EDITORIAL

NIL BY FORCE

By Dr Jay Matenga

Jay is the Executive Officer of Missions Interlink and Executive Director of the World Evangelical Alliance’s Mission Commission. Jay writes and speaks on missions related subjects globally. His blogs, articles, and other public contributions are made available for free on jaymatenga.com

The text for this month is Matthew 11:12 (NLT), “…from the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people are attacking it.” In light of the context of John the baptizer’s imprisonment (and eventual martyrdom), this translation is a lot clearer than the KJV, which leaves some wiggle room to interpret that the “violent” are those working for the Kingdom: “…the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” The latter interpretation was popular in the Pentecostal circles I frequented as a young person. It was used to energize us to go out onto the streets or outdoor markets to ‘witness’. By that I mean, to sing and preach what we understood to be the “good news” (which was usually thinly veiled judgementalism).

The aggressive style of evangelism in my past was brought back to me as I read my friend Harvey Kwiyami’s January Substack post. Harvey is from Malawi and resides in the UK. Until late last year he was the director of Global Connections UK (a missions association similar to Missions Interlink). Here’s some of what Harvey experienced…

At a recent mission conference in Africa, I sat through a sermon (disguised as a seminar paper) that sought to mobilise Africans to be drafted into God’s army, to join the missions force, and to let God deploy them to the trenches on the frontline where they can make a surprise attack on the enemy. The entire sermon sounded like an Army General was speaking to his cadets about an ongoing war somewhere within the 10/40 Window. When I tried to raise a concern, I was forcefully informed that “mission is warfare,” and that “as missionaries, we pull down strongholds” for God. As a matter of fact, I was rebuked for forgetting that “the kingdom of God suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” I was told they were planning to send a battalion of young men and women as missionaries to occupy—like an occupying force—a city near me (in the UK).

I think missions influencers resort to militaristic tropes because, when it comes to the sharing of our faith, whether local or cross-cultural, we have a motivational problem. To get more believers ‘committed’ to evangelism, ministry, and missions, influencers too easily twist Scripture to promote a militant activism, casting the ‘great unwashed’, ‘pagan’, or ‘heathen’ as ignorant slaves of our enemy (sin, the powers of darkness, and the Devil) needing to be rescued (by force, if necessary, e.g. the burning building analogy). Drawing on Old Testament narratives, Christians are cast as commandos who go out into enemy territory to take it for God. In today’s world, such territory are our societies otherwise dominated by secularism, communism, or a dominant religion different to ours (curiously, capitalism is rarely cast negatively—secularism is mentioned in its stead).

“But”, I hear you say, “Scripture DOES speak of spiritual slaves, sin, lostness and darkness.” Indeed, it does. Predominantly it’s with reference to what WE once were, in contrast to the light and liberty we now enjoy in Christ. It is also used of influential people who claim to be teachers but whose lifestyle of abhorrent ungodly behaviour testifies against them. There is also an occasion where it refers to Gentiles in general (Ephesians 4:17-19) but that is said more with pity than animosity. In the epistles, the behaviour and lifestyle of the unregenerate (a state of being, not a derogatory term) serves as a contrast, reminding the regenerate person/community that they need no longer feel constrained by Sin to live that way, the way of the ‘flesh’ or ‘world’. The New Testament lists of unrighteous behaviour are not there to be weaponised. They are a warning to us—we who are empowered by the Spirit to live in righteousness, in alignment with God’s good ways, with the expectation that we will live according to God’s holy standard. The deeds common to people who will not inherit the Kingdom of Christ (cf. Ephesians 5:3-5) are listed, therefore, not to condemn unbelievers but to correct the believers.

It is not for us to preach against the sins of unbelievers, condemning their lifestyles. We are not commissioned to be judges. That is God’s prerogative alone. Their lifestyle choices cast them upon God’s merciful judgement and that is enough. Like those of us in-Christ, who have received grace to avoid such judgement, unbelievers can at any time avail themselves of redemption by pledging allegiance to Jesus, receiving the Spirit, and following Him thereafter. Our responsibility as witnesses, according to Scripture, is to live as a community of Christ followers in such a way that our Spirit-enabled mutually loving, reciprocal, perpetually reconciling, communal lifestyles present a compellingly attractive alternative to the patterns of this world. THAT demonstration of God’s power is witnessing. Not the imposition of our theological opinion upon unsuspecting passers-by.

With reference to the introductory text, it is entirely unacceptable for anyone to appropriate violence in the cause of co-creating New Creation (or ‘building the Kingdom’ if you prefer). To do so is a thoroughly colonialistic heresy. Like other fruit of anger, aggression has no place in the life of a righteous person. James notes that we, “must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives…” (James 1:19-21a). He associates anger with filth and evil. Aggression is similar. It can be a by-product of anger but also of undue stress, fear, feeling threatened, frustration, jealousy, unhealthy competitiveness, etc. None of those attributes relate to a gospel of peace, let alone a healthy community of faith. We may frequently feel them, but we no longer need to respond with aggression (or outright violence). Furthermore, in the absence of the negative stimulus, it makes no sense to artificially generate aggression in order to participate in the purposes of God, regardless of how warrior-influenced one’s culture is or used to be. Whoever Harvey’s missions motivator was, he (and it’s probably safe to assume they were male) is way out of alignment with God’s right ways.

This example of misaligned motivation is but one of a number of ways Scripture has been misused to promote missions and evangelism in the recent past. Such use is rooted in the kind of arrogant confidence that comes from an attitude of superiority, arguably a hangover from Western Christendom’s intent to colonise and civilise anyone who lived and thought differently. It is astonishing how ‘sticky’ misinterpreted missions myths and metaphors can be. For those of us trying to promote a more exegetically faithful interpretation, we can be accused of going ‘soft’ on missions and evangelism—what some might call ‘missions drift’. In response, I’d ask how an aggressive/impositional attitude to sharing the gospel is working out for us on the whole? The overall statistics reveal that it’s not so good. Every metric of the Christian faith is in decline, in the West at least, but also in established churches elsewhere. Where the local church is exploding and sustaining growth is in new expressions that read Scripture more indigenously and live out their transformed lives communally as the New Testament encourages. Their witness, often in hostile contexts, is powerfully attractive. These new expressions are predominantly from more collectivist cultures, often converting out of another majority religion.

