The Missions Show

By Alex Kocman and Scott DunfordSociety & Culture Religion & Spirituality Christianity Education Philosophy

The Missions Show episodes

March 03, 2025Building Christian Community in a Muslim Majority Country
How do you cultivate a mature Christian community in a Muslim-majority country? In this week's episode of The Missions Podcast, Alex and Scott sit down with William (name changed for security), who is an ABWE missionary in South Asia. They discuss challenges that national believers and missionaries face in that context including church worship, child-rearing, financial difficulties, and the need to develop a strong Christian community.
William is an ABWE missionary serving in South Asia. He works primarily doing theological education to develop church leaders and resources for the local south Asian church.
Family worship is a crucial part of building faith within our families. Reformation Heritage Books has a resource to help guide you in creating an uplifting and Biblically strong worship time with their new Family Worship Bible Guide. Go to heritagebooks.org/familyworship and pick up your copy. Use promo code: MISSIONSPOD for a 10% discount on any order.
When was the last time your church did a missions conference, and how did it go? ABWE wants to help your church do a missions conference that will challenge your congregation to send. It's called Send Sunday. Click here to download your free resources including sermon notes, small group discussion questions, song selections, children's activity pages, and more! Join with ABWE and other churches on Pentacost Sunday to pray and ask God to send someone from your church.
Want more of The Missions Show? Our premium content now lives on Patreon.
Supporter ($5/month): weekly bonus shows with more in-depth conversation, behind-the-scenes content, and spiritual insights
Insider ($10/month): the weekly bonus shows, plus a private Signal group with the hosts, quarterly live chats with Scott and Alex, and a thank-you gift for first-time subscribers
Join at patreon.com/TheMissionsShow.
The Missions Show is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.
Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email [email protected].
48 min
February 24, 2025Aaron Renn: Has the ‘Negative World’ Come to an End?
How is the church to respond in a negative world? In this week's episode of The Missions Podcast, Alex and Scott talk with returning guest Aaron Renn. Aaron's "three worlds" model gives a framework on how to understand the cultural attitude toward Christianity in the United States. Together they discuss what the current attitude is and how the church and Christians should respond.
Aaron Renn is the author of, "Life in the Negative World: Confronting Challenges in an Anti-Christian Culture" (Zondervan). Find out more about Aaron Renn and keep up with his writing by signing up at www.aaronrenn.com .
Family worship is a crucial part of building faith within our families. Reformation Heritage Books has a resource to help guide you in creating an uplifting and Biblically strong worship time with their new Family Worship Bible Guide. Go to heritagebooks.org/familyworship and pick up your copy. Use promo code: MISSIONSPOD for a 10% discount on any order.
When was the last time your church did a missions conference, and how did it go? ABWE wants to help your church do a missions conference that will challenge your congregation to send. It's called Send Sunday. Click here to download your free resources including sermon notes, small group discussion questions, song selections, children's activity pages, and more! Join with ABWE and other churches on Pentacost Sunday to pray and ask God to send someone from your church.
Want more of The Missions Show? Our premium content now lives on Patreon.
Supporter ($5/month): weekly bonus shows with more in-depth conversation, behind-the-scenes content, and spiritual insights
Insider ($10/month): the weekly bonus shows, plus a private Signal group with the hosts, quarterly live chats with Scott and Alex, and a thank-you gift for first-time subscribers
Join at patreon.com/TheMissionsShow.
The Missions Show is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.
Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email [email protected].
43 min
February 17, 2025Is Singleness a Gift? With Mandi Vermilyea
Why does it seem like singleness is the gift that no one wants? In this week's episode of The Missions Podcast, Alex and Scott sit done with ABWE missionary Mandi Vermilyea to talk about singleness on the mission field. They discuss advantages and disadvantages of being single in ministry, false and hurtful assumptions about singleness, and how churches can best support single women missionaries.
Mandi Vermilyea is a missionary with ABWE's EveryEthne ministry, ministering in North America. She launched the Flourish ministry two years ago to encourage and support single women who are serving the Lord all over the world. Learn more about Flourish in this video, support her house project, or support Mandi as she ministers to women.
