Musings - Missio Nexus

Prescriptions for Bureaucracy

Posted on June 1, 2017 by

Nobody wants to lead a bureaucratic mess of an organization. How do you know when you are slouching toward bureaucracy and what can you do about it? Here are six symptoms and a few ways to combat this soul-crushing evil. Symptom #1: Tooth to Tail Ratio Slips This refers to the number of people executing . . . read more

Reading List for a Church Missions Leader

Posted on February 20, 2017 by

So, you are the newly appointed Missions Pastor, Global Missions Team Leader, or other influencer in the local church. What do you read? Here is a list to get you started. These titles all link to Amazon.com so you can read the reviews and order if you like. (this list was updated on 9/11/2018) Ecclesiology . . . read more

Posted on February 6, 2017 by

I read a ton of books. Probably too many. Here are a few ideas that I use that might help you to jump start your reading life. Develop a Plan I don’t read just anything but I have a specific plan of attack. Here is my outline which you can modify in any way you . . . read more

We Are All Newbies Now

Posted on January 6, 2017 by

I was reading Kevin Kelly’s book, The Inevitable, in preparation for this month’s Leader’s Edge. There are many good ideas in the book, but this one stuck out to me.

Have a Happy Ambient Christmas

Posted on December 25, 2016 by

by Ted Esler I have visited many Muslim cultures around Christmas and sometimes I am shocked to see just how much “Santa” can be present. It is funny to me since each year we hear about the “war on Christmas” in American culture, yet in some Islamic countries you see Christmas trappings for weeks leading . . . read more

Killer App for Outreach

Posted on November 29, 2016 by

by Ted Esler What if I told you I knew of a way to communicate the Gospel that far outpaces anything we have come up with so far? Better than sermons, tracts, films and recordings? Better than various church planting strategies, community development, health workers or education? Yes, better than all of those and more. What . . . read more

Crying in My Beer

Posted on November 21, 2016 by

by Ted Esler A joke that I have told many times comes to mind whenever controversial topics are discussed (in fact, my wife rolls her eyes when I begin). Yet, it remains a classic! It goes like this: There was a traditional older lady from a conservative church who had lived her life behind the . . . read more

Retro-Revolutionary Missiology

Posted on November 7, 2016 by

by Ted Esler One of the dominant themes that emerged from from my doctoral research was that Jesus’ teaching went in two directions at the same time. By this, I mean that it was drawn from the deepest traditions of culture while simultaneously introducing something altogether new and treasonous to that same culture. Jesus was . . . read more

Institutionalization as the Enemy

Posted on October 10, 2016 by

by Ted Esler Institutionalization is a process that affects all organizations as they grow. It doesn’t matter if it’s a church, a business or a missionary agency: the forces of institutionalization work to change the culture and approach of the organization (I am going to use the word “organization” here loosely – to refer to . . . read more

Conference Afterglow

Posted on October 3, 2016 by

by Ted Esler The 2016 Mission Leaders Conference is in the rear view window. I am on the airplane heading home with a stack of business cards, notes from our team debrief and a sense of satisfaction that comes from completing a major project. As I reflect on potential outcomes I am most excited about . . . read more

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