Missio Alliance: Recent Episodes
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Inviting Christian leaders into a generative, expansive, intercultural network to cultivate a holistic theology and practice.
Human Flourishing is one of the fundamental themes in Christian doctrine.This is evident throughout Scripture, from the Torah (Genesis 1-2), to the Psalter (Psalm 1-2), to prophetic visions of a new heaven and earth (Revelation 21-22). So also, in…
*Editorial Note: Warm greetings from my home in South Africa, where alongside 1.1 billion Southern Hemisphere dwellers, winter is here! Our winter solstice was yesterday, June 20th, and we now begin the hope-filled increase of daylight all the way until…
One hot summer day in Chicago, Mamie Till-Mobley made a painful decision. She decided to leave her son’s casket open so that America could see what racism did to her boy.Emmett Till was only fourteen when he journeyed to…
*Editorial Note: Our colleagues at The Telos Group have invited us to stand in solidarity with them in calling for a permanent and lasting ceasefire in Gaza. Several weeks ago, Todd Deatherage, the Executive and Co-Founder of The Telos Group,…
*Editorial Note: Part 1 of Michelle’s piece, “Theopoetics: Breathing Fresh Life into Faith Communities,” published on Tuesday, June 11th. It can be read here. ~CKRuss became a photographer the year his nine-year-old daughter was dying of cancer. He spent…
“And how are we like sheep?” asked the pastor at the podium. “Well, if you haven’t had much interaction with sheep, let me tell you that sheep are stupid…”I felt my daughter stiffen beside me. We had a small…
*Editorial Note: Part 1 of Katelyn’s piece, “In the House of Belonging: Healing Church Hurt Through Church,” published on Tuesday, June 4th. It can be read here. ~CK. . .There is no houselike the house of belonging.—David…
This is the bright home in which I live,This is where I ask my friends to come,This is where I want to love all the thingsit has taken me so long to learn to love…—David Whyte,…
Once I stood with one foot in each hemisphere. Some years ago, I traveled to Quito, Ecuador for a work-related trip, and had the opportunity to visit a spot called “La Mitad del Mundo,” which is translated as “the middle…
Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) have consistently been assimilated and displaced throughout American history, particularly immigrant families.You can tell a lot about a local culture by the initial questions locals ask you. In South Korea, people…
*Editorial Note: Part 1 of Carolyn’s piece, “Dismantling Patriarchy to Recover the Blessed Alliance,” published on Tuesday, May 21st. It can be read here. ~CKThe Great CollapseTragically, God’s mission for humanity falls apart before it even starts. The…
In April 2019, when fire destroyed the Notre Dame Cathedral in the heart of Paris, you didn’t have to be French or Roman Catholic to grieve the loss. The whole world shared in the tragedy.The majestic cathedral spire collapsed.…
“No one can keep you from the second half of your own life except yourself. Nothing can inhibit your second journey except your own lack of courage, patience, and imagination. Your second journey is all yours to walk or to…
*Editorial Note: Part 1 of MaryKate Morse’s piece, “The Essential Need for Integrity in Leaders and Systems,” published on Tuesday, May 14th. It can be read here. ~CKSo, why is integrity so hard? We find it hard because we…
In Berlin, the Reichstag is the German capital building. Much of the history of the German nation can be traced to what happened to, in front of, and in that very building. The building has existed since 1884 when Germany…
Joy is as essential to the Christian life as oxygen is to the body.Many of us might think of joy in the Christian life as a nicety — perhaps borderline superfluous. We live morally-oriented lives engaging with spiritual disciplines…
As a young Millennial just a few years removed from seminary, I’ve had my fair share of church interviews under my belt. I recently shared my frustration with my pastor and told her, “I feel like people want someone to…
Technology hates it, but friction has its upside.For the last 25 years I’ve been working in the moral and spiritual formation of young adults, mostly on campus as part of my work for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Every day I…
The early Christians were disruptors in the first century. Not only did the early Jesus movement upset the status quo among some Jewish people shortly after Pentecost, the movement also agitated Gentiles as the Good News of Jesus went beyond…
An Introduction to “Do Black Lives Matter? (A Sarcastic Question)”*A Long-Form Series Co-Edited by Dr. Dennis Edwards and Editorial Director Chris Kamalski///The prophetic call for justice arises from the voices of those experiencing oppression. This is to…
