One of the undeniable realities of the 20th and 21st centuries is the global phenomena of diaspora peoples – People on the Move. The scale and scope of the diaspora phenomenon has escalated in recent years and today 3% of the global population lives in countries in which they were not born. The latest research reveals […]
Gateway to the Nations: The Strategic Value of International Churches in a Globalized Urban World By Michael Crane and Scott Carter Introduction Behnam Farhadi, and his sons Atash and Erfan, were fleeing from a Central Asian nation in political and economic distress became refugees were in Sofia, Bulgaria.[1] All three of them became followers of […]
I would like to tell you a true story that took place in a country of West Africa formerly called Upper Volta, today known as Burkina Faso. This story happened at the end of the 1950’s. They story is told as follows: A French missionary who lived there, would preach the Gospel every day in […]
No Summer Bummer “Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my load is light.” (Matt 11:28-30, […]
“You are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream…” C. S. Lewis Through a series of circumstances too strange to fully understand yet, God has brought me right into the middle of a global phenomenon that may never have happened quite like this before. It is a reality in which […]
“Pray that the Master’s Word will simply take off and race through the country to a groundswell of response” II Thes 3:1 MSG For years I have thought of International Church as a groundswell of response opportunity. Many IC Pastors and Leaders are result oriented type people. In broad terms we want action to happen. […]
This term, used by a friend, conveys a powerful message about tragic consequences for some ministries when they do not receive needed support. For a pastor or any other full-time servant of God, where should they go to request and receive adequate assistance? Who should they contact? When can such a need be merely a […]
When I was a student at the Canadian Theological Seminary in the early 1980’s, my missiology professor talked about CDC or Closed Door Countries and CAN or Creative Access Nations. Thirty years later, we [now] talk about globalization, rapid mobility, mass migration/diasporas, labor/economic re-alignments, and communication connectedness. Three decades ago we debated how to penetrate […]
Paul’s Perspective on Discipleship and the Kingdom Paul taught that the Kingdom of God was not in food or drink, as seen with outward signs like that of Solomon or David, when they celebrated their inaugurations with great feast and festivities. Rather, Paul said that the signs of God’s spiritual Kingdom are manifested by “…righteousness, […]
After taking care of the physical needs of Elijah by providing food and rest, the Lord led his servant in a long journey that led him to Horeb “the mountain of God”. For forty days and forty nights he was sustained by the “cake” prepared for him by the angel of God. This is a […]