The Mission Matters

How can the illiterate read the Scriptures? Through animation and heart-language engagement, iBIBLE connects deeply with both children and adults in remote areas—many of whom are seeing the Bible in their language for the very first time. In this episode of The Mission Matters, Matthew Ellison speaks with Steve Cleary, founder of Revelation Media and Executive Producer of iBIBLE, a groundbreaking animated series that brings the entire narrative of the Bible to life using Scripture-only scripts.Born out of a dream and a deep desire to impact world missions, iBIBLE is designed to be accessible, visual, and faithful to God's Word—especially for people who speak minority languages or are unable to read. With translations underway in over 120 languages (including some with as few as 500 speakers), Steve shares how iBIBLE is transforming hearts in places where printed Bibles alone cannot reach.Steve underscores the growing need for visual Scripture in an age where literacy and language barriers keep many from accessing the Gospel. With a vision to complete the entire Bible in short, animated episodes, Steve and his team are pioneering a new frontier in missions—one where the Word of God is not just read or heard, but seen in the language people understand best. It's not entertainment—it's transformation through the unaltered power of Scripture.Steve started his work in missions in 1989 as a volunteer for The Voice of the Martyrs. He joined the staff in 1990 and soon after had the honor of traveling with VOM founders Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand. Being able to spend the last decade of their lives with them became the biggest blessing and honor of Steve's life. He continues with VOM as a contractor and has traveled with them to hostile and restricted nations around the world, including Cuba, Sudan, Northern Nigeria, borders of North Korea and most recently Iraq during the Isis occupation.In 2015 Steve and Robert Fernandez began an animation studio in San Jose, Costa Rica. It was at this time he began to see both the tremendous need and opportunity of making films for the mission field. In January 2017 Steve officially founded and launched the ministry Revelation Media, which is committed to providing quality and culturally engaging media for the global missions community. His projects include the Tortured for Christ movie and animated The Pilgrim's Progress, and now, he is working on a visual and interactive presentation of the entire Bible called iBIBLE.The Mission Matters Podcast is a place to talk about the importance of our Mission as Christians. The Mission Matters is a partnership of Missio Nexus and Sixteen:Fifteen, who have a shared passion to mobilize God's people to be a part of His mission.

The global church is growing exponentially, but traditional training models are inadequate and inaccessible to emerging leaders. With less than 10% of global church leaders having received any formal theological education, Rich explains how Global Action uses competency-based theological education (CBTE) to meet this urgent need—offering a nine-month, contextually relevant curriculum that trains pastors to disciple others and lead their communities well.In this episode of The Mission Matters podcast, host Matthew Ellison is joined by Rich Griffith of Global Action for a compelling conversation about equipping pastors and ministry leaders around the world. Rich passionately describes the transformational impact he's witnessed—pastors weeping with joy upon receiving a certificate, because for the first time, they feel equipped and recognized to carry out God's call.Learn more at globalaction.com.As Chief Development Officer of Global Action, Rich's role involves building strong relationships with donors and developing church partnerships. For the past 20 years, Rich has served as an associate pastor at three different US churches. He is passionate about Jesus Christ and desires to contagiously engage others in the biblical mandate to “be His Witnesses.” Rich loves how God is not only transforming hearts around the world, but also calling North Americans to step out of their comfort zones and into God's larger plan.Prior to Rich's pastorate, Rich played seven years in the NFL as a tight end and long snapper for the New England Patriots and the Jacksonville Jaguars.  During his athletic career, he was voted Fellowship of Christian Athletes' Athlete of the Year in 1995, and was nominated for the NFL's True Value Man of the Year in 1996 and for the Byron White Humanitarian Award in 1997.Rich has been married to his wife Keri for over 30 years, and they have four adult children. Rich resides in Phoenix, Arizona.The Mission Matters Podcast is a place to talk about the importance of our Mission as Christians. The Mission Matters is a partnership of Missio Nexus and Sixteen:Fifteen, who have a shared passion to mobilize God's people to be a part of His mission.