A man in my congregation called me to discuss a gravely unjust situation that was unfolding within his family. Folks were telling lies, leaving him and his grown son marginalized and excluded and caught – so it seemed – in…
Rest allows the things stirring in us to reveal God’s stirring in all things.///Underneath everything there’s a Current flowing in us.A flow of thoughts, of memories, of indescribable longings. It has free rein when we sleep and…
“The longer I live, the more deeply I learn that love — whether we call it friendship or family or romance — is the work of mirroring and magnifying each other’s light.” (James Baldwin)For a significant portion of my…
White Christianity’s commitment to coercive power isn’t new. Thankfully, there are alternatives for those desiring to see.On January 15, former president Donald Trump won the Iowa Republican presidential caucuses by the largest ever margin by a non-incumbent president. 55%…
I know that the cross is powerful, the center of all we believe.So I’ve been studying it for years.But I’ve never quite been able to get my head around it.To love something you can’t understand brings deep…
“Jesus’s resurrection is the beginning of God’s new project not to snatch people away from earth to heaven but to colonize earth with the life of heaven. That, after all, is what the Lord’s Prayer is about.” (N.T. Wright, Surprised…
*Editorial Note: Leading Voice Dr. MaryKate Morse tackled a thorny topic for us last week: Hierarchy: A Word Christian Leaders Can Confuse with the Dark and Love to Hate. We both thought a follow-up Q&A unpacking the complex nature of…
In the coming years, creation will be a centering theme for flourishing churches. As society becomes increasingly post-Christian, our growing consciousness of our interconnectedness with creation and our responsibility toward it will be a key and integrating characteristic for discipleship. …
Dale C. Allison, Jr., is the Richard J. Dearborn Professor of New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary, USA, and the author of many books, including Constructing Jesus: Memory, Imagination, and History and the International Critical Commentary on James. Despite widespread skepticism on the matter, a significant number of people today have stories of religious experience—moments of inexplicable terror or … Continued
In this special episode, Shane brings an update about a significant change in his life (which might lead to a change in the podcast title), and talks about what that will mean for the future of the podcast. As always, thanks for listening (and if you missed it, be sure to check out the conversation … Continued
Rev. Esau McCaulley, PhD is an author and associate professor of New Testament at Wheaton College. His writing and speaking focus on New Testament theology, African-American Biblical interpretation, and Christian public theology. His new memoir How Far to the Promised Land, questions the narrative of exceptionalism that he, and other Black survivors, are conditioned to … Continued
*Editorial Note: The following is a sponsored partner article from InterVarsity Press (IVP), one of Missio Alliance’s partners in mission. Missio Alliance partners participate in creating spaces and resources aimed at helping diverse church and ministry leaders engage in formational…
As many of us are aware of, on June 14th of this year, a motion was passed by a 2/3 vote to include in Article III of its constitution a sixth criteria that distinctly defines a church’s cooperation with the…
Labor Day and New Seasons“First day of 12th grade.” That’s what the sign read as my oldest son held it up and I snapped a picture of him. The last ‘first day of school’ for him as he sets…
*Editorial Note: “Metanoia: Wholehearted Change in Unprecedented Times” was Alan Hirsch’s mind-blowing plenary session from Awakenings 2023. The keynote excerpts below comprise a portion of Alan’s plenary session, which asked, What is a faithful response to the apocalyptic and revelatory…
*Editorial Note: Today, August 28th, 2023, is the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, culminating with well over 200,000 people crowding the National Mall in Washington D.C. to hear Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.…
*Editorial Note: Part 1 of Seth’s “Hopeful Realism” series, entitled “Searching for a Robust Spirituality in a Doomscrolling World can be read here. “Excessive Spirituality,” Part 2 of this series, can be found here. “Negotiating Difference” is Part 3 and…
*Editorial Note: Centering Jesus: How the Lamb of God Transforms Our Communities, Ethics, and Spiritual Lives is available now and would make an excellent Autumn read! ~CK
