Kevin Bauder, President of Central Baptist Theological Seminary, shares (PDF) some practical recommendations regarding pastors and their involvement in foreign missions. With foreign missions on the decline—at least in the US, “what can and should a pastor do to foster enthusiasm for missions in his congregation”? Sending teams to foreign countries may not always be worth the cost. There are, however, several things the pastor can do to promote foreign missions, requiring little time and money.
Aug. 8, 2008, marks the commencement of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. . . . In preparation, the Chinese are scrambling to upgrade Beijing’s appearance, both in billions of investment dollars to revamp the city’s facilities and by cracking down on elements it fears will run counter to the central government’s rigid agenda while the world watches. Among those elements are foreign missionaries.
On the surface, its connection to the word mission is obvious. But does a desire to share one’s faith encapsulate the meaning of the word? Trevin Wax addresses this issue in a helpful article entitled “Missional—The New Buzzword.”
One of the problems with the term is its varied usage. The term missional has become a buzzword of the Emerging Church and has taken on a certain meaning. Many from the more traditional stripe, recognizing it as a good word, have also started using it, but often in a different way. Trevin explains, “For many traditional SBC leaders, the term is synonymous with the idea of being ‘missions-minded’ or ‘evangelistic.’”
After the release of the 19 remaining South Korean Christian hostages, the discussion turned toward the wisdom of doing missions in dangerous countries like Afghanistan. The Christians and churches involved were criticized severely—from the outside and the inside—for disregarding warnings from the government. They were blamed for the whole situation and seem to be taking full responsibility for all that unfolded.
According to the Christian Post, “Some 100 pastors gathered in Seoul, South Korea, on Tuesday for a penitence prayer meeting in response to worldwide criticism of Korean churches’ aggressive overseas missionary work.”
All 19 of the remaining South Korean hostages are now free. The Taliban released 12 hostages on Wednesday and the other 7 on Thursday. Now the discussion turns toward the issue of whether foreign missionary work should be allowed in countries like Afghanistan where the risks are great.
Protestant organizations in South Korea have said they will respect the new law banning missionary activities in Afghanistan after voicing appreciation for the government’s effort in freeing the Christian volunteers.
US evangelist Franklin Graham made history this past weekend by attracting a crowd of 185,674 people to the Festival of Hope—the largest evangelical event in Ecuador’s history.
The Taliban has finally agreed to release the remaining 19 South Korean Christian hostages on two conditions: South Korea must (1) prohibit missionary work in Afghanistan and (2) withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year. Currently some 200 soldiers are “deployed in Afghanistan for reconstruction efforts, not combat.”
Qari Yousef Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, said South Korean and Taliban delegates at face-to-face talks Tuesday in the central town of Ghazni had “reached an agreement” to free the captives.
The Taliban has killed the second of 23 South Korean Christian hostages: another man, 29-year-old Shim Sung-min.
The body of a second South Korean Christian hostage killed in Afghanistan was found Tuesday as the Taliban’s new deadline loomed for the fate of the remaining 21 hostages.
The blood-stained, bullet-riddled body of a man was dumped in a field of clover in Arzoo village about six miles from the eastern city of Ghazni, according to Reuters.
The Taliban has killed one of the 23 Korean Christian hostages who were captured on Thursday of last week. The Taliban insists that its demands were not met, claims no responsibility for the death of the male hostage, and promises that more deaths will follow.
“Since Kabul’s administration did not listen to our demand and did not free our prisoners, the Taliban shot dead a male Korean hostage,” Qari Yousef Ahmadi, the alleged news representative for the Taliban, told Reuters by phone from an unknown location.
Last Thursday 231 evangelical Korean Christians traveling through Afghanistan for missionary work were captured “on the main Kabul to Kandahar highway . . . in the largest single abduction of foreigners since 2001.” Those who were captured are part of Korean Action, a South Korean Christian medical aid agency based in Kandahar.
The bus driver, who was released Thursday night, claims that their were 23 on board (18 women and 5 men). The Taliban claims to have captured 18 total. This discrepancy is still unresolved. [↩ back]
Kevin Bauder, President of Central Baptist Theological Seminary, shares (PDF) some practical recommendations regarding pastors and their involvement in foreign missions. With foreign missions on the decline—at least in the US, “what can and should a pastor do to foster enthusiasm for missions in his congregation”? Sending teams to foreign countries may not always be worth the cost. There are, however, several things the pastor can do to promote foreign missions, requiring little time and money.
.
Here are today’s bullet points:
On the surface, its connection to the word mission is obvious. But does a desire to share one’s faith encapsulate the meaning of the word? Trevin Wax addresses this issue in a helpful article entitled 
After the release of the 19 remaining South Korean Christian hostages, the discussion turned toward the wisdom of doing missions in dangerous countries like Afghanistan. The Christians and churches involved were criticized severely—from the outside and the inside—for disregarding warnings from the government. They were blamed for the whole situation and seem to be taking full responsibility for all that unfolded.
All 19 of the remaining South Korean hostages are now free. The Taliban released 12 hostages on Wednesday and the other 7 on Thursday. Now the discussion turns toward the issue of whether foreign missionary work should be allowed in countries like Afghanistan where the risks are great.
Here are today’s bullet points:
The Taliban has finally agreed to release the remaining 19 South Korean Christian hostages on two conditions: South Korea must (1) prohibit missionary work in Afghanistan and (2) withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year. Currently some 200 soldiers are “deployed in Afghanistan for reconstruction efforts, not combat.”
The Taliban has killed the second of 23 South Korean Christian hostages: another man, 29-year-old Shim Sung-min.
Last Thursday 23
