What does everyday ministry look like in South Asia?

In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex sits down with K.Y., a ministry partner serving in a predominantly Muslim country in South Asia, to discuss the realities of gospel ministry in one of the world’s most challenging mission fields. K.Y. shares how his ministry integrates theological education, discipleship, and church planting to strengthen local believers and equip leaders for faithful witness amid persecution and social pressure.

K.Y. explains the risks Christians face when sharing their faith, the challenges posed by radicalized elements within society, and the importance of relationship-based evangelism that demonstrates Christ’s love through everyday interactions. The conversation also highlights encouraging evidence of God’s work as people from Muslim backgrounds come to faith in Christ through personal relationships, transformed lives, and, at times, extraordinary spiritual encounters.

• Ministry in a majority-Muslim South Asian context and the challenges of evangelism
• The role of theological education, discipleship, and church planting in strengthening the church
• Persecution, social pressures, and the realities facing Muslim-background believers
• Relationship-based evangelism and the importance of Christian character and witness
• Spiritual realities, including encounters with spiritism and testimonies of conversion
• Opportunities for prayer, support, and ministry partnership with local believers and church leaders

Support the vital work that K.Y. is doing in training pastors, theological education, and planting churches in the 10/40 window. Give to his ministry by visiting: https://give.abwe.org/projects/south-asia-discipleship

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Are short-term missions trips more helpful or hurtful?

In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex and Scott welcome Scott McCoy, Launch Point Missions Lead at ABWE, to discuss one of the most debated topics in modern missions: short-term mission trips. McCoy shares why he believes short-term missions remain valuable when they are thoughtfully designed around the needs of missionaries, local believers, and participating churches.

The conversation explores common pitfalls churches should avoid, including cultural insensitivity and creating ministry models that local believers cannot sustain. McCoy emphasizes the importance of partnering closely with missionaries, preparing teams well, and viewing mission trips as discipleship opportunities that develop future ministry leaders and missionaries.

• The ongoing debate over the value and effectiveness of short-term mission trips
• How churches can design trips that create lasting impact for missionaries and local believers
• Common mistakes teams make when serving cross-culturally
• Using short-term missions as a tool for discipleship and leadership development
• Why short-term trips often become a stepping stone toward long-term missionary service

Is your church considering a short-term missions trip? Check out Launch Point Missions to find current opportunities and connect with our team on how you can host your own trip.

Explore your calling to global missions at ABWE's 24-Hour DEMO event. These events, held throughout the year, help individuals and churches explore how they can help fulfill the Great Commission and explore God's calling on their life and church. Learn more at demo.abwe.org.

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Can compassion ministry and gospel proclamation work together?

In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex and Scott sit down with Dave Phillips, founder and president of Children's Hunger Fund (CHF), to explore the relationship between gospel proclamation, mercy ministry, and the local church. Dave shares the remarkable story behind CHF’s founding, beginning with a life-changing visit to a pediatric cancer ward in Honduras and culminating in a providential donation of life-saving medicine that confirmed God’s call to launch the ministry. What started as a small step of faith has grown into a global ministry serving suffering children and families through partnerships with local churches in more than 30 countries.

The conversation also tackles some of the most important debates in modern missions: the balance between word and deed ministry, the dangers of prosperity theology, the role of parachurch organizations, and how churches can engage in poverty alleviation without undermining local congregations.

• Dave Phillips’ testimony and the founding story of Children’s Hunger Fund
• How God used a providential donation of cancer medication to confirm CHF’s mission
• The relationship between gospel proclamation and mercy ministry
• Why addressing spiritual poverty must remain central to poverty alleviation efforts
• The biblical role of the local church versus parachurch organizations in missions
• Lessons from When Helping Hurts, short-term missions, and serving the poor with sound theology

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Is Peru as reached as we think?

In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex and Scott talk with veteran ABWE missionary Stephen Douglas to explore more than four decades of gospel ministry in Peru. Stephen shares how God led him and his wife Debbie to the city of Arequipa—a historic Roman Catholic stronghold known as the “Little Rome of Peru”—and how a small church-planting team, where no evangelical churches existed before, grew into a network of dozens of churches throughout the region.

Stephen also recounts powerful stories of lives changed through discipleship, leadership development, and church planting, including Peruvian believers who have become pastors and missionaries serving around the world. While Peru and South America still have significant gospel needs, Stephen casts a compelling vision for the future: strengthening local churches, training national leaders, and equipping Latin American believers to become a launching force for global missions.

• Stephen Douglas’s call to missions and journey to Peru
• Church planting in Arequipa, Peru’s historic Catholic stronghold
• The growth from a pioneering work to a regional church-planting movement
• Stories of Peruvian pastors and missionaries impacting the nations
• Challenges and opportunities in reaching modern Peruvian culture
• A vision for Peru and Latin America as a launching pad for global missions

Support the work of Steve and Debbie Douglas as they continue to plant churches, train leaders, and send out Peruvian missionaries to the world - https://give.abwe.org/worker/stephen-and-debi-douglas

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.

