November 21, 2014
Mike Schrage, president of the 2016 International Conference on Missions to be held in Lexington, Kentucky, talked about the work of Good News Productions, the impact through the decades of the missionary conference, and his plans for 2016. See the video interview with Editor Mark Taylor, from the exhibit floor of the 2014 ICOM, here.
November 20, 2014
Editor Mark Taylor talked with Dave Empson, executive director of International Conference on Missions, and Gary Holloway, executive director of World Convention, about their joint venture in India in 2017. See the video interview, from on the exhibit floor of the 2014 ICOM, here.
November 20, 2014
By T.R. Robertson An unexpected career path has opened many doors for this minister to a church and community “down under.” Rob Branham frequently begins his day by playing a game of Jenga with a middle school student. The boy”s teachers were having difficulties dealing with his behavior. He was arriving at school angry nearly every morning because of a troubled home life. So now he stops by the school chaplain”s office for a “pit stop” and a friendly game to help him calm down before classes begin. When Branham began his college journey at his hometown Central Christian College
November 19, 2014
By Jennifer Johnson I”m really excited about the 2015 International Conference on Missions. One reason is the president, Jim Tune, asked me to speak. My first sermon was to 1,800 Indian teenagers in a building that could seat 600, the second was for a group of jaded New Yorkers, and now my third will be to a convention hall of a few thousand. I like to focus on easy audiences. But I”m especially looking forward to the convention after talking to Tim Cole at the Virginia Evangelizing Fellowship and learning more about both the church planting emphasis at next year”s
November 13, 2014
By Jennifer Johnson “You know, if we”re going to spend all this time and effort in planning a convention, it would be great for it to have a long-term impact,” remarked Tim Cole in a planning meeting for the 2015 International Conference on Missions. Cole, director of church planting at Virginia Evangelizing Fellowship (VEF), says he can”t take credit for what happened next; some members of the team suggested the churches in Virginia plant a church, then some others suggested they plant one on every continent, then someone else mentioned Antarctica might be a challenge. Today the plan is
October 21, 2014
By Mark A. Taylor Suppose you were asked to summarize the current condition of Christian churches and churches of Christ to an interested but largely uninformed audience. That was my assignment at the Sunday-evening worship service sponsored by the Stone-Campbell Dialogue in Austin, Texas, October 5. As I reported in this space last week, I was one of three speakers, each with a similar assignment; the others spoke, respectively, about the a cappella churches of Christ and the Christian Church/Disciples of Christ. Realizing that no one in our group can represent the whole group and no one can know everything
By Matt Proctor Several years ago, two of my nephews accompanied their mom on a visit to a friend”s house. Ben was 8. Brian was 6. Their mother”s friend was a very neat lady, to the point of being obsessive-compulsive. (I have a friend who says, “I have OCD, only I like to call it CDO because then it”s in alphabetical order.”) This woman had a place for everything and everything in its place. Though childless, she did have a few toys and handed Ben and Brian a bucket of Lego bricks: “Here boys, you can play with these.” What”s
July 24, 2014
By Marsha Relyea Miles (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I”ve Ever Received.”) One of the best pieces of advice I ever received came from Walter Birney, longtime coordinator for the National Missionary Convention (now known as the International Conference on Missions). During the year I served as president of the NMC (2007), many people contacted me with creative suggestions about how they thought the convention should unfold. Of course, in designing such a convention, broad involvement and teamwork is a great thing. The ideas of some folks were extremely insightful, but some others, less so! Now and
December 9, 2013
By Doug Lucas It was a global gathering with a distinctly Latino flavor. From the free chips and salsa in the exhibit hall to the mariachi band on the main platform, the International Conference on Missions (ICOM) reminded us of opportunities among Spanish-speaking friends in our country and all over the world. Much of this was due to the influence of 2013 President Jair Castillo who extended his life of influence in Mexico to ICOM. But the convention”s impact extended far beyond the Americas. Meeting November 14-17, 2013, at the Kansas City Convention Center, ICOM hosted church leaders, missions advocates,
December 1, 2012
By Dave Butts “Radical . . . Again.” The theme for the 2012 International Conference on Missions (ICOM) November 15-18, was more than a clever title pulled from a popular Christian book. It was an apt description of a conference committed to challenging Christians to meet the needs of an increasingly desperate world in every way possible. Preaching, workshops, worship, exhibits, and service projects combined to call those thousands who attended to deeper levels of global impacting discipleship. It was appropriate the inaugural meeting of ICOM, formerly the National Missionary Convention, was in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Convention Center is always
