Featured Resources …
Each month we will add more resources (highlighting a book, video, brochure, or other resource) from OC associates and partners. Enjoy!
Click each image to zoom in to read or download the resource …
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Resources from One Challenge…
Our Story booklet, 3rd edition
God is writing a grand story as he works to change
lives and transform nations. His narrative is intensely
personal, touching every aspect of our lives. Yet it
also encompasses the world, as he moves with lifechanging
hope to people of all kinds in every place.
In God’s unfolding story, One Challenge comes
alongside leaders and churches by invitation.
Walking side by side, we encourage influencers
to imagine what God has in his heart for their
communities, cities, and nations. Here are fresh pages
in the story God is writing through your teamwork
with One Challenge.
OC Annual Report 2021
This annual report was produced by One Challenge and the OC Global Research Team.
Each year in our annual report, we share what the Lord has done through all 15 centers. This collective effort showcases what happens when the Holy Spirit works though multinational partnership and multicultural teams. We truly are one body of Christ transforming nations together. Thank you for your partnership with the OC Global Alliance!
This brochure includes information about the OC Global Alliance impact around the world in 2021 as well as the financial information from the One Challenge U.S. Mobilization Center.
OC Annual Report 2020
This annual report was produced by One Challenge and the OC Global Research Team.
This brochure reports on the OC Global Alliance (OCGA), made of autonomous mission sending centers who voluntarily work together to share resources and experience to fulfill common vision, mission, values, and strategy.
This brochure includes information about the OC Global Alliance impact around the world in 2020 as well as the financial information from the One Challenge U.S. Mobilization Center.
Our Story booklet, 2nd edition
In One Challenge, we believe the best things are done in community. It’s amazing to watch what happens when God’s people align themselves with his heart and join hands in what he’s doing.
When you pick up this booklet and take this journey with OC, you are part of our “together.” The goal of “Our Story” is to honor Jesus by showing a glimpse of what he is doing in the world today. We also want you to discover who OC is – our heart, our ministries – our “together.” Our hope is that you will use this booklet and share it with others too, to connect with the breadth of One Challenge’s global ministry.
OC Annual Report 2019
This annual report was produced by One Challenge and the OC Global Research Team.
This brochure reports on the OC Global Alliance (OCGA), made of autonomous mission sending centers who voluntarily work together to share resources and experience to fulfill common vision, mission, values, and strategy.
This brochure includes information about the OC Global Alliance impact around the world in 2019 as well as the financial information from the One Challenge U.S. Mobilization Center.
One Challenge – Our Story booklet, 1st edition
This 18-page booklet is by One Challenge and the OC Global Research Team.
This featured resource is One Challenge’s Our Story booklet. God is writing a story through OC. It’s a story of what is possible when his followers come together to change the world.
His narrative is about ordinary people – changed by love – partnering to bring biblical hope to broken people and communities. God’s story is about Transforming Nations … Together.
You’ll read of regular people used by the Spirit to make a difference. In innumerable ways, God keeps writing his story through the simple obedience of his people. That’s you and me!
OC ministry description cards
This set of 10 cards were developed by the OC Mobilization department to help simply describe the various ministry opportunities with One Challenge around the world. The Mobilization team hands out these cards at special recruiting events, and the cards are available here online. What kinds of activities do our mission workers take part in? Here are just a few:
- Pastoral training, Church planting, Evangelism, Discipleship…
- Research, Information technology, Web design…
- School teachers, Dorm parents, Leadership development…
- Sports coaching, Youth work…
- Small business, Medicine, Media/journalism…
Sports Ambassadors info card
This information card is from Sports Ambassadors.
For over 60 years, Sports Ambassadors, a ministry of One Challenge, has been using the powerful and universal language of sports to share the gospel with over 11 million people, helping hundreds of pastors and church planters in their ministries.
Click the image to view the entire card.
One Challenge: Vision, Mission, Strategy, and Guiding Principles card
This text was first released at the latest OC Leadership Conference in March 2015.
