What can the Puritans teach us about missions?

This week, Alex is joined by Stephen Yuille, director of Puritan Publishing at Reformation Heritage Books, to explore who the Puritans really were and why they still matter for missions today. Yuille challenges common cultural caricatures of Puritanism, explaining that the Puritans were not merely dour moralists but a vibrant movement of pastors and theologians marked by a deep, heartfelt devotion to Christ that went beyond intellectual assent.

The conversation traces how this Christ-centered theology fueled a genuine evangelistic and missionary impulse. Although the Puritans lived before what we now call “modern missions,” they were deeply concerned with the spread of the gospel, both within nominally Christian societies and among unreached peoples as the world began to open through exploration.

• Who the Puritans were—and why modern stereotypes about them are misleading
• The relationship between Reformation theology and evangelistic zeal
• How Puritan theology influenced William Carey and later global missions
• The centrality of Christ’s glory as the motivation for missions

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Has global missions strayed from a biblical foundation?

In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex and Scott talk with Pastor Jerry Slate Jr. to discuss the theological foundations and practical realities of faithful missionary work. The conversation centers on the question of what sustains missionaries through hardship, rejection, and long seasons of discouragement.

Jerry, Alex, and Scott emphasize the central role of the local church in sending, vetting, and sustaining missionaries, warning against outsourcing this responsibility entirely to parachurch organizations. The episode highlights the need to tether missiology firmly to historic Christian theology, confessional faith, and biblical ecclesiology.

Check out Jerry Slate Jr.’s new book, Reforming World Missions from Founders Press. Jerry pastors Berean Baptist Church in Powder Springs, Georgia. Find sermon audio here.

• Perseverance in missions grounded in the worth and glory of God
• The relationship between theology proper and missionary motivation
• Critiques of pragmatic and movement-driven missiology
• The local church as the primary sending and overseeing body for missions
• The importance of biblically qualified leadership and discipleship
• Recovering historic, confessional theology in global missions

Do you love The Missions Show? Have you been blessed by the show? Then become a Premium Subscriber!

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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 alex@missionsshow.com.

Do you believe miracles can still happen?

In this episode of The Missions Show, Scott is joined by Dr. Darren Carlson—pastor, author, and founder of Training Leaders International—to discuss the ongoing work of God as revealed in the book of Acts and experienced around the world today. Drawing from Carlson’s new book, Witness: Missional Devotions from the Book of Acts, the conversation explores whether Acts should be viewed merely as a historical account or as an invitation to expect God’s continued unusual activity through the church.

Scott and Darren wrestle honestly with the tension between miracles and the “grind” of everyday ministry. Through global mission stories, pastoral experiences, and personal encounters, Carlson emphasizes that God is actively at work—often beyond our narrow expectations. By telling true stories of God’s work, the church is strengthened, believers are made glad, and hope is restored even amid suffering, persecution, and apparent setbacks.

• The book of Acts as a model for ongoing Christian mission, not just past history
• Balancing expectation for miracles with ordinary faithfulness in daily life
• Discernment amid exaggerated or false miracle claims
• Forced migration and persecution as catalysts for mission in Acts
• Storytelling as a means of encouraging believers and strengthening faith

Do you love The Missions Show? Have you been blessed by the show? Then become a Premium Subscriber!

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• Exclusive bonus content
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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 alex@missionsshow.com.