Reflections and resources for lifelong learning for missionaries
In preparing for a new session that I will be teaching in our pre-field training, I have been struck by how prominent the theme of offspring is in the Scriptures. Barry Danylak in his book, A Biblical Theology of Singleness does a great job of showing how this motif is developed throughout the biblical revelation. …
Catechesis is an ancient form of disciple-making. Though the term may seem strange to many Evangelicals, it has deep roots in church history and the Bible. J.I. Packer has teamed up with Gary A. Parrett (a Professor of Christian Education at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) in writing about catechesis in Grounded in the Gospel: Building Believers the …
Continue reading A Book Review: Grounded in the Gospel: Building Believers the Old-Fashioned way
In the last number of years, many books have been published about how to engage and do evangelism among Muslim peoples. But few books address the specifics of how to help new believers from Muslim contexts grow in their faith while remaining in their Muslim communities and families. Given that some claim that up to …
Continue reading Effective Discipling in Muslim Communities – a review
Who are your disciples? Whom have you discipled? While these questions are helpful in directing our focus on the importance of disciple-making and encouraging us to be intentionally investing in other believers, I think there is an inherent danger as well in these well-intentioned questions. During my sabbatical last year, I spent a lot of …
Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but …
Is facilitating better than teaching for disciple-making? In my opinion, both are essential for disciple-making. An online search on the difference between facilitators and teachers found the following: Traditionally, teachers are the ones with knowledge and expertise in a particular field. They impart knowledge through a variety of means to their students. Facilitators build on …
Continue reading Is facilitating better than teaching for disciple-making?
Stubborn Perseverance: How to launch multiplying movements of disciples and churches among Muslims and others (a story based on real events) by James Nyman with Robby Butler. How-to manuals are generally difficult to read, and those who purchase them are not often motivated to read them from start to finish. Stubborn Perseverance is a different …
