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God is not surprised by global migration. Discover how Scripture reframes immigration as a providential missional moment.
By Aaron Myers
By Aaron Myers
A few years ago, I traveled to Kansas to lead a Strangers No More training for a youth group from a small rural town. We spent the day in Wichita — a few hours of cross-cultural training, visits to immigrant-owned grocery stores, lunch at a Middle Eastern restaurant, some time at the local mosque. The students listened well. They asked questions. They began to see their state through a kingdom lens. It was, by any measure, a good day.
But the moment I remember most came on my drive back to South Dakota, at a gas station in McPherson, Kansas, a town of about 8,000. Inside, behind the counter, stood a man with olive skin and a heavy accent that suggested he wasn’t born in the U.S. I asked where he was from.
“India,” he said.
I asked, "So if you are from India, you speak both English and Hindi, but you also probably speak a third language as well, is that right?"
Surprised by my interest, he smiled and said, "Yes, I also speak Gujarati."
While he rang up the sale, I pulled out my phone and opened the Jesus Film app. On the map of India, more than 170 languages appeared. I tapped one that looked right and turned the screen toward him. “Is this it?” He nodded. Ten seconds later, the film began playing in Gujarati, a language spoken by nearly 62 million people. His face broke into a wide grin. He nodded again, slower this time. “Yes,” he said. “That is my language.”
Globalization is real. More than 300 million people today live outside the country of their birth, a population that, if gathered in one place, would rank among the largest nations on earth, representing nearly 4 percent of the world. Most have moved because the world is broken: war, economic collapse, famine, environmental disaster, violence. Christians rightly pray for justice and peace and work toward wise and compassionate policy. Nations have the responsibility to order their borders and laws.
But Christians must also ask a deeper question: What if God is at work in this movement?
In Athens, the Apostle Paul declared that God “made from one man every nation of mankind … having determined allotted times and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him” (Acts 17:26–27). Migration does not catch heaven off guard. God is not wringing his hands, wondering what is going on. He is, as he has always been, on the move — and he invites his church to move with him.
In what follows, I want to explore four distinct but interwoven ways of thinking about the nations — particularly the nations now living among us:
An Eternal Reality
Scripture leaves little ambiguity about God’s heart for the nations. From the promise to Abraham that “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3), to the prophet Habakkuk’s vision that “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14), the arc of the Bible bends toward a global chorus of worship. In Revelation, the Apostle John sees “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9). Heaven will be a multicultural, multi-linguistic declaration of the goodness and glory of God.
And this diversity is not incidental; it is revelatory. An Egyptian slave woman gives us one of Scripture’s most intimate names for God — El Roi, “the God who sees me” (Genesis 16:13). At Pentecost, when the Spirit descends on the waiting disciples, God does not default to Greek, the trade language of the empire. Instead, he speaks through “Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia … Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome … Cretans and Arabs” (Acts 2:9–11). The miracle is not merely comprehension; it is particularity. God addresses people in the language of the heart.
The Somali shopkeeper downtown. The Latino roofer around the corner. The Indian doctor guiding your mother through a cancer diagnosis. They are not demographic trends. They are image-bearers. Some will be our eternal brothers and sisters. We will worship together. We will learn from one another. Each culture reflects a distinct facet of God’s character and creativity.
As debates about immigration swell across headlines and campaign platforms, Christians must remember this: the people being discussed are not abstractions. They are future worshipers. They are, perhaps, future friends. They are part of an eternal reality that stretches far beyond our present anxieties and into the unending, multilingual praise of God.
A Discipleship Possibility
What do a Ukrainian, a Congolese, a Bhutanese and an Oromo refugee have in common? Each is a friend who arrived in my city seeking refuge and each has deepened my faith in Christ. In a cultural moment when the church is increasingly sidelined in a post-Christian society, we have much to learn from brothers and sisters who have carried their faith across borders.
When I once asked my Ukrainian friend how he learned to endure persecution, he did not offer a theory but a memory: as a boy, he gathered with other believers nearly every night of the week for hours of prayer, worship and Scripture, meeting quietly and at cost. An Oromo pastor, frustrated with his congregation in the United States, stopped himself mid-complaint to apologize. Back home, he explained, believers would pray together through the night and he was discouraged that he could not persuade them to gather for more than four hours of prayer here.
My Bhutanese friend told me about the beatings he endured from his uncle in front of their entire village in a Nepali refugee camp after choosing to follow Christ. And a Congolese pastor, a survivor of genocide, once urged me to travel with him to Kenya to train fellow Congolese refugees living in the slums of Nairobi. His charge to them was unsparing: if they did not share the good news of Jesus with their Somali neighbors — also refugees — they would be complicit in spiritual genocide. It was a sobering exhortation, especially from a man who was a survivor of physical genocide.
But the moment I remember most came on my drive back to South Dakota, at a gas station in McPherson, Kansas, a town of about 8,000. Inside, behind the counter, stood a man with olive skin and a heavy accent that suggested he wasn’t born in the U.S. I asked where he was from.
“India,” he said.
I asked, "So if you are from India, you speak both English and Hindi, but you also probably speak a third language as well, is that right?"
Surprised by my interest, he smiled and said, "Yes, I also speak Gujarati."
While he rang up the sale, I pulled out my phone and opened the Jesus Film app. On the map of India, more than 170 languages appeared. I tapped one that looked right and turned the screen toward him. “Is this it?” He nodded. Ten seconds later, the film began playing in Gujarati, a language spoken by nearly 62 million people. His face broke into a wide grin. He nodded again, slower this time. “Yes,” he said. “That is my language.”
Globalization is real. More than 300 million people today live outside the country of their birth, a population that, if gathered in one place, would rank among the largest nations on earth, representing nearly 4 percent of the world. Most have moved because the world is broken: war, economic collapse, famine, environmental disaster, violence. Christians rightly pray for justice and peace and work toward wise and compassionate policy. Nations have the responsibility to order their borders and laws.
But Christians must also ask a deeper question: What if God is at work in this movement?
In Athens, the Apostle Paul declared that God “made from one man every nation of mankind … having determined allotted times and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him” (Acts 17:26–27). Migration does not catch heaven off guard. God is not wringing his hands, wondering what is going on. He is, as he has always been, on the move — and he invites his church to move with him.
In what follows, I want to explore four distinct but interwoven ways of thinking about the nations — particularly the nations now living among us:
- An Eternal Reality
- A Discipleship Possibility
- A Biblical Responsibility
- A Missional Opportunity
An Eternal Reality
Scripture leaves little ambiguity about God’s heart for the nations. From the promise to Abraham that “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3), to the prophet Habakkuk’s vision that “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14), the arc of the Bible bends toward a global chorus of worship. In Revelation, the Apostle John sees “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9). Heaven will be a multicultural, multi-linguistic declaration of the goodness and glory of God.
And this diversity is not incidental; it is revelatory. An Egyptian slave woman gives us one of Scripture’s most intimate names for God — El Roi, “the God who sees me” (Genesis 16:13). At Pentecost, when the Spirit descends on the waiting disciples, God does not default to Greek, the trade language of the empire. Instead, he speaks through “Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia … Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome … Cretans and Arabs” (Acts 2:9–11). The miracle is not merely comprehension; it is particularity. God addresses people in the language of the heart.
The Somali shopkeeper downtown. The Latino roofer around the corner. The Indian doctor guiding your mother through a cancer diagnosis. They are not demographic trends. They are image-bearers. Some will be our eternal brothers and sisters. We will worship together. We will learn from one another. Each culture reflects a distinct facet of God’s character and creativity.
As debates about immigration swell across headlines and campaign platforms, Christians must remember this: the people being discussed are not abstractions. They are future worshipers. They are, perhaps, future friends. They are part of an eternal reality that stretches far beyond our present anxieties and into the unending, multilingual praise of God.
A Discipleship Possibility
What do a Ukrainian, a Congolese, a Bhutanese and an Oromo refugee have in common? Each is a friend who arrived in my city seeking refuge and each has deepened my faith in Christ. In a cultural moment when the church is increasingly sidelined in a post-Christian society, we have much to learn from brothers and sisters who have carried their faith across borders.
