2016 Year in Review by Via

FAVOR and Thankfulness

2016 Year in Review

COME & SEE the doors God has opened through your prayer & support

mobilization.org

Letter from Our Director

In Let the Nations Be Glad, John Piper declared, “Missions is not the ultimate goal

they have not heard? And how can they hear with-

of the church. Worship is.

out someone preaching to them? And how can

Missions exists because

anyone preach unless they are sent?”

worship doesn’t.” So if the image the Apostle John saw in Revelation 7:9 of people from every tribe, tongue, and nation worshiping Christ is our goal, then do we have enough missionaries to see the Great Commission fulfilled?

Our ultimate goal at the Center for Mission Mobilization (CMM) is worship of Jesus Christ. We understand that with over 3.1 billion people unreached in 6,701 people groups, we simply don’t have enough missionaries to carry this news to those in need. Therefore, the mission God has called us to is the ministry of mobilization — igniting mission sending movements to reach the unreached. We strive to mobilize

After 2,000 years of Church

the church in regions of the world to its greatest

growth, the problem Jesus

sending potential.

proclaimed in Matthew 9:37 is still true today, “the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” But where do missionaries come from? In one word, mobilization. Mobilization exists because mission doesn’t. The Apostle Paul outlined the need for mobilization in Romans

We are excited to share with you stories of God’s fruit. We are God’s workforce and can do plenty of great activity, but the credit for the fruit of changed lives belongs to the Lord. We are grateful to Him for the favor He has given us to mobilize believers in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the USA, and we are thankful for your partnership with our ministry and mobilizers. For His Glory,

10:14–15, “How can they believe in the one of whom Steve Shadrach, Executive Director

Sources: joshuaproject.net

In this Review: Missions in the Midst of War: A Story of Mobilization Field Team Reports Africa Asia Latin America United States Resource & Training Ministries Catalytic Strategies Ministry Year Statistics CMM Press

Missions in the Midst of War A story of mobilization

Mission exists because worship doesn’t. Mobilization exists because mission doesn’t. Mobilization

→ Mission → Worship

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is both a very dangerous country and the second poorest country in the world. Though around 20 percent of Congolese are Evangelical, the DRC is also home to about 240,000 unreached people. Eraston, a CMM Global Affiliate, founded a mobilization agency to send his countrymen and women to reach the unreached in the wartorn and rural regions of the DRC. In 2014, John, one of the CMM’s Catalytic Team members, introduced Eraston to Xplore and Go Mobilize, our two flagship mobilization studies. Eraston immediately began using them in his mobilization training and continues

to receive mentorship from our Catalytic team. One of the recipients of Eraston’s mobilization efforts was a man named Gabriel, who originally had ambitions to be a nurse in a local hospital. However, after going through Xplore, along with extensive training programs included in Eraston’s ministry curriculum, he decided to use his medical training in a missional context. Gabriel left his home and traveled to Katsiru, a region of the DRC afflicted by civil war. Gabriel immediately began traveling to local churches, sharing what he had learned from Eraston and Xplore about God’s heart for the nations. As he was sharing in a local Baptist church one day, Gabriel was abducted from the pulpit by local rebels, taken to their camp, and thrown into prison. Though the rebels promised him they would soon put him to death, he started sharing the gospel with his fellow inmates and using his skill in nursing to tend their illnesses. As the day of his execution approached, Gabriel began to share the gospel with his captors as well, including the captain of the prison guards. Gabriel’s persistence soon bore fruit; the captain of the guard accepted Christ and set Gabriel free. The captain was so impacted by what Gabriel had taught him that he took Gabriel to different rebel bases throughout the jungle, telling Gabriel to share his good news with them. As a result, many rebels laid down their arms and have found new life through Jesus. This is the story of mobilization. Eraston saw a need for more missionaries, so he mobilized people like Gabriel. Gabriel saw the need for more Christ-worshipers, so he went as a missionary. We can now rejoice with Gabriel and Eraston that God is receiving worship from the rebel camps of the DRC.