Our identity and purpose as an agency is summarized in our vision, mission, and strategy statements. Our organizational culture is captured in our guiding principles. This is the essence of One Challenge, and it is finding expression in 120 countries around the globe. These essential statements, reestablished and released at the March 2015 Leadership Conference, are summarized on this card.
Choosing an Agency brochure
This OC brochure includes tips to consider when choosing an agency for mission service, including fit, finances, and focus of ministry. For example…
- FIT – Your first consideration. Every mission has a particular DNA. You want to be sure it matches up with your DNA.
- DOCTRINE – do you agree with what the agency stands for and stands against?
- PHILOSOPHY & STRATEGY – do you resonate with what they think needs to be done and how they go about doing it?
- VALUES – these define the heart of the agency. Is your heart reflected in its heart?
OC Global Alliance Overview brochure
This brochure gives a big-picture overview of the OC Global Alliance and the 11 international mobilization centers in Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and the United States.
The graphics illustrate how this international collaboration is structured and how this impacts the way workers are sent out around the world.
Sexual Wholeness Initiative brochure
This is an updated version of the Sexual Wholeness Initiative brochure (2020). Note the endorsements from organizations with whom we’ve been able to partner. Pray with us as we seek to come alongside other organizations that are interested in pursuing similar initiatives. Pray with us that the Lord will guide us in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Books About OC Founder Dick Hillis
We recently digitized some Dick Hillis books, with permission. You can download and view them here.
Resources from Others…
Church Interrupted? Or Church Reset?: What Will the Post-Covid Church Look Like?
COVID-19 was a world changer – and every area of life was affected. Including the Church. The Church has had to make so many changes you can’t keep up with it. So what comes next?
In this book, OC’s Paul Siaki seeks to ask two life-changing questions: Has Church simply been Interrupted as we wait to return to life as usual? Or can this pandemic be an opportunity for the Church to Reset? We coin the term, the “Great Opportunity”. Is this what we’ve been given? Has a sovereign God decided it’s time for a shake-up and this is the time to do it?
Find out what went on during this time around the world. Find out how churches fared in the aftermath of past pandemics. Find out what things you can keep doing to get people back to church and what new (old) practices God wants us to be doing.
The World and the Church get shaken up every 100 years or so. In years to come, someone may ask, “Where were you when the pandemic hit?” “What did you do?” “How did your church handle it?” Let’s make it a great story.
Persecution in Revelation: The Privilege of Martyrdom
In this book, OC’s Dave Hagelberg develops the theme of persecution in the Book of Revelation. Most of this book is taken from the author’s book, The Revelation of Jesus Christ to the Seven Churches and to us. It has, in addition, some historical fiction that describes the feelings of the people in the church in Smyrna when they first heard the Book of Revelation.
Dave Hagelberg (ThM, Dallas Theological Seminary) has been writing and teaching New Testament exposition in south and southeast Asia for 35 years. He enjoys watching his students grapple with the question, “Who, in Revelation 21:24, are the nations that walk in the light of the New Jerusalem, and why aren’t they in the New Jerusalem?”
While serving as a missionary, Mary Geegh learned the practice of listening to God for guidance during her daily quiet times. This book is a collection of her journal entries and gives evidence that God has the answers to all of life’s circumstances. Her foundational belief is that, “Where God Guides, He Provides” trusting that everything can be taken to the Lord for his direct answers.
Use this book as a daily devotional or for a Bible study.
Pinnacle Truths for Pandemic Woes: 28 Heavenly Realities Which Covid-19 Cannot Change
Unprecedented change has swept across every nation on earth. In the months ahead, the “dust” will clear and we will discover what shifts will be carried forward. But not all will change. In fact, there are timeless truths revealed in the holy writings of Scripture which shine brightest when the world grows dark. In this book, OC’s Robert Rasmussen takes us into the letter written by a prisoner (the apostle Paul) to one of his beloved churches (Ephesus). As we unroll his parchment, we discover a high range of peaks — spiritual possessions reserved in the heavenly places for every believer. We discover that there are battles taking place in the heavenlies, battles into which we are called to wage war using the full armor of God.
