On Mission with Chris Wright

Praveen and Veena Bunyan have served as pastors in India and the US, and now live in Hyderabad, India where today, they are a husband and wife team who share a passion to strengthen the church in a region where it’s dangerous to follow Jesus. As part of Langham Preaching’s pastor training movement, Praveen and Veena work together to equip and mentor grassroots pastors. In their conversation with Chris, they discuss the challenges facing the growing church in India, the challenges and opportunities of serving as a couple, and some powerful lessons the church in the west can learn from the church in South Asia, where Christians are a small minority.

Dr. Femi Adeleye is an internationally renowned New Testament scholar, teacher, author and leader for the global church. Originally from Nigeria, he spent more than 30 years in leadership with the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES). Today he serves in Ghana, where he leads Langham’s pastor training movement in Africa. In the second half of their two-part conversation, Chris and Femi discuss the incredible growth of the African church, and they dig into some tough questions — like why the continent remains plagued by hard issues like corruption and conflict when there are so many professing Christians.

Dr. Femi Adeleye is an internationally renowned New Testament scholar, teacher, author and leader for the global church. Originally from Nigeria, he spent more than 30 years in leadership with the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES). Today he serves in Ghana, where he leads Langham’s pastor training movement in Africa. In part one of this two-part conversation, Chris and Femi touch on some of the major challenges facing the church in Africa, and the challenge from John Stott that sparked Femi’s passion and ministry to see the Gospel impacting Africa beyond just Sunday—but extending to every sphere of life.

Dr. Havilah Dharamraj lives in a sensitive South Asian country, where she serves as Academic Dean and teaches Old Testament at the South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies. In a region where believers often face pressure and persecution for their faith, Havilah is at work training and mentoring the next generation of pastors and leaders through her teaching and writing. In her conversation with Chris, she shares about building bridges between cultures in her diverse context, and discusses what we can learn from the church in South Asia.

Dr. Riad Kassis has spent decades in global theological leadership. Among his many roles, he serves as the director of the Langham Scholars program—which scholarships and supports emerging theological leaders throughout the Majority World. From his home base in Lebanon, he also works as a teacher and author. Fellow Old Testament Bible scholars, Chris and Riad discuss the history of Arab Christians, what it’s like for Christ followers in Lebanon today, and how an early encounter with John Stott inspired his approach to ministry.

Dr. Myrto Theocharous, from Athens, Greece, is an Old Testament scholar and the first evangelical woman to get a PhD in Bible and Theology in her country. In addition to her work writing and teaching at Greek Bible College in Athens, she’s passionate about equipping the church to love and serve the poor and oppressed. In her conversation with Chris, she talks about how studying the book of Deuteronomy inspired her work as an advocate for victims of sex trafficking, and she shares some powerful insights on what Christians in the West can learn from their brothers and sisters in Greece.

Rev. Dr. Yohanna Katanacho is a Palestinian Israeli Bible scholar, author, and professor who lives in Israel and serves as Academic Dean at Nazareth Evangelical College. Born into conflict during the Arab-Israeli war, today he’s an advocate of radical love, unity and peace for his homeland. In the second episode of this two-part conversation with Chris, Yohanna discusses his work as an author and how – through approaching the text from his culture and context – he seeks to share insights that can help believers everywhere grow in their spiritual journey.

Rev. Dr. Yohanna Katanacho is a Palestinian Israeli Bible scholar, author, and professor who lives in Israel and serves as Academic Dean at Nazareth Evangelical College. Born into conflict during the Arab-Israeli war, today he’s an advocate of radical love, unity and peace for his homeland. In part one of this two-part conversation with Chris, Yohanna shares about his pursuit of love in the context of hatred, and how his study of theology and the Old Testament has transformed him for mission in his context.

Dr. Gladys Mwiti, from Nairobi, Kenya, is the Founder and CEO of Oasis Africa – a pan-African professional counseling and behavioral health care organization. Gladys is a global authority on trauma counseling, work that has put her on the front lines of tragedies such as the Rwandan genocide and the Westgate mall attack. In part two of her conversation with Chris, Gladys talks about her work as a clinical psychologist, some Christian misconceptions about depression, and how she’s teaching others to help people find comfort and healing in the midst of emotional and spiritual trauma.

Dr. Gladys Mwiti, from Nairobi, Kenya, is the Founder and CEO of Oasis Africa – a pan-African professional counseling and behavioral health care organization. Gladys is a global authority on trauma counseling, work that has put her on the front lines of tragedies such as the Rwandan genocide and the Westgate mall attack. In part one of this two-part episode, Chris talks with Gladys about both the resiliency and the struggles of the African church, and the context in which she launched her career as a clinical psychologist.