It will take some time for new missions concepts to take hold as the old models fade and new innovations start to normalise. I am talking generations not years. Thought leaders with a prophetic sense in positions of influence at this end of the previous missions era may not live to see the impact of their critique and recommendations. Nevertheless, as the young Italian philosopher, Fredrico Campagna encourages at the end of his book, Prophetic Culture: Recreation for Adolescents, for those of us living at the end of a civilisation, our primary investment should be to “creat(e) fertile ruins over which new worlds can emerge.” Whether you are fully committed to the former ways of doing things or imagining how we can better participate in the purposes of God to co-create New Creation into the future, may we all shed aggression and make it our aim to “live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity” (1 Timothy 2:2ff) and thereby please God Together: On Mission.

TO & FROM ALL PEOPLES

OUR [FUTURE] GOSPEL MOVEMENT REALITY

By Dr Todd Johnson

Todd M. Johnson is the Eva B. and Paul E. Toms Distinguished Professor of Mission and Global Christianity, and Co-Director of the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He is also a Research Fellow at Boston University’s Institute for Culture, Religion and World Affairs leading a research project on international religious demography and has published encyclopaedias, atlases, databases, monographs, and scholarly articles on counting religious adherence around the world. This article is curated from the Overseas Ministries Studies Centre at Princeton’s “The Occasional’s” series of blogs on “Numbers and Trends”.

The future of the gospel is for all peoples and from all peoples. The scope of the future of the gospel is seen in Revelation 7:9 where all peoples worship the Lamb at the throne—a global vision of the diversity and equality of peoples. The Unreached Peoples movement was a direct response to this biblical vision.

In 1974, Ralph D. Winter, professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, gave a seminal talk at Billy Graham’s gathering of Evangelical leaders in Lausanne, Switzerland. Quite simply, he showed that if every Christian witnessed to their neighbor, then one-half of the world’s population would not hear the gospel. This is because most neighbors of Christians were Christians and most non-Christians had no Christian neighbors. To address this shortfall, Ralph and Roberta Winter started the US Center for World Mission to highlight hidden or unreached peoples who were not reached with the gospel. (I married their youngest daughter Tricia in 1983). Almost 50 years later, through the lens of the World Christian Encyclopedia and our 10-volume Edinburgh Companions to Global Christianity series, I’ve come to see at least five challenges to the future of that vision.

First, in 1900, Evangelicalism, demographically, was a Western faith, with 92% of all Evangelicals in Europe and North America. Only 8% of all Evangelicals lived in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Oceania, known today as the Global South or Majority World.

By 2020, this grew to 77%, representing an epochal shift to the Global South. Yet, Evangelicalism is still characterized as a Western faith, with those perspectives normalized in theology, spirituality, leadership, and other areas. For example, Western Christians do “theology” while non-Westerners do “contextual theology.” Latino theologian Juan Martínez’s warns: “One of the most important contributions contextual theologies can make to U.S. evangelical theology is to help it name itself as a contextual theology. Because of the outsized influence of U.S. evangelicalism, it will be particularly difficult for it to name its theologies as contextual. But until that happens all ‘minority’ theologies will be marginalized.” The gospel for all peoples is hampered by its overidentification with the West. Unreached peoples should encounter a global Jesus, not a Western Jesus.

Furthermore, Evangelicals in the Majority World are not treated as equals. Allow me to illustrate this further. While commemorating 500 years of the Protestant Reformation at an Evangelical conference in Wittenberg in 2017, I presented research showing that over 40% of all Protestants were Africans. Yet, out of the 100 people at the meeting, only a few were African. I was sitting next to a leader from Ghana when someone from the stage said that Africans were welcome at the table in this Evangelical movement. It was then that my colleague quietly recounted a Ghanaian proverb to us: “It is good if you invite me to your table, but it is far better if you invite me into the kitchen.” His point was clear: Why are Evangelicals from the Global South simply invited to a Global North table when they should be found with everyone else in the kitchen? Why, in light of a gospel for all peoples, are Black, indigenous and people of color (the majority) invited to a White table (the minority) to strategize about reaching all peoples?

The second challenge is that peoples farthest from Christianity receive the least attention. Our best estimate is that today 28% of the world’s population or 2.2 billion individuals have never heard the gospel, found in thousands of people groups and languages. While this was 45% in 1974, we project that by 2050 it will still be 28% or 2.7 billion individuals. The reasons for this plateau are simple: peoples who have not heard of Jesus have high birth rates and Christians continue to spend most of their resources (over 85%) on outreach to other Christians. We estimate that over the past 50 years, Evangelicals have invested 100 times more church planting efforts where there are already Christians than where there are few. At the same time, it is encouraging that outreach among some of the least reached peoples has resulted in significant movements to Christ. Most of these are highly indigenous and focus on multiplying churches and disciples.

Sadly, some of the least reached peoples have been under siege by Western military powers. We have to remember that at the time of the (’74) Lausanne meeting the United States was mercilessly bombing places like Laos and Cambodia. The Hmong, in particular, were driven out of their homes into refugee camps. Many arrived in my home state of Minnesota to make a new life for themselves. Some have become Christians and offer fresh perspectives on the global gospel even though they were terribly mistreated. But this is a cautionary tale of how power and aggression compromises gospel witness.

In addition, today most non-Christians have little or no personal contact with Christians. Broadly speaking, Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims have relatively little contact with Christians, and this has not changed much in the last two decades. An estimated 87% of Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims do not personally know a Christian. Hearkening back to Winter’s talk in 1974, this finding reinforces the fact that Christians are still separated from those furthest from the gospel. If non-Christian peoples are to hear the gospel, Evangelicals must be willing to cross cultures, learn languages, build friendships, and become religiously aware, both at home and abroad.

Furthermore, Christians in the Global North generally are not adept at interacting with people of other religions, yet, with their resource base, they have the most to say about it. One recent study in Singapore found that 9 out of 10 Singaporeans are comfortable living and working with people of different ethnicities or religions. In the Global North, similar polls show results closer to 1 or 2 in 10. But it is Christians in the Global North who write most of the books about people in other religions! Xenophobia, nationalism, and antisemitism are increasing in North America and Europe. It’s clear to me that Christians in Asia, who are used to living in multi-religious contexts, should be leading the way in how to love and interact with people of other religions.