When I once asked my Ukrainian friend how he learned to endure persecution, he did not offer a theory but a memory: as a boy, he gathered with other believers nearly every night of the week for hours of prayer, worship and Scripture, meeting quietly and at cost. An Oromo pastor, frustrated with his congregation in the United States, stopped himself mid-complaint to apologize. Back home, he explained, believers would pray together through the night and he was discouraged that he could not persuade them to gather for more than four hours of prayer here.
My Bhutanese friend told me about the beatings he endured from his uncle in front of their entire village in a Nepali refugee camp after choosing to follow Christ. And a Congolese pastor, a survivor of genocide, once urged me to travel with him to Kenya to train fellow Congolese refugees living in the slums of Nairobi. His charge to them was unsparing: if they did not share the good news of Jesus with their Somali neighbors — also refugees — they would be complicit in spiritual genocide. It was a sobering exhortation, especially from a man who was a survivor of physical genocide.
In all of this, one truth has become increasingly clear: the Western church has much to learn about faithful presence on the margins. For many immigrant congregations, Christianity is not a cultural inheritance but a costly allegiance. They know what it means to worship without social capital, to gather without applause, to follow Christ without the reinforcement of the surrounding culture. In a society that is steadily shedding its Christian memory, they are not disoriented; they are prepared.
Perhaps, then, the immigrant church is not merely a community to be served but a community sent to disciple us, to teach us how to live again as “aliens and strangers,” to recover a winsome, resilient faith, and to shine with quiet confidence in a darkening age.
A Biblical Responsibility
Scripture leaves little ambiguity about God’s concern for the vulnerable — the widow, the orphan, the poor and the foreigner. Nations will craft their own immigration laws. In a democratic society, Christians will disagree about border security, asylum policy and the enforcement of statutes. Faithful believers, seeking to vote their conscience, will arrive at different prudential conclusions in a pluralistic public square.
But while policy may be complex, the posture of the heart is not.
God speaks with striking clarity about his regard for the foreigner. Again and again, Israel is commanded not merely to tolerate the stranger but to love him. In Leviticus, the instruction is unmistakable: “When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God "(Leviticus 19:33-34).
Similar commands echo throughout the Old Testament more than 30 times and their logic is simple: you were foreigners in Egypt. Israel’s own story of displacement was meant to shape its moral imagination. Their collective memory was to form their compassionate mercy. Having known vulnerability, they were not to exploit it in others.
From Genesis to the Prophets, God reveals a particular concern for the immigrant and the refugee, for those navigating life without power, familiarity or protection. That concern does not dissolve in the New Testament; it deepens.
For Christians, then, the question is not merely political but spiritual. Are our instincts aligned with the heart of the Father? This does not preclude serious debate about immigration policy or national responsibility. Democracies require such debate. But whatever conclusions we reach, certain boundaries must remain firm. We cannot traffic in demeaning rhetoric. We cannot tolerate the casual belittling of image-bearers, regardless of their legal status.
And when immigrants are treated with contempt or violence, silence is not neutrality; it is surrender. The church is called to be a prophetic witness, to speak with conviction and with compassion. If we abandon that calling here, we risk forfeiting our moral clarity everywhere.
Missional Opportunity
From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible unfolds as a story of mission. The Great Commission in Matthew 28 stands near its climax, but the arc begins much earlier. Humanity’s first calling was expansive: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Genesis 1:28). The prophets widened the horizon further. Isaiah envisions a servant who will not only restore Israel but become “a light for the Gentiles … that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6). Even the pagan king Nebuchadnezzar, chastened by what he witnessed, acknowledged a God whose power extended beyond borders and languages (Daniel 3:29).
Theologian Christopher J. H. Wright captures this thread succinctly: “It is not so much the case that God has a mission for his church in the world, as that God has a church for his mission in the world.” In other words, mission is not a program of the church; it is the reason for its existence.
If, as Acts 17 suggests, God “marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands,” then migration is not merely a geopolitical phenomenon. It may also be a providential one. The arrival of immigrant communities, including those with little exposure to Christianity, can be seen not only as a policy question but as a missional moment.
Today, by some counts, more than 7,000 people groups remain “unreached”—that is, without a self-sustaining community of believers able to share the faith within their own culture. While most of these groups are concentrated in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, representatives of hundreds now live in Western cities. They are neighbors and colleagues, classmates and researchers, service workers and entrepreneurs powering places like Silicon Valley.
If God’s purpose is that people “from every nation, tribe, people and language” would know him, and if the nations are now present in our own communities, then the question is no longer whether mission matters. It is how we will respond. The opportunity before the church is both practical and profound: to learn, to welcome, and to bear witness, to invite new neighbors not only into our homes, but into the life of Christ.
Conclusion
I began this article with the story of a Gujarati shopkeeper in a small town in central Kansas. The Gujarati people are mostly found in India, where their population numbers over 61 million. According to Joshua Project, more than 600,000 live in the United States. The sad reality is that less than 1 percent of the Gujarati people are Christians. That day, the man behind the counter was hearing his native language for the first time in a film about Jesus. Few resources exist in Gujarati, and for him, even this small encounter was remarkable.
Then he asked me a simple question: “Are you a Christian?”
“Yes,” I said. “I am a follower of Jesus.”
He smiled, reached beneath the counter, and pulled out a magazine. “Another Christian was here a few days ago and gave me this,” he said, holding up a pamphlet — a tract from the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The world’s unreached peoples are here, arriving in our cities and towns — our Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria. They are seeking friendship and hope. And if we do not reach them, someone else will. Perhaps it will be the Jehovah’s Witnesses or the Mormons, the radical atheist or the New Age spiritualist, the casual hedonist or the relentless allure of the American dream. Satan is cunning, strategic, and relentless; he will do whatever he can to keep these hearts from hearing the truth of Christ and to distract us from God’s mission.
But one thing remains true: the Kingdom of God is not in trouble.
The God of the universe is not pacing the heavens, wondering what to do with Muslims, Hindus, or Buddhists. He is at work, bringing them, and their stories, their hopes, their questions, to our neighborhoods, our workplaces, our streets.
The pressing question is not whether God will act. He already is.
The question we must wrestle with is this: How will we respond?
Perhaps, then, the immigrant church is not merely a community to be served but a community sent to disciple us, to teach us how to live again as “aliens and strangers,” to recover a winsome, resilient faith, and to shine with quiet confidence in a darkening age.
A Biblical Responsibility
Scripture leaves little ambiguity about God’s concern for the vulnerable — the widow, the orphan, the poor and the foreigner. Nations will craft their own immigration laws. In a democratic society, Christians will disagree about border security, asylum policy and the enforcement of statutes. Faithful believers, seeking to vote their conscience, will arrive at different prudential conclusions in a pluralistic public square.
But while policy may be complex, the posture of the heart is not.
God speaks with striking clarity about his regard for the foreigner. Again and again, Israel is commanded not merely to tolerate the stranger but to love him. In Leviticus, the instruction is unmistakable: “When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God "(Leviticus 19:33-34).
Similar commands echo throughout the Old Testament more than 30 times and their logic is simple: you were foreigners in Egypt. Israel’s own story of displacement was meant to shape its moral imagination. Their collective memory was to form their compassionate mercy. Having known vulnerability, they were not to exploit it in others.
From Genesis to the Prophets, God reveals a particular concern for the immigrant and the refugee, for those navigating life without power, familiarity or protection. That concern does not dissolve in the New Testament; it deepens.
For Christians, then, the question is not merely political but spiritual. Are our instincts aligned with the heart of the Father? This does not preclude serious debate about immigration policy or national responsibility. Democracies require such debate. But whatever conclusions we reach, certain boundaries must remain firm. We cannot traffic in demeaning rhetoric. We cannot tolerate the casual belittling of image-bearers, regardless of their legal status.
And when immigrants are treated with contempt or violence, silence is not neutrality; it is surrender. The church is called to be a prophetic witness, to speak with conviction and with compassion. If we abandon that calling here, we risk forfeiting our moral clarity everywhere.
Missional Opportunity
From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible unfolds as a story of mission. The Great Commission in Matthew 28 stands near its climax, but the arc begins much earlier. Humanity’s first calling was expansive: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Genesis 1:28). The prophets widened the horizon further. Isaiah envisions a servant who will not only restore Israel but become “a light for the Gentiles … that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6). Even the pagan king Nebuchadnezzar, chastened by what he witnessed, acknowledged a God whose power extended beyond borders and languages (Daniel 3:29).