Sources: joshuaproject.net, World Bank, & the US Department of consular affairs

FAVO R IN Africa

AFRICA

Heavenly Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2030;â&#x20AC;&#x201D; We lift up the African church to You today. We pray that those in high positions would teach the Bible accurately and that the body of Christ would live out their faith. We pray that the Church would become emboldened and share the gospel with the countless unreached that are around them.

Nigerian children — a formidable mission force 42% of Nigeria’s population is younger than 14 years old. Imagine what could be done if these children were empowered to see themselves as part of God’s global story! In April, Carissa and Karen, two of our Weave staff members, conducted a series of Big Story trainings in two regions of Nigeria. They trained 162 parents, teachers, and pastors on the importance of family mobilization.

Carissa & Karen pose with Nigerian Big Story trainees

They also equipped 37 local participants to carry on the work of mobilizing families after Carissa and Karen had left. These trainees are now equipped to make world Christians out of their many children, discipling them to go, send, welcome, mobilize, and pray for unreached peoples. They are now equipped to multiply the Big Story Training throughout their region. “Children are not only a mission field,” said one participant. “They can be transformed into a formidable mission force when they are taught to embrace a biblical worldview. Their role in accomplishing God’s mission should not be underrated. They, like adults, should be involved in the task of taking the gospel to the unreached.” weavefamily.org

WHY DO WE MOBILIZE FAMILIES?

Children and families have the potential to be used in significant ways to further the kingdom of God. We provide family ministry leaders with the inspiration, training, and translated resources needed to equip parents to disciple their children towards vision and action for the unreached.

Multiplied by 200 The CMM’s primary goal is to equip nationals to mobilize their countrymen to send missionaries to people groups who do not have the gospel, many of whom may be difficult for Westerners to easily engage. Our local field team in Kenya helped Kimberly, a student at Kenyatta University in Nairobi, become one of these national mobilizers. When they led her through Xplore, a seven-lesson mobilization study, something shifted in her. She began sharing God’s heart for the nations with her friends at the university. When she graduated, she started working with Campus Life, a college ministry. Kimberly now evangelizes and disciples students from different college campuses around Nairobi. She has since shown Xplore to 200+ fellow students from Kenya!

Some names and photos throughout have been changed for security purposes

FAVO R IN Asia

ASIA

Heavenly Father, we praise You for blessing the Chinese church to grow to the largest Christian nation the world has ever seen, despite persecution and obstacles. Please use your bride to spread the love and peace of Christ throughout China, Asia, and beyond.

Don’t go alone, mobilize others to go with you When Chinese local field mobilizer Steve discovered that his language tutor, Li Hua, shared Christ’s heart for the nations, he introduced her to his teammate Bri. Hua told Bri of her desire to return to mission work. Bri, however, challenged her to first spend a few years mobilizing others to go to the unreached with her, increasing her impact. Hua was intrigued and continued to meet with Bri, deciding to stay in China to mobilize for a season and attend the Global Mobilization Consultation in Kenya last year. Now, she is our first international staff member, who raised her financial support completely through Christians in China, inspiring Chinese goers alongside Bri and Steve!

Li Hua looks out from her apartment balcony

Send us Chinese missionaries This year, some of our local field staff in China connected with a pastor from a minority people group in the Himalayas attempting to plant churches in a rural part of his province. During their conversations, the pastor asked if they could send Chinese missionaries to assist him. Our staff were delighted to hear this request. Racial tension between the Han Chinese and this minority people group has been both long and bitter, even within

the Christian community. This pastor’s humility and search for unity after years of hostility is exactly what Jesus prayed for us, His church, on the way to the cross! Additionally, the pastor’s request proved to us again that our quest to mobilize national missionaries is vital to the gospel’s spread. We can’t wait to see what God does through the workers that are raised up!