From the words of Paul, a Mosaic scholar turned persecuting zealot turned radical follower of Jesus, we learn that the law which constituted a barrier between Jew and all Gentiles has been removed by the work of Christ on the cross. We get an insider’s view of the inner workings of the church — that Jesus took spoils of war which turned out to be gifted equippers for the body of Christ to mature in love. Paul describes for us a Christian marriage, one that invites both husband and wife to love one another as Christ and His church do. We learn how to resist the evil forces in our world, and walk in the full armor of God. These brief reflections stimulate fresh thinking on one of the most beloved portions of the Bible. They remind us that pandemics and wars will come and go, but the truth of God’s Word will stand forever.
Obedient Nations: What’s So Great about the Great Commission?
In this book, OC’s Stephen Spaulding sees a clear line of thinking and action running from the Bible’s patriarchs and prophets through the life and teachings of the Anointed One, Christ. He continues to trace this line through the apostle Paul’s calling and career as well as his visionary writings and on to the future reality which the apostle John portrays at the end of his book of Revelation. He calls it his own, new baseline―primary sum up―of the great commission. It is quite simple and stark. He summarizes it as “obedient nations.” That simple phrase, according to Spaulding, encompasses most of what we as Christ’s followers have been involved within mission for the past century, but also much more.
In this comprehensive evaluation of the great commission in light of both biblical history and the modern age in which we are living now, as well as the potential future to come, missiologist Stephen Spaulding presents the WHAT, the WHY, and the HOW of fulfilling the great commission toward the ultimate scriptural goal of “obedient nations.”
The Colors of Culture: The Beauty of Diverse Friendships
This is written by MelindaJoy Mingo, who has served as a Board Member with OC and Near Frontiers.
How diverse are your friendships? We are living in a time where fear and mistrust among people of different cultural and ethnic groups is becoming the norm rather than the exception. It appears that cultural and racial divides are expanding rather than shrinking. What can we do? We can learn to see every human being from God’s perspective and value their experiences even when we don’t understand them. To truly connect with people who are different from us will take the grace of God, compassion, and empathy. It will mean risking everything that we think we know about other cultures to initiate small steps toward befriending others. In The Colors of Culture, MelindaJoy Mingo models reaching across cultures. Through vivid stories spanning several countries, Mingo shows the beauty of diverse friendships in her life. She takes risks and learns from her mistakes, recognizing that relationships are worth the cost.
What We Can Learn From Tree Stumps, A Devotional Guide
This is written by Ralph Anderson, One Challenge Mission Pastor (1995-2020).
Ralph says, The following is a message I shared at a One Challenge Day of Prayer. God used it to bless the group that day. Afterwards, I was encouraged to write down my thoughts. My hope is to share this encouraging message more broadly with friends and others in the OC family.
Being a full-blown message with three points (of course!), this booklet has three sections. Each section ends with some questions to consider. You may want to use this as a devotional. Take a few days to work through it. Let’s begin!
Course of a Mentor: Empowering Protégés to Fulfill Their God-given Potential
Course of a Mentor unpacks how God taught Bill and Laurie Keyes (long-time One Challenge mission workers) the value of mentoring as a way of investing in the lives of others. Their story and learnings will inspire and encourage you to invest in mentoring relationships for the rest of your life. Get ready to be entrusted with practical advice for running the course well as a mentor.
31 Days for the Kingdom: A Devotional for Global Impact
31 Days for the Kingdom is a month-long devotional by Jeff Boesel, Director of Mobilization at One Challenge. It is designed to help readers listen to God’s leading in their lives. Available on Amazon.com.
The book covers a range of topics over the thirty one days, asking questions to allow the reader to go deeper and guiding the worshiper in prayer for some part of the world each day.
View daily videos by Jeff Boesel for each of the 31 days here:
https://vimeo.com/channels/31days
Read more about Jeff’s work in One Challenge Mobilization on his Mobilization website called “Prepare for Impact” at https://prepareforimpact.life.
Across the Street and Around the World
This practical guidebook (by Jeannie Marie) helps readers align with God’s desire to cross cultures and reach all nations. Many Christians experience a stirring in their souls after short mission trips or global conferences, or as they interact with the increasingly diverse sets of people moving into their neighborhoods, workplaces, and schools. But most don’t know how to build intentional relationships with people from different backgrounds.