Many people going to the missions field have little exposure to actually sharing the gospel and need significant training. Why? The church has a passion for evangelism but traditionally, there has not been much focus on how to do it for regular people. Christians generally know how to explain the Gospel, but there's fear and ignorance of how to get into spiritual conversations. How do you get to that moment? How do you bridge a conversation to get to those opportunities?Listen in to this conversation and be challenged in your evangelism. Ted Esler and Matthew Ellison dive deeper into Kevin King's new book Living Out Loud: Letting Your Love for God Flow into Your Everyday Language (https://a.co/d/iN39Rel) and reinvigorate the desire to live out loud.Kevin King is cofounder and president of International Project, a missions-sending organization focused on church planting among unreached people groups across the globe. International Project has a variety of teams in New York City, as well as in other cities in North America and internationally.Kevin has a BA in Bible, an MA in biblical counseling, and an MDiv. His passion for evangelism began when he gave his life to Christ in high school—and later intensified to focus on reaching people who have never heard the gospel. He then discovered the strategic advantage of working with international students and the people groups God was bringing to the US through migration.Kevin and his wife, Jeanne, moved to New York City in 1998 and began sharing the gospel on college campuses and in ethnically diverse neighborhoods. Through the people they've led to Christ, churches have been planted in multiple countries. In 2010, Kevin founded Equip, a ten-month program training cross-cultural church planters to start simple churches that will expand and multiply. A core element of the training is equipping Christians to live their faith out loud in everyday conversations. Workers from multiple missions agencies who have gone through the Equip training are now serving effectively around the world.Kevin enjoys overseeing the International Project teams, as well as engaging in and starting Bible studies with international graduate students through Jeanne's ongoing campus ministry. He also loves running, scuba diving, and hiking. Kevin and Jeanne live in Harlem, where they raised their two children, who are now grown.The Mission Matters Podcast is a place to talk about the importance of our Mission as Christians. The Mission Matters is a partnership of Missio Nexus and Sixteen:Fifteen, who have a shared passion to mobilize God's people to be a part of His mission.

Is it possible to 'do missions' without ever sharing the Gospel? Not according to Scott Hildreth. In fact he's written a book called A Short Guide to Missions and Evangelism (https://a.co/d/8cCsKWv) that contains a warning to the western Church that she's dangerously close to walking away from the mandate to carry the Gospel to those who need it most. Listen in as Ted Esler and Matthew Ellison talk with Scott about his book (available May 6) and this current challenge in the western Church.Dr. Hildreth is an associate professor of missiology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS). He is married to Lesley and has two adult children and two grandchildren. Before coming to SEBTS, he and his family served with the International Mission Board in Europe and Central Asia. Dr. Hildreth serves as an elder at The Summit Church and also serves as interim pastor or guest speaker when possible. He has written on evangelism and missions. His research interests are on contextualization, missiology, and theology of mission.The Mission Matters Podcast is a place to talk about the importance of our Mission as Christians. The Mission Matters is a partnership of Missio Nexus and Sixteen:Fifteen, who have a shared passion to mobilize God's people to be a part of His mission.

How are American Christians thinking about engaging non-Christians in the United States? According to recent Barna research there are 60 to 80 million Americans who don't fit the paradigm that a lot of Christians have about those outside of the church. They are not really hostile to discussions about faith and spirituality and are actually spiritually curious at the right moments. Join Ted Esler's conversation with Mark Matlock, the Executive Director of the Urbana Student Missions Conference and also author of Faith for the Curious: How an Era of Spiritual Openness Shapes the Way We Live and Help Others Follow Jesus. Mark Matlock is a facilitator of innovation and impact, helping organizations adapt to changing times through turning research based insights into action. The founder of WisdomWorks LLC a consultancy helping churches and faith-based organizations leverage their collective wisdom and insight to innovate and adapt in changing times. Mark also works with Barna to assist clients with board training and on-site facilitation of research findings. Mark has been an advisor to organizations such as the Seed Company, Youth Specialties, Young Life, Awana, Brotherhood Mutual, Movement.org, BetterMan and has served as a board member of the American Bible Society. Mark is the author of more than 20 books for teens and parents, and in 2019 co-authored Faith for Exiles: Five Ways for a New Generation to Follow Jesus in Digital Babylon with Barna Group President David Kinnaman. Having initiated many research projects with Barna over the last two decades related to Next Gen studies, Mark's research continues to provide insights into emerging generations and how to cultivate faithful disciples.Mark is an ordained minister, certified LifePLanner, LEGO Serious Play facilitator, and MCORE trainer and coach. Mark is also certified as a HopIn online platform agency. He's been married for 30 years to his wife Jade. They have two adult children.The Mission Matters Podcast is a place to talk about the importance of our Mission as Christians. The Mission Matters is a partnership of Missio Nexus and Sixteen:Fifteen, who have a shared passion to mobilize God's people to be a part of His mission.https://www.amazon.com/Faith-Curious-Spiritual-Openness-Shapes/dp/0801018714https://www.urbana.org/

