Photo credit: Alvaro Canivell (Creative Commons) What does Jesus think about missions? The Great Commission was given by Jesus to the eleven disciples after his resurrection. Here’s the Matthew version: Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them… Read More
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Photo credit: arted_light (Creative Commons) We know about the concept of "rice Christians"–people who "become Christians" because they think there is financial gain in it for them. They assume that the Westerners will support them or provide for them in other ways if they join them. I've come across some other disturbing stories recently: A… Read More
"The dirty little secret of missions is that we are sending missionaries all over the world who have not demonstrate the ability to make disciples who can make disciples. Most have not seen or participated in effective models of church-planting or discipleship at home, but we send them out in the hope that going cross-culturally… Read More
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Missions: the ugly
The last two post have looked at the good and the bad of missions. Now the ugly! We have friends in India whose best church planters (and their churches) have been “stolen” by Western missionary organizations offering to pay them more money. The lure of money in a very poor culture is often difficult to resist.… Read More
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Missions: the bad!
Photo credit: Felix Krohn (Creative Commons) Tony and I were in Nepal training church planters: "What should simple/organic church should look like?" someone asked me. My answer surprised them: "It should look Nepalese!" I have a photo in my possession that epitomizes the problem with much of what is seen on the mission field today.… Read More
Photo credit Stijn Vogels (Creative Commons) Tony and I have been privileged to travel to various countries in all five continents and to see missions at work first hand. First the good: I was brought up, in a Christian sense, on the biographies of those on the mission field. I learned from Hudson Taylor… Read More
Photo credit: Abdallah (Creative Commons) For some time now, I have been pondering the question, "What does it look like for simple/organic churches to get involved in mission?" I'm referring here to the role of what is usually known as "the missionary"–one who is called to leave their own culture and live in another nation,… Read More
Dan Hubbell is an apostolic father who works in many Third World countries where persecution of believers is common. Recently, he sent me a response he had given to a church leader from a Third World nation asking for prayer that his church could find a building to meet in. As I mentioned in the… Read More