Articles for tag: Missions

November 12, 2018

Christian Standard

Conferences & Gatherings Organizations & Events

Seven Insider Facts About ICOM

By Emily Drayne The strategic focus of the International Conference On Missions is no secret—it’s apparent in the name—but there’s much more that goes on beneath the surface. Do you know these seven insider facts about ICOM? See if you’re an ICOM expert! 1. The idea for a missions conference came from an unexpected place. The idea for the missions conference was born in Los Angeles. J. Russell Morse and John T. Chase had the idea for a “missions emphasis day” before the North American Christian Convention, and the first such meeting occurred in 1948 in Springfield, Illinois. Attendance grew

November 5, 2018

Bible Study Theology & Bible

Lesson for November 11, 2018: The Church Grows Through Missions (Acts 13:2-16, 26-30, 38, 39)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in issue no. 12 (weeks 45–48; October 14—December 2, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Aim: Understand the importance of mission work and pray for and otherwise support current missionary efforts. ______ By Mark Scott God likes things to grow: families (Genesis 1:28), gardens (v. 29), nations (11:8, 9), and churches (Acts 5:14). In fact, God expects his church to grow (Matthew 13:31, 32) and it is unnatural

November 1, 2018

Christian Standard

Biographies Restoration Movement History

‘Young Missionary’ J. Russell Morse Discusses Foreign Mission Methods

If you haven’t taken the opportunity to read Russell Johnson’s article from our November 2018 issue titled “Prayer, Power, Purpose: J. Russell & Gertrude Morse and Four Generations of Ministry to Southeast Asia and Beyond,” please be sure to treat yourself. The article details hardship, heartache, discouragement, and imprisonment, but also the prayers, purpose, and perseverance through which God’s Word has been faithfully preached over the past century. Thousands of people in isolated areas have heard the message and accepted Christ through God’s grace and the Morse family’s efforts. I scanned Christian Standard’s archives and reviewed the headlines of numerous

October 29, 2018

Kent E. Fillinger

Mission & Evangelism

Kent E. Fillinger

Survey Sheds Light on Our Missionaries

By Kent Fillinger To coincide with this issue’s focus on global missions, I partnered with the International Conference on Missions to conduct a survey to learn more about our Restoration Movement missionaries. The survey was sent out via ICOM’s email distribution network in August and a total of 118 people completed it. While the sample size is small, the focus of the survey is significant. To my knowledge, this is the first time anyone has gathered this type of information about our missionaries. I hope we can build on this foundation as more and more missionaries participate in the future.

October 22, 2018

Christian Standard

Prayer Worship & Prayer

Prayer, Power, Purpose

J. Russell & Gertrude Morse and Four Generations of Ministry to Southeast Asia and Beyond By Russell Johnson Starting from humble beginnings, the Morse family has made an eternal impact in lands few others had ever tried to reach. The Morses’ journey has taken them through some of the highest mountain passes in the world, where they discovered dozens of tribes who had never heard the name of Jesus. The early years were often devastating and discouraging. Several of the Morses’ friends were buried on unnamed mountainsides halfway around the world from their families. In time, some of these missionaries

September 19, 2018

Christian Standard

Mission & Evangelism

Missions and Outreach in a Rural Setting

By Emily Drayne Growing up in a small town, it was easy to look beyond the borders of my community and dream of big cities and far-off places. I never considered my town to be a mission field. Missionaries who came to talk and put up displays at our church were always from a foreign country; I never thought of reaching out to people of my hometown to talk about Christ. But, in reality, there are many outreach opportunities specifically beneficial for rural churches. Here are some ideas for how rural churches can engage in outreach. Look Around You

July 21, 2018

Christian Standard

Mission & Evangelism

RISE

How You Can Engage Refugee and International Students in Your Community By Emily Drayne Did you know there are more than 1 million foreign students on the campuses of American colleges? These students come from more than 200 countries around the world. The five countries that send the most students to the United States are China, India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Canada. Many times, these international guests don’t even see the inside of an American home during their time here. It’s estimated about half the world’s future leaders will study on American campuses. Did you also know that

July 11, 2018

Christian Standard

Mission & Evangelism

Project Mañana: Working Together Today for an Eternal Tomorrow

By Emily Drayne I’ve seen it happen time and again in my ministry with the International Conference on Missions. Whether committing to go on a short-term trip or enter full-time service, when people simply open themselves up to God’s plan, he guides them every step of the way. Brian and Nebraska’s Story After his first short-term mission trip to the Dominican Republic in 2007, Brian Berman felt an urge to get involved. He fell in love with the culture and people, but he also saw a physical and spiritual need there. After leaving corporate America, he and his wife,

June 13, 2018

Christian Standard

Mission & Evangelism

Generations in Missions: Don’t Count Me Out!

By Emily Drayne An older missionary might say, “They’ll never understand how we did it.” A younger missionary might complain, “They’re so old school.” It’s a generational issue that’s probably been around forever. Leaders err, however, when they count out those from other generations simply because of age, style of doing the job, or lack of “experience.” In missions and in ministry, it seems, there are two ways to do the job. There’s the way it’s been done for years, and then there’s the way new leaders with new ideas are doing it. So how can we carry out our

April 28, 2018

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Growth

Finding Hope in the Numbers

By Emily Drayne In the six-plus years I’ve served with the International Conference on Missions (ICOM), I’ve learned that determining the total number of active missionaries is like trying to hold water in your hands. Both are difficult, slippery, and elusive, but I’ve found it’s possible to count missionaries if you do your research and find credible sources. The biggest challenges we face as we count missionaries include these: some serve in sensitive areas and closed countries (and the sponsoring groups are less apt to publicize information about them); some are transitioning to a new location; some are leaving the