How Arnold Schwarzenegger Radically Skewed Our Perspective of Jesus, the Lamb of God…
“Elvis has left the building.” I have heard this phrase my entire life and no one really explained to me that it was to announce to concert attendees that Elvis had literally left the venue, so go home. Concertgoers had…
I have spent 35 years of my life educating ministry leaders, innovators, spiritual companions and academics in a seminary. I had wanted to pastor a church, but during the early feminist movement in the US, churches in my denomination were…
Part 2: Pentecostal, Polyvocal, and Intercultural Mission The global tapestry of Christianity, with its myriad hues and patterns, has been woven primarily by a single set of hands for centuries. The traditional monolith of mission and ministry, underpinned by a…
Part 1: Polycentric and Integral Mission With every church and leadership scandal, every report of declining church attendance, and every sad indication that the church has lost credibility before a watching world, we are compelled to ask, “Will we continue…
Tell someone they look older than they actually are and you’ve likely insulted them. In our youth-driven culture, aging can sometimes feel worse than dying itself. Yet the Scriptures caution us not to buy into the world’s view of aging.…
*Editorial Note: Part 1 of Seth’s series, entitled “Searching for a Robust Spirituality in a Doomscrolling World (Hopeful Realism, Pt. 1) was published in June 2023. You can read it here.
For most of my life, Christianity has worked for…
John M. G. Barclay is Lightfoot Professor of Divinity at Durham University in England, one of the most highly regarded professorships in the theological world. John is President of TRS-UK, the body that represents and coordinates all the Departments of Theology and Religion/Religious Studies in the UK, together with twelve subject associations. Out of the … Continued
Editorial Note: Part 1 of this article, “Surprised by God at Tables: On The Eucharist as Mission (Pt. 1)” was posted yesterday. Today, Gino Curcuruto will explore what eucharistic mission looks like on a practical, normative level in our local…
Editorial Note: Missio Alliance recognizes that significant numbers of Protestant believers experience Communion as largely symbolic in nature. The Eucharist is a mystery that Jesus himself invites us to ponder with him in fellowship. We invite you to do the…
“To grow nature is to encourage more of it.”1 This provocative phrase from Dan Barber’s work, The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food, immediately calls to mind a solidifying theory I have as a person who works…
I went outside a few minutes ago to the corner of our sandy yard where I tend a small garden. Most mornings and evenings, I allow myself the joy of a few minutes wasted in the garden, mostly observing. My…
*Editorial Note: Part 1 of Kris’s piece, “God Finds Us In Nature: A Place of Encounter,” was posted last week. Do yourself a favor and savor its wisdom deeply, while carving some time for one of the reflective exercises she…
“Where do you most experience God?” It was the question that had begun our small group time as we sat on living room couches, paper plates on the floor with mere remnants of dinner tacos. Instead of verbally answering, everyone…
*Editorial Note: Catherine McNiel’s gorgeous prose continues our mini-series throughout July on the season of summer, our God who finds us outside within Creation, how our kitchen gardens can become a profound place of attentive prayer, with a concluding reminder…
Editorial Note: The following is written by the REVEREND DOCTOR AMY DAVIS ABDALLAH. Congratulations, Reverend Doctor! ~CK
I was making pizza for dinner when the texts, “Congratulations, Reverend Doctor!” came in. Friends texted because I wasn’t in the room when…
Origin stories matter, for individuals, groups of people, and for nations. They inform our sense of self; telling us what kind of people we believe we are, what kind of nation we believe we live in. They usually carry, at…
Last year, I had one of the most transformative experiences of my life: Six months of doing nothing. Perhaps it wasn’t quite doing “nothing” – I am, after all, still a parent, along with other roles in my life that…
*Editorial Note: “The State of the Church in America” plenary session from Awakenings 2023 is now available for download. The keynote lecture you will read below was given by David Fitch, one of five speakers who addressed broad themes on…
Before lunchtime most days a heaviness settles like a fog over my soul. A sense of doom is lurking just below the surface. Things are not okay and our world may be broken beyond repair. It’s the aggregation of all…
