• Our hope-filled future is bound up in sharing the story of Jesus, in discipling others, in bringing those disciples together into communities of believers, and in developing and releasing those believers to create other communities... till Jesus the King comes again!

Poly what?

Posted on May 20, 2025 by wtdavid

I’m sure if you are like me, when you heard the expression: “polycentric mission”, you said to yourself: “poly what?”  I mean, what idea or thought is this expression meant to convey?

Polycentric simply means, “having more than one centre”. In other words, in our global missions context there are now many poles or centres from which mission is being launched. In the 20th century, mission was primarily from the Western world. However, in the 21st century, mission is being launched from Ethiopia Chile, Brazil and Indonesia. This is what is called the Global South.

There are several practical implications or effects from this shift. In this blog post, let’s focus on just two of the many implications. 

For one, responsibility for the task of global missions is now a shared work.  This is always easy to say, but difficult to practice.  For many of us, we are used to directing, leading, or running global mission outreach from our perspective, our centre of gravity.  This shift causes us to recognize the importance of active listening to others, as well as gospel humility, by which we will understand more and more our need for others more than their need us perhaps. This shared work of global missions may take more “time” and “energy” than in the past. However, joining hands in this shared task is a tangible mark of God’s universal church.

Another practical effect or outcome is seeing the need of cross-cultural intelligence.  It will be difficult to effectively work with others from the Global South if we from the West do not seek to understand the cultural background, cues and dynamics at play with those who share the global missions task with us. For cultures that thrive in getting things done fast, there will be the need for patience and a willingness to “slow down a bit” in the process. For those cultures where time and planning are not priorities, there will need to be more “fluid organisation” allowing all partners to know their part in the task. And the only way all this will happen will be through His grace, through a deepening understanding of the Gospel, and by adding new cross-cultural skills to our toolbox.

Poly-centric, in other words, means learning to play as a team with a whole new group of players who may be different from one another.

Filed under: Mission, Partnership, Polycentric focus | 4 Comments »

Nothing all that new

Posted on March 4, 2024 by wtdavid

I recently read an article that appeared on the Missio Nexus website (in 2021) with the title: “Deconstructing the Great Commission”.   

“Today there is an almost constant call for a re-envisioning of missions. Authors like  … have written books critical of contemporary mission. These three books critique missionary agencies, missionary structure and the use of the term “mission” in any way. One author called for a reframing of how we understand the message of Christ and how we share it both locally and globally.”

This same call for ‘deconstruction’ had occurred in the 1930s in North America when the Hocking Report was published. This report actually called for a moratorium on missions and on sending cross cultural workers. An insightful rebuttal to this report was written by Hendrik Kraemer in his book, The Christian Message in a Non-Christian World.

There is nothing wrong with rightfully questioning the “way” we carry out mission in the world in which we live.  However, it should never come at the expense of putting into question the central message of the Bible and of our faith, nor of our calling to share that message with those around us. This was the thrust of Kramer’s argument in 1938.

Jesus Christ gave Himself to redeem us, to grant us the honour of being part of His family, and to put the Holy Spirit in our hearts who seeks to testify to the person and work of our Saviour.

“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 

And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

Filed under: Mission, Renewal | Leave a comment »

This is where we need you!

Posted on October 27, 2023 by wtdavid

Filed under: 3C Global Conference, Coaching, Mission | Leave a comment »

Not a mixture

Posted on January 24, 2023 by wtdavid

We are a movement.  Those who participate in this movement seek to live out the truth that every member is important. In fact, we believe that we need one another to accomplish the task.

As a movement, we are committed to the same mission, vision, and guiding principles (WT Ministry Framework).  Our framework for ministry is not a mixture or conglomeration of each individual’s mission, vision and what one may believe is important. 

This is another reason why we need one another: to ensure that we are all pulling and working together to go in the same direction.  When one rower begins rowing against the work of the others, the boat pulls to the left or to the right.  The other rowers must help this rower to bring his/her work (rowing) back into alignment with the overall direction.

