9 Steps for Planning a Mission Conference in Your Church

by Mike Pettengill

Church organized missions conferences are a valuable tool in raising awareness of global evangelism and in helping Christ’s disciples better understand the importance and urgency of reaching the lost. When done well a church-run mission conference can bring great glory to the Lord. When done poorly a missions conference can actually impede a church’s impact in participating in God’s Great Commission.

The concept of God’s disciples living out the spread of his gospel is a foundational issue of the Christian faith. The local church is biblically how God intends to train, support and send missionaries. A well done mission conferences can be a major factor in this process.

There are, however, just as many examples of mission conferences done poorly as there are examples of them done well. Read more ...

Four Reasons to Bring Your Bible to Church

by Mike Phay

It took me a while as a pastor, in the early days of iPads and smartphones, to get used to people staring at their screens during the sermon. “How rude,” I thought. “Do they seriously think I can’t see them? These are adults, acting like teenagers!” Not being the regular preacher at the time, I was appalled at the ever-increasing number of faces that I would see lit by glowing screens each time I filled the pulpit.

It took me a while to realize that these folks weren’t rude. They were just reading their Bibles! Read more ...

Is the Day of Sending Missionaries Over ...?

Is the Day of Sending Missionaries Over (when there are so many needs locally)?

The church has been called to take the good news (Gospel) to all the world, not just locally but worldwide, "to those around us as well as beyond us!"

Recently it was a joy and challenge to read a very old book printed in the 1930's, Band of Soldiers for War! by Chinese evangelist Andrew Gih of the Bethel Evangelistic Band of China. What a great, exciting book, but very convicting!

On pages 60-61 is the story of how the leaders of Bethel were requested (begged) to send an evangelist to Java and Borneo and a young graduate John Chang volunteered. However, there were critics who said (as they do today), "Why should we send a missionary to Java and use our money for this purpose when we have so many needs at home and so many desperate needs all about us?" But the triumphant answer from the enthusiastic church members was given, "Because Jesus said, 'Go into all the world,' and Bethel is going to do what Jesus said!"


The next sentence says, "Mr Chang sailed for Java" and as a result many came to salvation in Christ!

Finally Read the Classic by John Bunyan "Pilgrim's Progress"

Many times, I have started reading this classic but stopped after only a few pages. Recently I decided, with the Lord's help, to finish the old English edition in one week’s time. This was difficult as I had many ministry responsibilities to handle. However, the Lord enabled and I read it in four days. What a great book! May our Lord be praised!

Amazon gives the following description of the book: This book is the famous story of man's progress through life in search of salvation remains one of the most entertaining allegories of faith ever written. Set against realistic backdrops of town and country, the powerful drama of the pilgrim's trials and temptations follows him in his harrowing journey to the Celestial City.

Along a road filled with spiritual terrors, Christian confronts such emblematic characters as Worldly Wiseman, Giant Despair, Talkative, Ignorance, and the demons of the Valley of the Shadow of Death. But he is also joined by Hopeful and Faithful.

An enormously influential 17th-century classic, universally known for its simplicity, vigor, and beauty of language, The Pilgrim's Progress remains one of the most widely read books in the English language, second only to the Bible.