My wife and I are independent missionaries. By this I mean that we are not under a traditional mission agency. We were sent out by a single church... who serves as our primary accountability partner. We also serve in and with a seminary in the Philippines. Neither of these (nor the counseling center or accreditation …
Continue reading In Tepid Praise of Independent Missionaries (Part 1)
I serve as a professor of missions in the Philippines, and administrate a Christian counseling center. Some would say that this makes me a "missionary." Others might say that this makes me a "cross-cultural minister." I don't really care what term one wants to use--- I hardly care about the term that I myself use. …
Continue reading Is It Okay for a Missionary or Minister to Retire?
Continuing from Part 1 I do think that missionaries are better in proportion to their being good listeners. I sometimes have made the mistake of couching the issue in terms of extrovert and introvert. Some mission boards idealize the missionary who is rather loud, chatty and very active socially. However, the key point I think …
Continue reading Nobody Becomes a Missionary Because They Like to Listen (Part 2)
For the first 7 years of my life I could not swim. That wasn't really a problem because I was never really at a place where swimming was needed. One time, however, when I was six years old, I was with my family visiting their friends in Connecticut. We went to a lake to go …
Years ago my mom had a friend who had been a missionary with a major missions agency; but back then retirement was not deemed a big concern. She went into missions as a single person. She eventually met a guy who was also a missionary, and they got married but too late to have children. …
Mike Winger put a video on Youtube that addresses the question on whether Pastors who have fallen morally should be restored to ministry. It is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPlmF6pLZJE. He brings up numerous issues (13 in all) that should be addressed when it comes to this issue. I found it interesting and relevant. His answer of …
The other day, yesterday in fact, my wife and I were leading a seminar at a church in Baguio City, Philippines. There were between 30 and 40 people there--- perhaps 1/3 of them were people we knew. One we definitely know is Roland (I am using a pseudonym here, meaning that the one thing you …
Continue reading Affirm and Inspire— and One of the Most Important Letters I Don’t Remember Writings
The above question may sound strange and can be open to a few interpretations. One Interpretation (Minor Question): Historically, it might sound like the question, "Should missionaries be married... or single?" Paul made it clear that many of the apostles not only had wives, but they traveled with their husband's in their missionary ventures. Paul …
Earlier this week, my wife and I were doing training with a group of volunteers who serve as "Welcomers" or Missionary Member Care volunteers for Filipinos who serve as cross-cultural missionaries. Many of them were pastors or pastors' wives. We were promoting the "Active Listening" and the "Ministry of Silence." My wife was sharing how …
Continue reading You know… NONE Go into Missions Because They Love to Listen.
For those want a TLDR--- my answer is "I Don't Know." But here is a longer discussion. A few days ago, I was part of an online prayer gathering utilizing Facebook Live. When I joined, I put up the Emoji of Praying Hands to let people know I have joined the group. However, soon after …
Continue reading Should Missionaries Get Involved With Local Politics?