This is where difficulties often arise.  When someone begins pulling a team in a direction that is counter to the overall direction of the movement, several responses can happen:

  • None of the other team members say anything.  Team members are afraid of hurting the lone team member if they say something; or believe that the “pull” in a counter direction will simply go away over time.
  • One (or more) of the team members take the person to task in an overly critical way, lacking grace and empathy.  This is the offensive approach and often is at the start of larger team conflict.
  • Team members ignore and stop listening to this person.  We might call this the ‘silent’ treatment where the member who seems to be pulling the team in another direction is paid no attention.  The team misses an opportunity to learn together from such a crucial conversation.

None of these responses are helpful to the growth and re-alignment of the team; nor do they help the team pull back around the larger mission and vision of the movement.

Perhaps Galatians 6:1-2, though not speaking specifically to this situation, might give us some help and principles to guide our efforts to keep rowing together in the same direction: “Brothers & sisters, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him/her in a spirit of gentleness.  Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.  Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

How can we best, with much wisdom, keep one another aligned with the larger mission and vision to which God has called us?

Filed under: Alignment, Mission, Movement, Vision | 2 Comments »

In Other Worlds bis

Posted on March 22, 2019 by wtdavid

Four years ago, I posted this video to my blog (Thoughts Along the Journey).  It was an interview that I did with my good friend John (WT Canada and WT Papua alumnus) about the book he had written: In Other Worlds.

John went home to be with his Lord a little over a week ago.  Because the Lord taught me much through John and our many discussions together, I wanted to re-post this video.

‘Bis’ is the French word for ‘again’  So, I’m posting this blog again, if for nothing else then to give thanks to God for letting our paths cross and for the influence John had on my life (and the lives of many in World Team).

At the time I first posted this blog post, I wrote: “I so thoroughly enjoyed John’s book and found deep encouragement in it for us as cross cultural workers that I would like to offer a free hard copy to every World Team worker.”

Many took me up on that offer, but if you did not receive a copy and would still like to have one (we have 18 paperback copies remaining), please send a note to Cindy Optiz at global.coordinator@worldteam.org before April 5th.

Make sure you include the following information in your note:

  • Your first and last name
  • Your field
  • Your Sending Centre or partnering mission
  • Your postal address

Filed under: Core Values, History telling, Mission, Sharing the Gospel story | Leave a comment »

Calling

Posted on March 6, 2019 by wtdavid

Rebecca and I have close friends that we have known since university days.  Nancy has always been prolific and insightful in her writings.  Monthly emails often contain what I call ‘spiritual gems’.  She has a way of capturing Christ in so much of what happens day to day, and then to use that image as a reminder of our need to ‘speak the Gospel to our hearts’ each day.

Let me quote from one of her emails titled: Calling

“Of all the staggering Scriptures, the verse that most staggers me these days is Hebrews 5:7, “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.” He was heard. Not saved from death, but heard. Isn’t that enough? To be heard by the God of the universe? If it was enough for Christ, how dare it not be enough for me?

At the recent Together for the Gospel conference, we wore these bands:

10,000 people wore the black bands allowing access to the conference. Far fewer people wore the white bands that allowed access to the speakers. How foolish we would have been to have this gift of access and not use it to get notes from and have conversations with the speakers so we could better serve the main participants!

We still have the bands, but we no longer have access to the speakers. I can’t ask John MacArthur what to say to the students about prayer. Chuck can’t ask John Piper about a thorny paragraph he is trying to translate for seminary. But God has given us better-than-white-bands: unlimited access to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16)!

What thirsty person, tongue brittle as a leaf in drought, has access to a fountain of pure water but crawls past it? We have access to the life-giving fount, but pass by it if we skip or skimp on prayer.”

At first I pondered why she gave the subject line as “calling”.  Then I realized that our calling is first and foremost to God (read Os Guinness, The Call, on that topic) and our main ‘access’ is by our conversation with the Father.

We might say, in other words, that our calling is to bring the nations of the world before the Father’s throne and plead with Him to work in us and through us that many might come to know the Messiah Jesus.

Filed under: Calling, Mission, Prayer | 4 Comments »

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