Mission & Evangelism

Mission & Evangelism equips Christians and churches to share the gospel and make disciples locally and globally. Explore Bible-based articles on evangelism, outreach, disciple-making, missions strategy, church planting partnerships, and engaging your community with compassion and clarity. You’ll find practical guidance for building a missional culture, telling the story of Jesus well, and reaching people across cultures and generations. Whether you’re serving in your neighborhood, supporting missionaries, or leading a church on mission, these resources help you live sent and invite others to follow Christ.

March 6, 2017

Christian Standard

Close to God”s Heart

By Bethany Anderson When Solidarity started almost 15 years ago in a troubled neighborhood of Fullerton, California,1 we were simply an idealistic group of college students eager to change the world in the name of Jesus. That desire, although rooted in privilege and a slight savior complex, led us to a deeper understanding of Jesus, his heart for us, and specifically his heart for immigrants. It also led us to move from an organization that just runs after-school programs in immigrant neighborhoods to one that acts as a bridge between the local churches and immigrant neighborhoods throughout our city. As

March 2, 2017

Christian Standard

When Living the Good News Gets Easy

By Susan Lawrence We boil it down to the basics: Love Jesus. Help others love him too. But we have different approaches: “¢ Preach the gospel at all times. When necessary, use words. “¢ Help people. And if you can”t help, at least don”t hurt them. “¢ Give what you can, and you will receive more. Helping others achieve their dreams will help you achieve yours. We like to boil things down to the simplest form. We like quips that affirm and encourage us. If it sounds good, we think it is good. If we can”t readily see how something

February 10, 2017

Christian Standard

Mission Accomplished

By Doug Redford Charles Swindoll”s sister once asked him, “What”s your favorite feeling?” After some thought, Swindoll replied, “I think it would be accomplishment.” He observed how good it feels to complete a job, whether it”s a project at work, an assignment at school, or a remodeling project at home. I think I”d agree with him. How I enjoy crossing off finished tasks I”ve listed on my desk calendar! When the task represents years of effort””like the high school and college ceremonies celebrated everywhere this spring””the sense of accomplishment is even greater. Graduates and their families deserve to celebrate. Jesus,

December 24, 2016

Christian Standard

Mexico Ministry Making Difference for Deaf, Families

By Jennifer Johnson Jesus often told the people listening to his teaching, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” In the United States we understand that for the deaf, “hearing” must happen with eyes and teaching must happen with hands using American Sign Language. But what about those in other countries who can”t hear and have no signs to see? Michelle Zuñiga, an Ozark Christian College graduate, learned both Spanish and sign language to bring the gospel to the deaf in Matamoros, Mexico. Zuñiga approached Workers for Mexico Mission with the idea of reaching the deaf in Mexico in

December 9, 2016

Christian Standard

Missions Pastor”s Family Part of the Neighborhood

By Jennifer Johnson “A number of churches were moving to the suburbs, but we made a commitment to stay,” B.J. Leonard says. First Christian Church in Decatur, IL, has seen lots of change during its 180 years in the city. However, over the last 15 years some of the area”s bigger manufacturing and industrial companies have shut down and left, the unemployment rate soared, and people began to move. The congregation had to wrestle with its future. “We sensed God was leading us to reach outside our building and try to make a difference where we are,” says Leonard, missions

November 17, 2016

Christian Standard

The Jesus House

By Jackina Stark After years of guerilla warfare, Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge (Red Cambodians) gained complete power over Cambodia in April 1975 to begin Year Zero and form a Communist peasant farming society. Foreigners were expelled, all national and international communications were cut off, health care was eliminated, and the inhabitants of Cambodian cities were evacuated on foot by gunpoint””2 million in Phnom Penh alone. Doctors, lawyers, teachers, monks, former soldiers and their wives and children””all the educated, religious, and wealthy””were executed. Those allowed to live were forced to labor in the fields 18 hours a day, typically

November 5, 2016

Christian Standard

My One Life

By Jennifer Johnson I have been a Christian for 28 years, and I have not led anyone to Christ. It is painful to admit that. There were no “prodigal years” in my youth when I got off track with my faith. I never left the church, and my good friends who aren”t Christians know that I am. But I have never brought anyone into a relationship with Jesus. I don”t like that, but it”s true. When I talked to Jeff Vines about OneLife, an initiative that challenges every person to bring someone to Christ every 12 months, he quoted Andy

November 4, 2016

Christian Standard

Leveraging One-on-One Relationships for Christ

By Jennifer Johnson Jeff Vines, lead pastor at Christ”s Church of the Valley (CCV) in San Dimas, California, was a missionary in New Zealand for 10 years. In the first four years of his ministry at Shore Community Christian Church in Auckland, he grew the congregation from 350 people to more than 1,000 by challenging people to connect with “one life.” Today the same strategies are bringing growth to CCV as a whole and to many of its members. “New Zealand is a post-Christian nation,” Vines says. “I quickly learned that the best way to evangelize in that culture is

October 1, 2016

Christian Standard

Helping Churches Help Refugees

By Jennifer Johnson The plight of refugees around the world captured our attention and our sympathy this past year. But even before that, Mike Schrage was working to create real solutions within the Restoration Movement. Schrage, executive director at Good News Productions, International (Joplin, MO), is also president of the 2016 International Conference on Missions, and he began brainstorming several years ago about a unique initiative for this year”s event. With help from friends and ministry leaders, he”s developed The RISE Project, an initiative to raise $250,000 in grant money for churches that want to minister to international students and

September 18, 2016

Christian Standard

Motivation Through Missions!

