The exchange of ideas, information, and resources is strategically important to help hone our missional efforts both individually and corporately. While not every idea works everywhere, crossing cultures effectively requires a posture of listening and avoiding a predisposition toward a singular way of doing things. In addition, shifts in the global landscape continually present new opportunities while others fade away. Institutions that fail to innovate invariably come to an end, while those seeking fresh opportunities for sharing the gospel will at times tap into fruitful fields that were previously unidentified. Exchanging ideas and innovation go hand in hand for the benefit of all.

 As a missionary training organization with a core value of being Lifelong Learners, we at Global Frontier Missions value allowing diverse perspectives to shape and solidify our thoughts. During Missionary Training School, we intentionally present a spectrum of viewpoints on a wide variety of topics to give students practice in sifting through contrasting ideas, searching Scripture, gauging their relevance in the local context, and maintaining unity even while disagreeing on noncentral issues. Similarly, we encourage our staff to stay connected to the broader missions community and cultivate a lifestyle of learning.

We recently asked our staff about their favorite informational missions resources for keeping their fingers on the pulse of missiology. While there were too many great resources to mention in a short blog post, here are some of our favorites*.

A Life Overseas - A blog collective with honest conversations written by missionaries for missionaries.

Brigada - “The weekly Brigada Today web journal offers resources, mission trends, motivation, strategy tips, tools & ‘hacks’ to Great Commission Christians.”

Mission Frontiers Magazine - "Mission Frontiers has been in circulation since 1979, providing our subscribers with innovative insights on a wide range of topics from the most creative minds and well-known thought leaders in missiology."

Voices of the Global Church - Podcast: “Exploring the wisdom and theologies of World Christianity with Graham Joseph Hill”

Weekly Round Up from Justin Long - Succinct snapshot of global current events, prayer points, articles, statistics, and technology developments.

Tools

Center for Mission Mobilization - Resources for mobilizing believers including the Xplore Study (Intro to Missions, 7 paid sessions), The God Ask (book on partnership development for prospective missionaries), resources for teaching kids, and other resources.

Gospel Coalition - "The Gospel Coalition supports the church by providing resources that are trusted and timely, winsome and wise, and centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ."

No Place Left - Resources for equipping disciple-makers.

RightNow Media - “A streaming library of more than 20,000 Bible study videos for leaders to share with their people.”

Upstream Collective - Sending church resources. See also their 17  Sending Church Elements .

Center for Missionary Mobilization and Retention - "The Center for Missionary Mobilization and Retention aims to resource the Christian community to increase and retain the number of long-term missionaries sent around the world."

Christian Community Development Association - “Whether through community gatherings, regional events or online, CCDA works to creatively provide spaces for practitioners and partners to learn and network with like-minded leaders.”

Ecclesia Church Network - "Ecclesia provides training and immersion experiences for new church planters, equipping opportunities for wider church planting launch teams, assessments for prospective planters, and ongoing coaching for new church starts."

Global Diaspora Network - See their Diaspora Resource Library for books, training, podcast, and organizations focused on diaspora missions.

MissioNexus - Organization association with fantastic opportunities for innovation and networking with other organizations. See their magazine Evangelical Missions Quarterly (EMQ) , upcoming Mission Leaders Conference in September, and great Missions Podcast Directory.

Desiring God - Founded by John Piper, "Everything we create and distribute here at Desiring God exists to guide you toward everlasting joy in Jesus Christ." Find thousands of books, articles, sermons, and podcasts.

Fuller Seminary: Fuller Studio - Library of videos, podcasts, sermons, articles, and publications. Note also their Asian-American and Korean-American collaboratives.

Joshua Project - Database with information about unreached people groups around the world as well as helpful resources.

Lausanne Movement: Networks and Initiatives - "The Lausanne Movement connects influencers and ideas for global mission, with a vision of the gospel for every person, disciple-making churches for every people and place, Christ-like leaders for every church and sector, and kingdom impact in every sphere of society."

Missio Alliance - Articles, news, podcasts, publications, and writing collectives: "Inviting Christian leaders into a generative, expansive, intercultural network to cultivate a holistic theology and practice."

* GFM does not universally assent to opinions held by these organizations or resources.

Written by: GFM Staff Member