Theologian Christopher J. H. Wright captures this thread succinctly: “It is not so much the case that God has a mission for his church in the world, as that God has a church for his mission in the world.” In other words, mission is not a program of the church; it is the reason for its existence.
If, as Acts 17 suggests, God “marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands,” then migration is not merely a geopolitical phenomenon. It may also be a providential one. The arrival of immigrant communities, including those with little exposure to Christianity, can be seen not only as a policy question but as a missional moment.
Today, by some counts, more than 7,000 people groups remain “unreached”—that is, without a self-sustaining community of believers able to share the faith within their own culture. While most of these groups are concentrated in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, representatives of hundreds now live in Western cities. They are neighbors and colleagues, classmates and researchers, service workers and entrepreneurs powering places like Silicon Valley.
If God’s purpose is that people “from every nation, tribe, people and language” would know him, and if the nations are now present in our own communities, then the question is no longer whether mission matters. It is how we will respond. The opportunity before the church is both practical and profound: to learn, to welcome, and to bear witness, to invite new neighbors not only into our homes, but into the life of Christ.
Conclusion
I began this article with the story of a Gujarati shopkeeper in a small town in central Kansas. The Gujarati people are mostly found in India, where their population numbers over 61 million. According to Joshua Project, more than 600,000 live in the United States. The sad reality is that less than 1 percent of the Gujarati people are Christians. That day, the man behind the counter was hearing his native language for the first time in a film about Jesus. Few resources exist in Gujarati, and for him, even this small encounter was remarkable.
Then he asked me a simple question: “Are you a Christian?”
“Yes,” I said. “I am a follower of Jesus.”
He smiled, reached beneath the counter, and pulled out a magazine. “Another Christian was here a few days ago and gave me this,” he said, holding up a pamphlet — a tract from the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The world’s unreached peoples are here, arriving in our cities and towns — our Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria. They are seeking friendship and hope. And if we do not reach them, someone else will. Perhaps it will be the Jehovah’s Witnesses or the Mormons, the radical atheist or the New Age spiritualist, the casual hedonist or the relentless allure of the American dream. Satan is cunning, strategic, and relentless; he will do whatever he can to keep these hearts from hearing the truth of Christ and to distract us from God’s mission.
But one thing remains true: the Kingdom of God is not in trouble.
The God of the universe is not pacing the heavens, wondering what to do with Muslims, Hindus, or Buddhists. He is at work, bringing them, and their stories, their hopes, their questions, to our neighborhoods, our workplaces, our streets.
The pressing question is not whether God will act. He already is.
The question we must wrestle with is this: How will we respond?
Thanks for Reading!
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In a world that feels like it’s moving faster every day, the mission Jesus gave us hasn’t changed: “Go and make disciples of all nations.” But the methods we use to engage that mission must be shaped by the context we live in—an increasingly digital, globally connected world where the nations are just a click or a short walk away.
I believe that ordinary believers, filled with the Spirit and equipped with simple tools, can be the ones God uses to reach the unreached. That’s why we’re excited to announce two new training opportunities designed to help you and your church take meaningful steps into the mission of God—whether that’s online or across the street.
From Pew to Pixel: Sharing Jesus in Digital Spaces
We are living in an unprecedented moment for gospel proclamation. Over 5 billion people around the world use the internet, and many of them—including millions of Muslims—are asking spiritual questions online. But here’s the truth: many followers of Jesus are sitting in the pews every week without realizing the missional opportunities available to them right from their smartphones and laptops.
That’s where the From Pew to Pixel training, comes in.
This practical and inspiring Zoom training equips everyday believers to begin sharing Jesus in digital spaces and will introduce you to Embassy, a ministry of Crescent Project. Whether it’s through social media engagement, messaging apps, or specialized platforms for outreach, you’ll learn simple, biblical approaches to start gospel conversations with those who are seeking.
You’ll discover:
Explore More and Register Here
Strangers No More: Welcoming Refugees with Gospel Hope
Over the past decade, the nations have come to us. Refugees from places like Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan, and Myanmar are settling in neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the U.S.—bringing with them both incredible needs and incredible openness to friendship and faith. International students are flocking to our universities - often coming from places with little access to the gospel. Immigrants from the unreached world are coming to serve as doctors, engineers and entrepreneurs.
And yet many churches don’t know where to begin. How do we build bridges? How do we move from fear to friendship? How do we step into the lives of those who have lost so much, and help them find hope in Jesus?
Strangers No More is a one-day, in-person training designed to help you and your church answer those questions.
In this training, we will:
Learn More and Register Here
I believe that ordinary believers, filled with the Spirit and equipped with simple tools, can be the ones God uses to reach the unreached. That’s why we’re excited to announce two new training opportunities designed to help you and your church take meaningful steps into the mission of God—whether that’s online or across the street.
From Pew to Pixel: Sharing Jesus in Digital Spaces
- Online via Zoom
- June 24, July 29 or August 23
We are living in an unprecedented moment for gospel proclamation. Over 5 billion people around the world use the internet, and many of them—including millions of Muslims—are asking spiritual questions online. But here’s the truth: many followers of Jesus are sitting in the pews every week without realizing the missional opportunities available to them right from their smartphones and laptops.
That’s where the From Pew to Pixel training, comes in.
This practical and inspiring Zoom training equips everyday believers to begin sharing Jesus in digital spaces and will introduce you to Embassy, a ministry of Crescent Project. Whether it’s through social media engagement, messaging apps, or specialized platforms for outreach, you’ll learn simple, biblical approaches to start gospel conversations with those who are seeking.
You’ll discover:
- The biblical foundation for digital outreach
- Proven tools and strategies for connecting with unreached people online
- Real stories of transformed lives through digital witness
- How to get started—right where you are
Explore More and Register Here
Strangers No More: Welcoming Refugees with Gospel Hope
- In Person | Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- July 12, 2025 | 9:00 AM–2:00 PM CT
- Empower Sioux Falls Campus | Sioux Falls, SD
Over the past decade, the nations have come to us. Refugees from places like Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan, and Myanmar are settling in neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the U.S.—bringing with them both incredible needs and incredible openness to friendship and faith. International students are flocking to our universities - often coming from places with little access to the gospel. Immigrants from the unreached world are coming to serve as doctors, engineers and entrepreneurs.
And yet many churches don’t know where to begin. How do we build bridges? How do we move from fear to friendship? How do we step into the lives of those who have lost so much, and help them find hope in Jesus?
Strangers No More is a one-day, in-person training designed to help you and your church answer those questions.
In this training, we will:
- Explore God’s heart for the foreigner and displaced throughout Scripture
- Participate in A cross-cultural scavenger hunt, where participants visit three to four immigrant-owned grocery stores
- Learn practical ways to begin connecting with new American neighbors
- Discover how simple hospitality and Spirit-led discipleship can lead to transformation
Learn More and Register Here
Why This Matters Now
These trainings aren’t just events—they are invitations. Invitations for ordinary Christians to step into the story God is writing in the world today. Invitations to engage in mission not someday, but today—in the everyday moments, on the devices we already use, and in the neighborhoods we already live in.
My vision has always been simple: help everyday followers of Jesus find their place in God’s mission to the nations. We believe that begins with equipping. That’s what these trainings are for. And we hope you’ll join us.
So, whether you’re ready to take your first step into digital outreach or you feel stirred to begin welcoming refugee and new immigrant families with the love of Jesus, we believe these resources will be a blessing to you—and through you, to many others.
Let’s not settle for comfort or complacency. Let’s live on mission—wherever we are.
These trainings aren’t just events—they are invitations. Invitations for ordinary Christians to step into the story God is writing in the world today. Invitations to engage in mission not someday, but today—in the everyday moments, on the devices we already use, and in the neighborhoods we already live in.
My vision has always been simple: help everyday followers of Jesus find their place in God’s mission to the nations. We believe that begins with equipping. That’s what these trainings are for. And we hope you’ll join us.