The third challenge is that women do most of the work but are not included in leadership. Surveying Christian activities around the world for the World Christian encyclopedia we saw how women play a vital role in churches around the world, ranging from ordained pastoral leadership to healthcare and education. In short, there is no gospel for all peoples without the contributions of women. What role will women play in global Evangelical leadership? There is strong evidence that the pandemic is better navigated by women leaders than men. Some believe this is because societies that are comfortable electing women to top positions are also more likely to listen to varying points of view. Yet, despite this reality, the vast majority of leaders in Evangelical mission are men. Understanding the global Christian context means overcoming this limitation and favoring the voices of women to truly represent what is happening in our communities.

The fourth challenge is that proclamation and demonstration (integral mission) are essential to the gospel. Two streams flow from the Lausanne 1974 meeting: a call to address the unreached peoples of the world and a call to minister to the poor and advocate social justice. Evangelicals may diverge in opinion on the place of social activism but the Scriptures are clear that concern for the poor, the refugee, or the stranger are not optional. Social concern recognizes the inherent value of all humanity based on the concept of all created in the image of God. Christians from the Global South are leading us with a more intuitive sense of integral mission.

Fifth, most Pentecostals are Evangelicals but have not had a voice in global Evangelicalism. Depending on how one counts, one third to one half of all Evangelicals are Pentecostals or Charismatics, but they are underrepresented in most conferences, consultations, or books. Pentecostals/Charismatics are even more proportionately present in the Global South (86%). Pentecostals are the most well placed for mission to those currently without access to the gospel. Research has shown that they are deeply engaged in social justice around the world. Pentecostals have a vital role in the gospel for all peoples.

In conclusion, we live in an age of global Evangelicalism, where the typical Evangelical is a poor young woman from the Global South. Yet Evangelicalism is considered by many as a Western faith. Fortunately, Western perspectives can be both acknowledged and decentered, no longer considered as the standard for all to follow, while global voices increasingly represent who we are. In fact, our global diversity, which has increased greatly since 1974, is a major reason that new peoples will join us, seeing the evidence that their languages and cultures are precious to Jesus. In addition, we live in an age of increasing religious fervor and diversity around the world where churches of the Global South are taking the lead in interfaith relations and mission. Finally, our path forward in global Evangelicalism is recapturing our responsibility to all peoples, prioritizing those peoples furthest from the gospel. The gospel will be preached and demonstrated among all peoples. The future of the gospel is for all peoples and from all peoples.

Sources

(including original footnotes)

Todd M. Johnson, “Evangelical Mission in an Age of Global Christianity” in Kenneth Nehrbass, Aminta Arrington, & Narry Santos, editors, Advancing Models of Mission: Evaluating the Past and Looking to the Future (Littleton, CO: William Carey Publishing, 2021), 189-202.

Todd M. Johnson, “Evangelicals Shift to the South, 1900-2020: Decentering Western Perspectives and Building Global Equality.” in Journal of Biblical and Theological Studies, Vol. 8, No. 2, November 2023, 111-128.

https://jbtsonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/JBTS-8.1-A6.pdf

2024 WORLD WATCH LIST

BELIEVERS IN HOSTILE CONTEXTS

By Open Doors

Since 1955, Open Doors has been serving the persecuted and strengthening the Church. It stands on a strong legacy and biblical foundation—beginning when founder, Brother Andrew, began to smuggle Bibles behind the “Iron Curtain”.  As the world’s largest underground network serving the persecuted church, Open Doors reaches millions of believers in over 70 countries each year as they shine Christ’s light in some of the darkest places.  Each year, Open Doors’ expert analysts produce the World Watch List, which reports on the 50 places where it’s hardest to follow Jesus. As the most authoritative research of its kind, the List centres us on serving the most persecuted.  This article is curated from Open Door’s 2024 World Watch List.

The World Watch List is Open Doors’ annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution. On the interactive website you can access each country profile and download the detailed dossiers for in-depth information about following Jesus in the most dangerous places. Read their stories and learn how you can stand with them in prayer and action.

Open Doors’ expert researchers measure developing trends in Christian persecution each year from 1 November–31 October through on-the-ground interviews and data collection. In over 70 countries, they uncover where the Church is most persecuted.

There are two main ways Christians experience persecution: violence and pressure.
Violence: Based on the number of violent incidents in the reporting period.
Pressure: Measured in five spheres of life: private, family, national, church, and community.

Each country receives a score based on a detailed report of violent incidents and the five spheres of pressure. These are added up to a score out of 100, creating each country’s rank on the World Watch List.

Click on the world map image to find out more.

Outreach Today

A short and specifically strategic magazine for local churches about outreach via local churches, from the Shining Lights Trust.

This free publication includes 14 separate topical articles within its brief 16 pages.

Its purpose is to catalyse new conversations and fresh vision in the leadership teams of local churches.

Each article looks at another dynamic or area of outreach – though with a specially strategic bent, targeting practical applications while connecting churches to available resources.

You can read the publication online here – or for printed copies contact the Shining Lights Trust via dave@shininglights.co.nz.

MISSIONS MOTIVATIONS

ADVICE TO A YOUNGER SELF

BY ROBERTA ADAIR

Originally from Pennsylvania (USA), Roberta lived in Kosovo for three years before getting married and moving to northern Japan in 2012. She and her husband partner with a Japanese church and have four young and energetic boys. She enjoys hiking, camping, and having friends over for average and boisterous meals. This article was curated from Roberta’s post on the A Life Overseas blog.

Growing up, I believed with my whole heart that Jesus was the Saviour of the whole world and that missionaries were needed to “take His light into a dying world.” Missions Week at my church felt more exciting than Christmas, and I imagine I was one of many kids who grew up in that church in that era who wrote on commitment cards that they’d be willing to “take His light into the dying world”.

At some point, I think this morphed into a belief that it was my responsibility to learn about the things that were dark and wrong and dying and to do something about it.

Yet over the past several years I’ve found myself increasingly sensitive to how Christians talk about the countries they’re moving to and the places they hope to minister. In my own self-importance and ignorance, I have also been guilty of speaking in these ways.

Before I went to India for a six-month internship, I remember reading articles about poverty, trafficking, pollution, and the treatment of Dalit. I was participating in a program about international development, yet much of what I focused on were problems rather than the beauty, ingenuity, creativity, and generosity of the people who were teaching me.

