Global Mission Toolbox

In this conversation, we slow down and bring clarity to business as mission, exploring how faith, work, and mission can function together as a holistic calling. Matt shares insights for those discerning this path and for churches learning how to walk thoughtfully with those they send.

Bio:
Matt has been involved with Business as Mission in South Asia for 30 years. In July 2021, he transitioned into the CEO role at Transformational SME, helping to provide growth capital and mentorship to BAM businesses.

Show Notes:
Links from this episode:

Explore Business as Missions more at: https://businessasmission.com

Connect with Matt’s ministry at: transformationalsme.org

Resources and Links:

Get the GoJournal today! gojournal.org

Subscribe to us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@globalmissionspodcast7493

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/globalmissionspodcast/ or @globalmissionspodcast

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Topics: Business as Mission, Member Care

In this episode of the Global Missions Podcast, Maggie sits down with Denny Spitters and Matthew Ellison to unpack key findings from a Barna study on U.S. Protestant pastors and explore the heart behind their book The Sending Shepherd. Together, they discuss how pastoral leadership and church culture shape global missions engagement—and offer practical encouragement for pastors and missions-minded believers seeking to embody the Great Commission.

Bio:
Denny Spitters has served in a variety of roles over the years. From mega-churches to church plants, he has served as a pastor overseeing worship, missions, and small groups. He also has experience in para-church ministry and business. For 15 years, he was Vice President of Church Partnerships for Pioneers. Through a partnership with Pioneers, he joined sixteen:fifteen in 2023 to coach churches and agencies.

Matthew Ellison is the President and Co-Founder of Sixteen:Fifteen, a ministry that has been helping churches and mission agencies develop strategic pathways to reach the unreached since 2004. Before launching Sixteen:Fifteen, he served nearly a decade as a missions pastor, where his passion for mobilizing the local church into God’s global story first began to take shape.

He is the co-author of When Everything Is Missions and Co-Editor of Conversations on When Everything Is Missions. His latest book, The Sending Shepherd, draws on groundbreaking Barna research to challenge and inspire churches to take bold steps toward global engagement.

As a frequent speaker at conferences, workshops, and church events across the country, Matthew is known for his clear, biblical teaching and his heart for helping the Church rediscover its central calling in the Great Commission.

Show Notes:
Learn more about 16:15 at 1615.org

Get your copy of “The Sending Shepherd” at thesendingshepherd.com

Check out “God’s Heart for the Nations” by Jeff Lewis here: https://store.1615outfitters.org/collections/gods-heart-for-the-nations

Reach out to Matthew Ellison: [email protected]

Reach out to Denny Spitters: [email protected]

Other Books Mentioned in This Episode:

“Let the Nations Be Glad!” by John Piper

“What is the Mission of the Church?” by Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert

“Is the Commission Still Great?” by Steve Richardson

Resources and Links:

Get the GoJournal today! gojournal.org

Subscribe to us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@globalmissionspodcast7493

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/globalmissionspodcast/ or @globalmissionspodcast

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Topics: Sending Church

Howard Dueck joins us to unpack the growing movement of education as mission, offering a vision for teaching and training can bless churches, shape communities, and advance the Kingdom. Join us as we explore why education matters, how God is using it around the world, and what it might look like for your church to catch this vision.

Bio:
Upon concluding seminary (MA in Biblical Counseling), Howard Dueck and his wife Eileen began their work with Janz Team (now TeachBeyond) in Brazil in 1988, where Howard taught and developed a counseling ministry at Gramado Bible College. His work in teaching, counseling and leadership has occurred primarily in intercultural contexts through their years in Brazil and Germany, and in travels to TeachBeyond projects around the world. Howard serves on the TeachBeyond global leadership team as Executive Vice President (Regions). He and Eileen live near Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Their two daughters with their husbands also have roles with TeachBeyond.

Show Notes:
Learn more about the Christian Education Movement in Canada: cemovement.ca

Find teaching and education resources here: transformingteachers.ca

Check out the “Transformed and Transformation” podcast: https://teachbeyond.org/learn/transformed-transformational

Get in touch with Howard Dueck: [email protected]

Resources and Links:

Get the GoJournal today! gojournal.org

Subscribe to us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@globalmissionspodcast7493

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/globalmissionspodcast/ or @globalmissionspodcast

Watch this episode on YouTube

Topics: Business as Mission

This episode explores the growing movement of co-vocational ministry, a model that intentionally integrates one’s everyday work with missional engagement in both local churches and global contexts. Dr. Brad Brisco joins the conversation to unpack the theology of work, clarify the differences between bi-vocational and co-vocational ministry, and share why this long-term approach can strengthen church planting, missionary sustainability, and missional imagination.