Across the Street and Around the World offers an answer to those Christians wondering whether it is possible to engage with people of other cultures right now, in my everyday world—or even beyond? Step by step…
The Thirty-One Prayer Guide
This featured resource is the Pray for the 31 – Prayer Guide from GO31.org.
Tragically, the less responsive a people group is to the gospel, the less prayer and ministry resources it receives. This prayer guide reverses that by leading readers into a global movement of informed prayer for Frontier Unreached People Groups.
Each month you’ll pray strategically for nearly a billion people in the largest 31 people groups where less than one person in a thousand is a Christian of any kind. Ready to change the world?
Cords of Hope
Sondra Wayman has been a One Challenge mission worker since November, 2011. “Cords of Hope” is the story of Sondra’s journey working for over 20 years with at-risk children living in Russian orphanages.
She shares stories of her 25+ short term mission trips to Russia, some humorous and some touching; and her knowledge of Russia’s rich history as a country and its customs are a part of her journey. She has come to love the Russian people and especially the children of the Mstyora Children’s Home.
Christmas Short Stories
In 1989, OC’s Jon Lewis wrote a short story to share with his family on Christmas Eve. Ever since, he has made that an annual tradition.
Since then, he has written dozens of Christmas short stories, many with intriguing settings drawn from his forty-plus years of missions experience in Timbuktu, Mali, Actau, Kazakhstan, the jungles of Congo… Today, Jon lives with his wife Anita in Spokane, Washington, and together they serve with One Challenge.
God, Get Me Through
No one is prepared for cancer. When it strikes you or a loved one, you need emotional and spiritual help. This book tells one family’s journey through the eyes of the husband, OC’s Bob Rasmussen. He says, “Ten years a mission worker in Kenya. Only to discover my wife was riddled with leukemia. Where was God? I struggled to find Him…”
The lessons learned will help you feel closer to God in a lonely time. A great gift for someone you know…
Karis – All I See Is Grace
A golden girl—sparkling, gifted, passionate, ambitious, loving, joyful, multicultural; honors student at Notre Dame.
Chronically ill—in unrelenting pain, fighting to survive one crisis after another.
Karis Joy Kornfield was both of these. She could have become bitter and angry. She could have despaired. But she was profoundly confident of God’s love for her. Her gift of joy impacted all who knew her. She believed God had a specific purpose for her life. Was that purpose fulfilled? Read her story and decide for yourself!
Becoming Church Unusual … All Welcome
Because church as usual won’t cut it anymore
Becoming Church Unusual relates the story of one of the early “fresh expressions of church” in South Africa (Church Unusual in Johannesburg) and the many growing pains that a new church faces. The Church Unusual model that Paul talks about addresses the changing times and the need to “go to them” rather than expecting them to “come to us.” Contact Ria with OC Africa.
99 Powerful Questions
Questions to coach Christian leaders toward greater effectiveness and how to use them Co-authored by OC’s Dave DeVries, this book addresses how powerful questions contribute to amazing insights and impact.
Having coached and trained thousands of Christian leaders, Steve Ogne and Dave DeVries have learned firsthand that asking powerful questions often accelerates personal insight and forward progress. Yet, what makes a question powerful? The most powerful questions cause self-reflection and discovery. They surface information, increase awareness, or promote action. This simple book provides these kinds of questions—and shows you how to use them. Each question can be asked of yourself or to empower another Christian leader. Powerful questions are the best tool for empowering Christian leaders. Use them wisely.
Five Fisherman
This book is by OC worker, Bob Hilts. Bob and Sharon Hilts served with One Challenge in the former Soviet Union and Asia doing sports and camp ministry, leadership training, and marriage and family seminars.
