The cost of change includes children
Posted on: 30th January 2019
Former CMS missionary Helen Reid (who served with Andrew in the Middle East) knows that being ‘all things to all people’ will be costly for children as well as parents. Read about some of those costs and how her family responded. “Every Aussie kid should be able to ride a bike,” said my Australian friend, […]
Careful conversation in secure locations
Posted on: 23rd January 2019
CMS missionary J has served in support of local believers in a range of locations, each of which illustrate barriers to clear gospel communication, but also the joy of persisting with wisdom and (sometimes) caution. Different contexts produce different challenges to the principle of ‘all things to all people’. Here are two stories: the first from […]
Perseverance in Papua New Guinea
Posted on: 31st December 2018
CMS missionary Keith Birchley (serving with Marion in Papua New Guinea) speak here of their experience in a country where 97 per cent of the population claim to be Christian. To be ‘all things to all people’ will sometime mean resisting what others do naturally. We’ve been (mostly) enjoying the ride of ministry in […]
Facing difficulties in the Kimberley
Posted on: 17th December 2018
CMS missionary Chris Webb (serving with Karen in North Australia) meet spiritual crises amongst the Aboriginal people of Broome that reflect striking differences in cultural expectations, on both sides. Does the gospel address those differences? Read Chris’s account, and be encouraged to be specific in your prayer for Christ’s power to prevail. It was 11:30pm […]
All things to all people
Posted on: 10th December 2018
Former CMS missionary John Bales, now training people to work with Muslims as part of the CMS MENTAC program, is convinced by Paul’s example of the need to be ‘all things to all people’. Paul writes: 19 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win […]
Welcoming missionary kids on Home Assignment
Posted on: 20th November 2018
H served as a CMS worker in the Middle East with her husband A and their children. Here she gives some excellent practical ideas and insights for how you or your church can make the time on Home Assignment smoother and more enjoyable for all. For many children re-entering Australia (or visiting from CMS involvement […]
Exploring mission with Mentac
Posted on: 19th November 2018
CMS missionary E serves in South Asia, but before she arrived at that destination she was involved for two years as an apprentice in the Mentac program supported by CMS. Checkpoint Online asked her some questions about her experience. What did you do during the Mentac program? The training in the program is a mix […]
Preaching Christ in traditional rituals in Toraja
Posted on: 16th November 2018
CMS missionary Andrew Buchanan has been serving in the Church of Toraja in Indonesia since 2002. As the church faces the resurgence of traditional grave cleaning practices, Andrew explains why and how he has recommended to ministers to take part in this ritual. The Church in Toraja ministers to a region that only came into […]
A pastoral visit to the Webbs in Broome
Posted on: 6th November 2018
In September 2018, CMS International Director Peter Rodgers went on one of CMS’s annual pastoral visits to support the Webb family in Broome. Here he gives some first-hand observations about their work, including his warm endorsement of how they are coping with the cultural differences that they encounter. First things first, because the purpose of a pastoral […]
Thinking about contextualisation
Posted on: 29th October 2018
CMS missionary Kellie Nicholas is on study leave in 2018 to better prepare herself for continuing ministry to students in Japan. As part of her studies, she has been thinking about contextualisation, and shares here her understanding of the concept and principles for its application in ministry. Until I recently embarked on some study related […]
