Articles
Challenges and Objections to Missions
Article by Daniel Topf, PhD
It’s great to be passionate and excited about missions. Aspiring missionaries are often motivated by reaching people with the saving message of the gospel, obeying Jesus’s final words to his followers to make disciples of all nations, and participating in the glorious plan God has for this world. At the same time, people might also have reservations when it comes to getting involved in global missions today. It is important to address some of these concerns so that those considering missionary service as a vocation can develop the necessary strength and conviction to move forward. In the following, I list four common challenges and objections to missions while also suggesting a possible response.
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Tales From The INN #1
Your Story Matters
When some Arabic friends asked her what was important to her, one of our INN workers from the Middle East used the opportunity to share the gospel and how it changed her life. The group responded with interest to her examples of how God’s love and grace had transformed her and given her peace and freedom.
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Stories From Miss Ginny • Nunggang the Witchdoctor
Nunggang the Witchdoctor
Nunggang, or as we called him, Bapa Ambet, was a very powerful witch doctor for many years. He put spells on people and made animal sacrifices. Each year, on one special day, he followed others to a nearby mountain to sacrifice to the “Jubata,” the supreme god or evil spirit.
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Open Doors in the Heart of the Amazon
By World Team Manaus
In the northwest corner of the city of Manaus sits an informal settlement of over 4,000 people. The residents hail from over 30 different Amazonian tribes, some of which have little to no gospel witness. This is Parque das Tribos and is one of many indigenous settlements that have sprung up in and around the jungle city over the past few decades. Its existence opens a world of possibility in a region that has been nearly impenetrable for generations.
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Does a mission agency really need a Child Safeguarding Team?
Contributed by Rachel Spencer, World Team missionary serving in France
Biblical foundations
The safety and protection of the children around us is firmly rooted in an understanding of biblical justice. We can define biblical justice as the care and protection of the most needy and vulnerable in society through sharing resources, resisting oppression, and standing up for the rights of all people. This justice is based upon the knowledge of God, who created each individual with equal worth and dignity and shows no partiality in his love and care (see Exodus 22:21-27, Isaiah 10:1-4, Proverbs 31:8 and Luke 4:16-21).
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Preparing Workers Through Coaching
by Koleen M. French, Appointee Coach, World Team USA Sending Centre
A core value of World Team is training and releasing leaders. This training begins the moment someone is accepted into World Team as an appointee—a member of World Team who is preparing for full-time service.
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Living among Central Asian Muslims
Article by a World Team missionary serving in Central Asia
There is considerable continuity in the Islamic world. The vocabulary and religious practices that you find in most Muslim communities will have a lot of overlap and familiarity. However, differences in culture flesh themselves out in every context, despite what religion one adheres to. This is no different for Central Asian Muslims.
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Compass: An Opportunity to Receive Hands-on Training for the Mission Field
Written by Article by Emily Thomas / Director of Compass
Written by Emily Thomas, Director of Compass
When you hear the phrase, ‘Life on the mission field,’ what comes to mind? Maybe you think, ‘That sounds like a blast!’ or ‘I could never uproot my life and move to another country!‘ or ‘I am not prepared to engage a culture that I know almost nothing about—including the language!’ At World Team, we recognize that there is a lot to know before you go to the field. To get started, the most important question potential workers can ask themselves is –Am I called to missions?
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Church Planting Principles
Written by Ron Smith / Ron & Amy Smith serve as a Church Planters in Milan, Italy
Church planting is easy. At least on paper. Reality seems to have a way of raising its ugly head to introduce quite a few wrinkles along the way. That said, there are a few principles that the cross-cultural church planter would do well to maintain to see a healthy, thriving, and multiplying church begin to sprout. These are personal principles I have picked up along the way while church planting in Italy.
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The Impact of Short-Term Missions
An interview with Tom Buursma, the Field Director of World Team in the Philippines
Daniel: How did you get started in missions?
Tom: The story kind of starts at Urbana in 1996 for me. Some 20,000 students gathered there, and George Verwer, the head of OM (Operation Mobilisation), gets on stage with his global jacket and massive inflatable earth ball, you know. It was an experience for me; not just hearing his passion for the lost, not just the call to missions that he gave – what really moved my heart, more than anything else, was the way he prayed for the world and how he prayed for specific people groups and their needs.
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