Bob, who is an avid fisherman says, “Fishermen, hear this! You’ll never catch a fish unless you throw your line out. Sitting in a boat enjoying the scenery might be fun and good for your health, but if you want to catch fish, you must throw your line out. Fishers of MEN … you’ll never catch a “fish” unless you’re willing to drop your nets and follow Jesus. Sitting in your “pew” listening to good sermons is a good thing but you’re not going to influence the world until you’re willing to obey the call of Jesus and follow. The master teacher (Jesus) will teach you how to fish. Fishing for fish is easy. Choose a place where fish are. Go there. Put bait out in a way that will attract the fish. Be patient and wait for the fish to bite. Set the hook. Bring the fish in. Take good care of the fish after it’s caught. Go get another one. End of book! That’s it. Fishing is easy.” To receive a copy of this book (only shipping fees) contact bobhilts@oci.org.
Wilderness Wanderings: Learning to Live the Zigzag Life
This book is written by OC’s Bill Lawrence. The wilderness is God’s original temple, the place where He called His leaders and formed His followers. In the Bible nothing but good comes out of the wilderness. The wilderness is an experience to be embraced, not a punishment to be escaped. Much popular thinking sees the wilderness as bad, something to be avoided at all costs, but, when we understand the true meaning of the wilderness, we see it as hard but good. Just as Israel pursued a zigzag line across the wilderness to the Promised Land, so we must pursue a zigzag life toward God’s fruitfulness for us.
In fact, the zigzag life is the shortest distance to fruitfulness in God’s purposes. So let’s enter into our wilderness wanderings, not with fear, but with the anticipation of God’s good hand on us, purifying us through His holiness while using us for His glory.
Healthy, Resilient, & Effective in Cross-Cultural Ministry
This book is by Dr Laura Mae Gardner, who served with her husband Richard in Wycliffe and SIL for more than 50 years. After two decades of translating the Bible in Mexico, Laura Mae and Richard did further studies in Mental Health and Missions and Member Care, and they went on to create the international department of member care in Wycliffe/SIL.
This book has been designed to help leaders of sending agencies and churches in creating a comprehensive care plan for their members in mission. The first nine chapters give a comprehensive overview about the why and how to of setting up a member care plan for cross-cultural workers. The following nine chapters discuss in depth the challenges cross-cultural workers are dealing with and what member carers (church, friends, agency) can do to assist them and even more importantly how to avoid unnecessary crises and suffering on the part of these choice people of God. You can order this online at: www.condeopress.com.
A Cry for Intimacy with God
This book is by OC Africa’s Willie, David, and Karl. What are the training needs of South Africa’s Christian leadership? In what areas do the nation’s church leaders want to grow and develop? The answers to these, and many related questions, are now known after an extensive research project conducted by TOPIC (Trainers of Pastors International Coalition) Southern Africa.A Cry for Intimacy documents the responses from 800 pastoral leaders. Read more about this book on their website at: www.ocafrica.net.
Near Frontiers ministry overview card
This “rack card” gives an overview of Near Frontiers, an OC USA ministry. Given the fact that the U.S. is the leading receiver nation of international migrants by a huge margin, we have been led of God to focus on helping the church enter this amazing mission field. We are reaching out to those who have never heard the gospel, many who now live in our towns and neighborhoods. Hence the name, Near Frontiers. Our tagline is “Partnering to love the world next door.”
How about you? Are you…
- A believer interested in local cross-cultural friendships? …we can give you resources for connecting cross-culturally where you live
- Do you wonder if overseas missions is God’s will for you? …we can coach you in how to prepare … students, singles, and married
- Are you researching possible mission agencies to join? …we can explain opportunities in the USA or globally
Read about Near Frontiers, in this story: Near Frontiers (New One Challenge USA). Find out more on their website at: www.nearfrontiers.org
Indigenous Rights Vs. Rip-Off Profits
This infographic is by GMI, now hosted by Missio Nexus.
We are surrounded by inequity in our world today. Nowhere is that inequity more on display than in how indigenous peoples are treated by governments and industry. The global Church and the Christian mission enterprise is responding in love and must act against these injustices. Explore the layers of indigenous life.
Engaging through Prayer
Dear God, help my heart to ache for indigenous peoples globally who have suffered so much from hundreds of years of injustice. So many times I reduce these fellow men and women to abstract ideas or generalizations. Help me to see them as people who have families, dreams and traditions. Give me understanding of what they have suffered as well as what they have accomplished. Also give me an understanding of how you are working among the indigenous peoples of the world. With that understanding, now give me direction on how I should respond. Amen.