It's easy to fall into the trap of doing things the same way they've always been done. After fifteen years as the missions pastor of a large church, Larrie Fraley began to reevaluate their missions strategy. He realized that there must be a better way to steward God's resources. What were the pivotal moments in his journey of rediscovering missions, and where does the church stand now? Tune in as Ted and Matthew delve into Larrie's story.Larrie is Lead Global Outreach Pastor at Christ's Church of the Valley in Peoria, Arizona. Married to Sheila, two daughters, and seven grandchildren, and will celebrate 55 years of marriage in 2025. One of the four founding officers of Christ's Church of the Valley (CCV), Peoria, Arizona. CCV was founded in April 1982 with over 52,000 in weekend attendance.  Larrie was an executive at Intel Corporation for 19 years as a director in Intel's Information Technology Division. Responsible for managing Intel's Information Technology Centers around the world.He's founder and current President of STARS Youth Sports, Inc., which started in 2004, now has over 15,000 youth players annually, with over 1,000 coaches and 45% non-CCV attendees. Also Larrie is founder and past president of Streetlight. Streetlight's mission is to eradicate child sex slavery.  Larrie is currently a PhD Student at the University of Bucharest and host and producer of the Let's Go 360 podcast. https://www.letsgo360.org/The Mission Matters Podcast is a place to talk about the importance of our Mission as Christians. The Mission Matters is a partnership of Missio Nexus and Sixteen:Fifteen, who have a shared passion to mobilize God's people to be a part of His mission.

What happens when a group of ministry- and mission-minded men decide that they want  more than a social gathering and want to change the world? The G6 World Changers in Scottsdale, AZ come together with intentionality - to know each other better as well as each other's passions. One outcome is that they support worthy organizations together through finances and any other gifts members bring to the table. But it's all driven by a passion to be involved in spreading God's word and in sharing the generosity that God gives to us with others. Listen in as Ted Esler and Matthew Ellison talk with Bob Smith who unofficially represents the G6 World Changers - a giving circle. Bob gives insight into how the group functions and what types of projects they support. Bob Smith is a senior executive, general counsel, strategic advisor, manager and leader of large-scale transactions. A trusted advisor to Boards of Directors and senior corporate leadership teams and a recognized corporate governance expert, he also serves as director on a public company board. His experience spans public company spin-offs, major litigation, significant regulatory strategy, and building high-performing legal teams. His ability to deliver outstanding value by providing clear communication, sound advice, and innovative and effective results across the full range of critical business and legal challenges has enriched all his work. As a testament to his reputation for wisdom, he has even advised Congress in the creation of national policy. As Senior Vice President and General Counsel for the Columbia Pipeline Group, Inc. (now TransCanada Corp.), Bob served as a member of the Executive Council and Benefits and Risk Management committees. He was also a member of Columbia's Foundation and a Board member of Columbia Pipeline Partners, Ltd. (CPPL). He serves on the Board of Trustees of the El Faro Ephraim Foundation, which supports training and compassion efforts in Guatemala. He served as the interim president of Global Action from 2017-2018.The Mission Matters Podcast is a place to talk about the importance of our Mission as Christians. The Mission Matters is a partnership of Missio Nexus and Sixteen:Fifteen, who have a shared passion to mobilize God's people to be a part of His mission.

How should an American Jesus follower view attempts by other Christians to enter the United States? Immigration is a contentious issue in our politics and culture in 2025.  What should the church's attitude be toward people who are suffering, hurting, and fleeing persecution or even economic challenges? Guest Steve Moore gives his take on the current immigration crisis with Ted Esler in this episode of The Mission Matters.Steve Moore is the president of nextleader and Hold the Rope. At nexleader Steve gives leadership to a growing network of over 250 coaches who use the Identity Profile Self-Awareness Tool (IPSAT) to help people discover, optimize, and unleash their God-given potential. At Hold the Rope, he leads a startup initiative focused on helping Jesus-followers understand how God is at work around the world, the scope of the task that remains and how anyone can be involved.From 2006-2015, Steve served as the president and CEO of Missio Nexus, the largest network of Great Commission-oriented evangelicals in North America, representing churches, organizations and training institutions that send missionaries to nearly every country.Steve has provided leadership for teams serving in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America and the Caribbean. He served on the board of World Relief and on the National Association of Evangelicals for eighteen years.Steve attended Kingswood University before pursuing graduate studies at Fuller Theological Seminary, where he earned a Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies with a leadership concentration. Kingswood University recognized Steve with a D. Div. in 2012.He is the author of six book, including The Top 10 Leadership Conversations in the Bible: Practical Insights from Extensive Research on over 1,000 Biblical Leaders, and most recently, Grow Toward Your Dreams: Practical Steps to Discover, Optimize and Unleash Your Potential.Steve and his wife Sherry have four adult children and live near Atlanta, Georgia.http://www.nexleader.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/Who-My-Neighbor-Samaritan-Connected/dp/1615217231⁠The Mission Matters Podcast is a place to talk about the importance of our Mission as Christians. The Mission Matters is a partnership of Missio Nexus and Sixteen:Fifteen, who have a shared passion to mobilize God's people to be a part of His mission.