So, whether you’re ready to take your first step into digital outreach or you feel stirred to begin welcoming refugee and new immigrant families with the love of Jesus, we believe these resources will be a blessing to you—and through you, to many others.
Let’s not settle for comfort or complacency. Let’s live on mission—wherever we are.
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As Gen Z navigates a digital world of doubt, identity, and endless ideas, learn how shifting spiritual trends are reshaping the mission—and opening new doors for gospel engagement.
By Aaron Myers
By Aaron Myers
Across the Muslim-majority world, a growing number of young adults are questioning—if not outright rejecting—the traditional Islamic authority structures that shape faith and life. Increasingly, members of Gen-Z in Muslim contexts identify as “Ex-Muslim,” often describing themselves as atheist or agnostic, or simply stating they are no longer Muslim.
When Richard Dawkins translated his atheist manifesto, The God Delusion, into Arabic and made it available as a free PDF, it was downloaded over 30 million times. In Tunisia, 47% of youth now view themselves as non-religious. In the United States, 24% of Muslims born into Muslim families have left Islam.(1) In Turkey, nearly 30% of Gen-Z identifies as non-religious.(2)
This trend mirrors the global rise of the so-called “nones”—those who claim no religious affiliation—and can likely be attributed to many of the same generational forces: globalization, the rise of digital technology, smartphones, and social media. Scholar, writer, and television host Reza Aslan observes, “What the printing press is to Christianity in the 16th Century, that’s what the Internet is doing to Islam now. It has opened up the monopoly over interpretation of Islam that used to solely belong to the religious class.”(3)
When Richard Dawkins translated his atheist manifesto, The God Delusion, into Arabic and made it available as a free PDF, it was downloaded over 30 million times. In Tunisia, 47% of youth now view themselves as non-religious. In the United States, 24% of Muslims born into Muslim families have left Islam.(1) In Turkey, nearly 30% of Gen-Z identifies as non-religious.(2)
This trend mirrors the global rise of the so-called “nones”—those who claim no religious affiliation—and can likely be attributed to many of the same generational forces: globalization, the rise of digital technology, smartphones, and social media. Scholar, writer, and television host Reza Aslan observes, “What the printing press is to Christianity in the 16th Century, that’s what the Internet is doing to Islam now. It has opened up the monopoly over interpretation of Islam that used to solely belong to the religious class.”(3)
Today, a young adult in a Muslim-majority country can encounter more Islam-critical content on their smartphone in a single day than their parents encountered in the first twenty years of their lives. As Dr. Tim Orr explains, Gen-Z Muslims “are digitally immersed, globally aware, and justice-oriented. However, they also navigate a unique tension: balancing inherited Islamic traditions with postmodern skepticism and the digital age’s flood of competing worldviews. While many still identify strongly with Islam, their engagement is increasingly shaped by personal exploration, social dynamics, and the pressure to reconcile their faith with contemporary values.”(4)
Like many of their global peers, Gen-Z Muslims are walking away from institutional religion, crafting for themselves untested and often unarticulated spiritual frameworks. These new systems of belief tend to be shaped more by instinct than tradition—“a gut feeling that it's right.” In this post-truth world, “a kind of watered-down post modern existentialism challenges us to invent ourselves, and many Muslims take up the invitation.”(5)
If this is indeed the trajectory of Gen Z—and likely Gen-Alpha behind them—then it is vital that we reconsider our missiological assumptions, both in face-to-face interactions and in our increasingly digital outreach. While the influence of Islam will undoubtedly continue to mark the worldview of many Ex-Muslim Gen-Zs, we can no longer rely on the same assumptions that guided our engagement with previous generations. There is a growing need for deep, generational research to understand this group more fully. We must listen to the voices of Gen-Z across the globe. As the most globally connected generation yet, they navigate cross-cultural spaces with an intuitive fluency born from lifelong immersion in a digital world.
As Gen-Z Muslims search for meaning in a world of shifting identities and spiritual uncertainty, the Church has an opportunity to meet them with the love, truth, and hope of Jesus. May we be ready to listen, engage, and share the gospel with clarity and compassion in this digital age.
1. Aaron Sarver, “Secularism: Muslims Leaving Islam,” Zwemer Center, January 18, 2019, https://www.zwemercenter.com/secularism-muslims-leaving-islam/.
2. Murat Gezici, “Gezici Araştırma Merkezi Başkanı Murat Gezici Sözcü’ye Açıkladı: Türkiye'nin Kaderi Z Kuşağının Elinde,” Sözcü, May 9, 2023, https://www.sozcu.com.tr/gezici-arastirma-merkezi-baskani-murat-gezici-sozcuye-acikladi-turkiyenin-kaderi-z-kusaginin-elinde-wp5867771.
3. Aslan, Reza. “Religion Gone Global.” The Immanent Frame, May 27, 2010. Social Science Research Council. https://tif.ssrc.org/2010/05/27/religion-gone-global/
4. 4TImorr. “Reaching Gen Z Muslims: A Gospel-Centered Vision for a Searching Generation.” 4TImorr, accessed May 2, 2025. https://www.4timorr.org/reaching-gen-z-muslims-a-gospel-centered-vision-for-a-searching-generation/.
5. Adam, Ben. Encountering the World of Post-Islam. Regnum Practitioner Series. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 2025.
2. Murat Gezici, “Gezici Araştırma Merkezi Başkanı Murat Gezici Sözcü’ye Açıkladı: Türkiye'nin Kaderi Z Kuşağının Elinde,” Sözcü, May 9, 2023, https://www.sozcu.com.tr/gezici-arastirma-merkezi-baskani-murat-gezici-sozcuye-acikladi-turkiyenin-kaderi-z-kusaginin-elinde-wp5867771.
3. Aslan, Reza. “Religion Gone Global.” The Immanent Frame, May 27, 2010. Social Science Research Council. https://tif.ssrc.org/2010/05/27/religion-gone-global/
4. 4TImorr. “Reaching Gen Z Muslims: A Gospel-Centered Vision for a Searching Generation.” 4TImorr, accessed May 2, 2025. https://www.4timorr.org/reaching-gen-z-muslims-a-gospel-centered-vision-for-a-searching-generation/.
5. Adam, Ben. Encountering the World of Post-Islam. Regnum Practitioner Series. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 2025.
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Discover why the nations around you are no accident—and how understanding their stories can open doors for meaningful gospel engagement right where you live.
By Aaron Myers
By Aaron Myers
Globalization and rapid technological advancements have created a world where people can move across the globe more easily than ever before. The apostle Paul spoke to this reality in Acts 17:26-27:
“From one man he has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live. He did this so that they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find him, though he is not far from each one of us”(CSB).
The least reached people of the world are now our neighbors, and this is no accident. The God of the universe has brought them to this place at this time for His purposes—so that they might seek Him.
There are five primary ways people from unreached groups come to North America, each presenting unique challenges and opportunities. Understanding how and why they have arrived helps believers better demonstrate the love of Jesus and engage in meaningful gospel conversations.
1. Immigrants and Professionals
Many people arrive through legal immigration channels. Some are professionals—doctors, engineers, and business leaders—filling essential roles. Others come through marriage to a citizen or through family sponsorship. These immigrants often choose to relocate and have the means to do so. They are our co-workers and doctors, frequently highly educated and financially stable.
2. International Students
International students come to North America seeking education. Some participate in high school exchange programs, while many more attend universities, often staying for several years to complete degrees. Although many desire to remain in the country after graduation, fewer than half are able to do so. Those who stay typically enter the workforce, particularly in science and technology fields. Most, however, return to their home countries, carrying with them the experiences and relationships they formed while studying. Will they take the gospel with them?
3. Refugee Resettlement
The U.S. refugee resettlement program, formally established in 1980, has welcomed over 3 million refugees. To receive refugee status, individuals must have a well-founded fear of persecution due to their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. Refugees do not choose to leave their homes but flee for safety. Many have endured persecution, trauma, and hardship. They often arrive with little and face socio-economic challenges, including language barriers and cultural adjustments.
4. Tourism and Seasonal Work
Some people from unreached groups visit North America for a short time as tourists or seasonal workers. Tourists explore national landmarks, theme parks, and major cities. Others, particularly young people, arrive on temporary work visas to staff hotels, restaurants, and amusement parks during peak travel seasons. These individuals present a unique, time-sensitive opportunity for gospel engagement.
