This is a true story, but I share it intentionally vague in terms of details. Years ago, the church convention my wife and I are members of had a partnership with the Austrian Baptists. Many people respond negatively to the term "partnership" in missions because the partnership is often in word only. In practice, it …
Month: January 2011
Missional Churches and Missionary Churches
Missional churches are churches that are driven to support worldwide missions through resources and manpower. Missionary churches are churches started by missionaries. Are they the same thing? Protestant churches have only been in the Philippines (where I live) for a little over 100 years. Many Protestant churches are 1st-generation missionary churches. That is, foreign missionaries …
Six Examples of Christian Missions “Expectations Dissonance”
Some of the following I have personal experience with as pertaining to missionaries and missions. Others I have heard from others. One major challenge in missions is the various expectations that come from others as to what your role and activities should be. Here are a few (in no particular order): 1. Money. People on …
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Is there Amish Missions?
One of the frustrations I (personally) have in evangelism is the lack of separation between sharing God’s message and sharing one’s denominational message. Not only do Christian witnesses connect these two but often: don’t see the two messages as being different. And relatedly… don’t see the inappropriateness of linking the two messages. As I have …
Should a Christian Missionary be “Happy”?
I have heard so many sermons stating that happiness is not something that Christians should seek, but rather, they should seek “joy”. “Joy” is described as feeling good based on some sort of spiritual empowerment that transcends one’s momentary circumstances. “Happiness” is looked upon as feeling good because good things are happening. But maybe both definitions …
The Ambiguities of Courage, and Christian Missions
Back in 2001, after the "9-11" incident, US President George W. Bush described the zealots (or perhaps terrorists) who flew airplanes into the World Trade Center towers as "cowards." This led to some interesting conversations. After all, people who fought off fear and self-preservation could hardly be called cowardly, right? Part of the problem lay …
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Reggie McNeal Quotes from “Missional Renaissance”
Two quoted passages from "Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church" by Reggie McNeal. Quote #1 . Page 93. "The jig is up! Evidence of this is everywhere and growing both outside and inside the church culture. The program-driven church has produced a brand of Christianity that is despised, not just ignored, by people …
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Christianity as a (Good) Culturally Subversive Entity
What role should Christianity have in the world today? Based on the title, obviously, I think Christianity should, in part, have a strong subversive element. Consider some options. 1. Kingdom on Earth. This term can be used to describe Christianity as a politically militant here and now entity. Think Christendom or Christian Nationalism. Europe and …
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