Mobilizing Russians to see Christ worshiped in Nepal This summer our staff in Russia lead a mission trip to Nepal with eight students, the majority of whom were seeing an unreached people group for the first time. During their time in Kathmandu, the team shared 23 Bible lessons with 60 children in three orphanages. They also helped to prepare for the building of a fourth orphanage that the local long-term missionaries were opening. Perhaps the highlight of the trip was carrying projector equipment up a mountain to show a film about Jesus to 75 people who have never heard His name before! Not only was the team able to share the gospel with these unreached people, but our staff were able to start cultivating a heart for the nations in the Russian students! We are excited to see what God does through this hands-on approach to student mobilization!

Sergei, the organizer of the Nepal student trip, hands out tracts.

FAVO R IN Latin America

L ATI N A M ER I C A

Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing us with incredible ministry opportunities in Latin America this year. We praise You that more and more leaders are beginning to understand your heart for the nations and participate in your Great Commission. We ask that You would continue to bless our translation projects, and that You would grow our team in Peru to help us serve throughout this beautiful continent.

Mobilizing Latin Americans to send missionaries to the unreached In Latin America, mission-minded believers jest of an unreached people group called the PANA — Pastores No Alcanzados or ‘unreached pastors’ — who have little or no missions vision. Dave, our Latin America Catalytic Director, and his wife Liz are working hard to remedy that. Dave is the former US Director for the largest missions education course in the USA, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. He and Liz have been networking and helping to equip Latinos in the nationally-led Spanish version of this mission mobilization course, called Perspectivas, in Peru, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Bolivia, Colombia and Argentina.

Perspectivas class in Arequipa, Peru

WHY DO WE MOBILIZE LATINOS TO THE MIDDLE EAST?

There are over 100 million Christians in Latin America while over 70% of the Middle East is unreached.

Peruvians going to Arabs

Although Latin America in not geographically near the Middle East, they

Latino missionaries are being mobilized to go to the hardest places in the world — Arabic-speaking Muslim countries in the Middle East.

are culturally and linguistically near

From a 2013 Perspectivas class our team helped coordinate in Lima, Peru, a local church pastor was mobilized and began preaching the need for Latinos to take the gospel to the unreached. Four young people in the congregation answered that call and are preparing to serve as Christ’s ambassadors in the Middle East.

Spanish words are shared in Arabic.

Translating mobilization resources in Bolivia Pictured to the right is a small group of ladies from Potosí, Bolivia who are going through our Xplore study on global missions. They are connected to a missions network called Latin Link, which helped us translate our mobilization resources. Dave and Liz have also help launch a Perspectivas Movement this year in Bolivia, which will result in three classes in 2017.

to those in need of the gospel. 8% of

FAVO R IN the United States

THE UN ITED S TATES

Lord, You have blessed our country, churches, and campus ministries in many ways. Help us to utilize these blessings to bless others. We ask for more laborers to be raised up and sent out from our nation to not just be missionaries, but also mobilizers who will encourage and equip your global missions force.

U N I V E RS IT Y O F ARKAN SAS, T H E LO C AT IO N O F O N E O F O U R LO C AL F I E L D T E AM S

Jesus — the Great Teacher “I feel like I have learned these lessons my whole life, and now, for the first time, I am meeting the teacher. It was Jesus all along.” Bella, an Italian international student, said this as she studied Bible stories with Lindon. Lindon is a student at the University of Arkansas who was initially discipled

by one of our mobilizers, Hannah, and now she is in a missional community that is focused on reaching out to international students. Lindon is continuing to share Jesus with Bella and others with hopes that these new believers will also be mobilizers amongst their own people.

