The Missions Pastor Podcast: Recent Episodes
OneChild
Welcome to The Missions Pastor Podcast, presented by OneChild. OneChild is a global community of Child Champions that serves children in poverty so they can discover hope and reach their God-given potential. We believe that the local church has the message of Hope that the world desperately needs to hear. And in every episode, we highlight churches, pastors, and ministries who are working to bring that HOPE to hard places.
Chris Conner is the Missions And Outreach Pastor at Mountaintop Community Church in Birmingham, Alabama. But that’s not the role Chris was originally hired for. Chris began his ministry and Mountaintop Community as the Youth Pastor. He shares the lessons he's learned through this transition.
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First, keep your expectations realistic. It’s great to dream big. And we serve a God who does big things. But we also need to understand that He’s working a plan that’s bigger than us and our church. So, we can dream big, but plan realistically.
Second, embrace the unexpected. Chris had no idea that a fourth of his first year in this role would be functioning as a general contractor for another church’s vision of opening a coffee house for their community. But I know Chris wouldn’t trade that experience for following the plan he had in place when the year began.
And finally, take time at the end of every year to look back, and adjust your expectations and plans going forward. There are great lessons to be learned when we see what God has done and prayerfully ask what He wants us to do moving into the future.
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Laurel Fishbook has worn a lot of hats at over the years at Christ the King Church in Bellingham, Washington - most recently as Director of Missions. One of Christ the King’s primary values is being outward focused, and to see every person who attends involved in missions and outreach. Laurel shares how she became Director of Missions and how she's helped transition the church to a different model of outreach.
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First, be willing to change. Just because something has worked for years doesn’t mean it’s the right way to keep doing things in the future. These changes may breathe new life into your missions ministry.
Second, serving in missions can grow someone’s heart for missions. Laurel always understood how important missions is, but didn’t really become passionate about it until she began leading this ministry. The same thing can happen for anyone in our churches.
And finally, the end goal of all of this should be relationships. Our missionaries and those serving in outreach need to know they’re loved and cared for. Anything we can do to deepen those relationships is critical to their health and the health of our outreach ministries.
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Brent Altman, the Director of Missions at Grace Family Church in Tampa, Florida, is committed to seeing the missions and outreach of Grace Family flowing through local church partners around the world. Brent shares some of the lessons he's learned and the advice he believes can help churches move toward this focus.
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First, working through local church partners takes time, but it's well worth it. When you partner with local churches to support and strengthen the work they’re doing in their own context, great things happen.
Second, these partnerships require you to let go of some control. This isn’t easy for any of us to do. But we can’t expect these local church partners to be effective if we’re micromanaging them every step of the way.
And finally, find other missions pastors and churches who are seeking to work through local churches, and learn from them. The greatest teacher is someone else’s experience.
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Travis Janousek, the Serve Pastor at New City Church in Charlotte, NC, believes that all missions partnerships should begin with the goal of being "mutually beneficial." He shares what that means, why its important, and how a big part of that means letting go of control.
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First, don’t be afraid to "chase the wild goose." Hold your plans loosely. Look for where the Holy Spirit is leading and then follow; even when it doesn’t make sense.
Second, remember that you don’t have all the answers. Mutually beneficial ministry requires humility and a willingness to listen.
And finally, look for missions partners who have shared values. You can’t develop mutually beneficial missions ministry if one side has a completely different framework for ministry.
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Liberty Bible Church is a historic church that has existed for nearly 100 years. For any church to thrive over such a significant period of time, there has to have been lots of changes and growth. Kevin Cram, Pastor of Global & Local Engagement, shares how a church like Liberty has remained committed to keeping their members engaged with missions for so long.
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First, the goal we should focus on is keeping our members engaged in missions, not continuing to do it the same way we’ve always done it. Our focus needs to stay on what we’re trying to accomplish and not so much on how we’re doing it.
Second, gather a team around you to help you in engaging the church in missions. You don’t have to it alone. God has already brought some supporters into your church who want to help you. Look for them and ask for their help.