Are there unchurched and unreached peoples who might be missed by current methodologies and mindsets? Is innovation in church and missions primarily a process that has to do with ideas/technologies/tools/methods or does it reside in something else that God gifts us with?  Pioneering isn't easy - the Church needs better pathways to nurture ideas, support innovators, and build collaborative movements for the challenges of our time. Tyler Prieb founded Missional Labs to help bring a startup mentality to individuals and teams working on new projects that go after Great Commission impact.Join Ted Esler and Matthew Ellison as they engage Tyler on the need for a renewed imagination in our evolving church and missions fields. Tyler is the Founder & Executive Director of Missional Labs (https://missionallabs.co/), a venture group investing in the frontiers of 21st-century mission. He was previously Chief of Staff at Church of the City New York in Manhattan, and has worked for multiple leading organizations across church planting, leadership training, entrepreneurship, innovation, and global mission.  He's worked with leaders in over 50 countries, and was named a young leader for the Lausanne movement in 2016.  He's pursuing a Doctor of Missiology (in progress), and holds an MA in Theology (RTS) and a BA in Economics and Humanities (Azusa Pacific University).  His focus is on the intersection of innovation and missiology. He loves coffee, reading, and travel, and lives in Nashville with his wife Melany and daughter Penny.The Mission Matters Podcast is a place to talk about the importance of our Mission as Christians. The Mission Matters is a partnership of Missio Nexus and Sixteen:Fifteen, who have a shared passion to mobilize God's people to be a part of His mission.

Research (Dr. Elliot Stephens) has shown that there are three factors that affect attrition on the mission field: interpersonal skills, ministry competency and spiritual formation. Agencies can train for skills, but it's these softer skills that are often neglected at higher levels of Christian education. Ed Scheuerman built his program at Lancaster Bible College largely in response to this research. Listen in as Ted Esler, Matthew Ellison, and Ed Scheuerman discuss trends in higher Christian education as it relates to missions and mentoring the current generation of students. After getting his BA in Philosophy (with an emphasis in Religious Studies) from West Chester University (PA), Ed completed one year of formal Bible training, taking 42 hours of Bible and Missions classes at Tennessee Temple University in 1985. In 1986, he completed his MA in TESL from WCU. In December 2007, he completed his Doctorate of Missiology degree from Biola University. He was ordained by Calvary Bible Church in Hanover, PA. Ed and his wife Carol served with PIONEERS, International, in Southeast Asia for 23 years. They served in China for nearly seven years (starting in 1987), teaching and ministering at a university. Their work was primarily with their students, discipling those who came to faith. They were then based in Hong Kong for four years (1994-1998) as a support link to the in-China team. In 1997, Ed was asked to assume the role of Area Leader for South Asia / Mainland Southeast Asia (shepherding the teams from Vietnam to India). The family relocated to Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Area Leader role was primarily a pastoral role, shepherding church planting teams. While there, Ed also became involved in various member care ministries. In May 2010, Ed was recruited by Lancaster Bible College to be the Coordinator of the Intercultural Studies major. His book, Knowing God to Make Him Known: Living out the Attributes of God Cross-Culturally” was published in 2021 and is used by churches and missions agencies to help train potential missionaries. His passion is to help students find and follow God's call for their lives in the cause for world missions. The Mission Matters Podcast is a place to talk about the importance of our Mission as Christians. The Mission Matters is a partnership of Missio Nexus and Sixteen:Fifteen, who have a shared passion to mobilize God's people to be a part of His mission.

