GLOBAL MISSIONS CONFERENCE SEMINARS
Our seminars are organized into 3 topics. You're free to choose seminars of interest from all of them.
Good to Great: How God Can Turn Good Missions Programs Into Great Ones
Panel Discussion Moderated by Dave Veldhorst, MTW Director of Mobilization
Missions pastors and coordinators devote much of their time and energy to developing a culture of missions in the local church. This seminar is an opportunity for local missions coordinators to hear from a panel of missions pastors and directors about the ways in which God has turned good programs into great ones. Bring your questions and be ready to engage in dialogue.
Turning Taxes Into Kingdom Treasures
Bruce Owens, MTW Director of Estate and Gift Design
Did you know that there are ways to turn tax dollars into dollars for the kingdom? Will you have tax implications due to selling property or a business in the next few years? Have the changes in the economy and tax law caused you to review your budget, giving, and investment strategies? Was your current estate plan implemented with biblical stewardship in mind? Bruce will be addressing these issues and more in a seminar designed to help you maximize your giving to family and ministry while minimizing your taxes payable.
Caring for Third Culture Missionary Kids on Furlough
Panel Discussion by Eric Larsen, Riva Cain, and Rebecca Giles, with MTW’s Next Team
Weekly visits to churches to give mission updates. Reunions with extended family members. Pop culture references that seem like a foreign language. For a missionary kid, re-entry into what is supposed to be their home culture—but in many instances a culture where they have seldom lived—can be exciting and challenging. How can parents, the church, and sending agencies care for these “third culture kids” during this unique time? A panel of speakers from PCPC and MTW’s Next team will address and answer questions on this subject.
The Best Worst Generation Ever: Ministry to Millennials and Preparing Them for Missions
James Madden, RUF Campus Minister, Southern Methodist University, with John Paul Schulze, Director of Young Adults, PCPC, and Erin Golangco, Young Adult Ministry Leader, PCPC
What is the best way to minister to and prepare the millennial generation for missions? They've been called spoiled but generous, entitled yet altruistic, willing to save the world but not to spend six months in a cubicle. Come hear from three millennials in ministry who will help you understand their generation: who they are, what they value, and the challenges and opportunities involved in partnering with them for kingdom expansion.
Helping Missionaries Thrive: What You and Your Church Can Do
Paul Meiners, MTW Regional Director for Member Care, Europe; Cindy Rhea, Coordinator for Missionary Care, PCPC
A sending agency like MTW may be better equipped to provide certain services for missionaries, but supporters and supporting churches are actually in a better position to provide other vital types of care. We’ll explore some practical ways you can help your missionaries thrive for a longer term on the field so that they aren’t struggling or cutting their service short because of unmet needs.
A Cord of Three Strands: Partnering to Send and Sustain Missionaries
Panel Discussion by Members of the Japan Partnership; Moderated by Tom Patton, Chairman and Missions Pastor, Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church, Birmingham
How can you and your church, with limited resources, maximize your impact on world missions? Join us as a panel of pastors and missionaries discuss the benefits of a network of U.S. churches collaborating to reach an entire field. Just as “a cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart” (Eccl. 4:12), so multiple churches/individuals working together provide a powerful foundation for sending and sustaining missionaries in ways greater than a single church can.
Developing New Missionaries in the Local Church
Jerry Gibson, Senior Director of Missions and Church Planting, PCPC
with Al LaCour, RUF International Coordinator
We all want our missionaries to thrive but the statistics are a bit overwhelming. The vast majority of missionaries leave the mission field before they finish their term, yet the top reasons for this are preventable. The key to being a strong sending church begins long before the missionary ever leaves. This seminar will focus on how the local church can take a leading role in preparing her members for missionary service. The secret sauce for developing new missionaries might just be RUF International.
Burden to Benefit: Turning Short-Term Missions Into Long-Term Gain
Mike Pettengill, Director, MTW West Coast Regional Hub; Garry Chambers, MTW Leadership Council Coordinator, Caribbean Region
Mike and Garry are long-term MTW missionaries with a combined 45 years of service on the field. Between them they have hosted over 300 short-term mission teams. Done well, short-term missions can be a huge benefit to long-term ministry. Done poorly, it can be a disaster. Learn from these veteran missionaries how you can benefit both the short-term participants and the long-term ministry.
How Student Missions Changed My Life (YOUTH TRACK)
Panel Discussion Moderated by Danny Stimson, Ministry Leader to High School, PCPC
It can be so helpful to hear from people who are a little further down the road than us. This panel of four people, ranging in age from college to young professional, will share their stories and speak into many of the questions you may have about your involvement with missions both now and in the future. Each can point directly to missions as having an enormous impact on how they live their lives today—whether in the corporate world, on a college campus, or in full-time missions work.
Why Youth Matter to Missions (YOUTH TRACK)
Brent Baker, Youth Pastor, PCPC
Sometimes it can be challenging to see how you, as a young person, can truly make a difference in this world. Come catch a vision for what is possible and get a deeper understanding of how crucial you are to the work of the kingdom.
Cross-Cultural Lab: How Youth Can Prepare for Life in a Different Culture (YOUTH TRACK)
Christen Nutter, Youth Discipleship Coordinator, PCPC
We all face cross-cultural situations in our lives, even youth. It is possible and even valuable to develop skills for navigating cross-cultural interactions winsomely. This hands-on laboratory will allow us to discover as a group how to prepare for cross-cultural situations ranging from urban to rural, from post-Christian to anti-Christian, from "high context" to "low context."
