Local Church Partnership on the Field
“You can’t commend what you don’t cherish.” Missionaries, John Piper writes, will never call the nations to worship if they’re not personally engaged in heartfelt worship. [1] I want to apply this principle to the missionary and the local church….
Making Mature Disciples
He said, “I am beginning to realize that evangelism is not enough, they need to be discipled,” as he sat there connecting the dots in his head. Let me explain what happened. Last year, I gave a talk to a…
The Growth of Christianity & the Need for Pastoral Training
Here at Reaching and Teaching we are known for our emphasis on training pastors and church leaders. The need for such teaching is apparent. It is estimated that about 85% of the pastors in the world have little to no…
The Ongoing Need for Critical Contextualization
In June of last year, a journalist for Science magazine wrote an article revealing new discoveries made by archeologists in Mexico City.1 Here, in one of the world’s biggest cities, was an ancient site of the Aztec people where human…
I Want to Be Involved in Missions—Now What?
I recently spoke with a family that was considering devoting their life to missions. Among many questions, one of them asked, “How do we choose where to go, who to go with, and what type of ministry to do when…
Sola Scriptura: the Foundation of Global Missions
Luther famously addressed the Diet of Worms in 1521, “My conscience is captive to the Word of God.” Indeed, central to the Reformation was the idea of sola scriptura, the idea that the Scriptures alone are authoritative and sufficient for…
Acts 13 and the Missionary Sending Church
What the Church Can Learn Today In Acts 13:1-3 we find the first record of a church recognizing, commissioning, and sending out missionaries. Saul and Barnabas are sent by the church in Antioch on what would become known as Paul’s…
5 Ways to Mobilize Your Church for Global Missions
This article is part of a series on missions and the local church. We trust that this series will encourage both faithfulness to Christ’s bride and obedience to the bride’s mission. When Christ commanded us to “make disciples of all nations,” he…
Christian Missionary or Cultural Nomad?
We’ve all been subject to friends or family members who made us suffer through a slideshow of pictures from their latest vacation. At first, we may actually be interested…or at least pretend to be. But, after seeing yet another selfie or…
Report from Panama
Guest Post by Reaching & Teaching staff member, Jason Wright: “If the Bible truly is the word of God, then we need to seek to understand and interpret it rightly.” This was the premise that guided our week of training…