People often experience having their emotions marginalized in spiritual settings. In far too many church spaces, we are cautioned that our emotions will lead us astray, and that we must use logic and Scripture alone to make sound and faithful…
Recently, the 60th anniversary of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” was celebrated. As a Christian who is a faith-rooted advocate and activist, I believe the message of this historic document provides both the…
*Editorial Note: The following is a sponsored partner article from InterVarsity Press (IVP), one of Missio Alliance’s partners in mission. Missio Alliance partners participate in creating spaces and resources aimed at helping diverse church and ministry leaders engage in formational…
At no point in my life did I ever have to deconstruct Santa Claus.I admit there was a time in my life when I did in fact believe that one man delivered presents to all the good boys and…
*Editorial Note: Part 2 of Carolyn’s piece is published below. Part 1 can be found here.By the time Tamar enters the story (Genesis 38), Judah is in a spiritual nosedive. He has left the covenant family, moved into Canaanite…
*Editorial Note: As followers of Christ, we are called to bring hope and healing to those who hurt in a fallen and broken world full of pain and poverty, sickness and sadness. Join us for a timely discussion with contributors…
*Editorial Note: Part 1 of Carolyn’s piece is published below. Part 2 can be found at this link.“Warring Brothers” is an appropriate subtitle for the book of Genesis.Fierce sibling rivalry among brothers dominates the entire Genesis storyline. Jesus…
Dr. Kyuboem “Kyu” Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea and raised in Nairobi, Kenya. He was educated in evangelical and reformed institutions in the US. He has lived, church planted, and ministered cross-culturally in Philadelphia since 1993. He has…
*Editorial Note: Lisa Rodriguez-Watson, our National Director, gave the following keynote, entitled “Disruption and New Life,” during the first plenary of Awakenings 2023: ‘Disruption in the Life of the Church’ this past week. It was powerful, prophetic, and clearly laid…
*Editorial Note: JR Woodward is one of the founders of Missio Alliance, and a long-time partner with Missio in the holistic development of the local church across North America. Currently he serves as the National Director for Church Planting with…
*Editorial Note: JR Woodward is one of the founders of Missio Alliance, and a long-time partner with Missio in the holistic development of the local church across North America. Currently he serves as the National Director for Church Planting with…
*Editorial Note: JR Woodward is one of the founders of Missio Alliance, and a long-time partner with Missio in the holistic development of the local church across North America. Currently he serves as the National Director for Church Planting with…
I’ve decided that I don’t like orchids that much. I feel hesitant writing this because I was given one as a gift recently. I thought the orchid was beautiful and so it now sits prominently on our console. The petals…
Our first1 articles2 on Critical Race Theory3 (CRT) for Missio Alliance were originally published in March 2021. Since then, we’ve kept a close eye on how the conversation about CRT has been unfolding in the news and in the Christian…
One of the best things my parents ever did for me was to refuse to let me quit piano lessons in second grade. I had been taking lessons since kindergarten and was bored with it. I didn’t seem to be…
There’s a knock at the door. It’s a stormy night and on your stoop stands an elderly woman, disheveled, cold, sick, and clearly distressed. Will you let her in? In this weather her fragile life is in jeopardy – but…
*Editorial Note: Arguably the most well-known story that Jesus tells throughout the Gospels, the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15 has frequently been associated with the narrative of Holy Week, an obvious analogy to the straying heart of…
John H. Walton is a professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College and Graduate School. Previously he was a professor of Old Testament at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago for twenty years. Some of Walton’s books include The Lost World…
Books have the power to spiritually (and sexually) form us.Do you remember that book that changed your life? The one you go back to time and time again, referencing and recommending on the regular?What about that book that…
Much has been written about the demands on a local church pastor: to be omnicompetent,1 to be an expert on theology, organizational management, and social psychology. She must be intelligent, likable, funny, wise, charming, and savvy. The list of disciplines…