Immigration is not a new topic, but its place in a global missions worldview comes to the forefront due to politics in the USA. What role does the movement of peoples have in the making of disciples in all nations? Is it Biblical or moral to have borders and to restrict immigration? How should a Christian engage illegal immigrants? Guest Alex Kocman addresses these questions and more in a conversation with Matthew Ellison and Ted Esler in this episode of The Mission Matters. Alex received his M.A. in Media and Communication Studies and B.S. in Biblical Studies through Liberty University. He now serves as Director of Communications and Engagement for ABWE (http://www.abwe.org/), a theologically conservative, church planting missions agency with about 1,000 missionaries reaching nearly 90 countries. Since 2017, he has cohosted The Missions Podcast (https://missionspodcast.com/) with Scott Dunford, interviewing notable guests across the evangelical and missiological worlds. Alex is an author, and his new book, Striving for the Faith: A Journey Through Philippians for Life on Mission (Founders Press), is now available (https://press.founders.org/shop/striving-for-the-faith/) for preorder and slated for release February 2025. He resides with his wife and four children in York, Pennsylvania, where he spends his free time studying theology, weightlifting, and nursing a heavy coffee addiction. He adheres to the 1689 London Baptist Confession and serves as an elder at Faith Bible Fellowship Church, where he leads the missions team and serves as director of communications and worship.

In a recent survey (to be published in 2025, stay tuned) of pastors, those with seminary or divinity school degrees were significantly more likely to report passion for those in their community and little toward cross-cultural work or missionaries. Is this the result of a marginalization of missions in theological education? If so, how can seminary education be refined to present missions as worthy of a pastor's or church's passion? Matthew and Ted seek answers with J. D. Payne who serves as professor of Christian Ministry at Samford University.https://www.jdpayne.org/about/The Mission Matters Podcast is a place to talk about the importance of our Mission as Christians. The Mission Matters is a partnership of Missio Nexus and Sixteen:Fifteen, who have a shared passion to mobilize God's people to be a part of His mission.

We cannot be successful in gospel obedience without an element of risk. What is a Biblical theology of risk, and how can mission leaders manage risk so that missionaries thrive in their contexts?  Scott Brawner is co-founder and President of Concilium, a non-profit organization that builds capacity and resilience into Christian missionary orgs. Join Ted, Matthew, and Scott as they discuss risk and the role of the security professional in a ministry organization.The Mission Matters Podcast is a place to talk about the importance of our Mission as Christians. The Mission Matters is a partnership of Missio Nexus and Sixteen:Fifteen, who have a shared passion to mobilize God's people to be a part of His mission.www.concilium.usBook: Anna Hampton Facing Fear: The Journey to Mature Courage in Risk and Persecution

There are three billion people with least access to the Gospel. Motivated by this fact, author and mission strategist Jeannie Marie writes and teaches everyday Christians how to share their faith to Muslim and Hindu friends. These least reached are not just around the world -thanks to the diaspora, they are across our street. Join Ted for this conversation with Jeannie as they talk about what the makeup of this diaspora is, how to befriend them, and how the church should engage them. Jeannie's book, Across the Street and Around the World: Following Jesus to the Nations in Your Neighborhood...and Beyond and her online courses offer practical training for Christians wanting to engage their neighbors from the nations. Jeannie Marie's online courses:Inviting Muslims to follow JesusOffer Jesus Naturally to Your Neighbors and the Nations https://www.jeanniemarieacademy.com/freevideotrainingThe Mission Matters Podcast is a place to talk about the importance of our Mission as Christians. The Mission Matters is a partnership of Missio Nexus and Sixteen:Fifteen, who have a shared passion to mobilize God's people to be a part of His mission.

Fifty years ago Ralph Winter spoke at the Congress of World Evangelization in Lausanne, Switzerland. He laid out a vision of world evangelization that transformed the perspective on the unreached not as countries or nations, but ethnic people groups. What progress has been made in global evangelization since that moment? What does the remaining task look like? Matthew and Ted interview RW Lewis, who has researched and published a booklet called The Great Progress of the Gospel and the Remaining Frontier Missions Task. 

Reflejo are a group of Latin-American missionaries called to be forerunners to Gospel movements among the unreached. What are the pathways for Latinos to be sent and what are their unique advantages being sent to the unreached? Dave Matthews is president of Reflejo (https://reflejo.org), a missions sending agency based in Latin American. Dave joins Matthew and Ted to talk about the need for sending agencies outside the USA and how Latinos can help fulfill the Great Commission.New boost

SIM has a long history in Nigeria. As a teen, Joshua Bogunjoku became a follower of Christ and was discipled by an SIM missionary. Years later he became the first non-western International Director of SIM. Eleven years later he has retired. Join Ted and Matthew as they listen to Joshua's interesting story and to some of his reflections from his time as International Director.

God has equipped Gen Z with a unique set of gifts for our time and culture. Gen Z are inclusive, empathetic, collaborative, and individualistic. How can we contextualize our mobilization efforts towards these talented young people? Jolene Erlacher (author of Mobilizing Gen Z and founder of http://leadingtomorrow.org) talks with Matthew and Ted about how to steward our relationships with this generation.