Bio:
Brad is currently the Director of Multiplication Strategies for the Send Network at the North American Mission Board. He holds a doctorate in the area of missional ecclesiology; his doctoral thesis was on assisting existing congregations in transitioning in a missional direction. He is the co-author of Missional Essentials, a twelve-week small group study guide, The Missional Quest: Becoming a Church of the Long Run, Next Door As It Is In Heaven, and author of Rethink: 12 Missiological Principles for Church Multiplication and Covocational Church Planting. 

Show Notes:
Resources:
Connect with Brad at missionalchurchnetwork.com
Explore co-vocational church planting webinars, testimonials, and more with the Send Network at covochurchplanting.com
Find Brad’s “Rethink: 12 Missiological Principles for Church Multiplication” at https://www.missionalchurchnetwork.com/blog/rethink-12-missiological-principles-for-church-multipli…

Resources and Links:
Get the GoJournal today! gojournal.org
Subscribe to us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@globalmissionspodcast7493
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/globalmissionspodcast/ or @globalmissionspodcast

Watch this episode on YouTube

Topics: Business as Mission

In this episode, Dr. Craig Ott unpacks what it means for churches to be truly transformational—rooted in personal and corporate spiritual renewal that reflects God’s glory to the world. He and Mags explore how a church’s communal witness can become a tangible expression of the Kingdom, inspiring believers to live out and multiply transformational mission globally.

Bio:
Dr. Craig Ott is professor of mission and intercultural studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School near Chicago. Prior to that he served for 21 years in Germany where he planted several churches and trained missionaries. In addition to teaching at Trinity, he has taught or consulted with pastors, missionaries, and emerging mission movements in over 40 countries. His areas of expertise include church planting, theology of mission, teaching across cultures, and contextualization. He is the author of numerous award winning articles and books including most recently Teaching and Learning across Cultures: A Guide to Theory and Practice and (what we will be discussing today) The Church on Mission: A Biblical Vision for Transformation among All People.
He is married to Alice, who also teaches at Trinity (history of missions). They have three grown sons and eight grandchildren who live on three continents.

Show Notes:
Purchase “The Church on Mission: A Biblical Vision for Transformation among All People” by Dr. Carig Ott at https://www.amazon.ca/Church-Mission-Biblical-Vision-Transformation/dp/1540960889
Other resources mentioned in this episode:
“Not Done Yet” by Beth Severson https://www.ivpress.com/not-done-yet
“Western Christians in Global Mission: What’s the Role of the North American Church?” By Paul Borthwick https://www.amazon.ca/Western-Christians-Global-Mission-Borthwick/dp/0830837809
Listen to our episode with Paul Borthwick: https://globalmissionspodcast.com/055/
“Effective Engagement in Short-Term Missions” by Robert J. Priest https://www.amazon.ca/Effective-Engagement-Short-Term-Missions-Doing/dp/1645084930/ref=sr_1_1?crid=…
Learn more about Trinity Evangelical Divinity School’s Certificate in Leadership in Mission: https://www.tiu.edu/divinity/programs/certificate-leadership-mission/

Contact Dr. Ott: [email protected]

Resources and Links:
Get the GoJournal today! gojournal.org
Subscribe to us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@globalmissionspodcast7493
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/globalmissionspodcast/ or @globalmissionspodcast

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Topics: Biblical Foundation

In this episode, Billy McMahan invites church leaders to see the potential of Gen Z—the “Dreamer Generation”—and challenges us to disciple and send them with intentionality and hope. Together, we explore what this generation is longing for, the shifts churches can make to engage them deeply, and how mentorship can unlock their passion for God’s mission.

Bio:
Billy McMahan is the Southwest Mobilizer with Africa Inland Mission and also serves as the President of the Great Commission Research Network. He has over fifteen years of experience working with the next generation in Church and parachurch ministry and served as a missionary in Indonesia. He provides missional coaching for churches, organizations, and businesses nationwide on topics such as “Increasing Missional Impact,” “Evangelism,” “Developing Next Generation Leaders,” “Creating Healthy Teams,” and more.

Show Notes:
Download the companion resource for this episode, “Discipling a Heart for Ministry in Gen Z,” at globalmissionstoolbox.com

Check out Billy’s website: https://www.billymcmahan.com

Read the full article, “Innovations in Engaging the Next Generation Towards Discipleship and Mission”: https://place.asburyseminary.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1487&context=gcrj

Get in touch with Billy: [email protected]

Resources and Links:

Get the GoJournal today! gojournal.org
Subscribe to us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@globalmissionspodcast7493
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/globalmissionspodcast/ or @globalmissionspodcast
Explore the Toolbox: globalmissionstoolbox.com

Watch this episode on YouTube

Topics: Mobilization