*Editorial Note: Gaby Viesca has been an important voice within our Writing Collectives for some time. Earlier this month, Gaby officially joined our Missio Alliance team as the Director of Strategy & Partnerships as well. Read more about her discernment…
Karl Barth was onto Something Profound“As Jesus Christ calls us and is heard by us He gives us His Holy Spirit in order that His own relationship to His Father may be repeated in us” (Barth, Church Dogmatics, italics…
Pilgrimage is Almost as Old as Christianity Itself“For the next three days, we will be on a pilgrimage together.” These are the words my co-facilitator and I greet the groups which join us for a Sankofa Impact1 ‘Pilgrimage to…
Near the end of 2022, as I browsed in a retail shop, I noticed a whiteboard with the number 317 in bold, black dry-erase ink at the top, and a list of names beside other three-digit numbers below. “What’s that?”…
The Messiah We ExpectThe Messiah has come and is coming to remove the powerful from their thrones and restore David’s kingdom. This Messiah will deliver God’s people from under the oppressor’s heavy arm, cast down the mighty, raise up…
On the west side of Chicago stands a large brick building that reads New Moms. As a nonprofit transitional housing facility, New Moms is a safe haven for new mothers between the age of 18 – 24, the majority of…
*Editorial Note, Pt. 1: In Mandy’s own graciously pastoral heart, I’ll let her introduce her own piece:“I wondered if you could add a little something as an intro for those who may not be writers, e.g.: ‘‘Whether we…
It comes as a surprise to many Christians that the first problem in the Bible is not sin but loneliness. When I started in ministry, I learned to read Scripture through a specific lens: God made creation good. Humans fell…
“For dust you are and to dust you shall return…” (Genesis 3:19)With those words, the Church’s long, annual sojourn towards the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus begins, passing as it does through Golgotha’s dark gates into everlasting life. Tomorrow,…
* Editorial Note: Emily Hill has been writing a fantastic series for Missio, entitled ‘Captive to Capitalism,’ over the past six months. Part 1 was “Examining How the Economy Disciples Us.” Part 2, called “Understanding Branding Before You Market Your…
*Editorial Note: The following is a sponsored partner article from Cultivating Communities, one of Missio Alliance’s partners in mission. Missio Alliance partners participate in creating spaces and resources aimed at helping diverse church and ministry leaders engage in formational conversations…
“God, thank you for the amazing work you’re doing among young people at our church,” the pastor prays. “And thank you for using our youth director Laura as a part of that work.” I see the good intentions here. When…
*Editorial Note: It has been my deep privilege and honor to edit our first long-form series alongside Carol Cool, our Editorial Coordinator, who has recently transitioned off our team. Carol, we bless you as you step into the peace of…
Both Ben Sternke and Matt Tebbe have over two decades of Christian ministry experience and they’ve been coaching, consulting, and training leaders since 2010. Together, they co-founded Gravity Leadership, where they coach and consult pastors and ministry leaders worldwide in…
*Editorial Note: Part 1 of Gino’s article, entitled “A Clear Vision for the Future: Re-Examining The Anabaptist Vision for Today” posted on January 31st. We encourage you to return to this piece if you haven’t read it and then continue…
Our Vision Needs CorrectionThe Christian church in the United States needs a reformation. White Evangelicalism and Christian Nationalism have long dominated the narrative of what it means to be a Christian in our country. Capitalism, racism, and patriarchy often…
*Editorial Note: Part 1 of Kyuboem’s article, entitled “Seminaries in the Crucible: What is Being Forged?” posted on January 24th. We encourage you to return to this piece if you haven’t read it and then continue to Part 2 below.…
Theological Education Is Being ForgedIn the crucible of numerous disruptions on multiple fronts, a new form of theological education for mission in the post-Christendom West is being forged – or so many of us carrying on the work of…
*Editorial Note: Part 1 of Dennis’s article, subtitled “Disrupting the Status Quo for the Sake of Solidarity,” posted on January 17th. Part 1 intentionally stopped suddenly to provoke thought and invite a prayerful, formational response in you. We encourage you…
