Asian Missions Advance, 80

Asian Missions Advance Newsletter

Summer 2023 / 80th

1. ASIA MISSIONS ASSOCIATION: 14th Convention and 50th Anniversary Celebration

The Asia Missions Association is now 50 years old and it was celebrated in Jakarta, Indonesia, in the 14th AMA Convention. It was an assembly of missionaries, servant-leaders, partners and friends from all over Asia and beyond. Held from May 22 to 26, 2023 at the GBI Mawar Saron Church in Jakarta which hosted the AMA Convention with true and warm Indonesian hospitality. We are thankful to our brothers and sisters from GBI Mawar Saron Church under the pastorship of Rev. Yohannes Nahuway….

2. The State of World Missions Today (& the Unfinished Task)

[Marvin J. Newell]

The two Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua are centered on the island of New Guinea, 2000 miles east of Jakarta where we are meeting today. With vast area of cultural and biological diversity, these province’s rainforests and mountains are inhabited by indigenous Melanesian tribes. Since the end of WWII, concerted pioneering efforts have been made to engage and evangelize the more than 250 interior tribes, the majority of which were previously untouched by the outside world…

3. Challenges from Changes are Opportunities: Reducing Gaps in Recovering

[Irene Lee]

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on our lives and has fundamentally changed the way we live, work, and interact with each other. Challenges are for everyone, regardless of class, learning, or wealth. However, there is a gap in the speed of recovering and seeking a way to the “normal world. This paper will examine the changes since the pandemic, the challenges since we entered the era, and the opportunities for current and future missions and ministries…

4. Missions in the “Network Society”

[Eldon Porter]

One of the most significant challenges we face today, as a Global Church, is to know how to work together in unity in the face of difficult and complex situations. Christ said He would build His Church and He is doing just that. While we would all claim to be part of Christ’s Church and that He is our Lord – yet so often each member is doing their own ministry in isolation. Is there a way that we can achieve greater unity? The good news is that today we can witness how Christ is leading His Global Church to work together in unity…

5. Solving the Training Problem: Best Practices in Online Leadership Education in a Post-Pandemic World

[John Edmiston]

COVID19 introduced hundreds of millions of people to online education. E-learning has become normal, especially for the in-service training and licensing of active professionals. Learners are now used to virtual meetings, uploading assignments and engaging with content without the personal presence of an instructor. The pandemic also led to a rapid development of the supporting software and pedagogy which we can now benefit from in the work of missions…

6. Mentoring in Missions

[Lisa Espineli Chinn]

In preparation for my anticipated departure as National Director of International Student Ministry (ISM) of InterVarsity/USA, I wrote down my Four Loves. They were my four passions that I had hoped to express and utilize after my 14-year stint as ISM Director (2000-2014) and a combined 45 years of missionary work in the Philippines and the USA up to that point…

7. Embracing Creation Care: A Theological Call for Environmental Stewardship

[Chuck Baclagon]

In the face of the environmental crisis that plagues our world today, it is essential to examine the role of the church in addressing this pressing issue. While discussions on environmental preservation frequently dominate the news, they often remain absent from the pulpit and the practices of our churches. However, a strong theological foundation for creation care can be found within Scripture and church history, revealing a profound connection between God, humans, and the natural world. …