You may be nervous with the idea of an international church that embraces strategic ambiguity. Many of our sending partners feel the same way. As they invest in the international church, they want us to maximize our impact and to attract the nations and the next generation. But they don’t want us to be theologically […]
Before discussing the exciting opportunities of serving the globally mobile, we should acknowledge the elephant in the room. Most international churches have to deal with this elephant. This elephant can be one of the main detractors as we pursue healthy partnerships with sending agencies. Even yesterday I found myself sitting with denominational leaders in Europe […]
The Challenges of Serving the Globally Mobile Attaching Locally In the Pixar world Bob Parr belongs to a family of superheroes, the Incredibles. He and his wife have superpowers, their three children have superpowers. Bob’s incredible family used to make an incredible difference in the world saving lives and fighting against evil. But then Bob […]
Attaching to One Another Before asking whether or not we and our international churches are attaching well to our host culture, we should ask if the members of our church connect well with one another. The four groups mentioned in an earlier article don’t naturally connect to one another to share life and faith together. […]
Untapped Potential International churches face many challenges as we serve the globally mobile. As I converse with other international church pastors, there’s an overwhelming sense that their church is not reaching its strategic potential. Perhaps you feel this, too. At the end of each week, so much ministry is left undone due to a lack […]
If global mobility is a pressure cooker for the family system, is that the only liability we should be concerned about? What other baggage is packed into the experience of mobility? Are there any benefits or opportunities to a lifestyle of mobility? These are questions we’re bound to ask and answer as we serve our […]
A Pressure Cooker for the Family System So what is life like in the cracks between cultures for our people group, the globally mobile? Notice how the 66.2 million expats in 2017 was made up of workers (71.1%), students (8.5%), retired expats (5.2%), intra-company transferees (1.0%), and trailing spouses and children (14.1%). This statistical breakdown […]
Who are the Globally Mobile? The globally mobile answer to a number of names, among them: serial migrants, global nomads, cross-cultural people, third culture people, expats, global citizens, cultural hybrids, global souls, and so on.1 In 2018 researchers from Finaccord published their annual report on Global Expatriates: Size, Segmentation and Forecast for the Worldwide Market.2 […]
Take a look at the people who frequent your pews every Sunday. Who do you see? It’s important that we are able to communicate who we are reaching as we cast a vision for healthy partnership amongst sending organizations. After you read this article, would you please give your perspective and percentages on this two-minute […]
As we delve further into the missiological strategy of international churches, we should first define and biblically orient international churches. How do we respond when asked by churches and sending agencies whether or not international church is a biblical expression of God’s church? Do we have a DNA that is biblical? God’s people have always […]