The Calling of the Knowledge Steward
This book is by Jon Hirst. Christians are called to be good stewards of time, talents, and treasures. Jon Hirst also urges believers to steward knowledge, an abundant resource few of us handle well. “There have been plenty of books and sermons telling Christians what to think,” says Hirst. “We need to explore how to think, and how to steward the knowledge we have to reach more people for Christ.”
The Calling of the Knowledge Steward introduces readers to Christian leaders who proactively steward knowledge today, as well as to ancient stewards found in the Bible. “Knowledge stewards excel at something all of us were created to do,” says Hirst, “know and be known.”
40 Day Spiritual Journey to a More Generous Life
This e-book is by Brian Kluth. Brian’s life was transformed by Jesus Christ as he learned to live and give generously based on the truth of God’s Word. This ebook includes: Giving Ideas, Bible Readings, Inspiring Articles, Weekly Worksheets, Discussion Questions… Today, his generosity materials have been distributed in over 150 countries among pastors, leaders, and people in thousands of churches.
Brian has created popular websites on generosity, giving, and finances (GodsLoveForYou.com, GenerosityDevotional.com, GiveWithJoy.org, GodIsYourProvider.com, LegacyOrganizer.com and MAXIMUMgenerosity.org). Brian is a pastor, speaker, and he is frequently interviewed by national media. He lives with his family in Denver, Colorado.
Serving God in a Migrant Crisis
This featured resource is this book by Patrick Johnstone. Some people are angry about today’s global refugee crisis. Other people are scared. Pioneering mission researcher Patrick Johnstone sees the blessings hidden away inside the largest human migration patterns in the history of our planet. “It’s a tragedy for people to be violently uprooted from lands that were in their families for generations, or for centuries,” says Johnstone, author of Operation World.”
Meanwhile, it’s an opportunity for Christians in the more developed world to change the world by practicing the virtue of hospitality.”
“The world has literally come to our doorstep,” says Johnstone. “Will we open the door?”
The Revelation of Jesus Christ to the Seven Churches and to us
This book is written by OC’s Dave Hagelberg. The Lord Jesus, ascended and glorious, appeared to the Apostle John, and John wrote down that vision for us. But what are we to do about it? We must respond, but how are we to respond? In the seven messages of chapters two and three the Lord Himself answers that question for seven very different congregations.
Dave shares, “Since I believed in Jesus Christ and received Him as my personal Savior in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia in 1975, the Book of Revelation has been an especially significant New Testament book for me. Later when I studied at seminary that attraction grew stronger with a deeper understanding of the structure and the contents of the Book of Revelation. This interest grew even stronger when I began to teach the Book of Revelation in a Bible school on Java and wrote a commentary on Revelation in the Indonesian language.”
Read more from Dave at www.hagb.org.
Ready Set Go Sports ministry handbook Download
This publication (not for resale) contains training sessions, leader’s information and a menu of sports movement resources.
This ReadySetGO Multiplication Kit is given to you freely to help you make disciples for Christ in all nations in the world of sport and play. These materials have been written by hundreds of people from every continent. For more info, please visit their website: www.ReadySetGO.ec ReadySetGO is a library of sports resources. Everything is free and ready to use! It is as simple as Ready, Set and GO! Ready is the process of gathering and envisioning people to make disciples for Christ in sport and play. Set prepares everyone to be a disciple-maker. GO gives us strategies to make disciples in the world of sport and play.
Safe in His Sanctuary
This book is by OC’s Bob Rasmussen, Field Director of Near Frontiers, formerly called One Challenge USA. See www.nearfrontiers.org.
This book takes doctrine from the top shelf and blows the dust off to reveal practical and exciting truths about the identity and privilege of every believer. It opens up the volume of truth on our position “in Christ”, and helps us discover that we have been given every spiritual blessing possible, and that the only appropriate response is a life of obedience and praise.
Come along on this unforgettable journey into the worship of the Body of Christ, and experience the blessings and security of our position in Jesus.
Missiographics 1.0
This book is by GMI, now hosted by Missio Nexus.