April 20, 2018

Christian Standard

Church Leadership

The State of Our Christian Churches Today

Where We’ve Come From, Where We Are, and Where We’re Going By Ken Idleman In her book Join the Club: How Peer Pressure Can Transform the World, Tina Rosenburg sought to determine how to get people to change for the better. She concluded people don’t change simply because they desire to change, or feel guilty, or learn it would be beneficial (such as by quitting smoking). Instead, Rosenburg argues, people grow and change best in community. She asserts that few things in life are more important in determining the kind of people we become than the group of people with

April 7, 2018

Christian Standard

Mission & Evangelism

Incorporating Missions into Your Church Activities

By Emily Drayne From time to time, every church needs to refresh programs and activities, including missions ministry. No matter the church size, budget, or the number of missionaries supported, missions can easily be prioritized and incorporated into your church activities. A Minute for Missions An easy way to incorporate missions into your Sunday service is to do a “minutes for missions” each week. This can be as simple as showing a few photos of a missionary you support and talking about them for two or three minutes. Show a map of where they serve and talk about the

March 22, 2018

Christian Standard

Salvation Theology & Bible

The Bold Invitation

By Kevin Dooley During Passion Week we reflect on Christ’s sufferings for us. We may also remember the sufferings of the apostles and the persecuted church throughout history. Today, millions of people around the world are boldly proclaiming the gospel in the midst of great suffering for their faith. They invite us to know Christ “and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.” It is the key to reaching the unbelieving world with the gospel of hope. My wife, Kim, and I have been privileged to serve alongside the persecuted church in countries that

March 2, 2018

Christian Standard

Mission & Evangelism

Standing Firm in the Spotlight

By Emily Drayne A missionary gets to live in a new place, explore new locales, try new foods, have cross-cultural experiences, and more. What’s not to love? They live the same life, just in a different location—right? No! A million times no. The amount of planning, prayerful consideration, financial preparation, and training that goes into becoming a full-time missionary is staggering. Missionaries undergo months of training to prepare for something that one must experience to truly understand. They need a lot of self-discipline, hard work, and faith to make that leap. The Need for Spiritual Disciplines Some people

February 11, 2018

Christian Standard

Money & Debt Stewardship & Generosity

Dennis & Linda Messimer: Five Decades of Ministering Around the World Together

By TR Robertson A lifetime of ministry together has given Dennis and Linda Messimer a rhythm of talking—they often finish each other’s sentences—and a rhythm of serving God together. “Dennis would teach Bible studies and I would teach the kids,” Linda says, describing the arrangement they’ve followed hundreds of times, on three continents. “. . . But once kids came along,” Dennis adds, “Linda wasn’t as involved in the ministry work as she had been earlier.” Since the kids have grown, Linda says, “I’ve done Bible studies with women and he did Bible studies with men. We support each other

February 10, 2018

Christian Standard

Money & Debt Stewardship & Generosity

Wayne & Greta Meece: Two Country Kids Serving Together for Nearly 60 Years

By Wendie Gabbard “The blessing God gave to both of us was that we grew up country kids.” Those country kids, Greta from Pennsylvania and Wayne from Kentucky, met as sophomores in college. Rules prohibited them from dating without another couple or chaperone present and the understood boundary was “six inches apart.” Even so, they quickly fell in love and married in Greta’s hometown the summer before their junior year. Pennsylvania law allowed marriage at age 21. As both were 20, their parents had to sign for them. Wayne and Greta Meece then returned to Kentucky Christian College, where she

January 31, 2018

Christian Standard

Family & Relationships Marriage

Love, Marriage, and Missions

Four missionary couples discuss how their marriages affect their mission work, and vice versa. By Emily Drayne Some aspects of marriage are hard. It’s not easy joining together two lives, two families, two personalities, and two upbringings under one roof. Success in marriage takes work and desire. With divorce rates at about 50 percent in America and even higher in parts of Europe, I’ve often wondered how missionaries are affected by this epidemic. Not only are missionary couples working and maintaining their marriages, but they might also be serving in a cross-cultural setting. Some are also raising children. Missionaries might

January 9, 2018

Christian Standard

Money & Debt Stewardship & Generosity

How Budget Trends Are Affecting Missions

By Emily Drayne Missionary support, as most of us know, can be subject to change without notice. Consider the missionary on the field who hears her financial support is being cut by her top supporting church or individual. Time and again, a financially assured ministry has been deflated, usually without notice, in a single conversation. What causes such changes and what impact does it have on the missionary? Is there anything a missionary can do? Finding Balance A recent trend is for churches to refocus their mission efforts on local community development. This is a viable choice, there’s no

November 28, 2017

Christian Standard

Mission & Evangelism

Sew to Sow

By Emily Drayne Sandra Ward has an amazing heart. She saw children wearing next to nothing, found a simple tie dress, and thought, Hey, I can make that myself! With that, she founded Sew to Sow. Based out of Kernersville, North Carolina, and affiliated with First Christian, Kernersville, this ministry provides handmade outfits for children sizes 16 and under. The first batch of outfits was sent to Brazil in 2013, and the dressmaking has continued since then. I had the privilege of spending an afternoon with this group and I was impressed by the quality of the outfits, their love

November 14, 2017

Christian Standard

Mission & Evangelism

Called, Challenged, Changed

Lena Wood has a lifelong passion for missions and writing. The result is a three-volume set of mission trip devotions and journals.Â Â By Andy RectorÂ In 1970, a teenage Lena Wood sat on a plane with her sister and others bound for Japan. Never having flown before, she was terrified. What would happen on this trip into the unknown?Â As it turns out, she fell in love with missions on that trip. Over the summer, she and her team sang and gave testimonies at camps, schools, churches, and even a leper colony.Â “When we left,” she says. “I bawled.