And finally, constantly keep your pastor engaged. In reality, your senior pastor should be the first person you are working to engage in missions. Keep them updated. Bring them on short term missions trips. Let them hear stories of exciting things God is doing on the mission field. The church will only be as engaged in missions as the senior pastor.
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Check out GO: A Great Commission Podcast
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Today's conversation is with Dr. Jay Madden, the Executive Pastor at Peachtree Church in Atlanta, Georgia. Rush Creek doesn’t really have a missions program. One of the most common ways for churches to engage in missions is through short-term missions trips. But the pandemic slammed the door shut on most of these trips for several years. Dr. Madden is passionate about seeing Peachtree and other churches re engage in these efforts, and she shares his advice on how to do that effectively.
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First, we all love the lessons we learned during the pandemic about how to utilize communications advances to improve our relationships with our missions partners. But nothing is better than being present with those partners for a few days. Dr. Madden reminds us that short term ministry trips are critical for healthy missions relationships.
Second, don’t just restart missions trips by going back to the way your church did them before the pandemic. See this as an opportunity to evaluate what you want your short term missions program to be and how it can benefit both your church and your missions partners.
And finally, always seek to add real value to your missions partners when you plan to bring a team to serve alongside them. Dr. Madden reminds us that the first rule of the Hippocratic Oath should also be the first rule of missions partnership: do no harm.
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Today's conversation is with Brian McFadden, the Compassion Pastor at Rush Creek Church in Arlington, Texas. Rush Creek doesn’t really have a missions program. Rush Creek truly believes that everything they do is about outreach both locally and globally. And that means that every member needs to be engaged in sharing the Gospel every day.
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Brian passionately share that when a church fully commits to the Great Commission, amazing things happen. And that results in transformation both internally and externally.
Brian also helps us understand that missions trips don’t have to be for individuals. There’s something very powerful that can happen when whole families engage together in serving in a foreign context together.
And finally, Brian shows that missions doesn’t have to be something done only through a third party organization. While Rush Creek’s child sponsorship program started with a ministry like OneChild, it grew into something that the church took on completely by itself in order to become even more connected to it.
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Today's conversation is with Scott Allen, the Minister of Missions & Single Adults at Rock Springs Baptist Church in Easley, South Carolina. Scott has helped lead Rock Springs Baptist to develop a missions process that has resulted in their church being involved in missions all around the world. That strategy is called "Pray, Give, Go."
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First, Scott reminds us that when we get the people in our churches truly praying for missions and outreach, it changes them from the inside out. This always leads to a deeper involvement in other ways.
Second, Rock Springs doesn’t just "talk the talk" when it comes to giving, it "walks the walk." They’re committed to seeing anyone who feels called to participate in a missions trip, go. And they back that up financially. This moves the rest of the church to become more involved in giving to missions because their own friends and family are actively involved.
And finally, as we’ve heard so many times before, when individuals and families within Rock Springs Baptist participate in short term missions opportunities, it leads to a stronger walk with Christ and even more involvement in taking the Gospel across the street and around the world.
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Today's conversation is with Mike McLanahan, the Missions Pastor at Hendersonville First Baptist Church in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Mike works to carry out the church's vision to see churches around the country experience revitalization in order to bring the Gospel to their communities and send the Gospel to the nations.
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First, it's clear from this conversation that the men of North Metro Baptist are active in missions and outreach because they see Dr. Cox engaging in the community in these areas. It’s one thing to hear about loving and serving others from the pulpit on Sunday. It’s a completely different thing when you see your pastor doing that at the local high school football games every Friday night.
Second, Dr. Cox reminds us that men want to be involved, but you have to give them ways that fit who they are. The men of North Metro Baptist are involved in everything from picking up people and bringing them to church, to leading trips to Guatemala. Give men different ways to be involved that fit their personalities.
And finally, as a pastor or missions pastor, Dr. Cox stresses that you have to equip men to share their faith. Teach them what that looks like. Help them understand how to have those conversations. Then unleash men who love Jesus into the world and watch what happens.
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Today's conversation is with Dr. Frank Cox, the Senior Pastor at North Metro Baptist Church in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Dr. Cox believes that the men of the local church should be on the front lines of missions, outreach and evangelism, and he works with the men of North Metro Baptist Church to help them lead in this area.