Before moving to Kosovo for a three-year apprenticeship, I remember learning about the war, ethnic tensions, corruption, and unemployment rates. I talked to people about going to a “post-war, post-communist country that is 90% Muslim with 40% to 60% unemployment.”

I still feel embarrassed over how I misrepresented a country and a people I came to love. Now I wish I could go back to those who heard me speak and tell them about the Kosovo I came to know: a country with super motivated students who are largely self-taught in English, where families included and cared for me like a daughter, where I experienced remarkable hospitality through sacrificial meals, coffee, and time. I’d want to describe Kosovo’s circle dancing, cheek kissing, and big dramatic hand gestures more than rattling off statistics.

Before moving to Japan, I remember learning and telling people about mental health issues including hikikomori (those who withdraw from society) and high rates of suicide, low birth rates, and (related to my specific timing due to moving after March 2011) the earthquake and tsunami. I especially remember saying the phrase over and over: “Japan is the second largest unreached people group in the world.”

I don’t want to come across as cynical, as I still am motivated by these statistics. I grieve that millions of people in Japan live and die without knowing Jesus—without His forgiveness and hope, without freedom from shame, and without experiencing acceptance and love in the family of God. I also believe that issues related to poverty and injustice matter. They matter to God, and they should matter to me and to all of us who follow Him.

IF I COULD GO BACK…

If I could go back in time I would warn Younger Roberta about how she talked as an outsider about things she knew little about—even if she’d respond with, “Hey, I read a book/read an article/watched a video on YouTube/heard on a podcast.”

But, you goofy, intense, bit-of-a-know-it-all Young Roberta, you neither know much about the people whom these issues impact, nor do you have meaningful relationships with actual, real life people there. Don’t go with a pointing finger and answers; please go with curiosity and a desire to see the image of God in those you seek to love.

I wish I could ask Younger Roberta about how it might feel as an American to hear someone preparing to come to the U.S. give presentations about gun violence, economic disparity, the opioid epidemic, homelessness, and our past and current divisions around race. Would she have felt defensive, ashamed, and frustrated that problems were drawing people to her country rather than love and curiosity?

These are incredibly complicated problems without simple answers, and no country is the sum of its problems. Do we think we can solve a country’s problems, or are we humbly willing to go and–in time–be part of the conversation?

I would tell Younger Roberta to be careful how she presents countries and people to others. Be cautious when pointing out problems, even though it’s sometimes necessary to communicate the why while raising support. Consider trying to frame issues and problems within a bigger picture including beauty, kindness, and hints of the kingdom of God.

I would also ask Younger Roberta about her insecurity. Did pointing out problems in India, Kosovo, and Japan make you feel significant for going there? Specifically, why did you feel like you had to prove so hard that Japan is a real mission field? Did quoting disturbing statistics make you feel more important or less “soft?” Were you trying to prove to others or to yourself that your going mattered?

Rather than self-importantly reciting the statistic about Japan being “the second largest unreached people group in the world,” I would now prefer to explain that our boys are some of a handful of kids from Christian families in our city of 50,000 and how lonely this is for them. Or maybe I’d contrast driving by thousands of people going to the Shinto shrine on New Year’s Day with our church service on the same day with a few dozen faithful Christians.

Rather than citing suicide statistics, I’d want to consider the people we care about who have had their lives impacted and upended by suicide. What is an honorable way to talk about their lives and struggles?

Rather than quoting stats about aging pastors and churches, recognize that this is a huge, complex topic. It’s not made simple by Westerners giving money to young Japanese Christians to replicate Western churches in Japan. It’s not made simple by using a specific program or method.

A decade-plus after moving here, I have a lot fewer “answers” or accidentally judgmental questions (“Are they holding onto power? Are they not passing the baton well?”) and have a lot more respect for older pastors who have worked hard, sacrificed much, and tried their hardest to remain faithful.

Mostly I’d want to talk with Younger Roberta about how I’ve changed my mind on many things — or at least how I see aspects of the culture with a bit more nuance. I’d talk with her about my decades-long struggle with a saviour complex and needing to learn again and again from Jesus who “moved into the neighbourhood,” who “dwelt among us,” and who shared His life with a group of friends. In short, I’d want to tell Younger Roberta that I hope she will feel and demonstrate a lot more compassion and a lot less judgment the longer she’s here.

Of course there are problems here. There are problems related to loneliness, shame, demographics, and workaholism. There are problems for men, women, marriage, kids, the elderly. There are problems related to earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, typhoons, mudslides, geopolitics.

But it’s not a country made up of the sum of its problems. It’s a country made up of people who are curious and quirky and kind and broken and shy and outgoing and proud and hilarious. And I’m a guest here.

There are hints of the kingdom of God here which are more visible to me the longer I’m here, even in this place where 99% don’t identify as His followers and haven’t received new life in Jesus. Parts of the culture that I originally viewed as wrong, broken, and even damaging, I’ve come to see as the opposite. (The “It’s not wrong, it’s just different” axiom from missions training is reinforced here.)

I wonder how it works for missionaries who go to a country to do development work and have more of an expert role. I admire people who are doctors, community development leaders, teachers at seminaries, and human rights lawyers. I marvel at their commitment and courage, yet I’m genuinely curious how they maintain a learner’s posture when they arrive “on the field” as experts in their field.

Perhaps it’s a weird blessing that I’m not an expert in much. Most of the time I feel like I’m just fumbling along. Even so, I imagine Younger Roberta might have struggled to receive correction, guidance, and advice from Now Roberta with her grand opinions and scattered thoughts and unfinished sentences and a naughty toddler on one hip, shooing a kid out of the kitchen with her foot, and her hair getting frizzier by the moment as more neighborhood kids cycle through her small house. But I still hope she would listen and consider.

Because, my goodness, I don’t want us to be motivated by problems. I want us to be motivated by love.

SITUATION VACANT

PHONE TEAM OPERATOR WANTED

This position involves phoning churches, schools and supporters, to offer Bible League programs, promote Bible League events, and stay connected with our supporters…

Are you wanting to make a Kingdom Impact by connecting with churches, individuals and other interested groups?

If you’ve answered “YES” to these questions then you could be the person we are looking for to join our Team. Bible league Australia and New Zealand raises awareness and funding to fulfil our purpose, which is to resource the under-resourced Church globally through the provision of Bibles, biblical resources, translations and training to transform lives worldwide and help people know Jesus.

