Innovations are allowing people to live longer than ever, and as potential retirees look into the future, they dream of exciting possibilities to explore. But the kind of retirement that enticed millions of Americans years ago is rapidly evaporating. In addition to the new opportunities they face, these pioneers of the new retirement look into […]
Outreachin Hochmas does not include church planting; rather, it includes “contributing to community development.” In 1999, a friend of mine recounted the story of a church plant in downtown Chicago, Illinois (USA). I said to myself, “I want be a person like that!” Then in 2000 I read a book in French by Ray […]
The beautiful essence of the gospel is its flexibility and divine capability to root in any culture or people group. Personal Evaluation About ten years ago a new missionary engaging in language and cultural learning in Asia thoughtlessly threw a surprising question to a senior missionary: “Why can’t they (national people) accept the gospel […]
Working Definitions and Facts “Urban poor” defined: Those living on less than US$1 or US$2 per day (Millennium Development Agenda). Those living with inadequate income, shelter and access to infrastructure and basic daily services. Those who have an unstable asset base, little to no access to their rights as citizens and are voiceless and powerless […]
How many of us remember the person who led us to Christ? Perhaps for some of us, it was a series of encounters that culminated in a decision of faith. If you are like me, you may remember that first Bible and that moment of decision when you prayed and asked Christ to be Lord […]
When seeking to connect with younger people, we want to be aware of their values and expectations. As people, we are shaped and formed by a wide variety of forces and influences, including our culture, language, religion, parents, and life circumstances. We are also, to an extraordinary extent, shaped by the era in which […]
Working Definitions and Facts “Urban poor” defined: Those living on less than US$1 or US$2 per day (Millennium Development Agenda). Those living with inadequate income, shelter and access to infrastructure and basic daily services. Those who have an unstable asset base, little to no access to their rights as citizens and are voiceless and powerless […]
The Generations Project helps young women ages eighteen to thirty-five develop leadership skills as they plan to enter the workplace or the mission field. The Apostle James states that “as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” The model he offers, to feed faith with works, should compel […]
If we are to reach Europe’s youth, we need to cultivate and encourage leaders to have a type of missional imagination. In the United Kingdom, there have been two recent research projects into the spirituality of 14 to 25-year-olds.1 Both were based on personal interviews with groups of young people. Making Sense of Generation […]
The truly effective and productive missionary is the one whose precious and godly work of love survives into eternity. The three moments we most remember Jesus for are times when he was completely, physically motionless, when he was: (1) wrapped in swaddling clothes as a baby, (2) nailed to the cross, and (3) laying […]
Steve Strauss, director of SIM USA, washes the feet of three African American church leaders as a symbol of repentance. SIM (Serving In Mission) is almost 115 years old. Any organization with that much history has baggage, some of which is not very pretty. In the past eight to ten years we have been unpacking […]
In John 17:21, Jesus prays for his followers all over the world: “May they be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be one in us, so the world may believe that you sent me.” One of the things that excites me most about the Lausanne Movement is […]
Sadly, the West’s story—that “enlightened” people have outgrown their need for God—has led to what historian Andrew Walls calls the “largest and fastest recession in Christian history.” “Change” is not the first thing a person associates with education. Words like “tenure,” or pictures of ivy-covered stone structures designed to keep threats to privilege from […]
When discussing strategies to increase the efficacy of world evangelization, we often focus on developing new and innovative plans, programs, and methodologies. We are constantly looking for the next revolutionary evangelistic paradigm to effectively engage diverse peoples in a rapidly changing world with the unchanging truth of the gospel. We may be so oriented toward […]