Want to learn how your church can partner with OneChild to bring HOPE to kids living in hard Places? Click Here!
First, it's clear from this conversation that the men of North Metro Baptist are active in missions and outreach because they see Dr. Cox engaging in the community in these areas. It’s one thing to hear about loving and serving others from the pulpit on Sunday. It’s a completely different thing when you see your pastor doing that at the local high school football games every Friday night.
Second, Dr. Cox reminds us that men want to be involved, but you have to give them ways that fit who they are. The men of North Metro Baptist are involved in everything from picking up people and bringing them to church, to leading trips to Guatemala. Give men different ways to be involved that fit their personalities.
And finally, as a pastor or missions pastor, Dr. Cox stresses that you have to equip men to share their faith. Teach them what that looks like. Help them understand how to have those conversations. Then unleash men who love Jesus into the world and watch what happens.
Learn More About North Metro Baptist Church
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Today's conversation is with Todd Bussey, the Ministry Development Pastor at Christ’s Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Todd's decades of experience in leading outreach and missions programs has taught him that empowering local leaders in these efforts is the key to long-lasting success.
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Todd's challenges us to keep our eyes open for people we wouldn’t expect. There are people already serving in areas whom God has called to reach those in their own circles of influence. Look for them.
Second, releasing local leaders into ministry is challenging for lots of us. We have to be willing to let people who think differently and understand the context of where they are serving do things differently than we do them.
And finally, Todd reminds us that praying for missions is another form of releasing control of missions. It’s hard for us to do, but we really are placing the future of God’s work in the nations back in God’s hands.
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Today's conversation is with Ferrill Gallaway, the Missions Pastor at New Life Christian Fellowship in Jacksonville, Florida. Over the course of the previous episodes of this podcast, many missions pastors have emphasized the need for the missions ministry of churches to focus on prayer. I asked Ferrill to explain why this is so important in missions.
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First, Ferrill reminds us that prayer isn’t about reciting a list of needs for a few minutes and hoping God does something about it. Prayer is about truly understanding who our missionaries are, the challenges they face, and then uniting in prayer for these missionaries. Then, when God answers those prayers, the church needs to learn about those answers so they can celebrate together.
Second, praying together for our missionaries connects the church together locally and globally. And as that happens, it creates a sending culture within the church. As our members see God moving in missions, they catch a passion for missions themselves which leads to some responding to God’s call to the nations.
And finally, people in our churches love connecting with a vision. There’s something within us that wants to be a part of the Gospel going around the world. Keep those stories constantly in front of your church and use that as fuel for prayer.
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Today's conversation is with Todd Hampton, the High School Pastor at West Ridge Church in Dallas, Georgia. A vital component to West Ridge Church’s student ministry is taking them to work in Nicaragua so they can experience missions first hand. Todd shares how this element has helped the students at West Ridge Church grow deeper in their faith.
Want to learn how your church can partner with OneChild to bring HOPE to kids living in hard Places? Click Here!
Most American teenagers have never experienced anything close to what they will when visiting a foreign country and serving those who have less than they do for an extended period of time. Todd shares how giving the young people at West Ridge the opportunity to step out of their limited context, causes them to come back with a clearer picture of how they can be a part of advancing the Kingdom of God.
Second, West Ridge takes full advantage of the momentum gained through their missions trips by continuing to give students the chance to contribute to helping those same communities through prayer, giving and other projects throughout the year. West Ridge makes sure these students see the importance of lasting support beyond the week they travel there in person.
And Todd gives some advice to missions pastors whose student pastor hasn’t led an international missions trip before: be patient with them and build a support system around them. Help them see the value of these opportunities and work with them to organize a trip that becomes a part of the regular rhythm of the student ministry at your church.
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Today's conversation is with Dr. Lynne Ellis-Gray, the Serve the World Pastor at Overlake Christian Church in Redmond, Washington. A question that drives the outreach at Overlake is: “What would our world look like if every person was living with purpose, joining God's mission in the world?” I asked Lynne why this is such an important question to answer?