Serving Jesus as a Family in Global Missions
Tim Tinsley, Senior Pastor, First Presbyterian, Chattanooga, with Laura Tinsley
It is so hard to return from a missions trip and try to explain your amazing experience to your family. So plan a trip with your family! Watch the Holy Spirit work in their hearts as they trust Him in a completely different culture. Experience the joy of serving Christ together while imparting a legacy of global missions with the next generation of your family.
Reaching the World Through Prayer
Dr. Rich Wolfe, Adult Discipleship Pastor, Village Seven Presbyterian Church, Colorado Springs
Prayer is a valuable way to become an active participant in missions. God calls us to pray for the world. We often hear missionaries share with us encouraging results of prayer. How can we become better prayer warriors for our missionaries and for the mission field? We’ll discuss strategies and share some tools that are available. Come and discover the significant role you can play in world missions.
Missional Family: The Blessings of Having an Outward Focus
Dan Iverson, MTW Country Director (Japan) and Family
Covenant family is a precious priority in the PCA, and so is having an outward focus on this lost world. Both concern the heart of God, but Christians and churches often tilt toward one or the other in emphasis. The Bible calls our covenant offspring to be a "blessing to all nations" (Gen. 22:18). And, because it is more blessed to give than to receive, this becomes a great blessing to family as well. This seminar will focus on biblical principles and practical helps toward being a gospel-centered, missional family.
Grow Your Church’s Engagement in Global Missions
Panel Discussion Moderated by David Campbell, MTW Mobilization Specialist
How can your church grow its missions program without paid staff to coordinate the efforts? How can your church begin to develop its missions outreach depending solely on lay leadership? Come and join a discussion with a panel of lay leaders who have seen their churches grow in their global missions outreach. This seminar is particularly geared to lay leaders who are coordinating missions outreach in the local church.
Gifted to Send: A View From the Pew
Kyle Manley (Deacon), Greg Morris (Elder), and Robert Prather (Member), PCPC
Do you feel unequipped to participate in missions? Do you believe that you’re not wealthy enough to meaningfully support missionaries, or feel like your giving is ineffective? Good news! You’re not alone, and you’re not without hope. This panel of “regular Christians” just like you will share how their experiences of supporting missionaries has brought them much joy and inspired others to find their calling in the Great Commission.
Invited to Tell the Story: Pursuing Our Neighbors for Christ
Holly E., MTW Regional Director, Europe
How do we tell the story of Christ in a way that speaks to the hearts of the people in our communities? The task can seem overwhelming. An MTW church plant in Southeast Berlin asked the Holy Spirit to help them apply the biblical mandate to love their neighbors in ways that were practical and intentional. God began to change their neighbors (and the team!), and the team has seen new believers share their faith in a similar way. Let’s explore together how to prayerfully and practically pursue relationships with not-yet Christian neighbors, weave evangelism into the fabric of our daily lives, and strategically work toward the goal of moving outward to love our neighbors as a church body.
Money's Not the Measure: Cultivating a Healthy Understanding of Support Raising
Jennifer Miller, MTW Team Manager for Asia-Pacific; Louisa Tremann, MTW Member Care Specialist
Having to ask for money is a major reason many don’t consider missions. MTW support raising specialists and former missionaries, Jennifer Miller and Louisa Tremann will show how raising support is a vitally important component of missions as well as an actual blessing to all those involved. If you are considering serving on the field but “the money” seems to be stopping you, be sure to attend.
Safety and Suffering in Missions
Mike Pettengill, Director, MTW West Coast Regional Hub
Many times we as Christians make an idol of our comfort and security. We place our false perception of security in front of God’s plan to share the gospel globally. When we place our temporary comfort ahead of God’s eternal will, we sacrifice undying good for fleeting comfort. As Christians, we should not charge into danger foolishly, but we are called to give all we have for God’s glory. Mike has served as a missionary in Honduras and Equatorial Guinea and has experience working in cultures impacted by gangs, murder, AIDS, malaria, poverty, heat, and undrinkable water. Mike is uniquely qualified to discuss this topic.
Women in Missions: Uniquely Gifted for the Great Commission
Erin Pettengill, MTW Missionary
The role of women in bringing the good news of Christ to the nations is critical. No matter what stage of life you’re in or how God has gifted you, He desires to use your unique gifts, education, and calling in the expansion of His kingdom. Come hear a panel of missionary women talk about the variety of roles they have on the mission field and the joys of serving Christ with the gifts He has given them.
How to Get From Here to There
MTW Candidate Team
Is God leading me to go? What factors do I need to consider? How do I get there? If you're contemplating missions these are questions you may be asking yourself. This seminar will give you an overview of MTW’s programs, provide an opportunity to begin to think through these important topics, and help you plan your next steps.
The Top Four Reasons Missionaries Succeed or Fail
Doug Shepherd, MTW Team Leader, L’viv, Ukraine
Four key “gospel rooted” qualities are a valuable part of effective cross-cultural service. Come and learn how cultivating these qualities can help us make a positive impact on short- and long-term missions; or conversely, learn “how to be a horrible missionary in four simple steps.” Find out how living out the truth of the gospel keeps us from basic missionary mistakes and reflects the Savior we serve.
