The Missions Show

Around the time that the Soviet Union fell, Ukraine experienced massive spiritual revival. Duane Early, who served there as a missionary, is convinced that’s part of the reason Ukraine is being targeted today.

In this interview, he explains the current situation in Ukraine, miracles that happened during that revival, lessons learned, and missiological takeaways that can be applied anywhere.

To help missionaries meet Ukrainian refugees’ needs and share the gospel to those affected by the war, support the Ukraine Crisis Fund.

Duane Early is ABWE’s Vice President of Strategic Partnerships. The Lord led Duane into full-time ministry while a student at the University of Michigan. He continued his education and theological training at Summit University in Clarks Summit, PA, and Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary. Duane and his wife, Susan, were involved in two pastoral ministries and one church plant during their first 15 years of marriage. In the 90s, the Lord led them Duane, Sue, and their two daughters to join ABWE in order to open and lead the first team in the country of Ukraine. The team was able to grow both in quantity and quality while developing the Church Ministries Institute, multiply churches, and launch mission endeavors throughout the Russian-speaking world. In 2000, Duane was asked to serve as the Regional Director for Eastern Europe and the Middle East, and in 2009, Duane became Vice President of Global Operations. He began his current role in 2017.

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In our next episode, Duane Early, former missionary to Ukraine and current vice president of strategic partnerships with ABWE, explains how Ukrainians reacted when the Soviet Union fell—and how it informed their missiological tactics.

New episodes Sundays at 7 p.m. Subscribe now to never miss an episode when it drops.

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Watch the video version of this episode here.

In 1927, the evangelical church was split in two—between gospel-proclaiming fundamentalists and followers of the social gospel. Caught in the struggle was Baptist missionary Dr. Raphael Thomas. When his life and ministry took some unexpected turns, he was faced with a choice—and his actions sparked a missions movement nearly 100 years long. Who was Raphael Thomas? Jim Ruff, missionary and author of an upcoming biography on the ABWE founder, walks us through Thomas’ life and why it matters for Christians today.

Learn more about the legacy of Dr. Thomas and its connection to the mission today.

Jim (M.Div., D.Min.) is a retired church-planting and leadership training missionary to Japan (20 years) and Trainer and Associate Director of training for ABWE (14 years). He’s also served for a term in church planting in the Chicago area. He wrote one of the ABWE Bible courses, and serves as a Proctor for missionaries taking the Methods of Bible Study course. For the past seven years, he’s taught at Baptist Bible Seminary, Clarks Summit University.

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Is Jesus is returning at any moment, what happens to missionary efforts? That was a concern of ABWE’s founding missionary, Dr. Raphael Thomas, 100 years ago. Veteran missionary Jim Ruff explains in this week’s upcoming episode.

New episodes Sundays at 7 p.m. Subscribe now to never miss an episode when it drops.

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Watch the video version of this episode here.

Throughout the ministry world, content is exchanged for money. But is this biblical? Or should the rest of the Christian world take a cue from how missionaries have operated all along? In The Dorean Principle, Pastor Conley Owens analyzes the puzzling biblical teachings on fundraising and reaches some startling conclusions that apply to anyone in ministry.

Conley Owens (M.Div., The Log College & Seminary) is a pastor at Silicon Valley Reformed Baptist Church and a senior software engineer at Google. He lives with his wife and seven children in Sunnyvale, California.

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When we last spoke with our friend Caleb Suko, the Russia-Ukraine war hadn’t yet begun. Now, he’s taken refuge—along with two million others—in another country. In this episode, he provides live updates from Moldova and explains how God is at work among the body of Christ and the masses of refugees.

You can support the Ukraine Crisis Fund at abwe.org/ukrainehelp.

Since 2007 Caleb has served as a missionary in Odessa, Ukraine where he is pastor at Hope for People Church and director of the “Evangelism Today” center for evangelism and discipleship. Caleb attended Shasta Bible College and graduated from Northwest Baptist Seminary in 2005 with a Master’s of Divinity. Together with his wife Christina their desire is to help believers and churches to do biblical evangelism and discipleship through training seminars on evangelism and discipleship for churches, personal discipleship, and working closely with national pastors to help strengthen and multiply the church in Ukraine and beyond. The Sukos also have five children. Support their ministry.

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We all know that missionary life usually means asking for financial support. That scares many people away. But what if that’s the way all sorts of ministries are supposed to work? Hear Conley Owens, author of The Dorean Principle, explain in the next episode.

New episodes Sundays at 7 p.m. Subscribe now to never miss an episode when it drops.

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Nik Ripken has collected the stories of suffering believers from all over the world—including Ukraine. In this episode, he talks to us about missions and what he’s learned from time spent with persecuted believers in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

Nik (pseudonym) is the author of The Insanity of God (2013) and other books, and previously served as a missionary with the IMB beginning in 1991.

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Coming up in our next episode: Nik Ripken shares his insights from observing the persecuted church in Ukraine and around the world—and what it all has to do with missions and our own country.

New episodes Sundays at 7 p.m. Subscribe now to never miss an episode when it drops.

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Watch the video version of this episode here.

Americans have a need for speed—and missionaries aren’t immune. But in his new “manifesto,” author and missionary Matt Rhodes explains why faithful missions requires long-term commitment. This week, we talk to him about historic missionaries’ example, why definitions matter, and how to gain agreement on a field team.

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