Mobilizing Indonesians in College Station Indonesia is the largest Muslim country, but the church is strong and becoming more and more missional. Tori, a CMM mobilizer at Texas A&M, met Annisa, an Indonesian Christian, while volunteering in an English language program. Tori invited her to go through an Xplore study to learn about God’s heart for the entire world. Annisa accepted, admitting she had never approached the Bible this way before. Tori and Annisa, with her new perspective on the nations and Scripture, now host a Discovery Bible Study with a number of international Annisa, Tori, and the rest of their missional community students. During their time together, Tori and Annisa present the gospel to this group of girls in the context of an informative story, or a historical narrative. This provides a safe atmosphere for participants to ask questions and receive good answers. When Annisa returns to Indonesia, she hopes to continue sharing the gospel through her newfound heart for the nations!

Evangelism in Arkansas leads to mobilization in Iran Mahmoud, an Iranian student, and Matt, one of our mobilizers, were having discussions of faith, Jesus, and missions. Matt led Mahmoud through our Xplore study on God’s heart for the nations, even though he wasn’t a Christian. Mahmoud was intrigued at the love of Christ for all nations and soon became a worshiper of Jesus. Mahmoud is now sharing the gospel to other Iranians and recently spoke at a conference of other Iranian believers, mobilizing them to boldly advance the gospel in Iran.

FAVO R

ov e r o u r

Resource & Training Ministries

R ES O UR C E & TR A I N I N G M I N I S TR I ES

The #1 obstacle to missions: the fear of fundraising If we are to succeed in igniting mission sending movements around the globe, we must address its number one obstacle, which is why we started Support Raising Solutions (SRS) 15 years ago. By God’s grace, SRS has begun to change the perspective and attitudes of support raising in America by training over 10,000 Great Commission workers from 1,500 ministries in biblical perspectives, relational approaches, and practical training. The book we published, The God Ask, is now the leading book for support raising training amongst most mission agencies and college ministries. In 2014, we began to multiply our impact in this critical area by equipping other ministries to facilitate our support

raising training (SRS Bootcamp), which also led to the formation of the SRS Network. Instead of only training missionaries, we are now equipping the trainers and coaches from other mission agencies as they work to see their staff get fully funded. We must now begin to focus on equipping missionaries from Africa, Asia, and Latin America in biblical support raising that stems from mobilizing resources from their national churches and local relationships, instead of depending on the West for money. We are currently finishing the Spanish translation of our support raising resources, and plans are underway for our first African SRS Bootcamps in Ethiopia and Kenya.

← 170 leaders from over 80 mission agencies representing over 40,000 missionaries met in Tulsa, OK this fall for our first annual Support Raising Leaders

supportraisingsolutions.org

Conference. The workshops and keynotes focused on four key areas for ministries to address regarding support raising: Culture, Structure, Training, and Coaching.

Reaching students today to reach the world tomorrow Mission movements throughout history usually had their roots in the college campus. That is why we mobilize students, and why we developed Campus Ministry Today (CMT), a training and resource ministry to campus ministers. Our goal is to influence the culture of college ministries around the globe on three core ministry basics: Evangelism, Disciple-Making, and Mission Mobilization. If we can see these three practices implemented on a global scale, we will continue to see ready and equipped missionaries launched from the college campus. We currently have 21 veteran campus ministry leaders from 15 ministries writing articles and producing resources for our website, campusministry.org. We have also launched a four-day credit-bearing, intensive course focused on building a Great Commission movement on campus called Launching, Growing, and Multiplying a Campus Ministry.

Campus ministry staff gather to participate in a CMT Webinar, interacting with veteran college ministers who serve as our guest speakers. Recent webinars: Extending Your Ministry’s Reach Simplify Your Semester Planning Making November Go-vember