Based on GMI’s popular Missiographics series, this book presents the best available data on the spread of the gospel through compelling visuals that help Christian servants, mission leaders, mobilizers, teachers, and students see the world through new eyes.
In an age of data and information overload, images are a great way to tell the story of global missions. The topics range from literacy, poverty, women’s issues, Christianity in the Middle East, global Scripture usage, the country of Indonesia and online trends in recruiting mission workers. “While you can find out information about all of these issues in many ways, few will be as engaging, accessible and dynamic as Missiographics 1.0. This is a powerful decision-support tool for anyone involved in global ministry,” said Jon Hirst, Publisher and CEO of GMI.
Seeing Your World
This book is by GMI, now hosted by WorldChristian.com. Here is a tool to help you be a more effective Kingdom partner.
A World of Change The earth’s people are experiencing unprecedented shifts. For the first time ever, more people live in cities than rural areas. Wars, famines and natural disasters cause an unprecedented 150 million migrants. Islam continues its spread, while Christians in many areas suffer persecution. People post cell phone photos of protests, police actions and tragedies for millions to see. Serving God effectively today requires understanding how these key global shifts are rapidly remaking our world. Seeing Your World presents the facts behind these shifts in 10 concise chapters featuring dozens of maps and charts that make today’s trends crystal clear. This book provides up-to-date information and insights into the most influential global trends and how they are transforming the way the Great Commission is carried out.
Dreams in the Medina
This book is by Kati Woronka, an OC partner in Europe. From the heart of Syria, this book is a coming-of-age tale which explores the aspirations, passions and tragedies of a group of young Syrian women, who on the surface seem to have nothing in common, but who are brought together in the deepest of bonds as they study and live together at the University of Damascus. A podcast listener says: “”This is an amazingly accurate, insightful, and forbidden-feeling peek into the lives, thoughts and aspirations of female university students in Damascus.”
The Paradox of Happiness
This book is by René Breuel, serving with OC’s Sepal Brazil in Italy.
If you’re looking for happiness, forget about it. Literally. In an engaging, paradigm-shifting book, René Breuel deconstructs our consumerist models of happiness and proposes a radical, Jesus-based alternative: we don’t find happiness when we try to fulfill our desires—we find it when we stop looking for it and start focusing on serving others. By letting go, we find; by giving, we receive.
Future of the Global Church
This book by Patrick Johnstone, author of six editions of the phenomenal prayer guide, Operation World, draws on his fifty years experience to challenge us with his bold vision of the global Christian church. Patrick also played a part in the formation of Global Mapping International (GMI) and the Joshua Project and its listing of people groups.
This book weaves together the strands of history, demographics and religion to present a breath-taking, full-color graphical and textual overview of the past, present and possible future of the Church around the world. The Future of the Global Church highlights the impact of evangelical Christianity over the past two centuries, as well as the astonishing growth of Evangelicalism over the past half century. Johnstone focuses clearly on the unfinished task of world evangelization, with a special emphasis on the world’s 12,000 people groups–especially those that have had least exposure to the Gospel.
Praying for the Turkic Peoples brochure
This free tri-fold brochure guides readers in prayer for the Turkic peoples…from Turkey to northwest China and beyond. It explains who they are and why we should pray for them. The brochure also includes specific prayer points for the Turkic peoples to guide you in daily prayer for four weeks.
Join millions of Christians in praying 30 Days for Muslims. Another resource: http://pray30days.org/ “We must begin to believe that God – in the mystery of prayer – has entrusted us with a force that can move the Heavenly world, and can bring its power down to earth.” Andrew Murray, Writer & Teacher
Declare His Glory Among the Nations
This book is by OC’s Russ Mitchell.
Psalm 96 is one of the most amazing missions passages in the entire Bible. It provides us with the mandate, the motives, the message, and the model that we need to understand our part in God’s plan to be glorified among the nations. These meditations on Psalm 96 offer an eye-opening perspective about how we can “tell of his glory among the nations” in the 21st century. Russ shares, “We are living in one of the most exciting times in the history of the church and mission movement. We are seeing things that others before us sowed the seeds of with their tears, sorrows and even blood. The number of people born-again globally since 1985 exceeds that of previous centuries. Today is truly a time of great harvest, and we know this harvest is only just beginning. We will see it increase in the coming years and decades, though this will be accompanied by great darkness and difficulty as well…”
Back 2 Europe brochure
This free brochure is called B2E: a movement of unity, vision and action.