ESL Community Outreach: Local Preparation for Global Ministry
Nancy Booher, Director, Mission to North America ESL Ministries
Elizabeth Cunningham, ESL Director, PCPC
Regardless of ministry focus, missionaries are often asked to teach English to people in their mission field. English instruction is a great way to build relationships with people you otherwise might not even meet. But what if you aren’t a professional English teacher? How can you equip yourself before you go to the field without heading back to college? And once you’re on the field, what does English instruction look like? How do you go beyond just teaching English to building solid relationships with your students and fully share the gospel? Get your questions answered by two veterans in ESL ministry and learn how MNA ESL is partnering with MTW to provide training and experience before you go.
Growing Up Global: Raising Children Overseas
Eric Larsen, Brooks Cain, and Rebecca Giles of MTW’s Next Team
Some third culture kids love their experience. For others it’s very hard. And there are many who have experienced both reactions. Why, and what makes the difference? The experience of growing up global is full of challenges, but the rewards can be rich. The opportunity to raise kids cross-culturally is a high calling, well worth the investment. Our missionary kids are uniquely wired to live with and for Christ in today’s growing global community. Gain encouragement and insight into in God’s covenant call to reach the nations and the next generation.
Ethnodoxology: Engaging Local Arts for Kingdom Purposes
Robin Harris Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics and President, International Council of Ethnodoxologists
Ethnodoxology, a proven strategy for cross-cultural engagement at home and abroad, focuses on finding and encouraging local arts and artists as they address the spiritual, social, and physical needs of their communities. This interactive session for “non-artists” and artists alike will help you learn how to integrate the power of local arts into your ministry plan, and will provide resources and connections for learning more about the growing ethnodoxology movement.
Second Career Service: Making a Difference With the Next Phase of Your Life
Panel Discussion Moderated by Brian Deringer, MTW Member Care Director; Panel: Rowan Crown, Pastor, Amazing Grace Community Church; Johnny and Annette Johnson, MTW Missionaries, Czech Republic; Dr. Gary Ogrosky, Director, MNA Second Career Ministry
Ready for a career change or a second career that will make a difference for the kingdom? Maybe it’s time to consider missions. If you’re mid-life or older, then you have qualities that are highly desired on the mission field: the wisdom that comes from experience, skills that have been tested and honed over time, and a deeper understanding of gospel life. This panel discussion will help you learn about the many options for service and how to overcome the obstacles and get to the field!
Preparing Your Family and Marriage for Missions
Alice Hatch and Rich Greete, Missionaries and Professional Counselors with MTW Member Care
As you relate to people on the mission field, perhaps your best tool for testifying to the gospel is your marriage and family. Learn how to tune up your marriage so that you and your spouse can give your children a sure foundation for navigating the stress of cross-cultural living, and make your home a place where heaven really does meet earth and is full of His grace and glory.
Preparing Yourself Emotionally for Missions
Alice Hatch and Rich Greete, Missionaries and Professional Counselors with MTW Member Care
What is your emotional quotient of intelligence for missionary service (EQiM)? Come find out how to discover it and know what the signs of a healthy EQiM are. Most importantly you will learn that MTW loves to send broken people to the field with a testimony of God’s captivating grace.
Parents of Missionaries: Letting Go and Staying Close
Rev. Joe Creech, Associate Pastor, Orangewood Church, Maitland, Florida
We teach our children about following Jesus. What that means for some of you is that your child has decided to follow and serve Jesus in a faraway place. How can something that’s supposed to be so good feel so hard? If you’re a parent, and maybe even blessed to be a grandparent, learning to accept your child’s call to missions, this seminar is for you. We’ll explore how to prepare for this transition, some practical ways to maintain long-distance relationships, and how to embrace and even find joy in your child’s calling.
Single Serving: Life on the Mission Field as a Single Person
Panel Discussion by MTW Missionaries
Being single has its advantages and its challenges. But what about serving overseas as a single? Is it safe? Is it wise? Is it giving up on ever getting married? Hear from a panel of single missionaries about all this and more.
Asian Americans and Missions: Some Benefits and Challenges
Alexander Jun, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Higher Education, Azusa Pacific University
Michael Oh, Ph.D., Global Executive Director/CEO of the Lausanne Movement
Asian Americans (AAs) experience unique challenges with missions due to their culture, including post-immigration related stressors such as educational expectations, career aspirations, and other forms of filial piety that burden them to provide financially for family. In addition the typical fundraising model presents challenges for AAs. Some AA missionaries may struggle with not being considered “American” enough by host nationals and teammates. Yet there are also benefits of having spent time in cross-cultural engagement in the U.S.—experience that may help once they are on the field.
Missions Starts Now! Honing Your Gifts for Service
Clay Quarterman, Ph.D., MTW Team Leader and Professor, Evangelical Reformed Seminary of Ukraine, Kiev
How are you preparing for missions service? Do you know what you have to offer on the mission field? Learn how to prepare yourself for evangelism, mentoring, church planting, and education. How will God use you? Come hear from this veteran missionary on how to get started—because missions service isn’t just for the future, it begins now!
Gospel Identity: Losing and Finding Yourself on Mission
Brett Rayl, MTW Director and Professor, Christ Bible Institute, Nagoya, Japan
The Apostle Paul emphasizes a key theme in Christian missiology in 1 Corinthians 9:22 by declaring, "I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.” This incarnational model of missions reflects the very heart of the gospel we proclaim. But what role does knowing and being yourself play in Christian mission? And what happens when the person God has made you to be does not seem to fit in the culture he has called you to serve? Only the gospel enables us to live with the tension of giving yourself and being yourself on mission, wherever you are.