Christian Solidarity Disrupts the Status QuoChristian solidarity rebukes the status quo of a hierarchical society. When Christians strive for robust partnership — what the New Testament calls koinonia — their actions disrupt the tendency within most societies to marginalize…
*Editorial Note: Part 1 of Sahr’s article posted on December 13th, 2022. You can read it in full here.Reviewing Part 1In Part I, we looked at connections between Christian community and parrhesia (truth-telling). For the sake of review,…
My father-in-law recently retired from a life of farming. For about 50 years, he raised beef cattle and crops from corn to beans to alfalfa and more. Each season of the year was marked by particular tasks, and each task…
What have you read or listened to this year that you still find yourself thinking about as the year winds down? Why?Justin Heap (Director of Content & Resource Development): The book Call Us What We Carry, by Amanda Gorman,…
Editorial Note: We asked Lisa Rodriguez-Watson, our National Director, to reflect on our autumn series on disruption through the lens of the Christmas narrative. Here is her beautiful, poignant response. Merry Christmas!God Disrupts the World Through IncarnationIt was…
AbstractIn ancient Greco-Roman culture, parrhesia, meaning free speech, was the act of boldly speaking truth to power. It was speech that critiqued both individuals and systems. Although the term is now obscure, the practice of parrhesia is frequently on…
In Part 1 of “Loving Our Enemies,” I addressed how the ethic of enemy-love is one of the most distinctive calls for followers of Jesus, yet sadly, it has been used time after time to silence victims, minimize abuse, and…
But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you; pray for those who mistreat you. (Luke 6:27-28, New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition). The ethic…
Dr. Nijay Gupta teaches New Testament courses at Northern and working closely with the Master of Arts in New Testament and the Doctor in Ministry in New Testament Context cohorts.Dr. Gupta has been teaching and writing for more than…
The moment the word “why” crosses your lips, you are doing theology.—When Life and Beliefs Collide: How Knowing God Makes a DifferenceIt is sheer fiction to imagine that following Jesus means we can skate through life without stumbling…
Editorial Note: This piece by Andrew Arndt is the first of several pieces on significant moments within the liturgical season that Missio Alliance will publish in the coming year. As a team, we are praying that your Advent season is…
Editorial Note: Part 1 of this article, subtitled “The Origins of Giving,” was published on Tuesday, November 22. You can read it here. The Future of Giving in the Church: Starting with the Heart Disruption in giving trends and old…
“But how are we going to pay for all this?” It’s a typical question that resounds in my ears during church finance meetings and annual budgeting, and I would guess that I am not alone. Whether it’s a historical church,…
Bonnie is the author of A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today. As a journalist, she writes opinion pieces on foreign policy, religion, electoral politics, and more. Her column, “The Lesser Kingdom,” appears in print and…
They triumphed . . . by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. (Revelation 12:11) [Our] basic frameworks were formed by the socio-cultural paradigms coming primarily from the social sciences, psychology, and the business world.…
Not every pastor is called to serve during a season of growth. As Western churches enter a period of disruption, many of us might discover that we’ve been called to shepherd and lead during a period of decline. When I…
When it comes to race, our discipleship has been defective for some time. Race. Discipleship. How often do these words even appear together? What does race have to do with discipleship, anyway? These questions really began to haunt me in…
Editorial Note: We intentionally chose to publish Miranda Zapor Cruz’s piece, “The Myth of the 93%,” today, on November 8, the day of the 2022 midterm elections across the United States. As the political rhetoric and posturing for power has…
The Cambridge Dictionary defines disruption as “the action of preventing something, especially a system, process, or event, from continuing as usual or as expected.” Doesn’t this definition hit the nail square on its head in describing, well, pretty much every…
Nearly 80 years ago, a young, German pastor-theologian, writing from prison, asked a question the Church has returned to ask time and time again. It was at its core, christologically anchored. Dietrich Bonhoeffer asked, who is Christ for us today?…
The armchair finally arrived. It looked appropriate in the living room. It was crisp, polished, and neat, and had that mid-century, Nordic combination that conveys space, simplicity, and perfection. I sat on it and ran my hand down the smooth…
