“Either we are defined by mission, or we reduce the scope of the gospel and the mandate of the church. Thus our challenge today is to move from church with mission to missional church.” The move from church with a…
Christian advocacy puts words and actions together in following God
Words matter. They are how we frame our society, our relationships, our entire lives. They are a gift. Actions matter. They impact everyone and everything around us. They have the power to help or harm. The central question for Christians,…
Millennial, Gen Z Christians support missions — with reservations
Christian missionaries face a world of challenges even in “normal” times — unfriendly governments, hostile social and religious forces, cultural barriers and language struggles, to name a few. Now, a global pandemic has made the basic acts of travel and…
Lessons learned on a journey of interfaith friendship
Interfaith friendship is my passion. How did a lifelong Christian — born and reared in the family of a Southern Baptist pastor, who holds three degrees from a Baptist university and seminary, and is an ordained Baptist minister and 25-year…
Coronavirus teaches us that ‘church’ is a verb
In this time of coronavirus, we need a new grammar of church. “Church” is not a noun with a cynosure of place. It is a verb. It is a verb not to be used in the singular but always in…
How do we effectively present Jesus to the world? Two contrasting approaches.
For one Baptist mission organization in the U.S., evangelism is the goal and method considered superior to all other mission strategies. For another, the primary way of presenting Jesus to the world is through a benevolent response to human need.
Missiologist and ministry mentor Bill O’Brien dies
Bill O’Brien, a former Southern Baptist music missionary acknowledged as a leading expert in 21st century global missions, died Saturday. George Mason, pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, announced his passing on social media, saying his father-in-law and brother in Christ “did not wake up on this side of the veil.”
Lottie Moon’s church added to list of protected cultural and historical sites in China
The State Council of the People’s Republic of China has added the church where legendary Southern Baptist missionary Lottie Moon was a member during much of her time in the country to a list of major historical and cultural sites protected at the national level.
Pack a constitution with that Bible for overseas mission trips, expert says
A huge challenge facing faith-based groups operating overseas is ignorance about the laws governing religion in other countries. It can get people into a lot of trouble, said Eron Henry, a Jamaian-born American and former communications executive with the Baptist…