When was the last time your church did a missions conference, and how did it go? ABWE wants to help your church do a missions conference that will challenge your congregation to send. It's called Send Sunday. Click here to download your free resources including sermon notes, small group discussion questions, song selections, children's activity pages, and more! Join with ABWE and other churches on Pentacost Sunday to pray and ask God to send someone from your church.
Are you feeling called to the mission field, but don't know where to start? ABWE's 24-Hour DEMO is for those that are seeking opportunities and direction on how they can help fulfill the Great Commission. Find your role in global missions at demo.abwe.org.
Want more of The Missions Show? Our premium content now lives on Patreon.
Supporter ($5/month): weekly bonus shows with more in-depth conversation, behind-the-scenes content, and spiritual insights
Insider ($10/month): the weekly bonus shows, plus a private Signal group with the hosts, quarterly live chats with Scott and Alex, and a thank-you gift for first-time subscribers
Join at patreon.com/TheMissionsShow.
The Missions Show is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.
Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email [email protected].
39 min
February 12, 2025The Gift of Singleness
In this week's episode of The Missions Podcast, Alex and Scott sit down with Mandi Vermilyea to talk about singleness on the mission field.
Want more of The Missions Show? Our premium content now lives on Patreon.
Supporter ($5/month): weekly bonus shows with more in-depth conversation, behind-the-scenes content, and spiritual insights
Insider ($10/month): the weekly bonus shows, plus a private Signal group with the hosts, quarterly live chats with Scott and Alex, and a thank-you gift for first-time subscribers
Join at patreon.com/TheMissionsShow.
The Missions Show is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.
Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email [email protected].
1 min
February 10, 2025How to Start Doing Evangelism Today With Jim Murphy
Do you struggle with evangelism? You're not alone. In this week's episode of The Missions Podcast, Alex and Scott sit down with Jim Murphy, from My Circle Training, as they talk about why evangelism can be so difficult. They analyze the cultural mindsets, training pitfalls, and even the church paradigms that hinder evangelism of church members.
Jim Murphy is President of My Circle Training and a local church pastor in Iowa. He has 22 years of church planting experience. EveryEthne, a ministry of ABWE, partners with My Circle Training to equip their North American missionaries to confidently and boldly evangelize. Learn more at My Circle Training's website and get virtual training at LeadCMA.
Are you feeling called to the mission field, but don't know where to start? ABWE's 24-Hour DEMO is for those that are seeking opportunities and direction on how they can help fulfill the Great Commission. Find your role in global missions at demo.abwe.org.
Want more of The Missions Show? Our premium content now lives on Patreon.
Supporter ($5/month): weekly bonus shows with more in-depth conversation, behind-the-scenes content, and spiritual insights
Insider ($10/month): the weekly bonus shows, plus a private Signal group with the hosts, quarterly live chats with Scott and Alex, and a thank-you gift for first-time subscribers
Join at patreon.com/TheMissionsShow.
The Missions Show is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.
Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email [email protected].
42 min
February 06, 2025Don’t Make Evangelism a Transaction
This week on The Missions Podcast, Alex and Scott sit down with Jim Murphy from My Circle Training to discuss why evangelism can be so difficult in today's world.
Want more of The Missions Show? Our premium content now lives on Patreon.
Supporter ($5/month): weekly bonus shows with more in-depth conversation, behind-the-scenes content, and spiritual insights
Insider ($10/month): the weekly bonus shows, plus a private Signal group with the hosts, quarterly live chats with Scott and Alex, and a thank-you gift for first-time subscribers
Join at patreon.com/TheMissionsShow.
The Missions Show is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.
Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email [email protected].
2 min
February 05, 2025Apologetics 101, Wesley Huff, Joe Rogan, and Presuppositionalism
Since Joe Rogan interviewed Wesley Huff, there has been a renewed interest in Christian apologetics and culture. But what exactly is apologetics?
Alex and Scott dive into the controversy of different apologetic schools of thought, the pros and cons of each, and how moments like these can start to turn a culture back to the Lord.
