EMQ articles
Evangelical Missions Quarterly, from 1964 to the current issue. Page 2 of 160 · 3,835 in all.
Members onlyFive Questions about Disciples and Disciple Making
By Andy Smith | As a missionary trainer, Andy Smith has encountered five questions about discipling repeatedly. These questions explore whether discipleship relates only to spiritual life, whether or not to use qualifying adjectives with “disciple,” who should make disciples, what the discipling relationship looks…
Editorial – Discipling
By Evelyn Hibbert | Jesus’ disciples walked with him, ate with him, lived with him, hurt with him, and later reproduced what they experienced. The most effective discipling occurs in multigenerational community. It is active and flexible to changing circumstances. The best disciplers come alongside disciples…
Members onlyRecovering Monastic Values for Mission Today
By Edward L. Smither | In this article, I explore two values of historic monastic mission – study and simplicity – that contributed to missionary spirituality. Illustrating these values through two modern evangelical examples, I invite the reader to consider the importance of study and simplicity and how they might…
Members onlyStrategies for Managing Stress in Urban Mission Contexts
By John E. White | As the world urbanizes, more missionaries are living and ministering in cities. Therefore, more missionaries are encountering the stress of the city. This article reports the results of a survey of urban missionaries around the world. Four causes of stress and five coping methods are outlined.…
Members onlyThe Past and Future of Funding Missions: From Everywhere to Everywhere – National Workers vs. Missionaries
By Scott Klingsmith | The direct support of national pastors and missionaries by American and European churches has been promoted as a more efficient and effective model of ministry than sending missionaries from the West to other parts of the world. After a historical overview of funding models and a survey of…
Members onlyPrioritizing Relationships over Resources
By Terry Jackson | This article emphasizes that while resources are abundant and valuable, their effective application depends on relationships. Relationships are primary, and activities or resources should support these meaningful connections.
Proclaiming the Holistic Gospel: Communicating the gospel appropriately for people from diverse cultures in the US
By Soo Min (James) Park | The US, like many nations, is not a mono-cultural mission field. Beneath the surface, immigrant, refugee, minority, and younger generations live with shame-honor, fear–power, marginalization–belonging, and brokenness–wholeness (healing) dynamics that shape how they perceive sin, redemption…
Members onlyWelcome to the Land of Goshen – A Biblical Model of God’s Provision for Climate Migrants
By David Kimiti, Safia Kimiti, and Ian Ratcliff | Genesis 47 outlines the way that God provided for the people of Israel in response to a climatic event. This provision suggests to the church today a way of thinking about climate migration and how it can respond. Drawing on Genesis 47 and the limitations of current…
Members onlyFaithful Innovation: Lessons from the Tension of Saving Souls and Saving Lives
By Thad Hicks | How can Christians respond to disaster with both compassion and conviction? This article explores the tension between evangelism and humanitarian aid, drawing on both fieldwork with The Salvation Army’s Emergency Disaster Services and traditional research. Discover how faithful responders balance…
Members onlyHolistic Ministry: Prioritizing Relationships
By Glen Bagley | This article examines how churches can move beyond temporary relief toward transformation in ministry to the poor and homeless. Based on research done in a city in the US, it discusses how hope grows through relationships – when people are known, valued, and loved in word and deed.
Members onlyCulturally Informed Mental Health Care
By Sofia Locke | Mental health is a growing area of need. Christians have an opportunity to step into this space to bring holistic healing. However, we often engage in such ministries without taking the time to contextualize our understanding of mental health. This article explores some of the challenges when…
Members onlyToward a Wider View of Healing Missions
By Jim Ritchie | Healthcare missions suffers from a dichotomy of purpose. Is medicine alone an adequate motive as a ministry of compassion? Or are we wasting effort and money on the temporal body when we should be concentrating on the eternal soul? We need a broader strategic theology of healing missions. Might we…
Healing the Wounds of Trauma
By Harriet Hill | In 2001, a small group met in Nairobi to put together materials to respond to traumatized people in war zones across Africa. This program and its materials have spread around the world. First, the history and development of the program are presented. Then, the article reports research findings on…
Holistic ministry
By Evelyn Hibbert | Jesus’s coming was whole-of-life. Yet often, when thinking of the gospel, we focus just on words. Thinking of the wholeness of salvation alerts us we always have more to learn. Openness to things we have not previously encountered or thought of is critical for effective missionary work. No doubt…
Members onlyWork as Gospel Ministry
By Larry Sharp | Missionary visas are no longer granted for many countries today. At the same time, we are realizing that being a missionary is not limited to a spiritual professional. Just as God is a missionary God, all his people are called to share with him in his mission work. There is no sacred secular divide.…
Members onlyNomads and Church: Beyond Our Walls
By William J. Stephens | Mongolian nomads, moving from one encampment to another through vast terrains, pose a challenge for church planting. Instead of imposing models of church, let’s learn how Christian nomads themselves experience church. For them, churches are like family reunions, irregular yet incredibly…
Members onlyTibetan Diaspora Ministry – a Reflection
By Zanna Grace | Opportunities exist for Christians to connect with Tibetans who have left their traditional homeland and settled elsewhere, for a time, at least. Nevertheless, there remain significant challenges for Christians who wish to see Tibetans join the number of God’s people around the world.
Members onlyBuilding Healthy Connections with African Diaspora Churches
By Faustin Ntamushobora | This article explores how African diaspora churches in the United States can foster healthy and mutual enriching connections with non-African congregations. Drawing from my personal ministry and teaching experience, I describe three broad types of African diaspora churches—tribal…
Members onlyEngaging Effectively with the Social Systems of Cities: A Case Study of the Emmanuel Gospel Center and Living System Ministry
By Alan Totire | This is a case study of Emmanuel Gospel Center in Boston and its Living System Ministry approach, particularly in its outreach to refugees and other immigrants. It seeks to answer, “What is LSM, and how does it empower others in mission in the city?” This research sheds light on how a Christian…
Members onlyUnsettling the Settled with Resettlement: A Story of Cross-Cultural Outreach to Afghan Refugees in a Chinese-Heritage Church
By Jackie J. Hwang | A Chinese-heritage church was challenged by cross-cultural outreach to Afghan refugees. The members of the church grew spiritually from navigating the challenges in this ministry. It was an opportunity for God to work in and through them in cross-cultural diaspora mission. Lessons learned in…
Members onlyFront Porch Missions: Welcoming People from the Nations in Our Neighborhoods
By Richard Noble | It is helpful to view diaspora ministry as front porch missions. On the front porch, we get to know people and, sometimes, give practical help. With time, the relationship deepens, and we invite them into our homes. Using Allegheny Center Alliance Church in Pittsburgh, PA, as an example, this…
Discipling People Who Struggle to Read
By S.J. Spyker | As refugees and asylum seekers flee situations of violence and terror, they often are disillusioned by what they have seen and experienced. As a result, they frequently arrive in new contexts with an openness to new ideas including hearing about the Lord Jesus. Yet, there are many challenges. One…
Members onlyConversational Evangelism Among Diaspora from Unreached People Groups
By Bill Babione | Conversational evangelism among diaspora from unreached people groups, such as the Ahiska Turks, is most effective when it is relational and intentional. Building genuine friendships, engaging in two-way cultural exchange, and purposefully creating opportunities for dialogue are key.
Members onlyRelationships, Roles, Spirituality: The Keys to Mobilizing New Generations
By Katy White, Dave Jacob, and John McVay | Based on survey results, White, Jacob and McVay outline practical mobilization strategies to overcome the most common obstacles to mission participation and motivate young people to participate in missions. This information could help to transform your recruitment approach…