What does church planting look like here in North America?

In this episode, Alex and Scott talk with Dr. Clare Jewell, national representative of the GARBC and Executive Director with ABWE’s EveryEthne, about the state of church planting in North America. Clare shares his journey from pastoral ministry to missions leadership, explaining his passion for helping churches reproduce and make disciples. While the U.S. is filled with churches, it remains the world’s third-largest mission field. New church plants, Clare explains, are far more effective in reaching the lost than established congregations, and the focus must shift from programs to relationships.

Jewell also addresses how churches can reach people “not like them”, to get beyond people that share the same demographics, moral code, or even religion. He highlights the growing hunger among younger generations for mentorship and authentic discipleship, seeing signs of renewed spiritual interest.

• The need for disciple-making and church reproduction in North America
• Effectiveness of new church plants versus established churches
• Relational evangelism over program-driven ministry
• Engaging culture without compromising biblical truth
• Revitalizing the GARBC toward mission and interdependence

Is God calling you to missions? ABWE can help you find the opportunities and support you need to bring the gospel to the nations, plant churches, and disciple believers. Start the conversation with us today at abwe.org/sendme.

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The Missions Podcast is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.

Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email alex@missionspodcast.com.

Are small Bible colleges on life support in America?

In this week's episode, Alex and Scott welcome Dr. Jim Lytle, former president of Clarks Summit University and former ABWE missionary to South Africa, to discuss the enduring importance of Christian institutions and the plight facing Bible colleges today. They explore how Bible colleges have historically served as crucial training grounds for mobilizing missionaries, shaping young believers’ worldviews, and fostering a heart for cross-cultural ministry. Lytle emphasizes that the purpose of these schools was not only theological education but also defining reality for students—helping them see their lives in the context of God’s global mission.

They also address the challenges facing Christian higher education today, including declining enrollment, rising costs, parental hesitancy toward missions, and cultural changes that have shifted students’ perspectives. They discuss the growing need for local churches to take on a greater role in developing and sending workers, the later age at which many missionaries are now mobilized, and the unique openness of Gen Z to purpose-driven and clearly defined callings.

• The role of Christian institutions like Bible colleges in missions mobilization and shaping students’ worldview and calling
• Challenges for Christian higher education (enrollment, finances, cultural shifts)
• Trends in mobilizing Gen Z for missions and ministry
• Need for clearly defined, purpose-driven calls to action

Explore your calling to global missions at ABWE's 24-Hour DEMO event. These events, held throughout the year, help individuals and churches explore how they can help fulfill the Great Commission and explore God's calling on their life and church. Learn more at demo.abwe.org and register with promocode: PODCAST.

Do you love The Missions Podcast? Have you been blessed by the show? Then become a Premium Subscriber!

Premium Subscribers get access to:

• Exclusive bonus content
• A community Signal thread with other listeners and the hosts
• Invite-only webinars
• A free gift!

Support The Missions Podcast and sign up to be a Premium Subscriber at missionspodcast.com/premium

The Missions Podcast is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.

Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email alex@missionspodcast.com.

What does being a missionary look like among a totally unreached Muslim majority people group?

In this week's episode, Alex and Scott sit down with Alan, an ABWE missionary serving in North Africa, who shares his experience of seeing God work in incredible ways among an unreached people group. Despite having a lucrative career in corporate America, Alan felt the call to go preach the gospel to unreached Muslim people, all at the age of 50.

Alan shares personal stories about the risks and rewards of serving in an unreached context. He also talks about what he sees as being his biggest need on the field.

Read about Alan's full story in ABWE's Message Magazine. Click here.

To connect with Alan, email alex @ missionspodcast.com. You can also support his ministry by giving here.

• Alan's call to ministry. From apathy to having a heart for unreached Muslims.
• Using a business platform as a means to church planting
• Personal story about Youssef coming to Christ and then his whole family
• The biggest need on the field in North Africa.

Being a godly husband and father isn't about one big heroic act, it's about showing up every day. Men need a simple, practical plan to stay faithful in the daily grind. How To Lead Your Family is a no-nonsense guide, from author Joel Beeke, that gives the biblical foundation, Christ-centered encouragement, practical advice for men to purse the high standards that God calls them too. Get 20% off your copy today when you use the promo code: LEADABWE. Additionally, new email subscribers can get 10% off a future order. We are thankful for Reformation Heritage Books for their sponsorship of this episode!