How can the global missions community address the challenge of reaching the nations? In this episode of The Mission Matters podcast, Matthew and Ted speak with David Bennett, Global Associate Director of the Lausanne Movement, about the upcoming Fourth Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization, also known as Seoul-Incheon 2024 in Seoul Korea. David addresses Lausanne's goal of fostering ‘collaborative action teams' for the purpose of accelerating global mission. https://lausanne.org/gathering/seoul-2024New boost

Many leaders struggle with decluttering the chaos. Coaching is a discovery process with a trusted advisor to chip away at something to see what God is going to uncover. In this episode, Matthew interviews Rob Wassel of Tekton Executive Coaching (www.tektonexecutivecoaching.com) to learn how coaching is not consulting, mentoring or counseling, but a Spirit-led carving-away,  to make something new. Hear how this process worked out in Rob's own story.

Krystle Roberts and Tyler Collins of the Betsey Stockton Foundation discuss the challenges of support raising for ethnic minorities and creative ways to help send people of color to the missions field. Learn more at https://www.betseystocktonfoundation.com/ 

We're evaluating the future of this podcast, and we would love to hear from you! We've put together a short survey at https://1615.org/podcast/. It's anonymous, so give us your honest feedback about what you like, what you don't like, and most importantly, what topics and what guests you would like to hear from in the future.

The values that undergird our society and culture are the air that we breathe, and we take them for granted. If we pull on those values, those threads go all the way back to Jesus. Matthew and Ted interview Glen Scrivener of Speak Life (https://speaklife.org.uk/) and author of the book The Air We Breathe: How We All Came to Believe in Freedom, Kindness, Progress, and Equality and discuss the implications for cross-cultural missions. 

Matthew Ellison interviews Rob Wassel, Jeremy Wynne, and Luke Womack at the MissioNexus Missions and Church Leaders Conference in Orlando, FL, in September 2023. Among other topics, they talk about how change comes about by pain, pleasure, or leverage (Wassel), how a church says no to good missions opportunities (Wynne), and eliminating the obstacles to missions goers (Womack). https://pioneers.org/ https://fbctopeka.com/ https://airomissions.com/

National Geographic and Disney+ are releasing a documentary called "The Mission" about the life and death of John Allen Chau. While they interview many of his friends and family, there's more to the story. Dr. Mary Ho, International Executive Leader of All Nations, the organization that trained John before he went to the North Sentinelese, shares her personal memories of John and why she is convinced following Jesus' command to take the good news to all nations is worth every risk. Learn more at https://allnations.international/john-chau

There's a positive misconception that people immigrating to the United States are more religious than the average American and may help stem the secular tide. But Dr. Ryan Burge, professor, author, and pastor, says the data doesn't support that. What does the data say about immigrants, and how does that affect the future of the Great Commission? Ryan, Matthew, and Ted discuss the opportunities for churches - here and around the globe. Learn more about Ryan's work at https://www.graphsaboutreligion.com/ 

Ralph Winter championed the paradigm shift of Unreached People Groups almost 50 years ago, urging the church to focus on the cultures that have the least access to the gospel. Several of the critiques that were offered in the 1970s have recently re-emerged under the banner of deconstructionism. Is missions inherently based in colonialism and white supremacy? Does immigration and globalization displace the need for sending cross-cultural missionaries? Matthew Ellison and Ted Esler discuss the impact of deconstructionism on the future of missions in this episode of The Mission Matters podcast. https://tedesler.substack.com/p/shifting-narratives-of-missions

You might have heard someone declare that Business As Mission (BAM) is THE future of missions - but João Mordomo of BAM Global argues that isn't the heart of Business As Mission. Rather, BAM is driven by a desire to see the whole body of Christ participate in the mission of God. Matthew, Ted, and João discuss the biblical foundations of BAM, why BAM isn't the only biblical model, and scenarios where BAM is extremely effective. 

Jeff Lewis joins Matthew Ellison and Ted Esler to talk about missions, revival, and what we can learn from the life of Nikolaus von Zinzendorf. Jeff dispels some of the common myths surrounding Zinzendorf and the Moravians, and shares what he has learned from studying early Moravian primary source materials. They discuss the role revivals play in advancing missions, and what true awakening looks like. 

Business As Mission (BAM) is frequently being hailed as the new method of missions funding. Does that mean the era of support raising is over? Or is there space for multiple models of funding to meet the needs of different contexts? Matthew Ellison and Ted Esler talk with Mark Wilson of VIA Generosity (formerly Support Raising Solutions) as he shares his perspectives of how God is using support raising, particularly to resource workers in the Global South. 