The Changing State of Global Missions and MTW’s Response
Michael Oh, Global Executive Director/CEO of the Lausanne Movement; Lloyd Kim, MTW Coordinator
We live in a world that is experiencing unprecedented change, which affords the Church wonderful opportunities to engage global cultures with the gospel. Come and hear about the changes we are seeing in the world of missions and how MTW is responding while remaining true to its original mandate and core values.
African Americans in Missions: A Historical Perspective
Carl F. Ellis, Jr., Theological Anthropologist, Author, Co-Founder and Dean of Ellis Perspectives and the Makazi Institute
Explore the often forgotten role of African Americans in missions, especially on the continent of Africa. The theology of the African American Church gave rise to a significant missions movement in the 18th and 19th centuries. And yet events in Europe between 1875 and 1900 negatively impacted African American participation in international missions—effects that carried into the 20th century. In spite of this, there is now the emergence of a new interest in and new opportunities for African Americans in international missions today.
Loving “The Other” in an Age of Outrage
Scott Sauls, Senior Pastor, Christ Presbyterian Church, Nashville
In Scott Sauls' book Jesus Outside the Lines, the reader is challenged to consider how our union with Jesus Christ gives us new categories for engaging with our neighbor. Come and hear as Scott shares how life in Christ leads us to love, listen to, and joyfully serve those who don't believe as we do—not in spite of our faith, but precisely because of it. Consideration will also be given to how this posture fuels a robust, healthy perspective toward global missions.
Too Safe for Our Own Good?
Scott Sauls, Senior Pastor, Christ Presbyterian Church, Nashville
What should the Christian’s posture be toward persecution? Are we willing to build friendships and be sent by Jesus into places that will not be comfortable, but costly? How do we grow in courage to be willing to face persecution—both domestically and globally—for the sake of Christ? Conversely, what are the costs to us personally and our churches when we choose to play it safe?
Missions in Scripture: From Genesis to Revelation
Dave Veldhorst, MTW Director of Mobilization; Mike Pettengill, Director, MTW West Coast Hub
Since God is so passionate about global missions it should come as no surprise when we open up Scripture and see so much of it dedicated to reaching the lost. God’s passion for missions runs through all 66 books of the Bible and tells a unified story from Eden to eschaton.
Empowering the Hispanic Community to Reach the Nations
Jonathan White, Missions Professor, Rio Grande Bible College; Victor R. Martinez, Associate Pastor of Mission and Cultural Engagement, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, San Antonio
God created the Hispanic community with many cultural similarities to unreached people groups around the world—similarities which can make them very effective as missionaries. At the same time, Hispanics struggle with many obstacles. Learning English, learning the local culture through English, difficulties with visas, finding a role in the new society, working with international teams, distance from family and friends, and inadequate finances are just some of these. Find out how we can partner with our Hispanic brothers and sisters and empower them in the process of going to the nations.
How Local Ministry to Refugees Can Benefit Global Missions
Pat Hatch, MNA Refugee and Immigrant Ministry Director; Chris Zang and Debbie Guo, International Ministry, River's Edge Community Church, Montreal
Can God use local ministry to refugees, immigrants and other internationals to deepen the spiritual life, stir the missions passion, and renew the vitality of our congregations? Might such local ministry also have world-wide ripple effects that can significantly boost the effectiveness of our overseas missions? In this seminar we will consider the biblical mandate to love and welcome refugees and immigrants, and hear some examples of how PCA congregations and ministries are engaging refugees, and the effects of this local ministry on global missions.
The Refugee Crisis: The 10/40 Window (and Beyond) Is Coming to Us
Panel Discussion by Representatives from Refugee Ministries Around the World; Moderated by Kay Burklin, D.Min., MTW Refugee Liaison
The current refugee situation is considered the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II. Do you wonder how God is working through it? Come hear refugee practitioners and experts describe how millions of people (some of them already our brothers and sisters in Christ) and others from closed countries are moving to places where they are now hearing and responding to the gospel. Find out how these ministries are addressing needs and how you can be part of reaching the nations.
Just Do Something: Discerning God’s Call Into Missions
Kevin DeYoung, Senior Pastor, Christ Covenant Church, Matthews, N.C.; Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology, RTS Charlotte
In this seminar, DeYoung will speak to the issue of calling addressed in his book Just Do Something. How does God give wisdom to discern a call into missions? What are the ordinary means God uses to guide us? How does the gospel free us from being immobilized by fear in responding to the call to be faithful locally and globally in missions? Come and explore what the Bible has to say about calling.
The Missionary Who Never Arrived: How Technology Is Shaping the Mission Field Experience
Jonathan Eide, MTW Country Director, Ukraine; Bob Burnham, MTW Team Leader, Odessa; and Doug Shepherd, MTW Team Leader, L’viv
We are beyond the days when missionaries packed their belongings in a coffin, loaded it on the steamer, and left for the field. Today’s missionaries effectively never leave home—staying constantly connected to friends and trends, supporters and churches. How has this affected missions, language learning, and crossing cultures? Veteran missionaries share what they’ve seen change and explore the implications for serving on the field.
Mission on Our Doorsteps: The Missional Opportunity of Refugees and Immigration to the U.S.
Matthew Soerens, U.S. Director of Church Mobilization, World Relief
Many in our society think of refugees and immigration as political, security, or economic topics. But they’re also themes that the Bible speaks to frequently with significant implications for mission. In this seminar, we will examine how biblical principles can inform our response to this topic; explore how God is at working through migration to draw people to Himself; address common concerns about serving refugees and other immigrants; and provide practical ways for congregations to serve those in their own community.
