In 2016‚ our church plant consisted of a small core team. We wanted to reach our community‚ but we knew that when God sent us to plant‚ he had his eyes on the nations. We wanted to participate in his global mission as early as we could. When a potential supporting church asked how they could help us‚ we asked if we could join them on their upcoming mission trip. We were too young‚ and I was too busy with the details of church planting‚ to handle the logistics of—or even know where to start with—an international partnership. That trip led to a relationship with a translator in Southeast Asia‚ which led to a cooperative effort for church planting and strengthening on the island of East Timor. After a few years of annual trips‚ we began to dream about what God might do. We’d met a young man named Julio who aspired to pastoral ministry‚ though he had little opportunity for training. On a flight‚ I wrote in my missions journal‚ “What if our little church [fewer than 100 members] could sponsor Julio to come to America on a student visa?” He could learn English for a year‚ enroll at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary‚ experience our church community‚ and go through our pastoral residency. It seemed like a crazy idea. But God blessed it. Small Church‚ Big God Fast forward to May 2023. We’re weeping‚ hugging‚ laying hands on Julio‚ and sending him back to East Timor after three years of training in biblical studies‚ ecclesiology‚ and pastoral ministry. After sitting under expositional preaching for the first time and experiencing a healthy church community‚ he’s better equipped to minister in his country. Just last month‚ Julio worked with a team to translate the book of Titus into Makasae—one of many tribal languages in East Timor without a Bible. Titus is now the first completed biblical book in Makasae. Last week‚ a team from our church left for East Timor to reunite with Julio to encourage and help train his church. We’re still not a big church‚ but we’ve seen God work wonders from our little neighborhood in South Louisiana to an island in Southeast Asia. Here are a few tips for small churches considering a more global reach. 1. Think relationally. Missional partnership is about relationships. Find like-minded people you can trust and whom you want to support. The translator we met on our first trip was reading the same books as we were. She was passionately evangelistic. She was a joy. We wanted to know who’d discipled her—and we wanted to support that man’s work wherever it led. His heart led us to the need in East Timor. Find an opportunity to do a trip‚ perhaps tagging along with another church or organization. Prayerfully watch for colaborers your church can support with full confidence. The best kind of cooperation is relational. 2. Spend wisely. Many smaller churches can’t afford to meaningfully engage in short-term missions‚ but some can’t afford it because they’ve prioritized other things. For church ministry‚ you need God’s Word‚ a place to preach it‚ and people who gather to listen and respond. Most other things are extra—not bad‚ but extra. What’s in your budget that’s more for preference than mission? Did your church plant drop $100‚000 on a soundboard—but you can’t afford a budget line for vision trips to scout missions partners? We shouldn’t be legalistic‚ but we should all heed the Lord’s exhortation: “Consider your ways” (Hag. 1:7). 3. Dream big‚ but stay focused. The world is big. The need is big. But God is bigger. Your small church could play a big part in one strategic place. Lift your eyes to the potential. Allow yourself to pray big prayers and dream big dreams that may require big sacrifices—but as you do‚ stay focused. Don’t establish a Great Commission committee that feels pressure to embrace multiple partnerships at once. Jesus’s intention isn’t for small churches to spread themselves thin in loose partnerships just so their missions portfolio could be filled. Pray big prayers and dream big dreams that may require big sacrifices—but as you do‚ stay focused. Just as one member can’t do all the work in a church‚ one church can’t do all the work in the world. You can’t be everywhere and do everything‚ but you can meaningfully partner in one or maybe even two places. Your little church can pour itself out for one unreached people group and perhaps‚ over the years‚ make a real difference. Small Churches Needed Too Let’s not leave the Great Commission only to big churches and organizations. Let’s not limit missions involvement to an annual offering. Let’s not lose touch with God’s heart for the nations. Even for littler churches‚ global missions can have a face and a name and a place. God is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think. Through the faithful ministry of small churches‚ God loves to show that the surpassing power belongs to him and not to us.

I remember asking Tim Keller why he never wrote a book with his wife‚ Kathy‚ about parenting. After all‚ they wrote one of the most helpful books on marriage‚ The Meaning of Marriage. I interviewed them twice for this podcast. So why didn’t they write the book? They didn’t feel like they’d been good parents‚ despite how their three boys turned out. The boys have families‚ and they’re in the church. One of them even followed in his dad’s footsteps as a pastor. The Kellers looked at friends they thought had been better parents. But they didn’t see the same positive outcomes with those kids. The Kellers‚ then‚ didn’t think they could give parenting counsel that would deliver what so many of us want: assurances our kids will turn out OK. Melissa Kruger doesn’t promise that our kids will turn out OK. But her new book‚ Parenting with Hope: Raising Teens for Christ in a Secular Age (Harvest House)‚ reflects so much of what I admire about her and her husband‚ Mike. She grounds us with hope in the gospel: we can trust God with our kids‚ that his purposes can never be thwarted. And she grounds us with wisdom: we can grow in our parenting to better help our children flourish. Melissa serves as vice president of discipleship programming for The Gospel Coalition. She’s the author of many books‚ including Walking with God in the Season of Motherhood‚ Growing Together: Taking Mentoring Beyond Small Talk and Prayer Requests‚ Wherever You Go‚ I Want You to Know‚ and His Grace Is Enough. I know we have a lot of women who listen to and watch Gospelbound. You can hear Melissa when you register for The Gospel Coalition’s 2024 Women’s Conference‚ June 20 to 22 in Indianapolis. She’ll be recording a live Risen Motherhood podcast episode with Emily Jensen and Laura Wifler.  She’s probably our most popular guest on Gospelbound‚ and she returned to answer all my questions on parenting. 

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Our “Top 10 Tracy Chapman Songs” list celebrates a Grammy Award-winning artist. Tracy’s musical journey began at the tender age of three with a ukulele in hand‚ evolving to skillful guitar playing and songwriting by the age of eight. Over the years‚ her passion for music never waned‚ as she continued to enchant with her guitar‚ songwriting‚ and vocal performances. In 1985‚ Tracy made her significant stage debut‚ opening for Linda Tillery at Boston’s Strand Theater‚ marking the beginning of her ascent in the music world. Brian Koppelman discovered Chapman in 1986 at Tufts University‚ leading to her signing with The post Top 10 Tracy Chapman Songs appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

40 years ago today‚ Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian ever launched into space when he rode aboard the Interkosmos Soyuz T-11 to the Soviets’ space station Salyut-7. He remains the only Indian citizen to reach the final frontier. Sharma spent 7 days‚ 21 hours‚ and 40 minutes aboard the Salyut 7 during which his […] The post Good News in History‚ April 2 appeared first on Good News Network.