EMQ Volume 60 Issue 1

By Heather Pubols | Around the world more and more people from Majority World nations are diligently working as missionaries in near and far places. At the same time, economic hardships and unrest have displaced hundreds of millions of people. Unreached and unengaged peoples are now on the doorsteps of local churches in otherwise reached nations. The skills cross-cultural missionaries acquire are increasingly needed in even rural North American towns.

By Allen Yeh | The term polycentric mission has become popular. While the term has a more recent origin, the concept can be traced to the inception of the church. In its earliest days, no one place held authority. The West became a Christian center for a millennia, but now we see a return to polycentric Christianity that goes from everyone to everywhere.

By Eldon Porter and Joseph Handley | The world is more interconnected than ever before, and the way we do missions is being redefined as a result. Individuals are connecting in collaborative networks which is impacting the way we lead. This, in turn, is changing the role of Western mission sending agencies. What does this mean for the future of missions?

By Joy and Jaewoo Kim | For 30 years, Clarkston, Georgia has welcomed so many immigrants and refugees from around the world that is it has become known as the most culturally diverse square mile of the US. With 90 different people groups, including many that are considered unreached and unengaged, the community provides unique opportunities for domestic cross-cultural missions. It also offers a chance to engage in ways that challenge assumptions and blind spots.

By Jon Fuller | What does it mean to send and be sent? Understanding sending as deeply rooted in the intimacy of an abiding relationship with Christ, (reflecting his relationship with his Father) has reminded me how often I forget that it is God who sends, not me.

By Harvey Kwiyani | Reverse mission is often used to describe Majority World mission movements, particularly ones to Western countries. But this way of describing mission carries baggage that encourages certain mission movements to be seen as more or less than others.

By Mark Hedinger and Kate Wiseman | Polycentric mission brings the joy of multiplied expansion, and at the same time, the challenge of how to bring together the wealth of diverse cultural perspectives on missions theory and practice.

By Craig Greenfield | When every geopolitical nation has a gospel presence, what is the role of an outsider in helping the global Church to continue to grow? How do outsiders, especially from the West, remain faithful to God’s call to love their global neighbors and use wisdom to know how best to serve?

By Sara Miller* | Church leaders and organizations are grappling with the changing dynamics of the American church. However, the fields remain – calling for tilling, sowing, and harvesting. And the nations are here at our doorstep. Global workers who have already lived and served cross-culturally are uniquely equipped to help churches engage these nations and serve cross-culturally here in the US.

By Adeoluwa Felix Olanrewaju | The Nigerian church has been engaged in cross-border and cross-cultural missions for more than 150 years. Since then, it has played an important and growing part of the global missions movement. And Nigerians are eager to play a bigger role in collaboration with global partners.

By Ellen Livingood, Matthew Philip, and Scott White | Immense global changes are affecting every aspect of missions. Missions models are getting flatter. And local churches are increasingly engaging in aspects of missions previously reserved only for mission agencies or large NGOs. Polycentric alliances offer a way for a wide range of mission participants, including churches, to work together to address missional challenges.

By Charis Jackson and Lynn Green | To say Loren Cunningham reshaped missions is not an overstatement. It’s a fact. From the vision of waves turning into young people on every shore, to the last catalytic call to see every native tongue have an oral translation of the Bible, Loren was a man who loved the Lord and inspired peoples from every nation to join in on the adventure of God.

By Grant Klinefelter | Do we know the story of what God is doing today? Often, we know how God has worked in the past and we have hope for what God will do in the future. But do we really know what God is doing here and now in the present? Across America, giving to missions is declining. And across the West, missionary attrition is rising. I believe one reason for this is that we have not done well telling stories of what God is doing around the world today.

By Tamie Davis and Moyra Dale | Patronage relationships are common in many cultures. Western missionaries in these environments are often viewed as patrons by default. This can be an uncomfortable role. However, when we understand how reciprocity works in these contexts, we can participate in ways that strengthen local relationships.

By Collin Cornell | Does God’s faithfulness end when our usefulness runs out? While most Christians would deny this, the way we tell the story of God’s mission reveals otherwise. This places a significant question mark over God’s faithfulness, and it threatens our spiritual formation and our evangelistic integrity.

By Scott Brock | In August 2021, many people fled Afghanistan when US troops withdrew. Afghan believers were a vulnerable group amongst them. Seeing a unique opportunity for Afghan believers to both escape danger and serve as global workers in the US, a local church and ABWE (Association of Baptists for World Evangelism) partnered to bring a group of Afghan believers to the US on religious worker visas.

By Daniel Råsberg | Traditional insider-outsider categories in missions fail to address the complexities of migrant ministry. Relationships, consistency over the long term, cultural bridges, and embracing fluidity of roles are key to navigating varied diaspora contexts. We must rethink static models and humbly collaborate across cultures to minister effectively.

By Kaisa Golding and Jim Olang | The refugee crisis presents an urgent opportunity for the church to embody the gospel through compassionate action. By welcoming the displaced into congregations, embracing them as family, and grounding efforts in biblical theology, Evangelicals can participate in God's redemptive work and be a transformative force for refugees.

By Isac Soundararaja | India is poised to play a significant role in global missions beyond its borders, and India’s diaspora will be a major part. Yet fully participating requires rethinking strategy and collaborating with global partners. This brings into view the necessity of Global North and Global South partners learning to work more closely as peers in global mission.