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Lynne shares that outreach works best when those we lead see themselves are part of a bigger story. It isn’t just about the missions and strategies of individual churches. It’s about how those missions and strategies fit into God’s greater mission and how we all are a part of what He’s doing in the world.
She also emphasizes that when our individual members see themselves engaging in God’s bigger plan around the world, they see how they can then take what they’ve been a part of in another country and context and apply that across the street in their own areas of influence. Engaging in global outreach always motivates our members to engage in local outreach.
And finally, Lynne encourages us not to over-plan our missions and outreach. Leave some space in your budget and your strategy for moments when God shows up to do the unexpected. You never know what will happen if you do.
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Today's conversation is with Jake Mills, Missions and Outreach Pastor at Beltway Park Church in Abilene, Texas. One of the unique characteristics of Beltway Park’s missions efforts is an emphasis on taking the Gospel to the Jewish people both in Israel and around the world.
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Jake shares that Beltway Park has always been committed to giving a percentage of their offerings directly to missions and then increasing that amount year over year. It doesn’t matter what that starting percentage is, set it aside, and then slowly raise that percentage annually and see who much of an impact that can make.
Jake also shares that it doesn’t matter if it’s Jewish evangelism or outreach to any other people group or nation, the best people to share the Gospel in a culture are people from that culture. This isn’t always easy, especially when dealing with unreached people groups. But once the opportunity presents itself to have Christians from inside that group reaching out to their own people, this transition must happen.
And finally, Jake reminds us that getting started in missions isn’t as difficult as we sometimes make it. But we still need to take a step back and be practical. Look at the budget and set aside the funds to be used. After that, take action. Get a team together, find a partnership you trust, and get to work. The rest is just details.
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Today's conversation is with Dr. Paul Colton, the Pastor of International Missions at Calvary Church in Tampa, Florida. For most churches, missions ministry begins with giving to an offering or participating in a short term ministry trip. But at Calvary Church, it begins before that.
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Paul explains that first, missions should be a critical element in integrating new church members into the life of the church. Equip to Send is the culmination of Calvary Church's four week orientation process. The message that is sent to new members is that being engaged in Great Commission work is the goal for every member.
Second, Brian encourages churches to choose great partners. Know who you’re working with. What they’re all about. Their goals and strategies, along with their needs. Having a clear understanding of this is critical to Paul’s final piece of advice which is to…
Communicate. Communicate. Communicate. Constantly highlight these partners and the people they reach out to in services and other creative ways. As church members understand their calling to be a part of Great Commission work, and you communicate partners you trust and have confidence in, these members will begin to participate in amazing ways you’d never be able to predict.
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Today's conversation is with Brian Gay, the Missions Pastor at First Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. Brian has been the Missions Pastor there for more than 15 years. But before that, he was a missionary kid, serving alongside his parents in Ecuador and Mexico.
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Brian stresses that we have to keep the kids of missionaries in mind when we pray and minister to them. When missionaries your church supports are spending extended time here in the US, remember that their kids are here too. Find ways to include them in the life of your church if possible. Help them develop friendships here. Do whatever you can to make them feel supported, not just their parents.
Second, Brian has seen firsthand - from both sides of the relationship - the power of strong ministry partnerships. And more often than not, when our the people in our churches engage deeply with these missions partners, it changes them as much or more than those they minister to.
And finally, Brian reminds us that getting a missions ministry started in your church doesn’t have to be complicated. Pick a specific people group. Begin praying for them and learning about them. And God will open doors. And then remember, you don’t have to go it alone. Your church denomination or network probably has some great resources to help you get started. Another tool is connecting with an organization like OneChild to help you begin to engage with churches serving kids living in hard places
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Today’s conversation is with Pastor David Wigington. David pastors Cornerstone Christian Fellowship in Bloomington, Indiana. He’s the author of God of the Long View: Trusting a Timeless God in a Hurried World. And David has led his church to make missions central to everything they do.
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David discusses why missions ministry isn't just another ministry of the local church; it must be the church's very heartbeat. David shares how Cornerstone have been able to make such a major impact around the world because missions is central to everything they do.