Do you love The Missions Podcast? Have you been blessed by the show? Then become a Premium Subscriber!

Premium Subscribers get access to:

• Exclusive bonus content
• A community Signal thread with other listeners and the hosts
• Invite-only webinars
• A free gift!

Support The Missions Podcast and sign up to be a Premium Subscriber at missionspodcast.com/premium

The Missions Podcast is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.

Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email alex@missionspodcast.com.

Can AI technology shortcut language barriers for the gospel?

Alex Kocman and Scott Dunford explore the connection between language, culture, and gospel communication. They discuss Apple’s new AirPods Pro 3 with Live Translation and explain why technology can’t replace the slow, intentional work of learning a language. Scott shares personal stories from learning Mandarin, showing how culture shapes meaning and how simple translation can miss the point.

They also warn against reductionistic approaches to missions that downplay language learning and rely too much on quick methods. God Himself prepared a cultural framework over centuries for Christ’s coming, which shows why missionaries must engage deeply with local language and culture to clearly communicate the gospel.

• Apple AirPods Pro 3 with Live Translationand the excitement and limitations for missions work
• Language and culture as inseparable
• How language shapes thought and the need for teaching new concepts
• Cultural literacy and understanding local history, customs, and “insider language”

Being a godly husband and father isn't about one big heroic act, it's about showing up every day. Men need a simple, practical plan to stay faithful in the daily grind. How To Lead Your Family is a no-nonsense guide, from author Joel Beeke, that gives the biblical foundation, Christ-centered encouragement, practical advice for men to purse the high standards that God calls them too. Get 20% off your copy today when you use the promo code: LEADABWE. Additionally, new email subscribers can get 10% off a future order. We are thankful for Reformation Heritage Books for their sponsorship of this episode!

Do you love The Missions Podcast? Have you been blessed by the show? Then become a Premium Subscriber!

Premium Subscribers get access to:

• Exclusive bonus content
• A community Signal thread with other listeners and the hosts
• Invite-only webinars
• A free gift!

Support The Missions Podcast and sign up to be a Premium Subscriber at missionspodcast.com/premium

The Missions Podcast is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.

Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email alex@missionspodcast.com.

Can empathy be a bad thing?

This week, Alex and Scott sit down with Joe Rigney, Fellow of Theology at New Saint Andrew's College and pastor, as they explore the challenges of Christian leadership, ministry, and missions, and the dangers of emotional sabotage and untethered empathy. Rigney explains that in times of turmoil, leaders must maintain mission clarity and resist being derailed by reactive or manipulative pressures within their organizations.

Joe Rigney discusses that rather than being an unqualified good, empathy can be wielded as emotional blackmail, steering ministries away from their God-given purposes. They also focus on principles of mobilization and missions. Rigney stresses that appeals to missions should be rooted not in guilt but in gratitude, joy, and faith in God’s future grace.

• The concept of mission drift and how institutions get derailed in anxious times
• Difference between biblical compassion and untethered empathy
• The dangers of empathy as emotional blackmail and manipulation
• How appeals to missions should be based on truth and joy, not guilt
• Building sober-minded, resilient leaders who can withstand cultural and emotional pressures

Being a godly husband and father isn't about one big heroic act, it's about showing up every day. Men need a simple, practical plan to stay faithful in the daily grind. How To Lead Your Family is a no-nonsense guide, from author Joel Beeke, that gives the biblical foundation, Christ-centered encouragement, practical advice for men to purse the high standards that God calls them too. Get 20% off your copy today when you use the promo code: LEADABWE. Additionally, new email subscribers can get 10% off a future order. We are thankful for Reformation Heritage Books for their sponsorship of this episode!

Do you love The Missions Podcast? Have you been blessed by the show? Then become a Premium Subscriber!

Premium Subscribers get access to:

• Exclusive bonus content
• A community Signal thread with other listeners and the hosts
• Invite-only webinars
• A free gift!

Support The Missions Podcast and sign up to be a Premium Subscriber at missionspodcast.com/premium

The Missions Podcast is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.

Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email alex@missionspodcast.com.

In this special, unplanned episode, Alex and Scott share their raw reflections on this week’s wicked events and how mission-minded Christians must respond in the present hour.