The successful applicant must:

• Have an active involvement in a Christian Church and possess a commitment to mission
• Have a commitment to the Mission, Statement of Faith and Core Value statements of Bible League International (Which can be found on the bible League website. www.bl.org.nz)
• Possess a pleasant and professional telephone manner
• Demonstrate good communication skills, both verbal and written
• Be able to build good relationships with a diverse range of people and demonstrate genuine sensitivity to people’s responses
• Be proactive in promoting Bible League and its Kingdom Building programs
• Possess good abilities in interpersonal relationships and teamwork
• Possess excellent computer skills and be willing to learn our CRM Database operation
• Have a keen eye for details and an ability to deliver on KPI’s
• Have a capacity to apply appropriate confidentiality to all transactions within Bible League
• Be committed to WH & S policies as well as other HR, security and safety measures
• Be results driven and adaptable

Experience with sales or fundraising, including good promotional skills would be an advantage, but not essential.

This is a full time position between the hours of 9.00am and 5.00pm Monday – Friday, located in our office at Rosedale, Auckland.

If this sounds like the opportunity you have been waiting for, apply today by forwarding a covering letter and CV (max. 3 pages) to info@bl.org.nz.

ISLAM ON THE MOVE

CHANGES OVER THE PAST 5 YEARS

BY BRYAN

Bryan is CEO / Trustee of the The Asia Pacific Discipleship Trust. He is an accountant and an urban missiologist by qualification, and a cross cultural communicator who especially enjoys relating with people from Islamic backgrounds. He is an urban poor faith community pioneer, small business specialist, leadership development teacher and coach, story-teller, someone who loves to empower disenfranchised people, and a disciple-maker. He has extensive knowledge of conditions in nations hostile to the gospel and enjoys applying one down and servant leadership processes in cross cultural negotiations.

Limits on why the New Zealand Government’s Special Security Unit was engaged in another operation at the time of the attack made them look like they were asleep. They weren’t. Just looking in the wrong direction. Other questions arise… Why has there been no in depth enquiry into the way money given for victim support has been invested? Why did the Christchurch Council’s controlling body for the fund have no Muslim representatives on the Fund’s board? Why did the common information about other simultaneous planned attacks in Aotearoa in 2019 not appear on the Christchurch enquiry agenda?

Prime Minister Hon. Jacinda Ardern demonstrated a very capable diplomatic peace-making role that diffused an International crisis. New Zealanders came to trust her wisdom and diplomacy. Five years on and after a shallow enquiry the Islamic community of New Zealand may wonder whether the Government can be trusted to protect them from similar white supremacists in the future.

Five years on from 15th March 2019 it is apparent that there are very few radical Islamicists in NZ, if any. Revenge has been negligible. The Shia and Suni Islamic communities have sought peace and demonstrated it as well. However, some Kiwis have not modified their long held prejudices towards New Zealand Muslims based on overseas reports of Middle Eastern, Asian, and African terrorism.

Many wars and insurrections have occurred in the last three decades.[1] For example, see ths ‘Conflicts’ Chart:

Sadly Christians and Muslims have lived through far too much civil war since 1948. We have a common bond.

The majority of the 68,531 Muslims in New Zealand have migrated here for peaceful reasons and seek to practice a peaceful form of Islam. The hallmarks of peaceful Islam seem to include the adoption of secularism, multi-culturalism and tolerance and enquiry into the values of other religious beliefs. Muslims are asking Kiwis for help to experience these ‘other beliefs’ in a gentle, non-aggressive and respectful manner. They want to trust Kiwis and understand our independent and privatised values compared to their honour culture values.

TERRORISM IN AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND

The attack of the US and its allies on Iraq’s ‘weapons of mass destruction’ created a mistrust of US UK and the five eyes intelligence network. The fact that the ‘Twin Towers’ caught the CIA totally by surprise was another blow to confidence in International security. John Battersby, a contributor to the book State of Threat: The challenges to Aotearoa New Zealand’s National Security proposes that Aramoana was the seed-bed for Christchurch in 2019. Battersby states that 50 years of inaction by successive Governments in not limiting the sale of military-style semi-automatic firearms (MSSA’s) had a direct influence on the 2019 massacre. He cites the Vietnam anti-war bombings, the Ananda Marga four who planned to blow up the Indian High Commission, bomb threats, death threats, and arson on the 1980’s Springbok tour as part of the problem. In the 80’s there was the attempt to blow up the NZ Police Computer Centre in Whanganui by a lone anarchist, and in 1984 the Trades Hall. Chris Lewis attempted to assassinate the Queen in 2018. Battersby claims that this long list of terrorist acts in NZ since 1970 should all be grouped together as terrorist threats in New Zealand’s history, not as isolated incidents. 2019 gained our attention because it resulted in so many lives being lost, but it was similar to the other terrorist activities on Battersby’s list in that many were attempted by lone perpetrators, who gradually disassociate themselves with the community they belong to.

Most Islamic groups in New Zealand whether Sunni, Shia, or Ahmediyya have a strong sense of community belonging, and meet almost daily to pray, socialise and converse. Any lone perpetrators would be detected in these close-knit communities. Therefore, Muslim groups pursuing the practice of peaceful Islam and abstaining from Islamicist ideology and radicalism can contribute to safe communities in Aotearoa.

PRAYING IN PEOPLE OF PEACE

In the Christian West, another group of movements has been impacting the rise of radical Islam and undermining it at its spiritual roots. Global prayer movements praying for the Muslims of the world have gained momentum since 1990. Now, it is reported that about 30million Christians worldwide participate in some sort of regular prayer for Muslims to meet Jesus Christ in a personal encounter. Their prayers are being answered in an unusual way, through what some call “Insider Movements”. These movements usually look for a ‘person of peace’ in Islamic communities and over time many have been identified.

In Auckland New Zealand in 2010, a few Christians prayed that the Lord would send them a Saudi man to share the truth about Jesus Christ with. Only three weeks later a Saudi doctor entered the Auckland Baptist Tabernacle at 1.30pm on a Sunday afternoon asking to meet the man who could explain to him who Jesus was from the Qur’an. After 27 hours of study the Saudi doctor gave his life to Jesus Christ, who had appeared to him in a vision in his hotel room in Vincent Street, Auckland.