Yes, in Your Backyard and to the Nations
Brian Fikkert, President of the Chalmers Center; Professor of Economics and Community Development, Covenant College
The book When Helping Hurts speaks of the tremendous opportunities that exist right in our own backyards to bring the gospel in word and deed to our low-income neighbors. What are some options for local engagement? How does learning to be faithful locally help prepare us for being faithful globally? Come and learn strategies for applying the good news of the kingdom to our own lives, to the communities in which we live—and beyond.
Persevering Presence: African Americans and Today's Global Church
K. A. Ellis, Missiologist, President and Co-Founder of Ellis Perspectives and the Makazi Institute
The African American past has much to contribute to our present thinking on global missions. This session is an invitation to come learn about a Reformed community of emancipated, literate African slaves in the 18th century who initiated what may have been the first recorded mission activity from our shores—predating George Lisle and Hudson Taylor. In addition, this same community was writing theology, working on abolition, smuggling slaves to freedom, doing apologetics, and creating art. As many face increasing marginalization throughout the world today, we need African Americans to bring their unique gifts, depth of understanding, and voice back to global missions. Join the movement.
Trauma and the Gospel: How Understanding the Wounded Helps the Church in Its Mission to Follow Christ Into the World
Dr. David Foster, Counselor and Missionary Care Provider; Joy Kirkland, Missionary in Greece and Advisor for Trauma-Impacted Ministries in Europe
This seminar will look at successful strategies to use when dealing with primary trauma in ministry settings, specifically looking at ministry and trauma healing within refugee work. Additionally, we will address how to be on guard and protect against secondary trauma, which is a risk to those who minister in scenarios where they are frequently exposed to hearing firsthand trauma accounts.
Don’t Send Missionaries to Muslims!?
Neal W.
This has long been the stance of the Muslim world and even churches in the U.S. are starting to say it, though the reasons are quite different. So how should we engage Muslims when they would prefer that we not come at all? In this seminar, we'll explore how we can mobilize the people of God to be good news in the Muslim world.
Calling All Professions and All Ages: You Can Minister in the Muslim World
Neal W.
Across the Muslim world, traditional missionaries are not allowed. Yet this hasn't stopped the spread of the gospel or God's promise to build His Church. Whether you’re a student, teacher, businessperson, athlete, writer, artist, medical professional, etc.—your calling in life is an effective means for meeting Muslims, sharing God's love, and living your “normal” life before a watching world.
Rise to the Challenge in Chile: Help Bring the Gospel to the Ends of the Earth!
Stephanie Van der Westhuizen, John Rug, and Steve Robertson, MTW Missionaries in Chile
Who will equip the next generation of leaders in Chile? Who will bring the light of the gospel onto the college campuses that have turned their backs on God? Who will speak of Christ to an unbelieving generation? Who will serve the Church in serving the vulnerable and oppressed? Jesus promised that he would build His Church—even to the ends of the earth. Will you rise to the challenge of participating in what He is doing in Chile? Come and hear how He is at work there and how you can help build His kingdom.
Mobilization Priorities for an Africa in Crisis
Dr. Victor Nakah, Senior VP for Spiritual Ministry at Cure Hospitals, Zimbabwe
Africa—a continent of contradictions. It’s potentially one of the wealthiest continents but the majority of countries struggle with poverty, high unemployment, and disease. The Church there is growing tremendously, with some counties claiming to be 98 or 99 percent Christian; yet many countries lead on the corruption index. What kind of Christianity is this that does not produce transformation, responsible citizens, or disciples who are salt and light? Learn more about this crisis in Africa and how we can mobilize people to go and offer a credible response—through church planting, business as mission, student ministry, and mercy and justice outreach.
Building Mission Bridges Across 500 Years of Trauma: Gospel Healing for North American Natives
Rohan Crown, Senior Pastor, Amazing Grace Community Church, Lethbridge, Canada; Michael Wadhams, MTW Missionary, Lummi Nation, Washington
Native American and First Nations people have been the target of missionaries over the last 500 years; yet past mission strategies have often forced them into Western standards of culture, causing generational issues and struggles, and creating distrust. As a result, missiologists consider them mis-reached. Come hear two missionaries humbly share how the Holy Spirit is using them to bring the gospel of healing to this huge mission field right on the doorstep of North America. Learn how you can respond and act faithfully to help us address the enormous needs of these overlooked people.
Planting Peru: Awaiting the Reformation
Scott Dillon, MTW Missionary and Peru Council Coordinator; Nathaniel Gutierrez and Nathan Bonham, MTW Team Leaders, Arequipa, Peru
Many assume that most of Latin America is already reached. Yet for centuries, the Peruvian Church has battled a religion that is a syncretism of Andean animistic beliefs and Catholicism. With an attempt to put new wine in old wine skins, even the evangelical Church is largely affected by this ancient belief system, resulting in a Church that is a mile wide and an inch deep. Despite the many churches throughout the country, there is a great need to plant healthy churches, train leaders, and disciple new believers. In this session, you'll hear about current projects in Peru including church planting, church revitalization, student ministry, orphan care, and healthcare opportunities.
Belize: Land of Gospel Opportunity
Garry Chambers, MTW Leadership Council Coordinator, Caribbean Region
We've all seen the pictures of islands and palm trees and crystal blue waters and sunshine, a tropical paradise in the Caribbean. But just like the first garden paradise, Belize has been ravaged by the Fall. Underneath the natural beauty is deep poverty of all kinds (physical, emotional, relational, spiritual). Come learn about how you can be involved in bringing the gospel of hope and peace to desperate communities.
