
Why Europe Needs Missionaries: Jonathan Kleis on Reaching Roman Catholics in Italy
While Europe has been the cradle of Christian civilization for centuries, certain countries—like Italy—never truly enjoyed the fruits of the Reformation. Now, Italy is steeped in secularism, paganism, and the occult, in addition to nominal Roman Catholicism. How should missionaries reach into this context, and how can we all engage our Roman Catholic friends andContinue reading “Why Europe Needs Missionaries: Jonathan Kleis on Reaching Roman Catholics in Italy”
Micah Fries: What Christians Should Know About Islam in North America
The presence of Islam in North America is still a lightning-rod issue, even 17 years after 9/11. This week we return to the topic of how Christians can engage their Muslim immigrant and refugee neighbors—and wade through the complicated waters of related political issues—in a way that is biblical and missional. We consulted a newContinue reading “Micah Fries: What Christians Should Know About Islam in North America”
How to Think Like a Missionary: David Doran Jr. on Missional Living
What does it mean to be “missional”? We asked David Doran Jr., church planter in Lincoln Park, Michigan, an urban center in the Detroit metroplex, how thinking like a missionary has helped him reach with the gospel different communities just a stone’s throw from where he himself grew up. The result was a powerful chatContinue reading “How to Think Like a Missionary: David Doran Jr. on Missional Living”
Special Episode: Scott’s Transition and Church Planting in Silicon Valley
In this special episode, we take a break from the normal flow as Scott Dunford shares an important update on his life and ministry. We’re also joined by Bob Bixby, lead pastor of Redeemer Church in Fremont, California, to talk about why the San Francisco Bay Area is truly a mission field—and how listeners canContinue reading “Special Episode: Scott’s Transition and Church Planting in Silicon Valley”
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?”
Jared C. Wilson: Why Missionaries Need the Gospel Too
Pastors and missionaries are supposed to be sharing the gospel, but inwardly, many believe that they’re justified by their own performance. In this episode, Jared C. Wilson—a “failed church planter” who “once made a mess of his marriage” (his words, not ours!) whose rediscovery of gospel-centeredness transformed his life and ministry—shares why missionaries need to beContinue reading “Jared C. Wilson: Why Missionaries Need the Gospel Too”
How Does Hospitality Fuel Mission?
Starting gospel conversations—whether at home or overseas—is difficult in our distracted, technology-addicted world. Is returning to a practice of holistic, biblical hospitality part of the solution to strengthen our evangelism? Jeff Dalrymple, former president of Baptist Haiti Mission and president and founder of The Hospitality Project, helps us answer that question and explains why weContinue reading “How Does Hospitality Fuel Mission?”
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.