Keith invites Steve Sanford, CEO of Ethnos360, to share his own story in missions — from having the chance to shadow his father when Steve was a young kid to watching his father’s contagious desire to mobilize the Church. This would move him to take steps of his own that would lead Steve and his family to South America. Here they would experience how God’s Word changes whole communities, sometimes in dramatic ways. He also gives us a history lesson, laying out a quick version of the history of New Tribes Mission, now Ethnos360. This is part 1 of 2 conversations between Keith and Steve.

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When most people think of missions, they picture Bible translators or church planters living in remote locations. But what if reaching the unreached requires an entire team of people serving in roles you've never considered?

In this episode of the “Bible & Missions Podcast,” Alan sits down with Joel Potter to hear his journey from missionary kid to serving in communications and media at Ethnos360. Together they explore why support missionaries are essential to the Great Commission, how God uses people's unique gifts — from videography and photography to aviation, HR, finance and cooking — and why there is no "second-class" missionary role.

Whether you're considering missions, wondering how your career could be used for God's kingdom or simply want to understand better how missionaries are supported, this conversation will challenge and encourage you.

If you've ever thought, "I don't think I have the skills to be a missionary," this episode is for you.

Time Stamps:

0:00 Intro

1:18 Joel’s parents became missionaries later in life

2:25 How Joel became a missionary

4:06 Joel’s experience at Ethnos360 Bible Institute

7:11 Deciding how to be involved in missions

10:16 Coming back to the USA

11:26 Bicycle spokes analogy

13:28 Examples of support roles

18:45 Support raising almost kept Alan from missions

19:22 Joel’s current role

21:01 Support roles needed right now

23:01 Is lack of money going to stop God’s mission?

26:51 Why is there a need for a mission organization instead of just churches sending?

“The Bible & Missions Podcast,” an Ethnos360 Podcast.

Alan McDole interviews missionaries, Bible Institute professors and students to explore biblical missions and inspire the next generation to get involved in what God is doing around the world.

Find the Ethnos360 Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube!

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Find out more about the Ethnos360 Podcast as well as our policies at: Podcast - Ethnos360

How do you carry on when your house burns down in the middle of the jungle? From chicken farmer to overseas church planter, Jody Crain shares how God used him and his wife, an unlikely pair of missionaries, to plant a thriving church. They faced so many hurdles and obstacles, but they never strayed from God and His faithfulness.

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Learn more about our podcast and find our policies here: Podcast - Ethnos360

Josh and Keith conclude (for now, since we could talk about this endlessly!) the conversation on God’s heart for the nations to know Him as seen through the New Testament. We all know the classic passages from the Gospels, but are we letting their full meaning take root and lead us to action? Dig in with us!

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Find out more about the Ethnos360 Podcast as well as our policies at: Podcast - Ethnos360

In the first of this two-part conversation with our host for “Rooted and Mature,” Keith Copley, Josh Clark is back! This time he’s getting deep into the details, the Biblical details, that is, on how clear we can see God’s heart beating for all nations to know Him. In this first part, they move fast through the Old Testament, turning the idea on its head that the Great Commission is a relatively new thing. Spoiler alert! It’s not a new thing.

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Find out more about the Ethnos360 Podcast as well as our policies at: Podcast - Ethnos360

What happens when one misunderstood conversation nearly gets missionaries kicked out of an unreached people group?

In this episode, missionary Luke Thek shares what it’s really like learning the language and culture of the Uruwa people in Papua New Guinea. From painful cultural misunderstandings to the massive importance of Bible translation, Luke explains why missionaries spend years learning the heart language before teaching Scripture.

He tells the shocking story of how one direct response created a broken relationship, public shame and even danger for a mission plane — all because he didn’t yet understand the culture.

Time Stamps:

0:00 Intro to podcast
0:26 Intro to Luke Thek’s ministry in Papua New Guinea
0:44 Why learn the national language?
1:26 Why the gospel must be shared in the heart language
2:45 What is the hardest part of learning culture & language?
5:11 The cultural mistake that nearly ended their mission work
12:40 How long is it going to take to plant a church?
14:45 How learning a people group’s culture & language is a spiritual process
16:57 What are you looking forward to when you go back into the village?

The Bible & Missions Podcast, an Ethnos360 Podcast.

Alan McDole interviews missionaries, Bible Institute professors and students to explore biblical missions and inspire the next generation to get involved in what God is doing around the world.

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Find out more about the Ethnos360 Podcast as well as our policies at: Podcast - Ethnos360

In this first episode of The Bible & Missions Podcast, Alan McDole sits down with Josh Clark to explore how learning about unreached people groups completely changed the direction of Josh’s life and ministry. Josh shares the story of how God led him and his wife from college students who didn’t know much about missions to serving with Ethnos360. He shares insights on why missionary training, language learning and long-term faithfulness matter. From the early days of New Tribes Mission to modern missions mobilization, this conversation challenges believers to rethink what success in missions really looks like.

Time Stamps:

0:00 Intro

0:19 Josh Clark’s testimony of how he got into missions

3:23 Why have many Christians never heard of unreached people groups?

4:14 Why do I need to be trained to be a missionary?

5:24 How Josh found his role in missions

7:39 Intro to Ethnos360 and what makes us unique

14:11 Stories from the founding of New Tribes Mission/Ethnos360

17:57 How to learn more about Ethnos360

The Bible & Missions Podcast, an Ethnos360 Podcast.

Alan McDole interviews missionaries, Bible Institute professors and students to explore biblical missions and inspire the next generation to get involved in what God is doing around the world.
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Find out more about the Ethnos360 Podcast as well as our policies at: Podcast - Ethnos360

Sometimes we make our plans, but God has other ideas. In this episode, Karen Clark talks about how she found contentment after she and her husband dreamed of becoming overseas church planters but found themselves moving to central Florida instead. Karen is an incredible graphic designer, a homeschooling mom of two and an absolute delight!

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Find out more about the Ethnos360 Podcast as well as our policies at: Podcast - Ethnos360