“Kingdom Collaboration” is a special episode for us, because we are co-hosting it with the National Association of Evangelicals podcast, Today's Conversation. Ted Esler and Matthew Ellison teamed up with Walter Kim of the NAE to co-host a conversation with Michael Oh about Lausanne 4 next year in Seoul, South Korea, and the importance of creating movements of collaboration to advance the Gospel. Learn more about the NAE at https://www.nae.org/ and the Lausanne Movement at https://lausanne.org/.

“Cultivating Resilience” is the last episode in our three-part miniseries “The Hardest Places on the Planet,” with Matthew Ellison and guest Josh Duncan of TRIAD. TRIAD exists to glorify the King by mobilizing, equipping, and deploying followers of Christ into the world's hardest to reach places and people groups. Josh shares about how they prepare both goers and senders to cultivate resilience and how the Holy Spirit is at work, even amidst persecution. This episode is sponsored by Support Raising Solutions - get the training and inspiration you need to be fully funded and launch your ministry.

“When Dying Is Gain” is our second episode of three in our miniseries “The Hardest Places on the Planet,” with Matthew Ellison and guest co-host Bob Blincoe. Our guest is Mary Ho, who serves as the International Executive Leader of All Nations International, a training and sending agency that seeks to to ignite church planting movements among the neglected peoples of the earth. Mary shares what she has learned from the life and death of John Chau, who was martyred in 2018, and reflects on the cost, suffering, and joy of taking the gospel to the least reached places on the planet. This episode is sponsored by Support Raising Solutions - get the training and inspiration you need to be fully funded and launch your ministry.

Season 3 kicks off with the first of a three-part miniseries: The Hardest Places on the Planet. Bob Blincoe of Frontiers shares about his experiences as the first missionary team in Iraq, and how to build grit and resistance for workers called to the hardest places on the planet. This episode is sponsored by Support Raising Solutions - get the training and inspiration you need to be fully funded and launch your ministry.

Matthew Ellison recaps the podcast for 2022, looks ahead to a new season on going to the hardest to reach places in 2023, and offers a word of encouragement on trusting God, even in the midst of really difficult things.

There can be differences between the "missions with a S" world and the "missional" world - but Michael Goheen suggests there's a lot of common ground. Matthew, Ted, and Mike discuss the mission of the biblical story, the role of the church, vocation, cultural partnerships, and narrative theology. Michael Goheen is director of Theological Education at Missional Training Center, scholar-in-residence for the Surge Network of Churches (Phoenix), and professor of missional theology at Covenant Theological Seminary (St Louis). Mike has authored, co-authored, or edited twelve books, including Becoming a Missionary Church: Lesslie Newbigin and Contemporary Church Movements (Baker, 2022), The Church and Its Vocation: Lesslie Newbigin's Missional Ecclesiology (Baker, 2018), Introducing Christian Mission Today: Scripture, History, and Issues (IVP, 2014), A Light to the Nations: The Missional Church and the Biblical Story (Baker, 2011), and The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story (Baker, 2004). He spends time each year in Brazil, Chile, and Hungary training pastoral leaders. He is married to Marnie and together they have four adult married children and eleven grandchildren.

Steve Richardson, president of Pioneers, talks with Matthew and Ted about his new book, Is the Commission Still Great? 8 Myths About Missions and What They Mean for the Church. Is missions necessary? Isn't it obsolete, colonial, and harmful? Doesn't it reduce the impact of the local church? Steve, Matthew, and Ted debunk a few of the myths and discuss the great privileges and benefits of participating in the mission of God. Learn more about the book at https://books.pioneers.org/.

Haije Bergstra of Missie 1:8 and Jiska Chin-A-Teh of Missie Nederland - the global partners of Sixteen:Fifteen - share about a missions campaign and network that is uniting churches and agencies across the Netherlands: The No Choice Network. They also share thoughts on how churches were affected by the pandemic and what church renewal in the Netherlands might look like.

There is an unprecedented opportunity to build relationships and love others by helping them resolve their financial burdens. Can this lead to spiritual transformation as well? Often, financial conditions are a window to a person's spiritual situation. It is an open door for Great Commission influence. In this episode, hear how this strategy can transform lives. Our guest today, Candra Chahyadi, is a Professor of Finance at Eastern Illinois University.

