Missions Disrupted: From Professional Missionaries to Missional Professionals
Most everything in the world has changed since the age of the “Greatest Missionary Generation,” which was an outpouring of missionaries following World War II that lasted until around 1985. Today, however, missionaries are no longer welcomed in most of the world, and Christian terms like evangelism, church planting, conversion, and missions are considered pejorative outside of the Western world. All this demands a reexamination of the theology of Missio Dei for today’s world and a theory for change that can be validated with credible research.

Author and former missionary Larry Sharp believes that the era of “professional missions” as we’ve known it is coming to an end. But since God still seeks to redeem his world, the future lies now with “missional professionals,” with a new set of rules for how the gospel of Jesus Christ can be proclaimed. Near the end of his life, Billy Graham said, “The great work of God in the 21st century will be through everyday believers living out their faith in the workplace.” Since the first century AD, there have been historical events—such the persecution of the early church, the Edict of Milan, and the Protestant Reformation—where major disruption resulted in the radical advance of the gospel. We are on the cusp of another disruptive innovation.

Through real-life narratives of international workplace professionals who have successfully integrated their faith with their work, Missions Disrupted describes how this new work of missions looks today. These inspiring stories come from the world of agriculture, manufacturing, medicine, information technology, education, engineering, music, and retail. It is up to the next generations to continue to share the Good News with the world, wherever and however that may be.
1140382069
Missions Disrupted: From Professional Missionaries to Missional Professionals
Most everything in the world has changed since the age of the “Greatest Missionary Generation,” which was an outpouring of missionaries following World War II that lasted until around 1985. Today, however, missionaries are no longer welcomed in most of the world, and Christian terms like evangelism, church planting, conversion, and missions are considered pejorative outside of the Western world. All this demands a reexamination of the theology of Missio Dei for today’s world and a theory for change that can be validated with credible research.

Author and former missionary Larry Sharp believes that the era of “professional missions” as we’ve known it is coming to an end. But since God still seeks to redeem his world, the future lies now with “missional professionals,” with a new set of rules for how the gospel of Jesus Christ can be proclaimed. Near the end of his life, Billy Graham said, “The great work of God in the 21st century will be through everyday believers living out their faith in the workplace.” Since the first century AD, there have been historical events—such the persecution of the early church, the Edict of Milan, and the Protestant Reformation—where major disruption resulted in the radical advance of the gospel. We are on the cusp of another disruptive innovation.

Through real-life narratives of international workplace professionals who have successfully integrated their faith with their work, Missions Disrupted describes how this new work of missions looks today. These inspiring stories come from the world of agriculture, manufacturing, medicine, information technology, education, engineering, music, and retail. It is up to the next generations to continue to share the Good News with the world, wherever and however that may be.
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Missions Disrupted: From Professional Missionaries to Missional Professionals

Missions Disrupted: From Professional Missionaries to Missional Professionals

by Larry W. Sharp
Missions Disrupted: From Professional Missionaries to Missional Professionals

Missions Disrupted: From Professional Missionaries to Missional Professionals

by Larry W. Sharp

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Overview

Most everything in the world has changed since the age of the “Greatest Missionary Generation,” which was an outpouring of missionaries following World War II that lasted until around 1985. Today, however, missionaries are no longer welcomed in most of the world, and Christian terms like evangelism, church planting, conversion, and missions are considered pejorative outside of the Western world. All this demands a reexamination of the theology of Missio Dei for today’s world and a theory for change that can be validated with credible research.

Author and former missionary Larry Sharp believes that the era of “professional missions” as we’ve known it is coming to an end. But since God still seeks to redeem his world, the future lies now with “missional professionals,” with a new set of rules for how the gospel of Jesus Christ can be proclaimed. Near the end of his life, Billy Graham said, “The great work of God in the 21st century will be through everyday believers living out their faith in the workplace.” Since the first century AD, there have been historical events—such the persecution of the early church, the Edict of Milan, and the Protestant Reformation—where major disruption resulted in the radical advance of the gospel. We are on the cusp of another disruptive innovation.

Through real-life narratives of international workplace professionals who have successfully integrated their faith with their work, Missions Disrupted describes how this new work of missions looks today. These inspiring stories come from the world of agriculture, manufacturing, medicine, information technology, education, engineering, music, and retail. It is up to the next generations to continue to share the Good News with the world, wherever and however that may be.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781496471598
Publisher: Hendrickson Publishers, Incorporated
Publication date: 07/08/2022
Pages: 272
Product dimensions: 5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Larry W. Sharp (PhD, University of Calgary) served in mission leadership in Brazil for over twenty years, followed by another twenty years as VP of operations at Crossworld. During that time, he founded IBEC Ventures, a Business as Mission (BAM) consulting group, which has taken him to dozens of countries. In addition to teaching and writing, he is the author of The Greatest Missionary Generation: Inspiring Stories from around the World (Hendrickson, 2020).

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction 1

1 The Age of Missions Has Ended, the Age of Missio Dei Has Begun 9

2 Disruptive Innovation Theory Understood 24

3 Missions Disrupted, Missio Dei Exalted 31

4 Missional Professionals in North America Today 41

5 Missio Dei in Action around the World 56

6 Missional Professionals in the International Marketplace 69

Data Terminal Group: A Global Company with Kingdom Workers 69

Engineering Spreadsheets: Relevant to God's Purposes 73

Bethel Avodah Foundation: A Ministry of Eurofragance Philippines Inc. 78

Faith with Education, Business, and Medicine: An Integrated Model in Indonesia 82

The Story of Kerusso: A Steel Pan Band in Brazil: From Musical Entrepreneur to Sustainable Ministry 86

Matt's Story: "It May Be More about the Journey Than the Destination" 92

A Philadelphia Lawyer: At Work at Home and in Asia 97

Super Gifts Inc.: Valuable Gifts Made by Valuable People 100

Kijabe Hospital and MyungSung Christian Medical Center: Sustainable Missional Medicine 104

Transnational Missional Executives as Disciple-Makers: Witness as a Noun, not a Verb 109

7 Missional Professionals in International Large-Scale Business Start-Ups 113

Asia Engineering and Manufacturing 113

First Step English Institute: "To Know Jesus and Make Him Known" 120

NightLight: A Journey with a Freedom Business 126

HM Manufacturing United: The Jesus Way in Hyderabad, India 131

Three Guys and a Dream: Jurassic Valley Tourism 136

Photo Up: Photo Editing Outsourcing in the Philippines 142

Sinapis: Faith-Driven Entrepreneurs Growing Companies That Change the World 148

Sunshine Nut Company: "Hope Never Tasted So Good" 160

Tim's Coffee and Bakery: "God Is the Chairman" 164

Hamara Feed, Zimbabwe: "The Goal Is to Feed and Disciple the Nation" 171

8 Missional Professionals in International Small- to Medium-Scale Business Start-Ups 183

Capital Roasting Company: Teaching English and Living the Faith through Coffee 183

Dignity Coconuts in the Philippines: Changing Lives and Breaking the Cycle of Poverty 188

Teaching English in Thailand: "We Are Building a Cumulative Case for Jesus" 194

Information Technology Jobs: A Software Company with a Mission 199

Continuing Missio Dei after "Retiring": Dave Kier's Other Life 206

Nguvu Dairy: A Trauma-Informed Workplace in Uganda 207

Outland Denim: The Power of Obedience 214

9 We Are in This Together: Yesteryear, the Present, and the Future 223

10 Where Do We Go from Here? 230

Appendix A Changes in Terminology 237

Appendix B What Do You Have to Offer? 238

Appendix C Missionary Agency Monetization of Value 243

Notes 245

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