August 15, 2026

The SEND U Blog

Reflections and Resources for Lifelong Learning for Missionaries

Category: Lifelong Learning

Church Planting, Leadership, Adult Education, Coaching

How Can Christian Coaching Enhance My Church Planting Ministry?

Everybody seems to be talking about coaching lately, but what is it and more importantly how useful could it be in my ministry? Keith Webb of Creative Results Management defines coaching as, “An ongoing intentional conversation that empowers a person or group to fully live out God’s calling.” The focus of Christian coaching is on the coachee and helping them hear God’s voice in their lives and follow through in obedience. My own coaching journey began when I was coached by a friend and found the process quite helpful in my own life. The ongoing and intentional nature of our coaching relationship was just what I needed to gain clarity and make progress in a key area of my life. As a result, the next time the SEND U edition of the three-day Coaching Workshop was offered, I was one of the first in line to sign up. I too… Read the whole post
Ted2 mins read
Books, Growth Plans, Learning Attitude

How do I Choose Which Books to Read?

“Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” Harry S. Truman. Reading has always been a hobby of mine.   One of my most memorable Christmases as a child was the one where my brother and I each were given 12 books by our parents.   I believe all of them were used books, but that made no difference at all to me.  The anticipation of being able to read as much as I wanted to read throughout the Christmas holidays overshadowed any other gifts that year.   For not only did I have 12 books to read; I had 24 for my brother’s books were fair game as well, once he had read them.… Read the whole post
Ken Guenther1 min read
Lifelong Learning

Do I Still Have Untapped Potential?

This post was written by Elaine Loewen, a SEND missionary in Japan.   Elaine and her husband Joel have served in Japan since 1986 in church planting and discipleship ministries.  Elaine is also the language school coordinator for SEND in Japan.  I am thankful for Elaine’s transparency as she shares how God has renewed her passion after many years of ministry. Last summer I felt in a slump–a general lack of passion for ministry. While at the Yamanaka Chalet, I read the book, “Leading on Empty: Refilling Your Tank and Renewing Your Passion” by Pastor Wayne Cordeiro. It’s his story of how, when he found himself depleted after about 30 years of ministry, he took time to recharge and refocus on what is truly important. Towards the very end of the book, he talks about potential. We usually associate potential with young people. We think of them with their life ahead,… Read the whole post
Elaine Loewen2 mins read
Learning Attitude, Growth Plans

Sharpening the Saw or the Axe

One of my key responsibilities as the head of SEND U (SEND International’s training department) is to champion lifelong learning within our organization. One of the things we have been promoting, first of all with our team leaders, and now with the entire membership is the importance of every missionary drawing up their own personal growth plan.  This growth plan (sometimes called an Individual Development Plan or IDP) would be put together every year (maybe in January after or as part of a day of prayer).   To help our members with writing this plan, a few of us have been working on a short road map or guide, including a self-assessment tool and a template for creating an individual growth plan.  This road map is still a work in progress but you can download the latest version here.   But I think that before we can expect our members to work… Read the whole post
Ken Guenther1 min read
Lifelong Learning, New Missionaries

Training for “bush” Alaska

Flying through mountains in Alaska During the month of June, this blogger was focused on other things than blogging, and I apologize.   We flew back to North America from Ukraine at the end of May, and spent basically the whole month of June living out of suitcases, travelling throughout Alaska and British Columbia.  Hence, I had little time to sit down and think through what I wanted to blog about.… Read the whole post
Ken Guenther1 min read
Back To Top