Want more of The Missions Show? Our premium content now lives on Patreon.
Supporter ($5/month): weekly bonus shows with more in-depth conversation, behind-the-scenes content, and spiritual insights
Insider ($10/month): the weekly bonus shows, plus a private Signal group with the hosts, quarterly live chats with Scott and Alex, and a thank-you gift for first-time subscribers
Join at patreon.com/TheMissionsShow.
The Missions Show is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.
Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email [email protected].
36 min
February 03, 2025A New Apologetic for Africa With Dr. Kevin Muriithi
How do we approach apologetics in different contexts? In this week's episode of The Missions Podcast, Alex and Scott talk with Dr. Kevin Muriithi, an author and lecturer in Kenya, on how to approach apologetics in an African context. They discuss the spiritual, cultural, and historical perspectives that inform the methods and answer the questions that Africans are asking in relation to the Bible.
Kevin Muriithi is Head of Practical Theology at St. Paul's University in Kenya. He is Chairperson of Apologetics Kenya. He is the author of a new book, "Apologetics in Africa" (available at Langham Publishing and Amazon). You can also find more of his writing on his blog.
Family worship is a crucial part of building faith within our families. Reformation Heritage Books has a resource to help guide you in creating an uplifting and Biblically strong worship time with their new Family Worship Bible Guide. Go to heritagebooks.org/familyworship and pick up your copy. Use promo code: MISSIONSPOD for a 10% discount on any order.
Want more of The Missions Show? Our premium content now lives on Patreon.
Supporter ($5/month): weekly bonus shows with more in-depth conversation, behind-the-scenes content, and spiritual insights
Insider ($10/month): the weekly bonus shows, plus a private Signal group with the hosts, quarterly live chats with Scott and Alex, and a thank-you gift for first-time subscribers
Join at patreon.com/TheMissionsShow.
The Missions Show is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.
Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email [email protected].
43 min
January 29, 2025The Need for an African Apologetic
In this week's episode of The Missions Podcast, Alex and Scott talk with Dr. Kevin Muriithi to discuss the critical perspectives, history, and questions that inform African apologetics.
Want more of The Missions Show? Our premium content now lives on Patreon.
Supporter ($5/month): weekly bonus shows with more in-depth conversation, behind-the-scenes content, and spiritual insights
Insider ($10/month): the weekly bonus shows, plus a private Signal group with the hosts, quarterly live chats with Scott and Alex, and a thank-you gift for first-time subscribers
Join at patreon.com/TheMissionsShow.
The Missions Show is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.
Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email [email protected].
2 min
January 27, 2025What Pastors Really Want Missionaries to Know With Tom Ascol and Graham Gunden
Do you know what your pastor is looking for in a missionary? In this week's episode, Alex travels to Ft. Myers, Florida to visit the studios of Founders Ministries and interviews Tom Ascol and Graham Gunden. Together they discuss the office of pastor in the church, what pastors should look for in missionaries, and how the work of evangelism is integral to both pastors and missionaries.
Tom Ascol is President of Founders Ministries and The Institute of Public Theology. He also serves as pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, Florida. Graham Gunden has held a variety of roles with Founders Ministries, serves as Dean at The Fletcher School, and is Assistant Pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, Florida. Together, Tom and Graham host a weekly podcast called The Sword and The Trowel
Want to hear more? Join our Premium Subscribers and get access to the Overtime Episode where Alex goes deeper with Tom and Graham. Become a Premium Subscriber at patreon.com/TheMissionsShow.
Want more of The Missions Show? Our premium content now lives on Patreon.
Supporter ($5/month): weekly bonus shows with more in-depth conversation, behind-the-scenes content, and spiritual insights
Insider ($10/month): the weekly bonus shows, plus a private Signal group with the hosts, quarterly live chats with Scott and Alex, and a thank-you gift for first-time subscribers
Join at patreon.com/TheMissionsShow.
The Missions Show is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.
Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email [email protected].
38 min

About The Missions Show

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The Missions Show answers hard questions about theology, missions, and practice to help goers think and thinkers go. We are conservative, evangelical, and gospel-centered.