Research resources from and for missional Christian leaders
Articles and Stories
A wide variety of relevant topic reflections, mission reports, leadership insights, testimonies, theological thoughts, and much more.
Understanding Your Jewish Neighbour: Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread
Passover is a significant Jewish festival that foreshadows the story of Easter, helping Christians see more clearly how Jesus’ death and resurrection fulfil God’s plan of redemption. Read how this can open doors for meaningful connection with Jewish...
Understanding Your Jewish Neighbour: Purim
A sleepless king. A courageous queen. A villain with a vendetta. The Book of Esther reads like a soap opera steeped in Shakespearian tragedy, full of intrigue, irony, suspense, and salvation. Purim, one of the most joyous and lively holidays in the...
Understanding Your Jewish Neighbour: Rosh Hashanah
Jewish communities worldwide have faced a surge of antisemitism, leaving many fearful, shaken by crisis, and searching earnestly for hope. Others, scarred by history, have erected barriers to the gospel and often associate Christendom with the very...
Understanding Your Jewish Neighbour: Sukkot
If you were to walk through Jerusalem during Sukkot, you would find the city transformed. Balconies, courtyards, and sidewalks are filled with makeshift huts covered in branches and palm fronds. These tabernacles are fragile, open-roofed shelters...
Understanding Your Muslim Neighbour: Ramadan
In the West, Muslims are on the increase partly through migration and partly through a high birth rate. Jesus commissioned his church to go to all nations and teach them what he taught. One of the most commonly asked questions I face in my ministry...
Unity in Oneness, Beauty in Diversity
The Work of the Holy Spirit Across Ethnicities Recovering the Wonder of our Oneness "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female,...
Unleashing the Power of Teamwork
Embracing Collaborative Leadership Exemplified by the relationship between God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit, collaborative leadership helps to bring together diverse perspectives and expertise, fosters innovation, and improves...
Urban Poor Development Strategies
A. Shalom House: A Theoretical Model Evolution of sustainabilityDefinition of successLand and HousingCommunity Mortgage ProgramPolitical will and urban planningLivelihoodThe national strategy for poverty alleviationEducationHealthBotika BinhiB....
Visiting the Trends of Lausanne
Valdir Steuernagel and Maicon Steuernagel The CTC as the “roadmap”1 for the Lausanne MovementThe CTC facing “prosperity gospel” and asking for a different way to live in missionDrinking from its own tradition:Identifying some of the marks of...
Visual Affect as Validation of Truth
At the beginning of the 21st century, William Dyrness observed: "There is surely a fundamental agreement on all sides that we have entered a visual era. Moreover—although here there is probably less agreement—there is no going back. [. . .] And if...
Wartime Ministry in Ukraine - Part II
To the question, ‘Why haven’t you left Ukraine in this time of war?’ Ivan Rusyn,1 a church planter, pastor of a church in Kiev and current president of the Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary (UETS) responds with confidence and joy: ‘Because...
Wartime Ministry in Ukraine Part I
In the midst of war, the church in Ukraine is not retreating—it is advancing with the love of Christ. This article shares powerful stories of pastors and ministry leaders who are serving on the front lines, offering spiritual and physical support to...
We Have A Problem! – But There Is Hope! – Results of a Survey of 1,000 Christian Leaders from Across the Globe
We have a leadership problem! And it is a problem that must be solved in order for World Evangelization to flourish! Too often evangelism is done successfully, a church is planted and begins to flourish, but then a leader is appointed who sadly...
We Need New Leaders
Responding to the cry of the 21st century Christlike Leaders for Every Church and Sector 101 Much is written, spoken, and taught about leadership, but there is a notable lack of leadership excellence. If we want a generation of Christlike leaders in...
What Are the Emerging Demographics?
Looking forward to 2050, major economic and population demographic changes promise to shape global culture. As the church faithfully lives out the great commission in a contextualized way, it must ask, ‘What are the effects of the new emerging...
What Does it Mean to Be Human?
Rapid technological advancements and the redefinition of human sexual identity are challenging previously held beliefs regarding human distinctiveness. These shifts are driving this generation’s defining question, ‘What does it mean to be human?’...
What Does it Mean to Be Human? Artificial Intelligence
Technologies utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) are changing how people connect with each other both in positive and in unsettling ways. Advances in AI capacity and applications raise new questions about control and power, privacy, bias and...
What is a Digital Life?
Between the third and fourth Lausanne global congress, digital technology has fundamentally changed the world. For most of the world, with notable exceptions, the internet, screens, social media, virtual work, shape large portions of life, leading...
What is Fair and Just?
As Scripture teaches, all humans are made in the image of God and are worthy. Yet, globally, not all humans are treated equally. With an increasing consciousness of discrimination, the world and the church continue to ask, ‘What is fair and just?’...
What is Ministry in a Digital Age?
The majority of the world now lives in a digital age. Connections, influence, and ideas originate just as much, if not more, from digital media than personal relationships. As the church aims to be faithful to the Great Commission in this new...
What is Mission?
Gospel-Centred Integral Mission—in Acts? Understanding Mission "integral (or holistic) mission holds together both the proclamation of the gospel in evangelism and the demonstration of the gospel in works of compassion and justice." "Any tension...
What is Polycentric Christianity?
Christianity is a dynamic and living faith which has experienced notable global shifts in the last 100 years, and including the growth of Christianity in the Global South, the rise of Pentecostalism, and the continued addition of denominations,...
What is Prosperity Theology: A (Largely) Sociological Review
Paul Freston I write as a sociologist of religion, and not as a theologian. In addition, I suspect that I have been invited to be a sort of Devil’s advocate… but when I am speaking for the Devil and when for myself, the reader alone will have to...
What is Sustainable?
The preceding century has seen a rise of more products, more people, more energy, more debt, more work, and more expectations. This burden of more has led the world and the church to begin to ask, ‘What is sustainable?’ Creation Care Wealthy...
What is the Foundation of Trust?
The validity of the gospel message is independent of individuals or institutions; however, when those who share the good news are not trusted, the gospel is questioned. Globally, there is a perceived rise in distrust that is dynamically shaping...
What is the Source of Hope?
The Christian gospel is a message of hope for all. However, it is not the only promoted avenue of ‘hope’ in our contemporary world. From competing world religions to secular ambitions and pleasures, the world is continually asking, ‘What is the...
Witnessing to Christ in a Secular Culture
This happened during a school conference in the city of Greifswald, Western Pomerania (former GDR). There was a parent representative on the school council who was completely unchurched, and was interested in the cathedral of Greifswald. He knew the...
Women Growing as Leaders in God’s Mission
Across the global church, women are stepping into leadership through trust in God, deep engagement with Scripture, and intentional discipleship—multiplying impact as they are equipped and released as essential partners in God’s mission. For more...
Workplace Evangelism for the 99 Percent
Four ways to embrace being a lizard When it comes to fulfilling the Great Commission, how can the ‘1 percent’ of Christians who work in professional ministry help the ‘99 percent’ who don’t? For more information go to Workplace Evangelism for the 99...
World Evangelisation in the 21st Century
Prioritizing the Essential Elements of the Great Commission THE BACKGROUNDTHE SCRIPTURAL FOUNDATIONSTHE PRESENT SITUATIONTHE ASSUMPTIONSTHE OVERVIEWCONCLUSION For more information go to World Evangelisation in the 21st Century on the Lausanne...