The Holy Spirit responded to these global prayer movement members desire to see Muslims come to Christ by capturing the hearts of the radicals. Now in 2024, we have a long list of Imams, former terrorist group founders and group members who have met Christ and become vocal advocates for Christ in the Islamic world.[2] I know of radicals from Muhammadiyah,[3] Salafi,[4] ISIS,[5] Hezbollah,[6] Hamas,[7] the Muslim Brotherhood,[8] and Al Qaeda,[9] who have all met Jesus Christ. Search YouTube and you can listen to their testimonies, and interviews. This seems to be a parallel to the conversion of the radical disciple of Gamaliel, Saul the executioner for Judaism, who became the Apostle Paul on the Damascus Road after encountering Jesus Christ personally (Acts 8:1; Acts 9:1-30).

A WOMEN’S MOVEMENT

I have reliable reports that women in Islam are leaving that faith in their millions. Some are leaving for Atheism because they cannot relate to a God who permits female genital mutilation (FGM), and stops young girls from receiving education, being married at 9 years of age to men over 50 years old, or having to suppress their natural beauty. Leaders in this movement are Samira Muhammed as interviewed by Infiniti Foundation.[10]

There are many testimonies of Muslim women who met Jesus Christ. One who has made a dramatic impact on the Arabic speaking world is Samira Marikh, born in Morocco, and founder of Arab Media Ministries. She knows the experience of converting from Islam to Christianity, having gone through the same journey herself.[11] She has millions of Arabic speaking women listening to her ministry on television and online in the Middle East. In Türkiye, former chat show host Şemsa Deniz Tolunay and her father have a large following as hosts of a cooking show where guests are interviewed. Şemsa has normalised Christian women as Turkish in some sectors of Turkish society.

Ayan Hirsi Ali a Somalian born Muslim who experienced FGM suffering and limitations on her freedom of expression became a politician in the Netherlands. She was one of those women who left Islam for Atheism. Now she has become a Christian and opposes the liberal Wests support of Islamic doctrines. She wishes that Christians would offer a real peaceful alternative to Islam otherwise military conflict by radical Muslims is inevitable in her view. Ayan is now living with Yasmine Muhammed under the protection of the CIA in the USA. Yasmine is of Egyptian descent, was educated in Canada, and now lives in the USA. Yasmine claims that 3 million Muslim women have left Islam through her online Foundation out of her 30 million enquirers from North Africa and the Middle East.

Bilquis Sheikh was an early follower of Christ in Pakistan who was born in the late 1800’s. Gulshan Esther of Pakistan followed in the middle of the 1900’s. Towards the end of the century God called Maryam Rostampour and Marziyen Amirizadeh in Iran. Christian bookshop shelves have a significant range of the testimonies of Muslim women who had encounters with Jesus Christ in the last century.

A GOD WHO INTERVENES

God is strategic. He seeks out those who are His enemies (cf. Matthew 5:9-12, 43-47) and appears to them in person. Their conversion is so dramatic that it makes headline news in the communities they live in. When Hamran Ambrie the Indonesian Muhammadiya movement leader from Pontianak in Kalimantan converted to Christ, his colleagues did not believe him. They accused the CIA in the USA of paying the newspapers in Indonesia to print a false conversion story. For most Muslims its impossible to conceive that anyone would leave Islam because it’s the perfect religion. They believe that Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) came to perfect the imperfect faith left behind by Moses and Jesus Christ.

What has bought about the global change in the last five years? The 3 major prayer movements, and many more smaller movements, of the past 30 years that have been mobilising millions of intercessors. Therefore we should not be surprised at the result. God answers prayer. The Joshua Project website shows graphically how the 10/40 window prayer centres have spread across North Africa and the Middle East and South Asia.

In addition to these prayer movements, the 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World and the Pray Every Day for Muslims prayer movements have enlisted millions of intercessors. The Window International Network has a prayer ministry for the “10/40 window” nations based in Colorado Springs USA. They also produce an online prayer calendar at win1040.org.

In the period 2013 to 2019 the non-religious Arab population has expanded from 8% to 13%. Here is the BBC graph of their research published by Pew Research UK. The rise is greatest in the under 30 age bracket among whom 18% identify themselves as not religious. Only Yemen saw a fall in this category. Note: Where there has been an Arab Spring the rise is the highest. Disillusionment with the vision of the Spring not being realised or curtailed added to young Arab’s decision to give up on religion as has happened in Iran.

A LARGE TURNING TO CHRIST

Wikipedia and Al Jazeera are the sources of this information. In 2012 Al Jazeera reported that 6 million Africans were converting to Christ every year. In Indonesia 1-2 million Muslims have turned to Christ in the decade 2010 to 2016. In 2014 8.4 million Muslims converted to Christ across the world. In 2015 10.2 million Muslims converted to Christ, and in 2018 18.2 million converted to Christ according to Wikipedia. Included in these figures are the 6 million Muslims who converted to Christ in Indonesia in 2017 and 2018 according to Al Jazeera.

Significant numbers of Muslims are converting to Christ in the following nations; Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Belgium, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Ethiopia, France Ghana, Georgia (Abkhazia), Germany, India (Kashmir), Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Syria, Sweden, Tanzania, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom, USA, and Uzbekistan.

A PROPHETIC MOMENT

Amos declared in his prophetic book that God will do nothing unless he reveals His secret to His servants the prophets (Amos 3:7). “The days are coming says the Lord, When the plowman will overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows seed and the mountains will drip with sweet wine and all the hills shall flow with it.” (Amos 9:13)

In Isaiah 2:2-4 the prophet prophesied, “In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.’ The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”

Again, Amos prophesied in Amos 1:11 that Edom pursued his brother with the sword and suppressed his compassion. The same happened with Teman, another Arab tribe, in Amos 1:12. It seems that history is repeating itself. An Arab tribe fighting and killing another Arab tribe without compassion. Hamas, Hezbollah, Isis, and the Iranian and Syrian regimes have committed treachery against their own people. To a lesser extent this treachery is also happening in Egypt, Afghanistan, Nigeria and many other African nations.

AN OPPORTUNITY PRESENTED

Many Muslims in these lands are fleeing to Europe to avoid the treachery, and giving up on Islam. They don’t see reconciliation, peace and forgiveness being practiced to avoid these conflicts. The innocent are being slaughtered.