Reach Mexico, Reach the World
David Diaso, MTW Team Leader, NW Border and Baja, Mexico; Matt Jesch, MTW Missionary, Guadalajara, Mexico
Mexico is frequently in the headlines. Unfortunately, it’s not all good news. The bad news only highlights the need for the good news of the gospel in Mexico. Yet behind the scenes, God is working in this country as the seed of the gospel is being sown. Mexico, because of its size and influence, is uniquely posed to be a major player in the world. It boasts the largest and arguably most influential city in the Spanish-speaking world—Mexico City. As we reach Mexico and see the gospel transform lives in this country we have the opportunity to reach the world as we partner with the Mexican Church to send national missionaries to the mission field.
Curse or Blessing to the Nations? How the “New Europeans” Are Changing the Face of Germany
David Stoddard, MTW International Director, Europe
Germany is at the center of the European refugee crisis. How are these “new Europeans” changing this nation? We will look at how the German Church is responding as well as how MTW sees this as a chance for a new kind of church planting that will leave indelible fingerprints on a rapidly changing country.
Do You Have Work In …? Opportunities in a Changing Europe
David Stoddard, MTW International Director, Europe
So, you’re interested in missions in Europe and you visit the MTW website to see what’s available. Alas, it seems that every country except the one God has put on your heart has opportunities listed. Don’t despair! Our leaders in Europe have an extensive network of relationships with national pastors who are asking MTW for help. Find out how God is working in Europe and some of the new fields and partnerships we would like to develop—if only we had the right person to send. Who knows, it might just be you!
Scotland: Bravehearts Wanted!
David Meredith, Mission Director of the Free Church of Scotland
Scotland is a nation of 6 million people on the edge of Europe and yet it has had an influence above and beyond what you’d expect or imagine. It's the birthplace of Presbyterianism, the telephone, penicillin, and the U.S. president’s mother! Today Scotland is permeated with secular thinking and has a lower percentage of evangelical Christians than China. Gospel opportunities abound through the largest evangelical Presbyterian denomination in Europe, the Free Church of Scotland, which seeks to be confessionally robust, Christologically saturated, and rooted in contemporary culture.
The Gospel in Secular Britain: Lessons for America?
Andy Paterson, Mission Director, The Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches, UK
Is it inevitable that the tide of secularism should so overwhelm the land of the Puritans that it becomes the land of the pagans? We'll be looking at a number of key indicators and movements that suggest otherwise, and pointing to some biblically consistent approaches that are producing fruit. If you’ve wondered how the Holy Spirit is working in Britain and the wide range of opportunities available for you to help bring the gospel to this secular nation, don’t miss this seminar.
Ukraine: War, Politics, and Missions
Jonathan Eide, MTW Country Director, Ukraine
The war in Eastern Ukraine has affected 5 million people, brought politics squarely into the Church, and produced 1 million refugees. How is a young church in a divided nation doing? Come hear stories of the faith, service, and sacrifice of the Ukrainian church, and how the war has created a wealth of kingdom opportunities there.
Church Planting in Urban India: Challenges and Opportunities
J and P, MTW Missionaries
India continues on its course of becoming not only the largest, but one of the most powerful countries in the world. Yet with a population of 1.2 billion people scattered among thousands of people groups and languages, the growth of Christianity remains stagnant with Christians numbering around 2.5 percent of the population. How will we finish the task? Come and hear about some of the challenges and opportunities that two MTW church-planting teams are facing as they grow leaders and plant churches in India’s urban cities.
The Kingdom in Southeast Asia
Paul Henry, Team Leader, Southern Thailand; Paul Lee, Regional Director, Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is one of the most rapidly developing regions of the world with a large diversity of people groups, cultures, religions, and socio-economic communities. This challenging environment requires the diversity of the body of Christ to establish churches that are growing in the gospel and living it out in the different communities where they dwell. Learn about how MTW teams are following God's call to make disciples in Southeast Asia.
Reaching Japan’s Lost Millions
Dan Iverson, MTW Country Director, Japan, with Japan Missionaries and National Partners
Japan is as spiritually poor as it is materially rich. It has the world’s third largest economy, virtually no poverty, a 100 percent literacy rate, and the world’s longest life expectancy. Sadly, Japan also ranks number two in the industrialized world in suicides. It is number one in sexless marriages and population decline. Depression is epidemic. Japan shows us that money, health, education, and material possessions do not satisfy the human heart. Hear how God is using our six MTW teams to plant churches and bring true hope to this lost, spiritually dark land.
The Forgotten Fields of the South Pacific
Jim Jung, MTW Regional Director, Australasia
Throughout the history of missions, certain mission fields have been raised to prominence for various reasons, perhaps due to political events, natural disaster, persecution, new opportunities, etc. But in time the spotlight moves away to shine on other parts of the world. Such trends often leave behind mixed results and evaluation of Christian missions. The South Pacific is such a place. In the wake of liberal mainline churches, and redirection of tropical resort industries to Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands are in disrepair and neglect, spiritually, socially, and economically. Should we re-engage those places with the gospel? And if so, how?