By Janet C. Smith If you”re looking for a way to motivate people to use their gifts and talents for God, CMF International has a suggestion: Get them interested in missions! Since the Indianapolis, Indiana, mission organization launched its partnership with Missions of Hope International (MOHI) in the Mathare Valley slums of Nairobi, Kenya, in 2005, scores of churches across the country have sent teams of people with all kinds of jobs, connections, interests, and abilities there to provide medical clinics, training, education, sponsorship, and more. Most people come back saying the experience changed them. But some””like those in the

August 15, 2016

Christian Standard

A Night of Prayer for Muslims

By Jennifer Johnson Okolona Christian Church (Louisville, KY) has been praying for Muslims for years, but last year the church created a new approach designed to connect more of its members””and it”s something your church can do, too. “Previously we had coordinated 30 days of prayer initiatives, but last year we decided to hold a focused night of prayer on The Night of Power,” says Betty Byrd, vice president of prayer, operations, and personnel at Team Expansion (Lexington, KY) and a member at Okolona. The Night of Power, which commemorates the revelation of the Koran to Muhammad, is considered one

July 28, 2016

Christian Standard

Shefki Selmani

By David Faust Shefki Selmani grew up in a Muslim family in the European republic of Kosovo. As a boy in the late 1990s, he heard bombs falling from NATO military action against the Serbs. During those stormy times he enjoyed lighter moments by playing soccer with British troops, and hanging around them taught him some not-so-proper English words. American missionaries introduced Shefki to the gospel and baptized him into Christ when he was a teenager. He says, “Jesus called me and that meant for me to leave everything if I wanted to follow him.” As a result of encountering

July 20, 2016

Christian Standard

Risk or Rust

By Jim Tune You probably haven”t heard of Andrew and Debbie Jones. Together, they have five kids. They”ve served all over the world. In 2015 alone, they worked in Jordan, Israel, Turkey, Egypt, Serbia, Croatia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Hungary, Poland, and Germany. They”ve done some work recently with Syrian refugees. Andrew calls himself a thinker and a nomad. He was an early and influential voice in Christian blogging. Debbie worked with hippies, refugees, social activists, and spiritual seekers. As I write this, Andrew is recovering from African diseases, including malaria. He”s had four blood transfusions and countless needles.

July 8, 2016

Christian Standard

Trio Helping Facilitate the Future of Missions

By Jennifer Johnson It”s been a busy year for Stephen Burris. In January, Burris, along with Mark Krause and Kendi Howells Douglas, bought Urban Loft Publishers, an independent publisher of books focusing on urban ministry, church planting, theology, sociology, and even urban planning and architecture. “My friend Sean Benesh started the company a few years ago, and when he offered me the chance to buy it, I jumped at the chance,” Burris says. “It was both a defensive and offensive decision; defensive because we are aware there are many large publishers buying up small ones and putting them on the

June 18, 2016

Christian Standard

Our Ministry to Hispanic Immigrants

By David G. Fish “Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:19, English Standard Version). This verse first impressed me (see parallels in Exodus 22:21; 23:9) during my undergraduate days, before I had any significant contact with the people those Scriptures would identify as sojourners. I lived the experience of the sojourner during the better part of two decades while serving as a missionary in Chile (though I recognize many would point out that my sojourn was different, in that my relative position was one of privilege rather than poverty). The truth, however,

May 29, 2016

Christian Standard

Relationships, Trust Key to Race Car Ministry

By Jennifer Johnson Some people are missionaries in their own countries, sometimes moving to an urban area and putting down roots in new neighborhoods. Others are missionaries to countries far away, where they speak a different language and learn to love new foods. David Storvick is a missionary, too; although he hasn”t left his home in Indianapolis, he”s ministering to a specific group with its own culture and customs””race car drivers. “I spent the first half of my life as an engineer,” Storvick says. “I enjoyed that work, but after I got into racing in 1999 and started working as

May 13, 2016

Christian Standard

Discovering What They Really Need

By Jennifer Johnson Several years ago, before moving from Orange County to Nashville, I managed to get tickets to a taping of The Ellen DeGeneres Show in Los Angeles. After leaving home at 5 a.m., standing in line for two hours, and then killing another six hours before the show started, I scored a third-row seat for one of the most interesting and fun experiences of my five years in California. The theme of the day was “As Seen on TV,” and the show included Richard Simmons hawking his food steamer (and wearing those short, short shorts, which are even

May 12, 2016

Christian Standard

One Girl Sends Help to Children Around the World

By Jennifer Johnson Kendall Kemerly was only 8 years old when her dad, Jason, told her about a little girl raising money for water wells in Africa. “I realized I could do that, too,” she says. “I decided to ask for money that Christmas to buy cows for needy people in other countries.” Today Kendall is 13, and Kendi”s Cows has raised enough money to give several cows to children in India. Although cows are considered sacred there and are not slaughtered for meat, their fresh milk gives vital nutrients to children with HIV and AIDS. “These kids need the

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