Excerpt – John Piper, Calvinism, and Missions: A Way Forward
Piper’s understanding of God’s glory plays a prominent role in his understanding of the Christian life. Piper believes that Christians need to pursue God’s glory, and in doing this they will pursue their ultimate joy. The pursuit of God’s glory as Christian Hedonism. Living like a “Christian Hedonist” will impact the lives of Christians regarding […]
The Incarcerated Church
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in the winter 2019 issue of The Gateway magazine as “Ministry Through Competition,” but I recently saw an update on social media from the subject of this story: Cornell Swain. He commemorated ten years of ministry service at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center with a short story about about […]
When God Works Before Your Very Eyes
There can be certain subconscious expectations we have when preparing to go on an overseas mission trip. Perhaps we want to see a certain number of souls saved, or we expect to see a healing or a miraculous work of God. To see the tangible evidence of God’s working is not promised; God does not […]
Helping ‘The Helper’
I’d never been on a short-term mission trip. After living abroad in the Middle East and North Africa for 11 years, our family returned to the United States. Soon after, while teaching at Liberty University, I was invited by my friend Mel Cox to go on a short-term mission trip. I had no idea what […]
The Missional Obligation
This past spring, a student team, along with Dr. Eddie Pate, Dr. Alicia Wong, and professor Carola Fernanda, went on a mission trip to Panama. The local IMB missionary team we worked with has been serving there for 15+ years and did an amazing job facilitating our time. During our first day of orientation we […]
Caring for Missionaries
For many people, the best part of being a Southern Baptist is supporting the work of the International Mission Board. The IMB is the centerpiece, the central reason our denomination exists. We were founded to combine the efforts of many churches to share the gospel with as many people as possible in as many places […]
The Boring Seminary
We have recently been described by a friend as “the boring seminary.” That tongue-in-cheek comment was his way of complimenting us for our resolute focus on our mission. We shape leaders who expand God’s kingdom around the world. We do that every day, without fanfare and without much interest in doing anything else. Many Christians, […]
Just too Slow
A few years ago, Nigerian Baptist leaders welcomed me at the airport with these words, “Thank you for sending Thomas Jefferson Bowen to bring us the gospel.” The Nigerian Baptist Convention, the fourth largest Baptist denomination in the world with more than 8 million members, traces its founding to Bowen—a missionary sent by Southern Baptists […]
Go Grants
Some dreams take a long time to come true. When I first became Gateway’s president almost 20 years ago, one of my dreams was for every student to have an international missions experience while they were enrolled at Gateway. I even considered the idea of making this a requirement for graduation. Those were unrealistic expectations. […]
International Seminaries
One Gateway initiative which often remains behind-the-scenes is our partnerships with international seminaries. Some of these relationships are formal (with written agreements to support one another) while others are fraternal (more intermittent and relational). We have several of these with schools around the world – mainly focused on the Pacific Rim but also including schools […]