In our first post, we defined what ethnocentrism is, its pattern in missions history, how the Bible confronts ethnocentrism, and gave some questions for reflection. In this post, we’ll talk about reasons why ethnocentrism can be extremely damaging to your vision to multiply, and practical ways to address ethnocentrism. Do I Have to be the […]
Category: Tools and Resources
Posts that highlight various tools and resources helpful for missions leaders.
“You can’t work with the Thai church.” “They’re lazy, they don’t show up on time, and they lie to you by saying they’ll do something and then not do it.” This was the repeated sentiment we heard from experienced missionaries during our early years in Thailand. We had learned that most CPMs are started by […]
Clarity is kindness when leading a missions team. There are so many transitions, unknowns, and moving parts when new teams launch to the field. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is a document that most missions teams have to provide clarity in the midst of those unknowns. We would define an MOU as a non-binding agreement […]
…every time there has been a spiritual awakening, women are often called up into ministry and spiritual leadership. It’s one of the signs of a revival that isn’t talked about very often. Dr. Jo Anne Lyon, 181 In Developing Female Leaders, church consultant Kadi Cole addresses how churches and leaders can better develop, empower, and […]
We’re excited to share that Jenn has taken on a new role as a co-host on the Dare to Multiply Podcast, where we interview movement practitioners and scholars on all topics relating to the multiplication of disciples. On top of our regular blog posts, we will post each episode that Jenn hosts when they are […]
“Effective leaders increasingly perceive their ministries in terms of a lifetime perspective.“ The Making of a Leader by J. Robert Clinton helps spiritual leaders understand God’s process of developing them over a course of a lifetime. Clinton draws principles from the lives of Biblical and ministry leaders in history, breaking each leaders’ journey into 5 […]
Before we launched, Jenn and I were in pre-engagement counseling and we took a stress test as a way to gauge different stressors and how we responded to them. Our counselor came back and said, “Steven, you scored the lowest stress we’ve ever seen on this test. You have like no stress at all.” I […]
In our experience as team leaders, the number one characteristic that we look for in goers and missions leaders is humility. Without humility towards God and towards fellow workers and national partners, we will never be able to persevere, succeed, or to find joy in our calling as team leaders. Main Resource: Humility: The Journey […]
One of the prevailing messages many of us are taught growing up is that emotions are a bad thing. For those of us who grew up in the West, emotions are often seen as illogical or considered a weakness. However, the Bible is filled with emotional language because God himself feels emotions! He can be […]
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“i am running into a new year”
Cancer, more than anything, transformed our lives into “before” and “after.” At the end of 2021, while going through cancer treatment, I stumbled across this poem by Lucille Clifton. Its message reflected the bittersweet experiences Steven and I were facing as God used suffering to refine and transform us into who He wanted us to […]