Every member of Cornerstone is encouraged and even expected to be engaged in missions. It could be giving a suggested amount at a major missions offering; participating in a short term missions trip; hosting a missionary and their family for a meal in their home; or sponsoring a child in the Dominican Republic through OneChild. But because missions is central to Cornerstone’s DNA, it’s critical that everyone has an opportunity to be a part of missions.
And finally, David share why effective missions ministry has to be planned out. David lives this out so intentionally that he plans out the missions efforts of Cornerstone more than he plans out his sermon series. David explains that he understands that the entire purpose of the local church is to take the Gospel to the world, and because of this everything the church does is built around fulfilling that calling.
Check out David's book "God of the Long View"
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Today's conversation is with Becky Kyle, the Director of Missions at Christ Fellowship in Florida. Becky is passionate about seeing Christ Fellowship boldly win the right to share the Gospel by meeting people’s needs unconditionally.
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Becky challenges missions pastors and outreach staff to find areas of need where their churches can make a difference, and then be consistent. It’s so much more effective to build relationships with the same people over and over again, then to go an inch deep and a mile wide.
She also encourages missions ministries to become ministries that say “yes.” The needs in our communities and around the world are many. When we learn to say “yes” to these needs that God brings our way, God is faithful to meet our needs as well.
And finally, Becky reminds us that one of the most important things an outreach ministry can do to create lasting impact is to commit to being a “ministry of presence.” Be at the community events. The football games. Whatever you can think of. You know your context better than anyone. The key is just finding out where the people in your community are, be there with them, and meet needs.
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Today's conversation with with Pam Seaburg. Pam is the Outreach Director of Victory Church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Nothing drives Pam more in ministry than the overwhelming reality of God’s love for all mankind and that He has invited us to share in the mission of presenting this redeeming truth to all those “not yet in the fold”.
Want to learn how your church can partner with OneChild to bring HOPE to kids living in hard Places? Click Here!
Pam shares how local and global outreach feed off of each other. They’re not mutually exclusive. When our church communities engage in local outreach, it grows into a passion for global outreach. But the same is also true. When people participate in short term ministry trips and other overseas missions opportunities, they come back committed to reaching their own communities for Christ.
Pam also shares how smaller churches can still have big impact when they remember that it isn’t the size of their missions budget that matters; their God is big and He desires every church to engage in global missions.
And finally, Pam reminds us that everything we do in our missions ministries flows from prayer. We have to be humble. Take time to listen. And always remember that God has a plan for our churches to be actively engaging in both local and global outreach.
Learn more about Victory Church
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Today's conversation is with Amanda Brown, the Missions Pastor at Flatirons Community Church in Colorado. The vision of Flatirons is to bring the awesome life of Christ to people in a lost and broken world, and Amanda’s passion is to see the church develop lasting relationships with their missions partners in order to see that happen.
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Amanda reminds us that it’s critical not only to offer something to our missions partners around the world, but but that they have a great deal to offer to us as well. Partnership is built off of really leaning into each other’s strengths.
Amanda shares how that while COVID and lockdowns have forced Flatirons to get creative about how they cultivate relationships with missions partners, they've realized they can’t sit back and become dependent on ZOOM meetings and virtual missions trips. It’s time they start thinking about how to get face to face with their missions partners again, because you can’t replace the power of that type of connection.
And finally, when Flatiron's chooses a missions partner, they do so based on shared values and passions, and then commit to long term relationship with them. Doing this makes it easier to extend grace to each other when things get hard or don’t work out as smoothly as they'd hoped. Relationships require commitment, so choosing the right partner in the first place is critical.
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"Kids need now what they have always needed, and that’s hope: a belief that a better future is possible."
Scott C. Todd, PhD - President of OneChild
Dr. Scott C. Todd, a sought-after speaker and author, brings to audiences his global experience in relief and development, passion for helping children in hard places, and conviction that hope — serious hope — is essential for resilience and sustainable change. Hear why Dr. Todd is passionate about bringing hope to the hardest places, creating a global community of Child Champions, building a generational church, and listening attentively to kids to help them thrive.
Join Dr. Todd and your host, David Jesse, as they discuss why bringing HOPE to hard places is the passion of OneChild.