The Unprecedented Opportunity for Missions in East Asia
Tim M., MTW Regional Director, East Asia
Napoleon once said "China is a sleeping giant. But when she awakes the whole world will tremble." Over the last 50 years the world has witnessed the awakening of this giant as they take center stage in the global economy. Along with this emerging nation has come an emerging Church that started in the rural areas of China and has moved into its urban centers. Hear what our team is doing to address the needs of the Church in this fascinating and ancient land.
Training Hubs in Africa: How You Can Be a Part of These Multi-National Teams
Rebe McReynolds, MTW Africa Communication Coordinator, Madagascar
For years, MTW has been talking about setting up training stations throughout Africa—creative spaces where missional activity and learning can be cultivated among a diverse group of Christians from different cultures and traditions. A training hub will be strategically placed in an area where MTW already has a multi-faceted arrangement of ministries, from mercy to church planting, rural and urban work to theological education. Find out more about how you can join a multi-national hub team.
What Kind of Missions Is Needed in East Africa?
Ben Church, Holistic Discipleship Team Leader, Uganda
With the explosive movement of the gospel across Uganda, many are waiting to see this country’s Church reach its full potential. Ugandan Christian leader David Zac Niringiye writes of the need for local churches that are “in continuity with Jesus’ life and mission,” and that serve “as a sign, instrument, and foretaste of the kingdom of God.” Come and hear how God is expanding his kingdom in Uganda through holistic discipleship.
When Your "This" Doesn't Go With "That": Beauty, the Cross, and a Role for the Arts
Abi Lowther, Missionary Artist, Tokyo, and Becky Young, Missionary Artist, Northern Mexico
As Reformed Protestant artists, we often find our tradition and art practice in conflict. Our tradition, which can devalue matter and the material and tends to avoid relationships with people of divergent values, can effectively banish our art practice to a borderland of unorthodoxy. Additionally, some influential secular art scholars tenaciously maintain that a religious art practice is not tenable. Feeling marginalized? Come and hear from these two artists who embrace the opportunity that this peculiarly positioned practice offers.
Community Arts Tokyo: Practical Use of the Arts in Missions and Church Planting
Abi Lowther, Rachel Reese, Jonas and Christina Davison, MTW Missionary Artists, Tokyo
Why do the arts play an essential role in city-center church planting? How do we practically include the arts and artists in missions beyond a song, dance, or drama in worship? Listen to missionary artists who live in downtown Tokyo share their experiences through stories, pictures, videos, and live performance. Find out how the arts serve as a vital part of the church's mission in evangelism and community building.
MTW Internships: You Have a Part to Play
MTW GO Team Members and Former Interns
Think God may be calling you to missions? An internship on the mission field can help provide direction and bring clarity. Come and hear previous MTW interns share how their time of service impacted their lives and the lives of those they ministered to. Listen to their stories of transformation and find out where and how God might be calling you.
Business as Mission (BAM) Case Studies
BAM panel
This session will provide a look at several real world examples from people who are leading Business as Mission ministries in conjunction with the local church. We'll discuss how Christian-owned businesses are impacting local cultures with the gospel and how businesses are making a difference in these areas of the world. We'll also share how we’re training Christians in cities in Asia and Africa to start and operate new "kingdom businesses." Finally, we will talk about how younger businesspeople from the U.S can participate in special 7–10 day "working trips" to the field.
Understanding and Reaching Global Youth
Eric Larsen, Brooks Cain, and Danny Mitchell, with MTW’s Next Team
These are exponential times—an exploding global youth population, an extension of adolescence into the late 20s, and an emerging global youth culture. Did you know that worldwide, those between the ages of 10 and 30 (the 10/30 Window) share more in common culturally with each other than they do with their own parents? What forces are at work that shape this generation and create both challenges and opportunities for gospel ministry? How does the emerging generation fit the definition of an unreached people group and how do we develop biblical models to engage them?
Central Asia: Mobilizing to Reach the Unreached
Scott D.
Is the missions task finished? There are still many people across Central Asia who have never met a Christian or have no idea who Jesus is. Though the Church is growing in countries like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and even Iran, many villages throughout Central Asia have no known believers and no active engagement among certain language groups. Come and learn about how we can help prepare and place you in these unreached areas.
Helping Muslims See Their Place in God’s Story
Frank S.
Everyone’s life is guided by stories. Our stories can themselves be very broken and are only restored when they are overwritten by God's one true story. Al Massira, The Journey, is a tool for the Church that brings people relationally into connection with God's redeeming story. When something is broken you need good tools to fix it. Learn how you can use this simple tool involving films, discussions, food, and fellowship to lead Muslims and other international friends to embrace God's redemption.
The Growing Church in Asia: The Spirit's Power for Missions Among Muslims
Phil D.
Most of the world's Muslims live in South and Southeast Asia. This part of the world has also seen some of the most significant growth of the Church in the last hundred years—but that growth has seldom included large numbers of converts from Islam. What is the Church doing? What does she need to do? How do these questions impact MTW strategy?
Are Muslims Really Killing Christians in the Middle East? The Truth About Persecution
Frank N.
What man means for evil, God means for good. The Middle East is in the midst of turmoil. Despite this, or because of this, the Church is growing. Learn how God is using persecution, trials, and His Word to bring many to Himself and build His Church. Find out how you and your church can be part of the expansion of God’s kingdom in the Middle East.
