EMQ articles
Evangelical Missions Quarterly, from 1964 to the current issue. Page 24 of 160 · 3,835 in all.
The International Church for a Global World
T he International Church is a kairos call to a profound need and compelling opportunity. G od is sovereignly and supernaturally planting and building international churches in unparalleled numbers around the globe. The unprecedented diaspora scattering has created cutting-edge potential for the International Church…
Migration & Diaspora: God’s Movement to Reach More People
A little over ten years ago I was introduced to English as a Second Language (ESL) for the first time. A student at the local seminary who was fluent in Spanish had started an ESL class at a small Hispanic Baptist church in one of the suburbs of New Orleans and needed some help with her growing class.
Seven Myths Perpetuated by Missions People
O ver the past thirty years I have noticed that many of us have a tendency to inadvertently promote half-truths that we think advance the cause of world missions. By half-truths, I mean concepts that are partially true or seemly true on the surface, but in fact are myths.
Our Hospitality Mandate: What Does an Authentic Christian Reception of Syrian Refugees to the United States Look Like?
W hile I was preparing with a team to go on a missions trip to Israel’s Jewish absorption centers, I met a young lady named Rosebud who was taking a break in the fast food restaurant where she worked.
The Missing Key to the Refugee Crisis: Christian Hospitality towards Muslims
W e live in a rapidly changing world in which massive amounts of people move from one place to the next. Many people who have come from other places live on the margins of society as socially excluded international refugees or immigrants.
The Secret of Sports Ministry: Lessons from Japan
C ollege friends wore our fundraiser T-shirts around campus. Team parents praised us for flying across the world to spread the gospel. In Japan, we were guests of honor. Local pastors advertised the visiting American athletes to draw people to church. Groups of teen girls wanted to pose with us for selfies. We were…
Enhancing Character Development through Soul Care
A s Richard stood staring out his office window, he knew something was wrong. His enthusiasm for ministry that had accompanied him for nearly thirty years was gone. He was tired, spiritually dry, and growing bitter about his situation.
The Macedonian Call in the Twenty-first Century: Partnering for Contextual Equipping of International Missionaries
T he late 1980s and early 1990s were perhaps the most exciting days of modern missions—the Iron Curtain fell, and immediately over twenty countries and four hundred million people had access to the gospel.
The Yellow Shorts Saga: What We Can Learn from Third Culture Kids Research
T he Evangelical world is no stranger to the term missionary , ever since Jesus commanded his followers to “go and make disciples of all the nations.” Peter, Paul, Timothy, and Barnabas all pioneered global missions efforts. The children of missionaries are commonly referred to as missionary kids, or MKs, for short.
Culturally Conceived Systems for Healthy Groups: Western and Eastern Paradigms in Contrast
M y wife and I have been working in Central Asia since 2013 on a multicultural team. Since the team’s inception, it has at one time or another been composed of members with formative backgrounds from countries as diverse as America, China, Great Britain, Guinea, Italy, Australia, Indonesia, Canada, Egypt, a Central…
Managing Conflict in a Multicultural Team
C on fl ict occurs wherever human beings live or work together. It is no surprise then that conflict is a major issue in multicultural teams. All of the eighty-one people we interviewed explained that their team had experienced some degree of conflict, and in some of these teams, conflict had deeply hurt team members…
Cultural Self-awareness: A Missing Element in Intercultural Service?
T here are a lot of books and articles that help prepare God’s people for working in other cultures. Most of the material provides insights into cultural difference and for understanding how to adapt to, interact with, and share the gospel with those from another culture. The perspective is usually that of…
Get Face! Give Face! A Missional Paradigm for Honor-Shame Contexts
I magine we just met in person. While making introductions, I pull a picture out of my wallet and say, “These are my three kids.” But the picture is of their feet. That would be confusing, if not socially awkward.
Pros, professionalism, and periodicals
I n Christian ministry circles the terms professional and professionalism have a long history of producing contrary emotions. While everyone celebrates those who do their job like a ‘pro,’ few get excited about people in ministry who go about their duties with professional detachment. The coin of the realm is…
The Local Church and Mission to the Diaspora: Examples in the Christian & Missionary Alliance in Canada
D iaspora is not a new phenomenon, and missiology is not a novel field of study. Human migration is in fact a reality of the human experience, and missions and evangelism a mandate from the initial commissioning of Jesus Christ’s disciples. Thus, it is inaccurate to propose that the idea of diaspora missiology was…
My Journey in Oral Bible Storytelling: A Tale from an Administrator
I caught the vision for oral Bible storytelling on a bicycle. My good friend, Janet Stahl, and I often ride together, and in 2012 I was Janet’s willing audience as she honed her storytelling skills. I quickly realized that listening to her tell Bible stories drew me into a refreshing new way of engaging with scripture.
Managing Complex Kingdom Partnerships
Partnering is something we all do, but many of us know little about. Partnering in a cross-cultural setting can get very complicated, particularly when multiple organizations are involved. What can we do to help such partnerships work more friction-free? Through interviewing nearly thirty leaders involved in…
Building Unity among First and Second-Generation Chinese Churches and Leaders
T here is a concern among Canadian and American Chinese churches about the growing disunity within their congregations. For years, these churches were in a state of growth as first-generation Chinese immigrants filled the churches. Over time, however, these churches started to create two new groups.
Effective Partnering: The Church and Cross-cultural Worker On-Task Together
Everyone agrees that we must work together to accomplish the task of Matthew 28:19-20 so that we may move closer to the end goal found in Matthew 24:14. Furthermore, we all know God did not give this task solely to missionaries or pastors.
Teams in Mission: Are They Worth It?
D o teams work? What does it take to develop and maintain a healthy team? Is it worth the effort? Does a healthy team really produce better results than a dysfunctional team?
Missionaries, Middle Age, and the Generative Life
B y the time missionaries reach middle age, quite a few things can go wrong. Their kids may be struggling in the host culture. Their ministry might be advancing far more slowly than they thought possible. Because of limited opportunities for career advancement, they may be jealous or in competition with other…
The Right Stuff and the Future Mission Aviator
When I was a boy, my dream was to one day become an astronaut. I lived and breathed everything NASA—from monitoring the orbit patterns of the first satellites to actually building a full-scale mockup of the Gemini spacecraft and flying multi-day simulated ‘missions’ in my basement.
Don’t George Muller Me: A Missionary’s Plea for Understanding
George Muller (1805-1898) is a model of faith for many. Moving from Prussia to Bristol, England, in 1832, Muller ministered as a pastor, started schools and orphanages, and sacrificed unceasingly for others. Many of the sins of his early life were associated with money. After conversion, however, a marked change…
Business as Mission 101
J ust as Gutenberg changed the world forever when the printed word challenged the spoken word , so globalization and the Zuckerberg generation are doing the same in this millennium. One of those changes has been in business as mission (BAM).