5. Undocumented Immigrants
Some individuals from unreached groups arrive without legal status. Many come with temporary visas and overstay, while others cross borders seeking safety or economic opportunity. Though immigration policies are complex and often controversial, these individuals are now our neighbors. Many are fleeing difficult situations, seeking better lives for their families, or pursuing the American dream.
“From one man he has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live. He did this so that they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find him, though he is not far from each one of us”(CSB).
The least reached people of the world are now our neighbors, and this is no accident. The God of the universe has brought them to this place at this time for His purposes—so that they might seek Him.
There are five primary ways people from unreached groups come to North America, each presenting unique challenges and opportunities. Understanding how and why they have arrived helps believers better demonstrate the love of Jesus and engage in meaningful gospel conversations.
1. Immigrants and Professionals
Many people arrive through legal immigration channels. Some are professionals—doctors, engineers, and business leaders—filling essential roles. Others come through marriage to a citizen or through family sponsorship. These immigrants often choose to relocate and have the means to do so. They are our co-workers and doctors, frequently highly educated and financially stable.
2. International Students
International students come to North America seeking education. Some participate in high school exchange programs, while many more attend universities, often staying for several years to complete degrees. Although many desire to remain in the country after graduation, fewer than half are able to do so. Those who stay typically enter the workforce, particularly in science and technology fields. Most, however, return to their home countries, carrying with them the experiences and relationships they formed while studying. Will they take the gospel with them?
3. Refugee Resettlement
The U.S. refugee resettlement program, formally established in 1980, has welcomed over 3 million refugees. To receive refugee status, individuals must have a well-founded fear of persecution due to their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. Refugees do not choose to leave their homes but flee for safety. Many have endured persecution, trauma, and hardship. They often arrive with little and face socio-economic challenges, including language barriers and cultural adjustments.
4. Tourism and Seasonal Work
Some people from unreached groups visit North America for a short time as tourists or seasonal workers. Tourists explore national landmarks, theme parks, and major cities. Others, particularly young people, arrive on temporary work visas to staff hotels, restaurants, and amusement parks during peak travel seasons. These individuals present a unique, time-sensitive opportunity for gospel engagement.
5. Undocumented Immigrants
Some individuals from unreached groups arrive without legal status. Many come with temporary visas and overstay, while others cross borders seeking safety or economic opportunity. Though immigration policies are complex and often controversial, these individuals are now our neighbors. Many are fleeing difficult situations, seeking better lives for their families, or pursuing the American dream.
Our Response
Each of these groups has distinct cultural, economic, and educational realities. Some may need English classes and financial assistance, while others drive luxury cars and send their children to private schools. As believers, we must be discerning and intentional in learning about the people God has brought into our cities. We are called to serve, love, and share the gospel with them in ways that are relevant to their circumstances.
Our Partners
While God is bringing the unreached to North America, He is also sending Christian brothers and sisters through these same immigration pathways. Believers from around the world are relocating for work, education, or refuge. They have a unique ability to connect with and influence the unreached in ways that local believers may not. Partnering with these Christians can enhance outreach efforts and provide cultural insights for effective ministry.
For Such a Time as This
When Esther was taken into the king’s palace, Mordecai recognized that God was working through her situation. He told her:
“If you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will come to the Jewish people from another place, but you and your father’s family will be destroyed. Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)
Immigration, especially undocumented immigration, is a complex and often contentious issue. Yet, the reality remains: people from unreached groups are moving into our cities and neighborhoods. Many come from places with little or no gospel witness. In their home countries, they may have lived hours away from the nearest Christian, but now they are surrounded by churches and believers. The church's lack of awareness of these realities is perhaps the greatest barrier to abundant harvest - a barrier I hope to disrupt with all that I write here at the Everywhere to Everywhere blog.
Could it be that God has brought you to this moment to recognize the opportunity before you?
Look around. The harvest is ripe, but the laborers are few.
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Practical, Christ-centered ways to learn, love, listen, and share the gospel with the unreached people already living around you.
By Aaron Myers
By Aaron Myers
Last week, I introduced Google Maps as a tool for discovering the unreached people living in your city or region. However, finding the unreached around you is just the first step. We need to find ways to engage these communities with love and gospel witness. Today, I’d like to introduce four principles that will lead to loving engagement as you go out into the harvest—the places you’ve discovered using Google Maps.
Four Principles for Gospel Engagement:
Learning
As you go out into the community, be intentional about adopting a posture of learning. One of the greatest kindnesses we can show to new Americans—whether refugees, immigrants, or international students—is to take a genuine interest in their lives and cultures. To do this, you’ll need to reflect on your own preconceived stereotypes and be careful not to make assumptions about the people you meet.
In Acts 17, the Apostle Paul spent time exploring Athens, learning about its people and beliefs. He discovered an altar to the “unknown god” and used that cultural reference as a bridge to share the gospel in a way the Athenians would understand. In the same way, we should become cultural detectives, searching for the fingerprints of God in different cultures to understand the deep beliefs, desires, and needs of those we encounter.
Action Steps for Learning:
Love
As you enter the community, approach every interaction with an attitude of love. Everyone you meet is an image bearer, known by God before they were born. Their differences do not change this truth.
One of the top reasons former Muslims cite for leaving Islam and following Christ is the tangible love of a Christian in their lives. If you are wondering how to love well in cross-cultural relationships, consider 1 Corinthians 13:4-7:
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
This passage serves as a rubric for love. When unsure how to act or think in a relationship, return to this list and ask the Lord to help you embody these attitudes and actions.
Action Steps for Loving:
Four Principles for Gospel Engagement:
- Enter every situation with a posture of learning.
- Approach every interaction with an attitude of love.
- Default to listening first.
- Engage with the gospel through discernment.
Learning
As you go out into the community, be intentional about adopting a posture of learning. One of the greatest kindnesses we can show to new Americans—whether refugees, immigrants, or international students—is to take a genuine interest in their lives and cultures. To do this, you’ll need to reflect on your own preconceived stereotypes and be careful not to make assumptions about the people you meet.
In Acts 17, the Apostle Paul spent time exploring Athens, learning about its people and beliefs. He discovered an altar to the “unknown god” and used that cultural reference as a bridge to share the gospel in a way the Athenians would understand. In the same way, we should become cultural detectives, searching for the fingerprints of God in different cultures to understand the deep beliefs, desires, and needs of those we encounter.
Action Steps for Learning:
- Visit cultural markets, restaurants, and events to build familiarity.
- Learn a few phrases in their language.
- Read books or watch documentaries about their home country and culture.
- Connect with those experienced in cross-cultural engagement.
Love
As you enter the community, approach every interaction with an attitude of love. Everyone you meet is an image bearer, known by God before they were born. Their differences do not change this truth.
One of the top reasons former Muslims cite for leaving Islam and following Christ is the tangible love of a Christian in their lives. If you are wondering how to love well in cross-cultural relationships, consider 1 Corinthians 13:4-7:
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
This passage serves as a rubric for love. When unsure how to act or think in a relationship, return to this list and ask the Lord to help you embody these attitudes and actions.
Action Steps for Loving:
- Regularly support their businesses.
- Offer practical help (transportation, tutoring, navigating life in a new country).
- Celebrate their cultural festivals and important traditions.
Listening
One of the best ways to both learn and love is to listen to people’s stories. Everyone has a story, and most long to be heard.
I remember taking a pastor into a Somali-owned restaurant one day. After a wonderful meal and two cups of Somali tea, I asked the owner how he liked living in America. He lifted his shirt to reveal a scar on his belly—a gunshot wound. He then showed us another scar on his leg. He told us how Al-Shabab soldiers attacked his village, killing the adults and taking the young boys and men. He was shot twice and left for dead. But someone found him, cared for him, and helped him get to the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya. Years later, he was granted refugee status and brought to the U.S.
That had happened over twenty years ago. He went on to tell us about his oldest children, twins, who were in university, and about his businesses—a restaurant and a car dealership. With great emphasis, he told us, “I love America.” His story was far more powerful than I had anticipated when I asked, but it was his story to tell, and I was honored to hear it.
Action Steps for Listening:
- Ask open-ended questions:
- What brought you here?