What will the Church of Jesus Christ do in these momentous times? Hide away in fear or be as bold as the ‘Lion of Judah’ and bring compassion, peace and reconciliation in the midst of conflict? God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). We are called to offer a new home in a nation based on the principles of the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ and the sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5: 3-48, 6:1-34 and 7:1-27.

In Matthew 7:28-29 the Bible records, “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.” The ancient Torah invites us to welcome strangers with a blessing. In the Torah, Leviticus 19: 33-34 we are instructed as follows: ‘The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as a native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.”

Immigrants are “strange” indeed. Many of them are not at all like us! Many come to our country from societies so different from ours that they need our love, hospitality, friendship and time so they will find a way to adjust to this new life they committed themselves to. This successful re-settlement process is vital to the success of our nation, and it’s a burden and privilege we all share.

TIME TO RESPOND

Some churches in Aotearoa New Zealand have started to respond to this opportunity by offering services to assist new migrants and help settle them in Aotearoa. The approach so far has largely been institutional, with resources are managed by institutions. I believe the Spirit of God wants to see His Body transformed from individualism to communalism as a response to the influx of refugees, many of whom are Muslims. Muslims believe in Isa al Masih (Jesus Christ) as revealed in the Qur’an and that there is greater revelation coming. That greater revelation is best taught by the actions of people filled with Christ’s love working in the community rubbing shoulders with new migrants who eventually ask ‘why are you helping me?’ If we don’t understand what they believe and how they practice their beliefs and values, the conversation will be stunted. Explore their beliefs. Become a learner. They will not know how much you love them until you show them how much you care. Caring comes with understanding. Generosity, hospitality, love and kindness are what Christ would do. A servant heart and its actions make a powerful message.

This month is a great opportunity to pray for Muslims. Get hold of a 30 days of Prayer for the Muslim World booklet. It’s available in either hardcopy or as a PDF from Missions Interlink (click the green link). You too can be an active part of the worldwide movement that is influencing the Islamic world towards Christ.

ENDNOTES

1. Sources: Majority religion Pew Research (2012), UCDP www.pcr.uu.se/data/, Petterson and Wallensteen (2015), and Gleditsch and Ward (1999). Our common heritage (Christian/Islam) civil war.
2. Fulani Imam Muhammadu Jimoh Belo (Nigeria) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uttd_TdTcN0
3. Muhammadiyah organizer Hamran Amrie – https://www.scribd.com/document/471853062/Hamran-Ambrie-Muslim-to-Christian-conversion
4. Tomas Samuel – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Urvk-EBRUTk
5. Muhammad (ISIS) – https://htp.org/former-isis-leader-among-discipled-christian-converts
6. Daniel Shayestah – https://www.exodusfromdarkness.org/
7. Mosab Hassan Yousef – Son of Hamas (book)
8. Abu Atallah – From Cairo to Christ (book)
9. Bashir Muhammed – https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/24/world/middleeast/the-jihadi-who-turned-to-jesus.html
10. Yasmine Muhammed – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0GJiMIMUMU
11. Samira Marikh – https://arabmediaministries.com/

NATIONAL DIRECTOR VACANCY

Operation Mobilisation is an international Christian mission organisation with a vision to see vibrant communities of Jesus followers established among the least reached of the world. Serving in more than 100 countries and aboard our ships Doulos Hope and Logos Hope, our work is focused on poverty, relief and development, justice, church planting, evangelism, discipleship and mentoring.

We currently have an exciting opportunity for an experienced, Christ-centred leader with a passion for missions, to lead our New Zealand ministry as National Director. You will provide strategic and operational leadership to OM in New Zealand, build a strong mission partner network with churches and related organisations, and see new workers raised up and sent out.

You will have experience in leading a team, developing mobilisation and fundraising initiatives, building strong partnership networks, and effectively managing the operations of a small organisation. You are an effective communicator with a Christ-centred, evangelistic heart, and a desire to see the Good News of Jesus Christ shared to the least-reached of the world.

We offer flexible working arrangements. Access to a regional airport is important but being located in a main centre is not essential.

The vacancy is listed on Seek here: https://www.seek.co.nz/job/73000675. To find out more about the exciting opportunity, or to submit an application, please contact Chris in confidence at chris@avodahhr.co.nz.

Applications for this position close on Friday, 9 February 2024.

JUST WALK

BRINGING HOPE TO WOMEN & GIRLS

By Dignity Freedom Network

Dignity Freedom Network (DFN) is a group of Australians and New Zealanders caring for oppressed peoples in South Asia. DFN desires to see marginalised communities set free through education, healthcare and empowerment. DFN’s focus on restoring the dignity and freedom of women and children who are the most vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.

Nisha’s story finished well, and today she has hope for a brighter future.

But thousands of girls are trafficked into a life of ritualised sexual abuse each year in parts of Southern Asia. Our team are on the ground intervening, providing advocacy, mental and physical healthcare, and economic empowerment, all undergirded with the hope of the gospel. In villages where we have an active presence, we are seeing fewer dedications, and women and girls are discovering freedom as they discover they are created in the image of a God who loves them.

Join us to climb the Pinnacles on 9/10 March 2024, raising awareness and funds so we can continue to bring hope to these precious women and girls.
Details and costs are on the website: dfn.org.nz/events/upcoming-events/just-walk
Register: www.trybooking.co.nz/QPP or sponsor one of our incredible participants.
For more information email: info@dfn.org.nz.

* Names changed to protect identity and privacy

DEBRIEFING SHORT TERMERS

FOR TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE

BY GREG MATHIAS

Greg Mathias is Director of the Global Missions Center and Associate Professor of Global Missions at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his family lived and served in the Middle East with the International Mission Board. Since that time, he has been involved in training and equipping through theological education and the local church. This article is curated from the Upstream Collective’s blog (1 January 2024).

Fast forward to my current role, where I now have the chance to participate regularly in short-term trips and send multiple teams of students each year to go and serve across the nation and around the world. I believe short-term trips can be invaluable for you, your church, and the field.

In many ways, short-term trips are approaching their “adolescence,” with all the promise and potential that goes with this season of life. Before the expanded use of these trips, most missionaries were expected to serve for their lifetime. The result of this long-term commitment meant there were seasoned missionaries all across the globe. With the rise of short-term missions and an emphasis on including students (those roughly between fifteen and twenty-two years old), the missionary force is now characterized by younger, less trained missionaries who serve cross-culturally for much shorter periods. All of this leads to a spectrum of questions related to the importance and impact of short-term mission trips.

