Brian is a non-resident missionary (NRM) to Africa. Alongside his Zambian friend Iwell, Brian has seen over 50,000 baptisms in the past four years. I recently sat down with him to hear the story of what God has been doing.

In my 20 years of missions experience, I have read many books and engaged in my fair share of fiery discussions on the role of women in the home, church, and missions. This has been a hot topic for decades with a wide spectrum of beliefs even among Bible-believing Christians. But for me, it’s more than a controversial debate; how I and my leaders view the role of women has greatly influenced my Gospel work among the unreached. My ministry effectiveness has been greater due to leaders who value and support the unique contribution that women make in missions.

What followed was over a decade of labor built on the decades of others in prayer, patient relationship building, language and culture learning, painful setbacks, fierce opposition, and the slow work of catalytic discipleship. This journey would cost the lives of martyrs. It wasn’t glamorous. It wasn’t rapid. But it was the necessary groundwork for what God would later do.

The need for data-informed approaches has never been more crucial in the complex and challenging landscape of modern missions. When adequately contextualized for cross-cultural missions, the plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycle offers apostolic teams a robust framework for continuous improvement and adaptive strategy.

The Gospel spreads like wildfire, igniting hearts and transforming communities. Church-planting movements embody this Spirit-led dynamism, bringing the Gospel rapidly and broadly to a generation. Yet the long-term health of these movements depends on something deeper: roots.

This post explores how sending churches and sending agencies complement church-planting movements, drawing lessons from Scripture and church history to envision a fruitful partnership between these vital expressions of God’s mission.

The Vital Role of Women in The Great Commission

What’s the ideal size for a group of believers given what God wants to accomplish through it for His glory?

Recently, I was reflecting on the real meaning of being a disciple of Jesus and was reminded of the childhood game Follow the Leader. You probably remember it—the leader sets the pace and everyone else mimics their actions. If they step over a rock, you step over the rock; if they wave their arms, you wave your arms. The objective is simple: follow the leader as precisely as possible.

As ambassadors of Christ's Great Commission, we are called to be strategic and intentional in our efforts to reach the unreached with the life-transforming message of the Gospel. In this pursuit, the role of a Strategy Coordinator emerges as a vital catalyst, igniting and sustaining spiritual movements that empower local believers to take ownership of the core apostolic task.

Any movement of new disciples and multiplying churches is a work of God. But we can and should seek both best and biblical practices as we pursue those movements. 

The main focus of “The Starfish and the Spider” is decentralization versus centralization.