Medical Missions: Body, Heart, and Soul
Dale G. Knutson, M.D. F.A.A.P., MTW Director of Medical Ministry, Southeast Asia; Erin Pettengill, R.N., B.S.N., M.P.H., MTW Missionary
Wondering how your medical skills can be used on the mission field? We’ll explore the many aspects of serving medically in a cross-cultural environment and how medical care and education can open the hearts of people to the gospel. You’ll learn about supporting church plants, clinical engagement, medical education, community development, Bible studies, and much more. Hear from a doctor and nurse with many years of medical missions experience, and come away with a new vision for using your training for the kingdom.
Do You Speak English?
MTW Missionary Panel: Brett Kooi (Japan), Liz Meiners (England), Kathy Craig (Mexico); Moderated by Kristy Holliday (Mexico)
Nearly 600 million non-native English speakers live throughout the world today. Missionaries have opportunely used English as a natural means of relationship in evangelism, outreach, and church-planting activities. In this panel discussion, learn how English is being used as a gospel tool around the globe and even here in our own backyard. If you speak English and love Jesus, the mission field is waiting for you.
Global Disaster Response: In the Dirt With God at Work
Christina Davies and Tom Felmley, Co-Directors of MTW’s Global Disaster Response
Drawing on their 17-year history, MTW's Global Disaster Response co-directors will show how you can use your talents to "restore hope with urgency and compassion." Mapping a direct line through the tragedy to the triumph, they will share stories of how they have witnessed God using disasters to draw people to Himself and grow His kingdom. You’ll see how skilled disaster response efforts, in collaboration with local field leadership, have met and carried His people from the shock of calamity to new church growth in the disaster zone and beyond.
Vocational Missions: The 18:26 Network
Jud Lamos and Carl Chaplin, CEO and COO, The 18.26 Network
Learn about the new way people are being sent to the mission field: the 18:26 Network. This is a "Priscilla and Aquila" approach (from Acts 18:26) that allows people to use their vocation and faith to serve alongside full-time MTW missionaries and national partners. By being a part of the local economy, vocational missionaries add value to the community “ecosystem” incarnationally. Two kinds of opportunities are available. One is called Fellows, for recent college grads who will work and receive leadership development training. The second is for those wishing to work in a country in their profession in a normal secular job. Go with your vocation!
Achieving Long-Term Church Planting Goals Through Volunteer Medical Mission Teams
Frank S., MTW Regional Director, West Africa, with Mamadou, MTW National Partner; Cheryl Crocker, and John and Elizabeth Sexton, MTW Global Medical Missionaries
Get a glimpse into how volunteer medical teams help prepare future long-term medical missionaries for field assignments while also stimulating the ministries of the local church to help them achieve their long-term church planting goals. We’ll look at three diverse ministries from around the world, presented by missionaries, a local pastor, and volunteer team leaders who work in those regions.
A Marriage Made in Heaven: Why Nationals and U.S. Missionaries Need Each Other
Pete Mitchell, MTW Team Leader, Toulouse, France
Isn’t it a waste to send missionaries to places that already have a church? Can’t we just send money to the nationals instead? In this seminar you’ll hear the story of a strong and vital partnership that has formed between MTW missionaries and national partners in France. Learn how missionaries working alongside national pastors can create a positive and mutually beneficial relationship so that church revitalization and church planting can flourish.
A Beautiful Tapestry: Intercultural Church Planting for the Glory of God
Philip Kirkland, MTW Team Leader, Athens, Greece
As millions of immigrants and refugees flow back and forth across the globe, the question looms: Will God’s people hold back out of fear or will we welcome outsiders with Christ’s love? Come and explore the challenges and rewards of intercultural church planting in Athens, Greece, as well as other parts of Europe.
Daughters of Bulgaria: Confronting the Sale and Export of Bulgaria’s Women and Children Head-On
Dal Stanton, MTW Team Leader, Sofia, Bulgaria, with MTW Missionaries Beth Stanton and Katherine Long
We don’t always think of a country’s top export as being its daughters and children. Yet for Bulgaria, Europe’s poorest and most exploited country, this is life. MTW’s team in Bulgaria was confronted with this reality and sensed God’s prompting to act. The Daughters of Bulgaria began simply as a desire to do something, but grew into a movement mobilizing Christians from different backgrounds to be a coalition committed to serving sexually exploited women in Bulgaria and those trafficked throughout Europe. The mission of Daughters of Bulgaria is to move women from vulnerability to wholeness through targeted efforts in prevention, rescue, and restoration.
Advancing the Depth of Theological Education Overseas
Panel Discussion Moderated by Brian Deringer, Director, MTW Member Care and Development
One of the essential ingredients for planting churches that last is theological training for pastors and leaders. But for many areas around the world, training is a scarce commodity. Come and hear about creative opportunities to get involved in theological education—from driving down dried up riverbeds to do multimedia training presentations in remote towns, to teaching in brick and mortar seminaries. Find out how you can help equip a new generation of pastors to become grounded in Scripture and lead others to maturity in Christ.
Righteousness and Peace Kiss Each Other: Ethiopian Lessons on Integrating Church Planting and Mercy Ministry
Jason Polk, MTW Missionary, Ethiopia
Psalm 85:10 expresses beautifully the joining of righteousness and peace as a sign of God's healing restoration. For the past 15 years the national leaders and MTW missionaries of the Ethiopia ACT team have seen God restoring some of the poorest communities in Addis Ababa spiritually and physically. In their work with families affected by HIV/AIDS, TB, malnutrition, and other chronic health issues, they’ve seen bodies healed, lives transformed, a church planted, and many come to faith in Christ. Find out about the team’s integrated approach to church planting and mercy ministry—some of the lessons learned and questions remaining as they minister the gospel in an urban context.
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