- What do you miss most about home?
- What traditions are important to your family?
- If you hear of a hardship or problem, avoid jumping to solutions. Just listen.
Discernment
I once heard it said that evangelicals are often so eager to share the good news that we rarely take the time to hear a person's bad news first. Yet, when we listen, love well, and learn, we prepare ourselves to partner with the Holy Spirit in discerning how best to plant seeds and share the gospel. When we invest this time, we often find that when a person does come to faith, their discipleship journey has already begun organically.
A friend once told me that in cross-cultural relationships, "It's not until the fifth tea that anything significant happens." He didn’t mean the fifth glass of tea but the fifth occasion of sitting down together over tea and conversation—the fifth time of listening, loving, and learning. The more we listen, love, and learn, the more we will see our prayers answered as natural opportunities to share the gospel arise. If we prayerfully persist in being present, God will show up.
Action Steps for Discernment:
- As you learn, love, and listen, pray daily for the Holy Spirit to reveal what He is already doing in the lives of those you meet.
- Take time to do prayer walks around neighborhoods where you meet the unreached in your city.
- Read the book of Acts, imagining what it would look like in your context.
Crescent Project founder Fouad Masri once said, "90% of Muslim ministry is just showing up." So much of reaching the unreached in our cities is simply a ministry of presence.
Step through the door. Say hello. Ask good questions. And then do it again and again and again.
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I have been enjoying facilitating a Sunday school class at our church, where we are reading through C.S. Lewis’ classic book, Mere Christianity. This week, our chapter ended with a gut-punch quote about generosity:
"I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditure excludes them."
Lewis' sharp intellect can make one feel as though they’re sitting in a philosophy lecture one moment, and then, with a crystal-clear metaphor or a piercing quote, he drives the point home. The quote above was one of those moments for me.
I truly believe I live in one of the greatest countries in the history of mankind, yet I wonder if we who follow Christ in this modern age have allowed the American Dream to subtly infiltrate our faith in ways we struggle to recognize. When I read the Gospels, the book of Acts, and the epistles, I see radical generosity marking both the teachings of the New Testament and the example of the early believers.
“They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need” is not a testimony I’ve ever heard in a North American church (Acts 2:45). Yet, it was a defining characteristic of the early church.
When Paul first met the Apostles in Jerusalem, they extended the right hand of fellowship and emphasized one additional charge, as Paul recalls: “All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along” (Galatians 2:10). This was not just a passing statement—Paul actively raised money from the churches he visited to help those suffering from famine in Jerusalem. Writing to the Corinthians, he highlights the extraordinary generosity of the Macedonians:
“In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. And they exceeded our expectations” (2 Corinthians 8:2-5).
We, too, have brothers and sisters in Christ experiencing severe hardship. We, too, can respond as the early church did to meet their needs. We, too—even those of us who have little—can well up in rich generosity.
Randy Alcorn, in his powerful little book The Treasure Principle, writes: “Five minutes after we die, we’ll know exactly how we should have lived. But God has given us His Word so that we don’t have to wait to die to find out. And He’s given us His Spirit to empower us to live that way now.”
I’ve often thought that the moment I step into heaven, my first word will be “Wow!” and my second will most likely be “Oops,” as I realize all the ways I was so sure of myself but was wrong. One of those, I am increasingly convinced, will be the realization that I kept too much of God’s possessions for myself.
Alcorn’s fifth principle in The Treasure Principle states: “Giving is the only antidote to materialism. Giving is a joyful surrender to a greater person and a greater agenda. It dethrones me and exalts Him.”
Today, I want to give you opportunities to give. The organizations below are serving the very least of these—many of whom are our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. Each of these organizations is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, ensuring that your money reaches the intended projects.
May we be a people who live out the radical generosity of the early church, giving beyond what is comfortable, and embracing the joy of surrendering to God’s greater plan
I truly believe I live in one of the greatest countries in the history of mankind, yet I wonder if we who follow Christ in this modern age have allowed the American Dream to subtly infiltrate our faith in ways we struggle to recognize. When I read the Gospels, the book of Acts, and the epistles, I see radical generosity marking both the teachings of the New Testament and the example of the early believers.
“They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need” is not a testimony I’ve ever heard in a North American church (Acts 2:45). Yet, it was a defining characteristic of the early church.
When Paul first met the Apostles in Jerusalem, they extended the right hand of fellowship and emphasized one additional charge, as Paul recalls: “All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along” (Galatians 2:10). This was not just a passing statement—Paul actively raised money from the churches he visited to help those suffering from famine in Jerusalem. Writing to the Corinthians, he highlights the extraordinary generosity of the Macedonians:
“In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. And they exceeded our expectations” (2 Corinthians 8:2-5).
We, too, have brothers and sisters in Christ experiencing severe hardship. We, too, can respond as the early church did to meet their needs. We, too—even those of us who have little—can well up in rich generosity.
Randy Alcorn, in his powerful little book The Treasure Principle, writes: “Five minutes after we die, we’ll know exactly how we should have lived. But God has given us His Word so that we don’t have to wait to die to find out. And He’s given us His Spirit to empower us to live that way now.”
I’ve often thought that the moment I step into heaven, my first word will be “Wow!” and my second will most likely be “Oops,” as I realize all the ways I was so sure of myself but was wrong. One of those, I am increasingly convinced, will be the realization that I kept too much of God’s possessions for myself.
Alcorn’s fifth principle in The Treasure Principle states: “Giving is the only antidote to materialism. Giving is a joyful surrender to a greater person and a greater agenda. It dethrones me and exalts Him.”
Today, I want to give you opportunities to give. The organizations below are serving the very least of these—many of whom are our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. Each of these organizations is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, ensuring that your money reaches the intended projects.
May we be a people who live out the radical generosity of the early church, giving beyond what is comfortable, and embracing the joy of surrendering to God’s greater plan
Samaritan’s Purse
Compassion International
Blood:Water Mission
Further Reading
- Food for Sudan
- Emergency Field Hospital Sudan
- Food for South Sudan
- Women’s Health in Sudan
- Relief for Ukraine
Compassion International
Blood:Water Mission
Further Reading
- The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn
- Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
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By Sonora L Myers
Malachi and I had sent mom and dad to enjoy a romantic meal for their anniversary which they had forgotten about until an hour ago. Left to buy dinner for ourselves, we decided to head back to the little döner restaurant with the scabby, stray cat that we’d eaten at the day before. We had stopped a moment outside of Starbucks when two small boys approached wanting to sell us cheap, blue, foam flower crowns. The city was so full of beggars and small children selling crafts and packets of kleenex that I had begun to grow insensitive to their presence.
So when the small boys asked if we would like a flower crown, I quickly brushed the offer aside with a polite Turkish ‘tsk’ and said, “Biz iyiz” (we’re good). Surprised that we ‘foreigners’ could speak Turkish, they inquired about how two Americans knew their language. I was tired - emotionally, physically and mentally. This evening was our last day of our month-long sojourn in Europe and Turkey. After weeks of exerting my poor Turkish skills to their maximum communication and comprehension levels as we reunited with old friends, helped a church minister to many small villages in the earthquake zone and played with the kids on Gypsy Hill, I had little capacity for a chit chat with these two children. Shrinking back, I stood and zoned out as Malachi answered their probing questions.
I was mindlessly waiting for them to leave us in peace so we could go and enjoy our dinner when, as I stood there, passive to anything but my own tired brain, one of the little boys broke from the conversation, approached me, and in one swift motion reached up and placed a foam flower crown on my head. His childish little face lit up in the sweetest smile as he said, “Bu senin için abla” (This is for you big sister). And just as quickly as they had appeared, they were gone, drifting around the corner and into the crowd.
I stood stunned for a moment and then it was like I woke up from a long slumber to where I was - Kuşadası, Turkey, to the people rushing around us on all sides, to the beauty, to the need, to my utter desensitization to life. I stood in the insecurity I felt by my blundering attempts to communicate in a language I hadn’t spoken since I was six, in my feeling of vulnerability and fatigue and the need to remain dignified and not look foolish. I had built up walls around my heart, had taken up my home in a cold brick castle rather than humbly accepting the warm hospitality of the country and people of Turkey. I had allowed my own limitations to limit my heart. Rather than becoming personal, I withdrew and became private. I closed my eyes to my presence in a place full of people that God desperately wanted a relationship with. I didn’t put myself in the Lord’s hands, trusting that he would protect me and use my vulnerability but rather, I protected myself at the cost of losing sight of what mattered most. I choose security over generosity. I acted out of a place of scarcity rather than leaning into the rich abundance of God.
