Ep. 183: A New Model for Missions?

I’m Warren Smith and I’d like to welcome you to the MinistryWatch podcast. Here at MinistryWatch we bring you news about Christian ministries, as well as the latest in charity and philanthropy, news that we examine from a Christian worldview perspective.  Our goal is to help us become better stewards of the resources God has entrusted to us. These mid-week “Extra” episodes are a chance for us to go deep with a particular topic, and today we’ll talk about a new model for missionary work. For hundreds of years, the model for missionary work has been that a missionary goes from one country – usually the United States or a western European country – to another country in what used to be called the Third World, or the Developing World, or – now – the Majority World. That model is still dominant, but some organizations are tilting that model on its side.  One of those organizations is The Timothy Initiative.  If you subscribe to WORLD Magazine, or Christianity Today, you may have seen their ads.  But I wanted to learn more, so I reached out to Jared Nelms.  Jared is the CEO and Vice President of The Timothy Initiative.  We talk about The Timothy Initiative and its extraordinary growth, and whether old ways of reaching unreached people groups still work, or have become obsolete. You can find out more about The Timothy Initiative by going here. Before we go:  A few quick notes. I want to remind you that our thank you gift for the month of April is Randy Alcorn’s classic book on stewardship, “Managing God’s Money.”  We think this is a book every Christian should have in his or her library, and that’s why we’ll send it to you for a gift of any size to MinistryWatch this month.  Just go to MinistryWatch.com and hit the donate tab at the top of the page.  There are still a few days left on this offer, but it ends on Saturday, April 30.  So please act soon if you want to take advantage of this offer. If money is a little tight now, you can still help the program.  Just rate us on your podcast app.  The more ratings we get, the higher we rank with search engines, and that means other people can find us more easily.  Rating us just takes a second, and it doesn’t cost you a dime.  It’s a free and easy – and important – way you can support the MinistryWatch podcast. The producers for today’s program are Rich Roszel and Jeff McIntosh. We get database and other technical support from Cathy Goddard, Stephen DuBarry, Emily Kern, Rod Pitzer, and Casey Sudduth. I’m Warren Smith, and – until next time – May God bless you.