Resources for Responsible Partnership
To make disciples of all nations, we must share the gospel in word and deed — and in ways that are understandable and culturally appropriate. There are many reasons we all sometimes fall short, reasons like language barriers, cultural misunderstandings, and tendencies to treat people as projects rather than relationships.
LAM is committed to equpping its Alliance Ministries, missionaries and anyone doing missions to reaching their full potential to impact the world for God's kingdom. Below are a few resources we have compiled to help.
With a network of ministries and workers spanning three continents, LAM is also committed to being a resource itself for missions-minded organizations, churches and individuals. Looking for guidance on a particular missions issue or theme? We're here to help. Contact us today.
Have a great resource to submit for consideration? We would love to hear about it.
RECOMMENDED READING
For Churches and Individuals
Global Mission Handbook
By Steve Hoke and Bill Taylor
A practical guide on preparing for intercultural missions, with resources for personal spiritual preparation as well as cross-cultural skills and hands-on missionary training. The process is outlined for finding actual placement with a sending church, mission agency or organization, with key questions to be asking along the way.
When Helping Hurts
By Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert
North American churches and individual Christians often have faulty assumptions about the causes of poverty — assumptions that many times lead to ministry strategies that do considerable harm to poor people as well as to themselves. When Helping Hurts addresses these assumptions and offers several principles and strategies for poverty alleviation.
Serving with Eyes Wide Open: Doing Short-Term Missions with Cultural Intelligence
By David Livermore
Serving with Eyes Wide Open helps Christians understand the changing face of Christianity and how that affects short-term missions. In three parts, author David A. Livermore will take a broad look at what the twenty-first-century church is doing on the mission field, the assumptions people make about Christianity, and what it takes to adapt effectively to new cultural contexts. Perfect for all who engage in short-term missions trips, either at home or abroad.
Effective Engagement in Short-term Missions
Edited by Robert Priest, LAM missionary Greg Burch contributor
The authors explore topics such as the links between STM and older patterns of long-term missions; engagement with people of other cultures; international partnerships; specialized ministries such as medical missions; legal and financial liabilities; and the impact of STM on participants. The goal of this book is to improve the ways in which STM is carried out and to improve the understandings needed on the part of all who engage in the ministry.
Understanding Culture and Cross-Cultural Ministry
Ministering Cross-Culturally: An Incarnational Model for Personal Relationships
By Mayers and Lingenfelter
Jesus needed to learn and understand the culture in which he lived before he could undertake his public ministry. The authors examine how this can help us better understand what it means to establish relationships of grace with those from different cultural and social backgrounds.
Various Cross-Cultural Books
By Duane Elmer
The last thing we want to do in cross-cultural ministry is offend people in other cultures through avoidable ignorance. Unfortunately, all too often our actions communicate superiority, paternalism, imperialism and arrogance. Our best intentions become unintentional insults. How can we minister in ways that are received as true Christlike service? Cross-cultural specialist Duane Elmer gives North American Christians practical advice for serving other cultures with sensitivity and humility:
- Cross-Cultural Conflict
- Cross-Cultural Connections
- Cross-Cultural Partnerships
- Cross-Cultural Servanthood
Foreign to Familiar: A Guide to Understanding Hot – And Cold – Climate Cultures
By Sarah Lanier
Sarah Lanier seeks to aid the reader in cross-cultural communication and relationships. Foreign to Familiar is a splendidly written, well researched work on cultures. Lanier’s love and sensitivity for people of all nations will touch your heart. This book creates within us a greater understanding for our extended families around the world and an increased desire to better serve them.
Uunderstanding “Alliances” in Ministry
Well Connected: Releasing Power, Restoring Hope through Kingdom Partnerships
By Phil Butler
This book gives us practical tools for building transformational alliances. Jesus’s words in John 17 represent one of the church’s highest values: “May they all be one as you and I, Father, are one.” Yet divisions occur from the highest levels of the church to street-level projects, often neutralizing effectiveness and undercutting the credibility of Jesus’s message. Well Connected helps us move towards the Kingdom Goal expressed in John 17 by providing solid grounding in the principles of partnership, abundant case histories, and empowering “how to” suggestions for lay person and ministry leader alike.
Recommended Websites
U.S. Center for World Mission
http://www.uscwm.org
The U. S. Center for World Mission (USCWM) is a mission agency that helps to improve strategic decision-making and practice on the frontiers of mission, surmounting the barriers that hinder God’s kingdom from coming among all peoples. This focus is reflected in the USCWM’s many publications, programs, and projects.
Perspectives Course on the World Christian Movement
http://www.perspectives.org
North American Churches can host this class or send their members to one in their area for missiology training. “Perspectives has been essential in mobilizing hundreds of lay people in our church to be World Christians.” - John Piper
The Lausanne Movement for World Evangelization
http://www.lausanne.org
The Lausanne Movement strives to be a catalyst for new partnerships and strategic alliances among like-minded missional Christians who pray, plan and work together on global evangelization.
Educational Concerns For Hunger Organization (ECHO)
http://www.echonet.org
A non-profit organization with the vision of "Honoring God through Sustainable Hunger Solutions." Their web page contains information on small farm tropical agriculture with the goal of providing easy access to documents and other information for those who are working in agricultural development. Their web page and their training programs (located in Ft. Myers, FL) are excellent resources to anyone (groups or individuals) desiring to educate themselves and make an impact via sustainable agriculture.
The Lusanne Global Conversation
http://conversation.lausanne.org/en
The Lausanne Global Conversation is one step towards bringing together the global church to engage important issues related to world evangelization. It’s a site to talk, strategize and work together, or simply keep a body aware of global conversations relating to global evangelism.
Evangelical Missions Quarterly (EMQ)
Published by EMIS (Evangelism and Missions Information Service, a division of the Billy Graham Center in Wheaton, IL.)
http://www.emqonline.com
EMQ explores key topics in world missions today. EMQ writers are veteran missionaries and mission leaders who bring years of experience to the table as they research, reflect and write on select issues.
International Bulletin of Missionary Research
http://www.internationalbulletin.org/account
With in-depth analyses of worldwide Christianity and mission-focused book reviews, the International Bulletin of Missionary Research is an excellent source of information on the world church in mission.
OTHER HELPFUL WEBSITES
U.S. State Department Travel Page - Visa requirements, travel warnings, etc.
http://travel.state.gov
Centers for Disease Control – Recommended immunizations, health warnings, etc.
http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/default.aspx
Interactive world atlas with basic information on all countries
http://www.google.com/earth/index.html
Operation World - Rich resource for missions focused prayer and quick reference understanding of the spiritual climate of every country on earth.
http://www.operationworld.org
World time zone help
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock
Telephone calling codes for various countries
http://www.countrycallingcodes.com
Easy Currency Converter
http://www.xe.com/ucc
Helpful tool for metric and other conversions
http://www.convert-me.com/en
The scripture you need in the language and version you need
http://www.biblegateway.com