campusministry.org

FAVO R ov e r o u r

Catalytic Strategies

C ATA LY TI C TEA M S

Eight unengaged people groups engaged Through dedicated prayer, mobilization, and missions training, Indonesian missionaries have seen the number of unengaged unreached people groups drop from 39 to 31 in the last few years. That means Christ is being worshiped in 8 more people groups! Ryan and Jason are the CMM’s Catalytic leaders in Southeast Asia, which is home to millions of believers, but many of the world’s unengaged people groups also. Our Catalytic strategy is to find where God is already awakening the church to missions and pour fuel on that fire. We come to them with open hands to share resources, connect them to other national mobilizers in the region, encourage them, and coach them through mobilization tools. By God’s favor, we’ve seen amazing fruit from our partnership with national leaders. Those with whom we’ve entered into a formal partnership, we call Global Affiliates. Ananda is the CMM Global Affiliate in Indonesia. He regularly speaks before pastors, leaders of major denominations, mission networks, and agencies. Through his strategic influence with Indonesian leaders, and his promotion of CMM resources and vision, he has been able to see thousands of everyday Christians get connected to the Great Commission and numerous missionaries sent out. Our relationship with Ananda strengthened in 2013 with his assistance in hosting

Gateway to the Middle East and South Asia This summer we launched our Middle East/South Asia Catalytic Team to a key gateway city. This city provides access to three primary countries in the region — Egypt, India, and Pakistan — each with over 1 million evangelical Christians. From this city, our team will be able to help mobilize local churches with believers and build relational bridges back to each of these countries. As with all our Catalytic teams, they will mobilize churches to share the good news with people from unreached and unengaged people groups in the region. Please pray for this new team to experience great favor with both local churches and churches in their regional scope.

and planning the Global Mobilization Consultation (GMC) in Indonesia. Once Indonesia was the chosen country, it was Ananda who selected the city and host church. He was very strategic in doing so! As a result, the lead pastor of the 3,000-member church was influenced significantly. This church has started its own sending agency, sent teams to the unreached and is influencing other church leaders and whole denominations throughout Indonesia. With the assistance of CMM resources, Ananda has educated key mobilizers who have gone on to train other Indonesian mobilizers. Before the GMC 2015 in Kenya, Ananda recruited four leaders from different parts of Indonesia to attend. The GMC helped these key leaders to know their important role in mobilizing. They were so impacted by the vision of global mobilization that they returned to Indonesia, had Xplore and Go Mobilize translated into Bahasa, and printed 1,500 copies in just six weeks. Through Ananda’s leadership, they also hosted a GMC-style Indonesian mobilization conference which was able to spread missions and mobilization training to over 150 leaders from every region of Indonesia. Collaborating with key mobilizers and serving local churches is the essence of our Catalytic Strategy.

Ministry Year Statistics Our four methods of mobilization

WORLD CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP

National mobilizers (Kenyans, Chinese, etc.) are far more effective at mobilizing their countrymen than we foreigners are. These numbers reflect our American staff’s ministry efforts, but our local ministry partners surpass these five times over! Praise God!

CMM Local Field Teams mobilize through grassroots ministry. Catalytic Field Teams mobilize from the top down. Our Catalytic staff is building long-lasting relationships with ministry leaders who have vast influence over thousands of Christians and we’ve seen our influence lead to the mobilization of churches and mission agencies sharpen their focus on unreached people groups.

11,651 exposed to

150

942 equipped and men-

170 leaders from 80

frontier missions and God’s global purposes

tored in small group studies

693

trained to reproduce our mobilization trainings

141 mobilizers who are multiplying themselves

71 3

NETWORKING & PARTNERSHIPS

cross-cultural missionaries sent

MOBILIZATION RESOURCES The CMM is extending its reach through reproducible resources that can be printed or downloaded anywhere on the planet and in dozens of languages.

books 21,159 ministry sold this year CMT 5,800+ monthly readers

120

countries have downloaded our resources

national ministers in partnering relationships with Catalytic staff

ministries at our Support Raising Leaders Conference

TRAINING & COACHING We are training and coaching world Christians, mobilizers, and missionaries to see the Great Commission fulfilled.

1,500 ministry

workers trained in support raising

1,000 campus

ministry workers taught through webinars

2,712 equipped as mission mobilizers

CMM Press Buy for yourself or give to a friend — cmmpress.org, the publishing ministry of the Center for Mission Mobilization NEW RELEASES