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.

February 19, 2006

Christian Standard

Set Apart to Shine

By Bill Weber What in the world is God doing? More than you can imagine! The National Missionary Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, delivered that message loud and clear through conversations, preaching, exhibits, construction, hospitality, around lunch tables, in elevators, and on shuttle buses. The new Georgia International Convention Center hosted the NMC November 17-20, 2005. More than 5,000 people gathered to celebrate the mission of the church. It”s not just how many people were there, but who they were: 700 teenagers, an estimated 2,000 college students, hundreds of missionaries and national church leaders from around the world, and many concerned

February 19, 2006

Christian Standard

The Making of a Missionary

By Dale Meade An elder recently wrote asking how to rate or qualify people who presented themselves to the church seeking missionary support. His church was using many commonly held ideas about missions and missionaries in making its decisions. Some were quite good, but others were questionable or misguided concepts about what it takes to make a successful missionary. To answer the letter I had to stop and think a bit myself. What does it really take to make a missionary? How should we judge those who ask for our support? What Are the Standards? How we evaluate demonstrates how

February 19, 2006

Christian Standard

‘Are We There Yet?’: The Case for Short-Term Family Mission Trips

By Ruth Herron and Anita Smelser We heard it a half dozen times during the hour-long flight. “Are we there yet?” shouted the boy with the cowlick in his hair and smirk on his face in a failed attempt to amuse his fellow passengers. His grandfather described the amusement park they would visit and activities they would enjoy during the visit to the grandparent”s home. Our group wouldn”t be doing these kinds of activities. Instead, the 16 of us were part of a short-term missions group traveling to Mexico to work for a week. The number of high school students

February 12, 2006

Christian Standard

African-American Evangelism: Where Are We and Where Are We Going?

By W. Ray Kelley In a February 1992 Restoration Herald article, I discussed a basic philosophy concerning racial integration. A minister in Arizona had asked for specific methods he could implement to help integrate his congregation. My response presented the reality that it is very difficult for a congregation to integrate if its local community is not diverse. Generally speaking, a congregation should reflect the racial makeup of the community in which it ministers. It would be easy to apply this basic concept to our brotherhood and attempt to justify the lack of minorities in our local congregations. The rationale

February 5, 2006

Christian Standard

Embracing the Unfamiliar

By Jack Reese Our plane had just landed after a long flight from Detroit to Seoul. Even though my wife and I had never been to Korea, we thought we were ready to encounter an unfamiliar culture. We pushed our way through crowded streets, taking in the rich variety of smells””a mixture of car exhaust, ginger, garlic, and the pungent aroma of kimchi, the spicy, fermented cabbage that I only later learned to enjoy. We understood not a word of the animated speech taking place around us. When our hosts gestured toward a snow cone stand, we were elated. We

January 22, 2006

Christian Standard

The Public Act of Accepting Christ

By Gayle L. Gresham Music plays softly in the background as the minister gives the invitation to come to Christ. While the congregation sings “Just As I Am,” a man walks to the front of the church where the minister greets him. The two men confer, then the minister announces to the congregation that this man has made the decision to accept Christ and will be baptized during the following week”s service. Every week men, women, and children respond to the gospel preached in church services across the country. The day a new believer goes forward to publicly accept Christ

January 8, 2006

Christian Standard

A Jesus Retreat in Islamic Kosovo

By Mike Grooms “I believe that Jesus is the Messiah and my Savior, and that”s a choice my father cannot take from me.” That”s what she said. This young lady from a village in Kosovo was going to return to her home the next day. She expected a beating from her father, and she was scheduled to be sold to a man (as his wife, I think) because her father didn”t want her around anymore. Such is life in her old and isolated village. The only reason she was allowed to attend this weekend Christian seminar was because her friends

December 4, 2005

Christian Standard

Serving with America’s Best

By Karen J. Diefendorf “I didn”t know we had female chaplains!” Even though the military”s first female chaplain entered the Navy in 1974, people who meet me are still surprised. I”ve been asked all sorts of questions: “Do you do the same things as the male chaplains? Where have you been assigned? Has it been hard for you? Are you married? Do you have children?” I do the same things as other chaplains. The only limitations are the general limitations that Congress has imposed on women. Female chaplains are not assigned to combat units, only to combat support and combat

November 23, 2005

Christian Standard

God Talk at Starbucks

By Mark A. Taylor Worldly compromise or godly influence? Marketing genius or evangelistic zeal? Each of those labels would match the conclusions of some about Rick Warren after discovering that the Purpose Driven Life author will have his name on Starbucks coffee cups next year. I, for one, admire him for getting his words included in the feature Starbucks calls “The Way I See It.” The coffee seller finds provocative paragraphs from thoughtful writers and prints them on the paper cups used in their shops. Starbucks calls it a way to stimulate “good, healthy discussion . . . in the

November 20, 2005

Christian Standard

Making a ‘Hill-of-Beans’ of a Difference

By Cora and Steve Alley Eight-year-old Allie was bored; there was nothing to do in the cab of the truck. She had already checked all the radio stations, but all they played was Mexican music. That was understandable; she and her daddy had crossed the border from San Diego into Mexico several hours ago. She could see her dad just outside the door of the cab, this giant of a man twice her size. He saw her too as she continued squirming around in the cab. He gave her the fatherly “sit still while I talk to this man” glare

September 18, 2005

Mike Schrage

A New Era in Sudan!

A New Era in Sudan!

A call to pray, give, and go as peace opens new opportunity in southern Sudan. The article highlights the endurance of the Sudanese church and urges believers to partner in gospel work, training, and compassionate service.

September 7, 2005

Mark A. Taylor

Four Years Later

Four Years Later

A late visit to Ground Zero makes the facts of 9/11 feel newly heavy—and raises a question: what would it look like if the aftermath became a lasting catalyst for worship, mission, and what endures?

September 4, 2005

Jon Weece

Dear Missionary

Dear Missionary

A heartfelt letter to missionaries serving overseas, offering encouragement, gratitude for sacrifice, and a reminder that believers at home are praying and ready to help in practical ways.

August 28, 2005

Terrence OCasey

Building a Lighthouse

Building a Lighthouse

Can church architecture reach spiritual “drive-bys”? A Seaside Christian Church minister shares how symbolic design—like a lighthouse worship center—can communicate the gospel, support worship, and serve as a visible mission statement to the community.

July 27, 2005

Mark A. Taylor

urban evangelism

Different

A Central Park conversation reveals how stereotypes distort our view of unfamiliar communities. This reflection urges Christians to learn from and support those sharing the gospel in neighborhoods unlike their own.

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