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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.

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This week, Alex and Scott tackle a difficult question from a missionary wife who, after experiencing significant trauma, grief, anxiety, depression, family challenges, and cultural stress during overseas service, no longer feels able to return to the mission field while her husband remains convinced they should continue. They explore the realities of missionary hardship, the emotional and spiritual toll of cross-cultural ministry, and the tension that can arise when spouses find themselves at odds over what they believe God is calling them to do.

The conversation examines biblical concepts of calling, marriage, submission, family priorities, and the role of the local church in affirming missionary service. Alex and Scott encourage listeners to distinguish between personal desires, genuine calling, and God’s providential limitations, while emphasizing that husbands and wives must seek unity, wise counsel, and pastoral guidance when navigating major ministry decisions.

• The emotional, relational, and spiritual impact of missionary trauma and culture shock.
• How to distinguish between personal desires, ministry ambitions, and biblical calling.
• The local church’s role in affirming, evaluating, and guiding missionary service.
• Biblical perspectives on marital leadership, submission, and decision-making during disagreement.
• Balancing ministry commitments with responsibilities to spouse, children, and family health.
• Practical counsel for couples seeking unity when one spouse wants to continue missions and the other does not.

Here's the conversation from Scott Dunford and his wife about missions.

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In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex and Scott welcome pastor, author, and former missionary J. Chase Davis to discuss the crisis of biblical masculinity and its implications for the church and missions. Drawing from his book Offensive Christianity, Davis argues that the modern church has often replaced robust discipleship with therapeutic, “nice” Christianity that neglects courage, conviction, and a biblical understanding of manhood.

The conversation explores how theological anthropology, cultural movements like pietism, and modern evangelical trends have contributed to an increasingly feminized church culture that often struggles to challenge men toward sacrificial leadership and spiritual maturity. From a missions perspective, together they examine how an overemphasis on comfort and safety can weaken the church’s vision for gospel advance.

• The theological roots behind the modern crisis of masculinity
• Why “nice Christianity” can undermine bold discipleship
• The difference between meekness and weakness in missions
• How evangelical culture became increasingly “feminine coded”
• Recovering courage, risk, and conviction in missionary service
• Why churches must cast a stronger vision for men in missions

Learn more and get your copy of Chase's book, Offensive Christianity here.

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.

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.

In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex sits down with ABWE’s Director of International Security and Crisis Management, Bill Gruppen, to discuss the difficult balance between missionary safety and gospel risk-taking in some of the world’s most dangerous places. Drawing from decades of experience in law enforcement, emergency response, and security, Bill shares how God redirected his professional skill set into missions work through TACTICA Ministries and ABWE.

Together, they explore how missionaries prepare for crises, make difficult stay-or-go decisions in conflict zones like the Middle East and Ukraine, and seek to remain faithful witnesses without embracing unnecessary danger. Bill explains how emergency response ministries can strengthen long-term church planting efforts by building relationships, serving communities in moments of suffering, and opening doors for gospel ministry.

• Why missionary safety and gospel risk must be held in biblical balance
• How ABWE missionaries navigate conflict zones and crisis situations
• Bill Gruppen’s journey from law enforcement and emergency response into missions
• The role of TACTICA Ministries in reaching first responders with the gospel
• ABWE’s vision for disaster relief and crisis response teams
• Encouragement to pray for missionaries and first responders serving under pressure

If you would like to know more about International Security and Crisis Management, visit International Security and Crisis Management. Support the work of Bill and Cindy Gruppen at Bill and Cindy Gruppen | give.abwe.org.

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.

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Christian missions has never existed in a cultural vacuum. From William Carey’s role in ending widow burning in India to Gladys Aylward confronting foot-binding in China, the spread of Christianity has often transformed entire societies. But where is the line between gospel transformation and cultural imperialism? When missionaries challenge practices rooted in paganism, are they discipling nations or exporting Western assumptions? In this episode, Alex and Scott explores the missionary task through the lens of Scripture, church history, and cultural theology. Looking at both Scripture and missions history, we explore: What parts of culture must be rejected? What parts can be redeemed? How should missionaries approach technology, literacy, family structures, and social customs? And how can Christians avoid simply replacing old idols with modern Western ones?

• The balance between gospel proclamation and cultural transformation
• Historical examples of Christianity influencing societal change
• The danger of exporting Western or personal cultural preferences
• The importance of developing indigenous expressions of Christianity
• The role of institutions (schools, hospitals, state) in missions work
• Practical guidance for missionaries engaging with local cultures

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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.