In a previous article I described contemporary branding strategies and how companies try to generate emotional connections, love, and loyalty for their brands in order to capture profits. Another word for this loyalty is worship. Creating Our Own Idols We…
I spend part of my days researching congregations, helping church leaders diagnose and respond to the social dynamics shaping their community. The work I do is grounded in the conviction that tending to what is happening on the corporate and…
An Editorial Note from Our National Director One of my initial convictions when I became the National Director of Missio Alliance was that the incredible theological work that we were doing needed to find its equivalent expression in our actual…
“Call and Response“ is the voiced invitation for nearby hearers to join in chants, hymns, alerts, or protest. The caller is the one whose voice initiates the outcry. The response is the many voices who follow suit with the same…
The Native people of North America have experienced atrocities at the hands of self-proclaimed Christians since contact. Even within founding documents like the Declaration of Independence, we see anti-Native rhetoric with the inclusion of passages such as: “He has excited…
Captive to Capitalism, part one, introduced the reality of the church’s formation by capitalism. Often without us noticing it, this all-encompassing capitalist system shapes our cultural identities and practices. Branding is a core element of this capitalistic formation. In our…
Editor’s Note: We sat down with Natasha Sistrunk Robinson, editor of the new book Voices of Lament, and Missio Alliance national director, Lisa Rodriguez-Watson, a contributor to the book, to gain understanding on the importance for both truth-telling and lament.…
It’s often the case that the people most able to distinguish between human power and kingdom power are those who have been most abused or excluded by human power structures. Each moment that a power structure oppresses or excludes can…
Editorial Note: Kingdom and Country: Following Jesus in the Land that You Love is the second book in the Kingdom Conversations series, a publishing initiative between Missio Alliance and NavPress. Angie Ward serves as the general editor for this series.…
When I took a two-year training course in spiritual direction in 1992, I didn’t really know what it was. At the time, I was exploring how best to prepare seminarians to thrive in ministry over the long haul of their…
This conversation happens on the regular for me: “Pastor, I just can’t do it anymore,” the frustrated congregant will say. “What can’t you do anymore?” I’ll reply, though I suspect I know the answer. “This. The whole thing. Church. There’s…
Missio Alliance is revisiting a piece from Emily Hill initially published in 2018 to provide the opening framework for a larger series on capitalism. I used to work with a pastor who liked to remind the staff, “Efficiency isn’t a…
Society says older adults are a burden. Do our churches believe that too? Today, many churches focus on children and youth ministries, leaving older adults feeling as if they have no place in the body of Christ. Sermons largely address…
Rowland Smith and Oneya Okuwobi sit down with Missio Alliance Director Lisa Rodriguez-Watson to talk about her chapter in Red Skies. Lisa focuses on migration to the West and how the church can be good news to immigrants. You can…
Richard B. Hays is internationally recognized for his work on the Gospels, the letters of Paul, and on New Testament ethics. His scholarly work has bridged the disciplines of biblical criticism and literary studies, exploring the innovative ways in which…
Dr. Vince Bantu (PhD in Semitic and Egyptian Languages, CUA) is the Ohene (President) of the Meachum School of Haymanot and is Assistant Professor of Church History and Black Church Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is also the Ohene…
Kellye Fabian serves at Willow Creek Community Church as the Pastor of Biblical Oversight & Support and is the author of Holy Vulnerability: Spiritual Practices for the Broken, Ashamed, Anxious, and Afraid and Sacred Questions: A Transformative Journey Through the…
The eleven28 Advent Podcast is brought to you in partnership with Missio Alliance. Christmas Eve: Its All True Our family tells the same stories every Christmas. We tell the stories about the one year the kids sneaked…
The eleven28 Advent Podcast is brought to you in partnership with Missio Alliance. The fourth week of Advent: Disruptive Love I am the mother of three kids but was only pregnant one advent season. Love was disruptive. I…