I still have that flower crown. I keep it as a reminder to be generous, not just with my money but with everything; my time, my attention, my energy, myself. I keep it as a reminder to live out of humility in the security of the Lord rather than self-forged walls and a castle with closed gates.
So when the small boys asked if we would like a flower crown, I quickly brushed the offer aside with a polite Turkish ‘tsk’ and said, “Biz iyiz” (we’re good). Surprised that we ‘foreigners’ could speak Turkish, they inquired about how two Americans knew their language. I was tired - emotionally, physically and mentally. This evening was our last day of our month-long sojourn in Europe and Turkey. After weeks of exerting my poor Turkish skills to their maximum communication and comprehension levels as we reunited with old friends, helped a church minister to many small villages in the earthquake zone and played with the kids on Gypsy Hill, I had little capacity for a chit chat with these two children. Shrinking back, I stood and zoned out as Malachi answered their probing questions.
I was mindlessly waiting for them to leave us in peace so we could go and enjoy our dinner when, as I stood there, passive to anything but my own tired brain, one of the little boys broke from the conversation, approached me, and in one swift motion reached up and placed a foam flower crown on my head. His childish little face lit up in the sweetest smile as he said, “Bu senin için abla” (This is for you big sister). And just as quickly as they had appeared, they were gone, drifting around the corner and into the crowd.
I stood stunned for a moment and then it was like I woke up from a long slumber to where I was - Kuşadası, Turkey, to the people rushing around us on all sides, to the beauty, to the need, to my utter desensitization to life. I stood in the insecurity I felt by my blundering attempts to communicate in a language I hadn’t spoken since I was six, in my feeling of vulnerability and fatigue and the need to remain dignified and not look foolish. I had built up walls around my heart, had taken up my home in a cold brick castle rather than humbly accepting the warm hospitality of the country and people of Turkey. I had allowed my own limitations to limit my heart. Rather than becoming personal, I withdrew and became private. I closed my eyes to my presence in a place full of people that God desperately wanted a relationship with. I didn’t put myself in the Lord’s hands, trusting that he would protect me and use my vulnerability but rather, I protected myself at the cost of losing sight of what mattered most. I choose security over generosity. I acted out of a place of scarcity rather than leaning into the rich abundance of God.
I still have that flower crown. I keep it as a reminder to be generous, not just with my money but with everything; my time, my attention, my energy, myself. I keep it as a reminder to live out of humility in the security of the Lord rather than self-forged walls and a castle with closed gates.
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One of the great challenges we face as Christians in an increasingly globalized world is understanding how to share the love of Jesus and the good news of the gospel cross culturally. As if language barriers were not enough, deep cultural differences in worldview, in customs, in values and history all have the potential to create barriers to good communication and open up wide avenues for miscommunication. Debbie DiGennaro, in her book Acclicmated to Africa: Cultural Competence for Westerners, shares a humorous story that highlights this challenge:
There was once a certain British man who went with his company to Nigeria. He immediately noticed about Nigerians that the men did not step back to allow ladies to enter a room ahead of them. This bothered him very much. As a proper gentleman, whenever he approached a doorway at the same time as a Nigerian woman, he courteously motioned for her to pass through the door ahead of him.
After several months of this, he mentioned it one day to a Nigerian male colleague. “Don’t you know how impolite it is,” he said, “to barge ahead of a lady?”
His colleague looked at him strangely. “Sir,” he said, “It’s a matter of snakes. The man must enter first so that, if there are snakes behind a doorway, he will get bitten but the lady will be safe.”
It is not hard to imagine why, in a country where for thousands of years families most likely lived in grass huts with snakes being an ever present issue, the custom of how to enter buildings developed differently than it did in England. It's also not hard to imagine the looks of confusion and even disdain this British gentleman must have received from Nigerian women as he emphatically ushered them into their potential death by snake bite.
This cultural nugget of difference is multiplied thousands of times with every new cultural context we enter. Some issues are minor while others can lead to tremendous damage to relationships and potential opportunities to share the gospel. As disciples of Jesus it is important to first realize that those differences, both the deep and the shallow, will always be present when we move into cross cultural settings. We then must do the hard work of trying to understand these differences to see where God is already at work and how we can join him there. This is hard work. Just when we think we’ve figured something out we’ll run into nuances that will confound us once again.
If cross cultural ministry is something that you are or will be a part of then it is vitally important to do some homework. Cross cultural ministry can happen in varying degrees wherever you are. Crossing the ocean to engage with people from a different religious background that speak another language is of course more complex than a midwesterner traveling to New York City, but both are cross cultural ministry.
Regardless of the complexity and depth of difference between cultures, we can train ourselves to do better at recognizing both the differences and the opportunities they present. Part of that training could be reading books like Foreign to Familiar by Sarah Lanier or Global Humility by Andy McCullough. Context specific books like the one shared above can be a next step. There are also great trainings for missionaries preparing to move overseas at places like Mission Training International and the Center for Intercultural Training.
At Everywhere to Everywhere, we are dedicated to equipping and empowering the local church for cross-cultural ministry in their own communities. To support this mission, we’ve created a fun and interactive one-day training called the Strangers No More Training Module. This engaging experience, which can be done in any city in about 5-6 hours, includes:
This training has been a powerful way to help local congregations move beyond fear and build relationships with their new American neighbors—many of whom come from Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, or Animistic backgrounds and have never had the opportunity to hear the gospel.
The goal of the training is twofold: first, to raise awareness of the diverse cultures around us, and second, to provide a foundational understanding of cultural differences. By doing so, participants can learn to love well and share the gospel with greater confidence and effectiveness.
If you’re interested in hosting your own Strangers No More Training Module, you can find a full event description and all necessary resources by clicking the button below.
This cultural nugget of difference is multiplied thousands of times with every new cultural context we enter. Some issues are minor while others can lead to tremendous damage to relationships and potential opportunities to share the gospel. As disciples of Jesus it is important to first realize that those differences, both the deep and the shallow, will always be present when we move into cross cultural settings. We then must do the hard work of trying to understand these differences to see where God is already at work and how we can join him there. This is hard work. Just when we think we’ve figured something out we’ll run into nuances that will confound us once again.
If cross cultural ministry is something that you are or will be a part of then it is vitally important to do some homework. Cross cultural ministry can happen in varying degrees wherever you are. Crossing the ocean to engage with people from a different religious background that speak another language is of course more complex than a midwesterner traveling to New York City, but both are cross cultural ministry.
Regardless of the complexity and depth of difference between cultures, we can train ourselves to do better at recognizing both the differences and the opportunities they present. Part of that training could be reading books like Foreign to Familiar by Sarah Lanier or Global Humility by Andy McCullough. Context specific books like the one shared above can be a next step. There are also great trainings for missionaries preparing to move overseas at places like Mission Training International and the Center for Intercultural Training.
At Everywhere to Everywhere, we are dedicated to equipping and empowering the local church for cross-cultural ministry in their own communities. To support this mission, we’ve created a fun and interactive one-day training called the Strangers No More Training Module. This engaging experience, which can be done in any city in about 5-6 hours, includes:
- A Discovery Bible Study
- Interactive lectures and activities
- Lunch at an ethnic restaurant
- A cross-cultural scavenger hunt, where participants visit three to four immigrant-owned grocery stores
- A debrief session, enjoying snacks purchased during the scavenger hunt
This training has been a powerful way to help local congregations move beyond fear and build relationships with their new American neighbors—many of whom come from Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, or Animistic backgrounds and have never had the opportunity to hear the gospel.
The goal of the training is twofold: first, to raise awareness of the diverse cultures around us, and second, to provide a foundational understanding of cultural differences. By doing so, participants can learn to love well and share the gospel with greater confidence and effectiveness.
If you’re interested in hosting your own Strangers No More Training Module, you can find a full event description and all necessary resources by clicking the button below.