This important podcast was suggested by one of our listeners: One question that has come up in a number of conversations lately, especially with young people is: “Isn't it colonial of us to send missionaries?” They're not satisfied with a simple... “No, Jesus says go!” for an answer. We're grappling with this one though, considering the good done in mission history, but also the negative, and the associations with colonialism. We recently heard of a young adult's group at a Bible-believing church that doesn't want to take a mission course because “missions is too colonial.” How do we teach and help people through such questions? Do missionaries destroy culture? Do they do more harm than good? And isn't it colonial of Christians to still be sending missionaries? Join us as we address these questions with Robert Woodberry, surfacing the impact missionaries have had upon the world. * Robert is the director of the Project on Religion and Economic Change and a senior research professor at Baylor University.

While Missio's Missions Leaders Conference was taking place in September 2021, we took advantage of having hundreds of missions leaders in one place and set up a podcast booth where we asked some critical questions. The conversations centered on two massively important themes: • Missions Mobilization in Uncertain Times • Senior Leader Engagement in Global Missions Tune in! Also, we have some exciting news about next year's Missions Leaders Conference, so be sure to watch or listen to the end.

Today we welcome Justin Mack, the Global Project Pastor at River Valley Church in Burnsville Minnesota to the podcast. If you are a missions pastor or serve on a missions team in a local church, you definitely won't want to miss this epidsode! Ten years ago, River Valley Church decided to take this Great Commission more seriously and become much more intentional about it's strategy to engage the church in this Great Commission. At the time, the church had just given a little over $70,000 to support a couple dozen missionaries. Fast-forward ten years to today. River Valley now gives millions of dollars annually to support over 270 missionaries and has a vision to raise up 500 long-term missionaries willing to give at least a year (hopefully a lifetime) of their life to global missions' efforts, mostly among the unreached. So how does this happen? Join Ted and Matthew as they interview Justin, giving listeners a glimpse into one church's journey into the heart of God.

The invention of the printing press catalyzed Martin Luther's reformation; radios and televisions delivered Billy Graham's gospel proclamations to millions of households. Technological advancements have undoubtedly advanced kingdom work for centuries—but is the same true for the burgeoning technologies of today? As virtual reality becomes increasingly prominent throughout society, churches must assess how to respond thoughtfully and biblically. Tune in as Matthew and Ted have a conversation with Jonathan Armstrong, Professor of Bible at Moody Bible Institute, as they discuss his newest book

Now that military forces have withdrawn, security has evaporated and danger has escalated, should we no longer be sending missionaries? Is this the end of the send to Afghanistan or is now the time to call forth a new generation of missionaries to move towards danger and not away from it for the sake of the Gospel's advance? Join special guest, Bob Blincoe, President Emeritus of Frontiers and former missionary to Iraq, as we discuss what's happening and what might be next in Afghanistan.

Can we be sure that when Jesus commissioned us to “make disciples of all nations,"

The Christian community puts tremendous energy and momentum toward getting global workers on the field, but there's often a lack of intentional effort to provide spiritual, emotional and physical support once workers are serving overseas. Thus, many women ministering around the world feel alone and are barely surviving. In this podcast, Lorrie Lindgren, CEO of Thrive, shares Biblical and practical insights that will help listeners understand the unique challenges faced by women serving as missionaries and how to care for them in a manner worthy of God's name.

Christians engaged in communicating the gospel navigate a challenging tension:

God has a "world-sized" role for every Christian in His global purpose. Tune in for this episode on

“When it comes to missions in the church, the pastor either holds the key to the front door or holds the padlock.” While members of a congregation can be a catalyst for missions envisioning, without the engagement of church leaders, mobilizing a church is tough sledding. Even missions pastors and missions teams that operate without buy-in from key church leaders often struggle to build momentum. In most churches, until senior and lead pastors have embraced a missions vision for their churches, missions will likely remain in the margins. So how do we crack the code of pastoral engagement in missions? Tune in with guests Larry Hansen, Missions Pastor and Brian Bell, Senior Pastor of Calvary Murrieta as they share their insights.

It's your money. Except that it isn't. The worldview of your financial planner matters. Tune into this episode on The Mission Matters as Matthew and Ted have a conversation with Virgil Dugan – President of the National Christian Foundation Southwest and John Moore, Principal at John Moore and Associates where they will share insights on how to manage our portion of God's portfolio properly and how “giving” is a “fundamental spiritual discipline”.

Join Matthew and Ted as they have a conversation with Jason Mandryk, Editor of Operation World. Learn about the history and the future of the definitive global prayer handbook that has been used by more than a million Christians to pray for the nations. Whether you are an intercessor praying behind the scenes for world change, a missionary abroad or simply curious about the world, Operation World will give you the information necessary to play a vital role in fulfilling the Great Commission.