Oct 4, 2018 | Mobilize Others
Northern Ethiopia, part of the 10/40 window of unreached people, is one of the most challenging areas for evangelical Christianity. Persecution and living ostracized from the society has been the story of believers in this area. But God is at work, and opportunities to hear the good news are growing for people living there. Partnership efforts between evangelical churches and mission organizations are raising up mobilizers who are catching God’s heart for the nations with a focus on reaching the unreached in northern Ethiopia. One such multi-organization partnership is an intensive summer mobilization training program for college students at the Legetafo Training Center. The 40 day program is offered by Horn of Africa Evangelical Mission Engagers (HOAEME) in partnership with the CMM and EvaSUE (Evangelical Student Union of Ethiopia—InterVarsity in Ethiopia). EvaSUE’s broad reach of 40,000 evangelical students on 140 university campuses is the recruiting pool for the program. Over the past 5 years, Legetafo trainings have raised up hundreds of young leaders who are are now serving as full time mission mobilizers across Ethiopia. Plus, many of the trainees who have not become full time mobilizers have returned to their campuses or cities, igniting mission fires in their churches and workplaces. One example is a female university lecturer by the name of Mastewal, who attended the Legetafo program in 2017. Afterward Matewal returned to her home church, Bahir Dar Meserete Kristos, with a vision of mobilizing her church for God’s mission. She began by leading her Bible study group through the Xplore study, and after finishing the study her group started supporting two missionaries working in the Gambela...
Sep 14, 2018 | Mobilize Others
“Now I’m aware I am a significant part of [God’s] Great Commission, and He has purpose for each one of us,” shared Anna-Lena, a German believer. Anna-Lena, along with 800 other European and Latino students, recently attended one of the two large mission conferences in Latin America hosted by MOVIDA (Moviendo Vidas, translated as Moving Lives). The MOVIDA team used the CMM’s Xplore study as the daily devotional at the conference. After being trained by our mobilization team in Peru on how to lead Xplore, the small group leaders at these two conferences led more than 80 groups through the study. As one MOVIDA leader shared with us, the Xplore study acted as a tool to facilitate discussion at these conferences and lead more students like Anna-Lena to begin taking steps to embrace mission as a lifestyle. The leader shared her perspective in full here: When you are seeking to mobilize the youth to the mission (especially when there are more than 100 international, interdenominational, and intergenerational groups), looking for written material that will not only teach and inform, but also touch and move their hearts can be a huge challenge. Finding a resource like Xplore was an answer to many prayers with so many collateral blessings. As a full-time missionary working for MOVIDA in Peru, I realized we would not only have Peruvian young Christians attending our conference. We were hosting a bi-national event together with Chile, and would also have a group of European youth in attendance who were craving the passion they see on this side of the globe. We had hoped all these participants would not only...
May 24, 2018 | God's Work, Live Missionally, Mobilize Others
“I’ve never led a Bible study. I’ve never been on a mission trip. I’ve never been baptized. I’ve never been a member of a church, and I’ve never approached an unreached person with the intent of sharing my faith. I’ve never talked with a stranger about God; I’ve never joined a worship team, and I’ve never joined a Christian organization outside of church—that is, until now.” John, a senior at Texas A&M University, recently shared these compelling words about how God has been shaping his heart for the nations throughout his college years. CMM mobilizer, Chris, had known John for years, and invited him to go through the Xplore study. Doing this study together served as the catalyst for a much longer, deeper discipleship relationship. “John is always responsive to challenges,” said Chris. “I don’t have to invite him twice.” When Chris challenged John to begin taking small steps to implement what he learned in Xplore, he responded by starting conversations with his international classmates. He also invited a friend to join the Xplore study with him and Chris. As Chris was mobilizing John, John was mobilizing his friend! John began to see that God was positioning people around him in everyday life for a purpose. He regularly played basketball at the rec center with international students, but had never before seen it as a potential ministry. He began to see those games as an opportunity to meet those who had never before heard the gospel. God began positioning John in places where he’d have more open doors to befriend people with whom he normally would not cross paths....
May 17, 2018 | God's World, Mobilize Others
When we first arrived in Kenya and got settled as a mobilization field team, Thomas Omenta became one of our first friends. When I think of Thomas’s story and his missional journey, I am reminded of when Jesus began His ministry and called some of His first disciples. “And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed Him” (Matthew 4:19-20). Thomas was one of the first people we took through the Xplore study, and he even invited some of his friends to go through it with us. Together, we learned about God’s heart to redeem all peoples and how He invites all believers to play a role in this global purpose. As we were finishing up the study, it appeared that Thomas was already in his most strategic role. His interest seemed to be in growing the local church where he served, and less in world missions. Thomas was serving God in mighty ways in his church and at his university, and he didn’t need our help. Eventually, we began to focus on meeting and discipling other students. But earlier this year, Thomas contacted me. Although it had been nearly two years since we last met, he shared how our relationship through the Xplore study had, in fact, deeply impacted his life. He explained he now reads and teaches the Bible differently, and that God has given him a heart for the unreached. He quit his job as a pastor and is now the East African Assistant Director of a mission organization here in Africa. After...
May 10, 2018 | God's World, Mobilize Others
“You’ve got this franchised, right?” The director of a prominent mission school in Southeast Asia was holding copies of Xplore and Go Mobilize and wondering if he could afford to use these CMM discipleship tools with his students. Jason and Ryan, members of the CMM’s Southeast Asia Catalytic team, had just met this man, who is leading the institution and preparing the next generation of goers from the region. They smiled and said, “No, they are free to download and use however you like.” His disposition immediately changed, and suddenly the conversation shifted to how the CMM could partner with the school and create a new module that would incorporate mobilization training for every student. Like this mission school, the CMM is committed to seeing laborers raised up to take the gospel to the unreached. In Southeast Asia, where Ryan and Jason serve, there are still more than 330 million unreached people who have never heard the gospel message. With tens of millions of Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and animists throughout the region, it is one of the most religiously diverse parts of the world. But Southeast Asia is also home to a large and growing evangelical church. With tens of millions of evangelical Christians throughout the region, Ryan and Jason have found that the theme of mission mobilization is as relevant as ever. For this reason, they feel privileged to be “servant partners” with their counterparts in the process of mobilization. The Southeast Asia team has been overwhelmed with the level of professionalism and passion they encounter with these fellow mobilizers. Everywhere they go, they meet people who...
Apr 26, 2018 | God's Work, Live Missionally, Mobilize Others
“I have to tell you what happened yesterday!” my teacher said as I sat down for our weekly Chinese class. Thursday was quickly becoming one of my favorite days, as I knew the moment I walked in the door she would have a story. My teacher, Di Laoshi, was working through the Xplore study with some other teammates, and it was starting to shake things up in her life. After each Xplore lesson, she would come in with a simple, yet profound revelation and a practical step of obedience. At first, they were small: “I didn’t know there were so many unreached people in the world.” Or “it’s so amazing that God wants to use the Chinese church to grow his kingdom.” But then one day, she came to me and said, “I’ve been going to the minority university to share the gospel every week after work for months now. But every time I see someone from a minority, I get so scared. I’m used to sharing with people who look like me.” She continued to explain that Han people are not intimidating because she understands them and shares a cultural identity with them. But certain minorities, specifically rural mountain dwelling peoples from West China, have a reputation for being dangerous and hateful toward their Han counterparts. The cultural and racial clashes are very real and deeply ingrained. “Yesterday I was praying,” she continued with a smile, “and I told God that I don’t want to be afraid because I know His love is for all people. Even the ones who are different from me.” Soon after her prayer,...