November 23, 2012
By David Empson In November 2010, Restoration Revolution was started at the former National Missionary Convention””now the International Conference On Missions (ICOM)””in Lexington, Kentucky. For almost 18 months prior to its launch, more than 100 leaders representing all kinds of ministries among Christian churches and churches of Christ had been meeting to consider what could be done for the kingdom of God over the next 10 years. Here is a report on progress with these goals so far. Restoration Revolution”s vision statement calls it “a 10-year collaboration that desires to share Jesus with all people.” The four points of Restoration
November 22, 2012
By Mark A. Taylor For several years now the National Missionary Convention, recently renamed International Conference on Missions (ICOM), has met the weekend before Thanksgiving. This morning I”m struck by how good it is for the convention and the holiday to be so close together. ICOM reminds us how thankful we can be for our fellowship of Christian churches. Our movement (variously called the Restoration Movement, Stone-Campbell Movement, and more recently the Christian Church Movement) is thriving and well. The throngs of teenagers and young adults crowding the Indianapolis Convention Center November 15-18 bear testimony to that. And so do
November 9, 2012
By Jennifer Johnson Net Work Many missionaries manage websites, send newsletters, and post videos on YouTube. But for these resources to be helpful, potential supporters must first hear about them””and, as Reggie Hundley says, “Who”s searching YouTube for missions videos?” Hundley, executive director of Mission Services, a nonprofit organization serving missionaries and mission agencies, recently developed a solution to connect churches, individuals, and missionaries online. The new website www.themissionsnetwork.com provides an easy way for people to learn about the missionaries they already support as well as come in contact with new ministries. A “Missions Knowledge Base” shares audio and
November 8, 2012
By Mark A. Taylor Not every missionary expert posting at this site this month agrees with every other posting here. Readers need not find this discouraging. The point is that more missions work is happening among Christian churches and churches of Christ than ever before, and that”s good. New churches are being planted cross-culturally. Independent congregations in areas once served only by U.S.-supported missionaries are starting new churches that then send out their own missionaries. Thousands of children are receiving nourishment of body and soul because members of Christian churches are sponsoring them with monthly donations. All this is good.
November 4, 2012
By Mike Sweeney As we look to the future of missions, we need to think in broad categories about the current trends that appear to have a future trajectory. Many strategies will rise and fall with people”s interests, technological changes, crises, and other transient issues. But, stepping back and observing the world of missions as a whole, we can see fairly clearly that there are a few major trends that will continue to push the church in new directions as we live out the Great Commission around the world. Just as recognition of the 10/40 Window made an impact on
June 26, 2012
By Mark A. Taylor The discussion was about missions, but the topic was change. And I couldn”t stop thinking about the church”s task in a world changing faster than we may realize. Steve Moore, president of Missio Nexus (missionexus.org), was leading about 30 of us at the Cincinnati installment of Reset Tour, a 10-city event sponsored by the International Conference on Missions (ICOM). The Tour, which concluded with a West Coast swing in May, was expected to reach 250 missions-minded members and leaders of Christian churches and churches of Christ, according to David Empson, executive director of ICOM. From this
Editor”s note: We asked Wayne Smith collaborator Rod Huron to give us an update on Wayne”s activities these days. During May, Wayne”s schedule included a banquet sponsored by the International Conference on Missions (formerly National Missionary Convention) and speaking at a banquet to raise money for Sayre Christian Village in Lexington, Kentucky: “They started in 1972 to build a home for the elderly, and now they have 25 acres and 250 apartments, plus a medical unit. It hasn”t been easy, but look at where they”re going””a $12 million expansion.” He also spoke at a banquet sponsored by Women for Life, a group
February 28, 2012
By Chris DeWelt The National Missionary Convention became the International Conference on Missions at its gathering last fall. The conference seems set to continue what it does best: challenging thousands with the opportunity and needs for world missions. From the moment I heard that Wing Wong of China was the 2011 National Missionary Convention president, I knew it would be a great gathering. My anticipation grew when Wing visited Ozark Christian College a few months before the convention and immediately endeared himself to hundreds of students. Wing”s unique combination of humor, passion for Christ, and humble spirit connected with more
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