Whole Gospel, Whole Church, Whole World

October 15th, 2009

Taking the gospel to the ends of the earth, in obedience to the Great Commission, is an inescapable imperative. A definition of world evangelization that has won assent from Christians of all stripes was memorably summarized in the Lausanne Covenant—the document substantially crafted by John R. W. Stott and affirmed by the Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization in 1974: “Evangelization requires the whole church to take the whole gospel to the whole world.”

The “three wholes” in this ringing phrase had been part of Christian discourse for some years before Stott drafted the covenant. Indeed, they go back to the apostle Paul, if not to the patriarch Abraham.

Read the rest of the story by Christopher J. H. Wright on ChristianityToday.com.

Covenant World Mission on Facebook

October 9th, 2009

The group’s name is “Covenant World Mission.” You must have a Facebook account to be part of this Facebook group. Below is the recent news posting from the group:

We thought we’d give this social networking tool (Facebook) a shot - to get Covenanters involved in God’s Kingdom work connected to each other.

From the CWM office end, we’ll interject topics, stories, prayer requests. But, this group isn’t about us – it’s about you, your heart for global work & your experiences engaging in mission.

So, please join us along the journey –
*invite others to join the group
*start a new topic on the discussion board
*let us know what you are up to!

Mission began with & belongs to God. This mission was fully embodied when God sent Jesus into our world as one of us. All through the Bible, God sent people to participate in this mission of love for the whole world. The central purpose of God’s mission has always been to reconcile people with God and with one another. As God’s people we are called to embody the good news wherever we are sent.

What are you pursuing these days?

Poverty Facts and Stats

July 1st, 2009

from Global Issues: Social, Political, Economic and Environmental Issues That Affect Us All

http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats

Southern Sudanese, Delivering Aid, Are Killed in Ambush

July 1st, 2009

KHARTOUM, Sudan (Reuters) — About 40 southern Sudanese soldiers and civilians were killed when tribal fighters ambushed boats carrying food aid, the latest in a string of ethnic attacks threatening a fragile peace deal, officials said Sunday.

Members of the Jikany Nuer group opened fire Friday on 27 boats loaded with emergency rations destined for an area controlled by the rival Lou Nuer tribe, the United Nations World Food Program said.

Read the rest of the story on nytimes.com

Published: June 14, 2009

New Prayer Calendar

July 1st, 2009

pc-2009-10The newly-designed, full color Missionary Prayer Calendar can be used as a convenient daily prayer guide to pray for Covenant missionaries and the countries they serve in. Each day includes a color picture of a Covenant missionary and their family, where and how they serve, their birthdays, and other information about them. Order here..

One billion souls to save

April 6th, 2009

Christianity in China is booming. With 100 million believers, far more than the 74 million-member communist party, Jesus is a force to be reckoned with in the People’s Republic. We talk to the new faithful who love China – but love God more

Read the rest of the article from The Times by Jane Macartney here.

Deep Justice Journey

March 5th, 2009

50 Activities to Move from Mission Trips to Missional Living

Make your youth ministry mission trips and service projects more than just drive-by-feel-good outings. Instead, allow them to be opportunities for students and adults together to go deep into God’s heart for justice as people and communities are transformed. This curriculum is designed with options you can use with your team in preparation for the BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER portions of your missions and service opportunities. Look for it through YS/Zondervan publishing.

http://fulleryouthinstitute.org/resources/books/deep-justice-journals/

Dan Johnson’s Conference Thoughts

February 27th, 2009

I’m back! Chicago was cold and snowy, but I survived. I’d like to share with you what I experienced at the first-ever Mission Conference prior to the Midwinter. This event brought together Covenant World Mission department leaders, Covenant missionaries, overseas partners, pastors, people who serve on local mission committees, seminary students–a very diverse group who all share one common passion: Christ’s mission. And it was fantastic! Challenging, stimulating, inspiring, stretching, refreshing, renewing–I can’t find enough superlatives to express how rich and meaningful this conference was. Let me describe it for you briefly, and who the presenters were. Then I want to list a bunch of the principles, perspectives, comments, and some rather unorthodox thoughts and approaches that these Covenant leaders offered, based on biblical, theological, and very practical experience.

Read the rest of the post at Dan’s blog, Jerusalem Sabbatical: http://jerusalemsabbatical.blogspot.com/2009/02/holistic-mission-of-church-covenant.html

Round Trip Missions: A Short-term Missions Documentary and Curriculum

December 31st, 2008

THE DOCUMENTARY
The story of two short-term mission trips—one from Chapel Hill Bible Church in North Carolina, the other from Mavuno Downtown, part of the Nairobi Chapel network of churches in Kenya. They partner together and are both deeply committed to church planting, evangelism, and caring for the poor. Theirs is a story of individuals and families from America and Africa who open themselves up to what God is doing in the world.

THE CURRICULUM
Five sessions will help your team prepare for your trip, navigate the challenges of cross-cultural relationships and team dynamics, and return with lasting relationships and personal transformation.

See more here from Christianity Today International.

Seven Steps for Following the Great Commission

November 19th, 2008

Even with the phenomenal opportunities we have to spread the gospel today, much of the world still waits for the good news of Jesus. The numbers reveal the need:

* Of more than 11,000 people groups, some 6,400 remain unreached (that is, less than 2 percent of the population is evangelical Christian).

* More than 2,000 of these groups have a population of 100,000 people or more.

* Of these 2,000 large groups, slightly more than 600 are still unengaged.

* Some 4,100 groups with a total of 450 million people have no portion of the Scripture available in their language.

* Each day the world population grows by about 500,000, and the number of people not having an adequate opportunity to respond to the gospel increases by almost 91,000.

Read the rest of the article, including the seven steps, from Church Central and Building Church Leaders here.