The “Back to Europe” movement is an international ministry network to mobilize the Church around the world to reach Europe with the gospel. VISION – To motivate and assist the European and the Global Church to work together to see the Kingdom of God manifested in the Europe of today and of the future. MISSION – To connect with different mission forces with the needs of Europe, in order to show God’s love through sharing the Good News, and engaging in discipleship, the growing and strengthening of God’s people, the planting of new churches and reaching the unreached.
Operation World
This book is in its 7th Edition, completely updated and revised by Jason Mandryk with a team of mission workers and researchers, and it covers the entire populated world.
As we focus prayer on the world, Kathy Copley (OC’s Director of Communications) recommends using Operation World as a prayer guide. Operation World is the definitive global prayer and mission handbook that will help focus your heart and life towards God’s passion for this world. Operation World has been used by more than a million Christians to pray for the nations.Included in this updated and revised 7th edition:
- All the countries of the world featured
- Maps of each country
- Geographic information
- People groups within each country
- Economic information
- Political information
- Religious make-up of each country
- Daily Prayer Calendar
- Answers to prayer
- Challenges for prayer
Touch the World through Prayer
This book is by Wesley Duewel.
OC’s Russ Mitchell says: “As I have been in regular contact with Christian workers from around the world during the past few months, I have noticed how frequently the subject of prayer comes up, usually in the context that it is so essential to the work of God’s kingdom and that realizing this we need to be much more devoted to prayer. This observation reminded me of this book. When I first read the book about 20 years ago, I was struck by the boundless reach of prayer.”
The Missional Journey
Multiplying Disciples and Churches that Transform the World…
This book is by Robert E. Logan and OC’s Dave DeVries.
Dave says: “…discipleship, Christian living, leading groups, church planting… There are very few books that are about all of these things—and how the pieces fit together. But that’s what this book is all about. Everything is crammed into that subtitle: making disciples, starting churches, multiplying at every level, and making a difference in the world around us. Together, all of this adds up to a renewed vision for what the church could look like, from the grassroots up.”
Faith Promise and Beyond
Unlocking the Resources of the Church to Help Fulfill the Great Commission…
This book is by Keith Brown (OC mission worker to Asia since 1958) with John W. Hoover.
It is invaluable in understanding and conducting a Faith Promise weekend. It gives an excellent explanation of “faith promise” and ways to present it to your congregation. How Does It Work? Because a Christian’s overall purpose is to glorify God, I as a Christian should want to give to advance his kingdom throughout the world. A faith promise for missions is an expression of my obedience to Christ’s command to “make disciples of all people.” Committing to a faith promise gives me a new perspective on my assets and priorities. I begin to see that everything I have belongs to God. I look for ways he provides, so I can give more for his cause. When I commit to give in faith, I do not rely on my limited resources, but on God’s UNLIMITED resources.
Unlocking God’s Resources brochure
Faith Promise Explained…
This free brochure is by Keith Brown (OC mission worker to Asia since 1958). It gives an overview of “faith promise” giving. What Does It Mean? A faith promise requires a commitment. I commit myself to an amount of money and by faith, based on God’s promises, expect him to enable me to do it. It gives me new eyes to see my stewardship in a totally different way. Instead of sitting back and waiting, I begin to actively look for ways God will provide for me to fulfill my faith promise.
The Amazing Potential of One Surrendered Church
This book is by Robert E. Rasmussen, Field Director of Near Frontiers, formerly called One Challenge USA.
In a day when successful churches are too often defined by large attendance and excellent facilities, leaders need to regain a healthy perspective on the unique contribution of each and every church. By studying the dynamics of the church at Antioch, today’s leadership teams will be encouraged to learn that by surrendering to God-given opportunities their church can accomplish truly amazing outcomes.