One of the largely untapped tools that will help increase the long-term impact of short-term trips is intentional debriefing. Taking time after a short-term trip to consider, assess, and prayerfully take next steps is central to moving short-term trips from a fading experience to an opportunity for long-term Great Commission formation.

One passage that helps us think through the value of debriefing after an intense season of ministry, like a short-term trip, is found in Luke 10, when the sent-out disciples return and report to Jesus. In verse 17, Luke records the disciples’ joyful report centering on their experience that “even the demons are subject to us.” Jesus quickly refocuses the exuberant group on his authority and identity. Then, in verse 19, he makes a bold statement: “Don’t rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Jesus is grounding their joy in something richer, lasting, and greater than their recent experience. He is grounding their joy in their salvation.

By emphasizing the ordinary over the sensational, Jesus is doing something important here as it relates to short-term trips. Jesus is reminding us that the Christian life is not so much characterized by the sensational but by faithfulness. Additionally, this passage helps highlight three key changes that are needed as we think about debriefing short-term trips…

1. A Change in Discipleship

Frame short-term trips in a way that moves them from short-term experiences to “long obedience in the same direction” discipleship.

One of the key ways we can move participants from an experiential to a discipleship posture is through relationships. It is the job of trip leaders to cultivate the relationships it takes to sustain the growth that occurs in the greenhouse of a short-term trip when these individuals come back home

Short-term trips are part of the larger picture of discipleship. Upon returning, spend time teasing out the implications of spiritual growth and formation, a deeper understanding of the global church and discipleship in other contexts, and what will characterize the participants back home based on how they have seen God work during the short-term trip. One of my favorite questions to ask someone who returns from a short-term trip is, “How do you pray differently?”

Two key debrief questions for you and your church:
Do you have a plan to move this from a short-term trip to a long-term vision and lifestyle?
What is your longer-term discipleship plan, and how does this short-term trip fit into and enhance it?

2. A Change in Perspective

Move from a short-term perspective to a Revelation 7 perspective. In other words, keep the end goal in mind.

If Revelation 7 is a glimpse of what is to come—God rescuing people from every tribe, tongue, and nation—then perhaps we should consider our short-term trips as onramps to deeper ministry back home as well as opportunities to partner with the global church. If the emphasis in our short-term trips is merely to fill dates on a calendar, a way to give back amid our busy lives, or collecting experiences, then we short-circuit the potential for long-term impact.

Two key debrief questions for you and your church:
What lessons did we learn from the missionaries and/or global church, and is long-term partnership helpful or hurtful for them?
How can we reach that same people or group in or around our community, and who will consider helping lead that initiative?

3. A Change in Approach

Utilize short-term trips as a part of cultivating and calling out long-term missionaries.

Short-term trips are not a replacement for long-term, seasoned missionaries. In fact, they often provide an environment that is the seedbed for a calling to long-term missions. This was certainly true in my own life. Seeing the debrief time as an extension of the trip and as an opportunity for extended discipleship allows you to move beyond momentary celebration to helping those you disciple consider their potential calling to serve cross-culturally as a sent-out missionary, pastor, or employee.

Additional key debriefing questions for you and your church:
How did participation on this trip contribute to the advancement of the gospel?
What bearing did this trip have on your understanding of your role in God’s mission among the nations?
How did this trip connect to what God is doing in the wider global church?

The fruit of short-term trips is not always immediate. Like the disciples in Luke 10, while visible results should be celebrated, we should not prioritize the sensational experiences we have above our identity in Christ and our call to lifelong faithfulness. Employing a strategic debrief time will go a long way in deepening the value and impact of short-term trips. As I’ve seen in my own life and in the lives of many others, debriefing done well is a vital aspect of making disciples committed to God’s glory among all peoples.

PRAYERLINKS

PRAYER FUEL FOR MISSIONS

Pray for all our cross-cultural workers, National Leaders and ministry partners around the world as they launch into 2024–that they will know God’s strength and anointing for the year to come. Most have not had any break over the Christmas period as they have been busy conducting major Christmas outreaches (typically in remote areas) but we praise God that many have received Jesus as Saviour and new churches have been planted.

WEC’s new short term exposure trip to India, DIVE INTO India, starts on March 10th. There is one New Zealander among the team leaders. Three other New Zealanders will join people from other nations in the team on this three week trip, in which they will receive mentoring and have fellowship with experienced long-term workers in the field. Pray that the team will be well, while experiencing the culture(s) of India, and will see what the Lord is doing among the peoples there.

SPOTLIGHTS

LATEST NOTICES & EVENTS

MOTIVATE MISSIONS DINNER

Enjoy a catered dinner and powerful evening of worship, cultural items, testimonies and inspiring stories – with Richard Brunton (Author, The Awesome Power of Blessing), Andrew Marriott (NZ Director, MotiVate) and the Rhema Band.

Date: Saturday 2 March, 2024
Venue:
Otara Samoan AOG church
32 Kerwyn Avenue, East Tamaki
AUCKLAND
Dinner & refreshments from 5pm
Evening programme starts 7pm

FREE EVENT. No ticket needed, but RSVP required for dinner.
For more info and dinner RSVP visit: www.motivate.nz.

2024 MI AUSTRALIA NATIONAL CONFERENCE

The 2024 Missions Interlink Australia National Conference is approaching again with the theme; “Embracing the New Landscape.” MI Aus invites you to join them for this mission-focused, professional event designed for Australian (and New Zealand) missions leaders who play a crucial role in shaping the future of global missions and training the next generation of missions workers.

Save The Dates: 25-26 July, 2024
Location: MELBOURNE (TBC)

Watch this space for future registration information.

GLOBAL MEMBER CARE NETWORK 2024 CONFERENCE

The Global Member Care Network is working on their vision to bring the Global Member Care world together again for their 4th Global Member Care Conference, this time in Africa. The significance of this location is to serve African mission movements, while learning from their unique strength in missions and member care. Past experiences have shown that surprising connections and transformative insights happen individually, organizationally, and nationally when member care practitioners gather from various national missions movements all over the world.

Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Dates: 28 Oct – 1 Nov 2024
For more information visit: https://globalmembercare.com/conference-2024/