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Before moving to Central Asia in 2008 I was fortunate to spend time at Mission Training International (MTI) in Colorado doing some pre-field training. This included two weeks of language training with Dwight and Barbara Gradin. We were not learning our target language but rather receiving training to be more effective and efficient language learners.
That training set the stage for becoming a language coach and the writer behind The Everyday Language Learner. The goal was to help as many people as possible be successful language learners and in the process create a location independent business which would allow continued work throughout the Muslim world regardless of whether we lived there or not.
When we returned to the states in 2012, my goal was to continue to grow this online business model. Traffic grew. Influence grew. But I lacked the business acumen to really make a go of things. And so in 2014, The Everyday Language Learner went away. I moved on and see now all that God was doing to prepare me through those years for the work I'm doing now to mobilize and train the church into the harvest.
I want to share with you a few resources that were created during that season. The three resources below are ebooks that you can downloard for free. I hope that they will help you learn another language so that you can more effectively share the gospel.
Enjoy and share them with others.
Before You Move Overseas: This workbook is a blueprint for the weeks and months BEFORE you board the plane. In it you will find actions that, when implemented, will help you prepare for the language learning journey. This workbook is filled with the actions I wish someone had encouraged me to take in that year before moving. The bulk of this guide then is made up of ten actions you can take over the coming months before you move. [Read it Here]
Activities and Strategies for Everyday Language Learners: This ebook is a collection of 56 articles from the Everyday Language Learner blog focusing primarily on practical, hands-on activities you can do in your personal study time, with a language helper or out in the community. This is a 243 page ebook! [Read it Here]
NOTE: I am currently working on updating Activities and Strategies and the second edition should be released in the summer of 2026. Subscribe to the blog to receive updates and be the first to know.
The Everyday Language Learner's Guide to Getting Started: This is the most robust guide I wrote and in it I give all the information needed to be a self-directed, independent language learner. [You can download a zip file from the bottom right of the Resource Page]
Most cross cultural work will require the learning of another language. It is essential to be able to effectively communicate the gospel. I hope that these resources will help you on the language learning journey.
That training set the stage for becoming a language coach and the writer behind The Everyday Language Learner. The goal was to help as many people as possible be successful language learners and in the process create a location independent business which would allow continued work throughout the Muslim world regardless of whether we lived there or not.
When we returned to the states in 2012, my goal was to continue to grow this online business model. Traffic grew. Influence grew. But I lacked the business acumen to really make a go of things. And so in 2014, The Everyday Language Learner went away. I moved on and see now all that God was doing to prepare me through those years for the work I'm doing now to mobilize and train the church into the harvest.
I want to share with you a few resources that were created during that season. The three resources below are ebooks that you can downloard for free. I hope that they will help you learn another language so that you can more effectively share the gospel.
Enjoy and share them with others.
Before You Move Overseas: This workbook is a blueprint for the weeks and months BEFORE you board the plane. In it you will find actions that, when implemented, will help you prepare for the language learning journey. This workbook is filled with the actions I wish someone had encouraged me to take in that year before moving. The bulk of this guide then is made up of ten actions you can take over the coming months before you move. [Read it Here]
Activities and Strategies for Everyday Language Learners: This ebook is a collection of 56 articles from the Everyday Language Learner blog focusing primarily on practical, hands-on activities you can do in your personal study time, with a language helper or out in the community. This is a 243 page ebook! [Read it Here]
NOTE: I am currently working on updating Activities and Strategies and the second edition should be released in the summer of 2026. Subscribe to the blog to receive updates and be the first to know.
The Everyday Language Learner's Guide to Getting Started: This is the most robust guide I wrote and in it I give all the information needed to be a self-directed, independent language learner. [You can download a zip file from the bottom right of the Resource Page]
Most cross cultural work will require the learning of another language. It is essential to be able to effectively communicate the gospel. I hope that these resources will help you on the language learning journey.
- Published on
Jesus instructed his followers - which includes us - to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to observe all that He had commanded.
It was the last instruction that he gave to his first disciples and as they obeyed, the gospel quickly spread out from Judea and into all of the surrounding regions and it kept going.
In the process of moving out, the disciples who carried the gospel, quickly began to cross linguistic and cultural barriers and they began to wrestle with how to communicate the gospel well. This has been an ongoing challenge for every generation of disciples as they strive to obey Jesus.
It is a challenge for our generation as well.
Doug Birdsall says that, "The Great Commission is for every church in every culture in every generation. There are no exclusions. But . . . every church in every culture in every generation must determine the way in which they respond to this responsibility -- in a way that is appropriate to time and context."
Here are seven books that I think you will find helpful for learning how you should respond as you have opportunities to cross cultural barriers with the gospel.
Getting Started
It was the last instruction that he gave to his first disciples and as they obeyed, the gospel quickly spread out from Judea and into all of the surrounding regions and it kept going.
In the process of moving out, the disciples who carried the gospel, quickly began to cross linguistic and cultural barriers and they began to wrestle with how to communicate the gospel well. This has been an ongoing challenge for every generation of disciples as they strive to obey Jesus.
It is a challenge for our generation as well.
Doug Birdsall says that, "The Great Commission is for every church in every culture in every generation. There are no exclusions. But . . . every church in every culture in every generation must determine the way in which they respond to this responsibility -- in a way that is appropriate to time and context."
Here are seven books that I think you will find helpful for learning how you should respond as you have opportunities to cross cultural barriers with the gospel.
Getting Started
Culture Smart Series. The Culture Smart guidebook series are a instructional guide books for particular cultures. They unpack cultural norms, customs, etiquette and more. Getting the Culture Smart guidebook for the country you’ll be heading to or of the country your new friends have come from will do much to help you begin to understand a bit more about how to interact. Culture Smart Turkey was an invaluable resource as we went to Turkey.
Order A Copy Today
Order A Copy Today
Foreign to Familiar by Sarah Lanier. This short book is one of the most helpful introductions to understanding cultures and the worldviews that drive them that I’ve read. Sprinkled with stories to highlight the different topics she touches on this is the first book I’d encourage anyone to read as they begin to interact cross culturally. It is a great starting place too because it packs a lot into a small book at just 128 pages.
Order A Copy Today
Order A Copy Today
The 3D Gospel by Jayson Georges. This book too is packed with incredible insight to help you understand the underlying worldviews that permeate different cultures of our world. Next to Foreign to Familiar, this would be one of the first books I’d recommend to anyone beginning to build relationships and minister to non-Western people. It is also an short book at 82 pages but it is important.
Order A Copy Today
Order A Copy Today
Digging Deeper
Global Humility by Andy McCullough. This book is powerful, insightful and a must read for anyone interested in cross-cultural ministry. Broken into six different sections, Andy explores all facets of cross cultural work through the lens of what he believes is the most important aspect of this work: humility. Filled with first hand experience, personal stories, Biblical insight and sharp observation, Global Humility is a must read for anyone interested in learning from the global church and in moving cross-culturally as an ambassador of Christ.
Order A Copy Today
Order A Copy Today
A Geography of Time by Robert Levine. The tagline of this book - the temporal misadventures of a social psychologist - sums up the theme of this book. Levine is not writing from a Christian perspective but his observations, experiments and research are incredibly helpful if you’ve ever run into the reality that folks from other cultures have some different thoughts about time and how it should be handled. This is one of the most entertaining and engaging books that I have read and it’s also incredibly helpful.
Order A Copy Today
Order A Copy Today
The Textbooks
Issues in Contextualization by Charles H. Kraft. I first read Kraft’s tome Appropriate Christianity ten years ago and so was excited to see a somewhat trimmed down and more accessible volume. The focus of the book is the idea of contextualization, a topic that anyone who crosses into another culture with the hope of sharing the good news of Jesus needs to become familiar with. This should be a helpful book though is perhaps the most academic of the books on this list.
Order A Copy Today
Order A Copy Today
South Asian Bible Commentary. A few years ago I began to wonder how it might be helpful to read Bible commentaries written by theological leaders who grew up in non-western contexts. I now will often check in with this commentary when wrestling with certain passages of scripture to see how South Asian Bible scholars deal with the texts. It’s been helpful. There are many such commentaries which could be helpful: Native American, African American, African.
Order A Copy Today
Order A Copy Today
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