Does studying classical philosophy have any relevance for missions today?

In this episode, Alex and Scott talk with Dr. David Talcott, a philosopher and faculty member at New Saint Andrew’s College, to discuss the intersection of philosophy, culture, and missions. They ask the famous question “What hath Athens to do with Jerusalem?”—whether philosophy and Scripture can meaningfully interact. Drawing from Acts 17, they explore how Paul’s intellectual preparation and knowledge of Greek culture allowed him to engage with Stoic and Epicurean philosophers, modeling how missionaries today should understand and address the intellectual frameworks of their host cultures.

The discussion broadens into how classical philosophy, particularly Plato and Aristotle, still speaks into modern challenges such as relativism, skepticism, and materialism. Dr. Talcott emphasizes that philosophy provides categories and arguments that can prepare hearts and minds for the gospel, acting as a kind of “preparatory grace.”

Key Topics Covered:

• The question: “What hath Athens to do with Jerusalem?”—philosophy and theology in harmony
• Acts 17 as a model for missionary engagement with culture and thought
• Relevance of classical philosophy for confronting modern ideologies (materialism, relativism, skepticism)
• The role of “common grace” in pagan philosophies and cultures
• The movement to retrieve classical theology and its value for missions today

Being a godly husband and father isn't about one big heroic act, it's about showing up every day. Men need a simple, practical plan to stay faithful in the daily grind. How To Lead Your Family is a no-nonsense guide, from author Joel Beeke, that gives the biblical foundation, Christ-centered encouragement, practical advice for men to purse the high standards that God calls them too. Get 20% off your copy today when you use the promo code: LEADABWE. Additionally, new email subscribers can get 10% off a future order. We are thankful for Reformation Heritage Books for their sponsorship of this episode!

Do you love The Missions Podcast? Have you been blessed by the show? Then become a Premium Subscriber!

Premium Subscribers get access to:

• Exclusive bonus content
• A community Signal thread with other listeners and the hosts
• Invite-only webinars
• A free gift!

Support The Missions Podcast and sign up to be a Premium Subscriber at missionspodcast.com/premium

The Missions Podcast is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.

Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email alex@missionspodcast.com.

How do you fully understand and explain the work of Jesus on the cross?

In this episode, Alex and Scott explore the doctrine of the atonement, focusing on the concept of Penal Substitutionary Atonement (PSA) and contrasting it with other historical and theological views. The discussion walks through various atonement theories—including the Moral Influence, Ransom, and Christus Victor views and more—acknowledging elements of truth in each while highlighting their limitations compared to PSA.

Lastly, they discuss the missiological implications, countering the claim that PSA is purely a Western, legalistic construct. Instead, they stress that guilt and innocence are universal moral realities recognized across cultures, and missionaries should faithfully present the biblical doctrine while adapting metaphors and illustrations for local understanding.

Key Topics

• Importance of understanding the atonement for cross-cultural missions.
• Overview of major atonement theories: Moral Influence, Ransom, Christus Victor, Satisfaction, Governmental, and Scapegoat.
• Strengths and weaknesses of each theory compared to Penal Substitutionary Atonement (PSA).
• Scriptural foundations for PSA and its theological depth.
• Addressing the critiques of PSA.
• Practical considerations for contextualizing PSA in missionary work.

Download the transcript for this episode.

Being a godly husband and father isn't about one big heroic act, it's about showing up every day. Men need a simple, practical plan to stay faithful in the daily grind. How To Lead Your Family is a no-nonsense guide, from author Joel Beeke, that gives the biblical foundation, Christ-centered encouragement, practical advice for men to purse the high standards that God calls them too. Get 20% off your copy today when you use the promo code: LEADABWE. Additionally, new email subscribers can get 10% off a future order. We are thankful for Reformation Heritage Books for their sponsorship of this episode!

Do you love The Missions Podcast? Have you been blessed by the show? Then become a Premium Subscriber!

Premium Subscribers get access to:

• Exclusive bonus content
• A community Signal thread with other listeners and the hosts
• Invite-only webinars
• A free gift!

Support The Missions Podcast and sign up to be a Premium Subscriber at missionspodcast.com/premium

The Missions Podcast is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.

Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email alex@missionspodcast.com.