Megachurch Accountability In Missions

Megachurches are of relatively recent vintage. Their numerical strength invests them with social and financial power. To whom, if anyone, however, are megachurches accountable? What role do they play as innovators in missions? How have their enormous influence and financial strength been harnessed? What lessons can be learned? What course corrections ought to be made? Over the course of a week, the third meeting of the Korean Global Mission Leadership Forum (KGMLF), held in Korea in 2015, addressed these and related questions. Combining the insights of a rich mix of Korean and international megachurch leaders and scholars, Megachurch Accountability in Missions: Korean and Global Case Studies offers analysis, critique, and positive recommendations for future megachurch engagement in mission.

The Korean missions movement is perhaps the most signiþcant story of the Church in the world over the past one hundred years. Today Korea can boast of being the leading sender of missionaries per head of population. Yet this movement has not been well integrated into the global mission community and also this community has at times failed to understand and learn from this tremendous work of God. I am excited that God has brought together a unique body of people to wrestle with these issues. This work will help bring about much needed collaboration and develop each other's strengths in an environment of mutual respect. --MALCOLM L. McGREGOR, SIM International Director Accountability in Missions is a remarkable book, exploring the full range of mission accountability issues--strategic, þnancial, and relational--from both Korean and North American perspectives. This is global missiology made practical and accessible to all missions practitioners. The many articles that penetrate the mysteries of Korean and North American interaction especially make it a must-read book for all Koreans and North Americans working together. --STEVE STRAUSS, Professor of Mission and Intercultural Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary This collection of essays provides a biblical and theological basis for accountability and brings voices East and West, demonstrating that accountability--to God and to others--is a universal principle, not linked to one culture or context (i.e., Western). Further, the collection is eminently practical, addressing matters of governance (decision-making), þnance, and personal integrity. To all mission leaders I say: read this book! Actually, read it but also þnd colleagues with whom to discuss and digest these principles and review our mission practices. --GORDON T. SMITH, President, reSource Leadership International

Integrity, Viability, and Accountability Perhaps there is no greater challenge in missions than money. Paul reminds us, “For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man” (2 Cor. 8:21). Money sufficient to assure the viability of one’s life work carries with it an insidious ethical virus that can easily infect the integrity and accountability of its stewards. The Realities of Money & Missions provides a unique level of credibility and transparency as it calls for evangelicals to reevaluate their relationship with money, both personally and corporately. Global case studies, workshops, and testimonials cover a broad range of topics such as: Misalignment between fiscal theology and practice Environmental stewardship, community development, and business as mission Mobilization, fundraising practices, and “faith financing” Short-term missions, patronage, and dependency Power dynamics and structural injustice The Realities of Money & Missions was not written by experts in the fields of investment, money management, or fundraising, but by men and women whose calling as missionaries, pastors, and administrators has brought them face-to-face with the complex, real-life issues involving the intersection of money and ministry. Read on and be challenged to change

Hope and Help in Member Care. Culture shock. Marital strife. Depression. Addictions. Disillusionment. Organization and team tensions. Family trauma. Medical issues. This is not what you signed up for when you pursued missions. Field workers cross-linguistic, cultural, and ministry boundaries, but they still experience the same mental health challenges as everyone else—and often more. When the missionary unit includes a spouse and children, the complexities multiply as each person undergoes stressors. Needing psychological or psychiatric help too often leads to burnout or worse. It’s time to let go of the stigma and embrace mental health. Missionaries, Mental Health, and Accountability opens with stories of scriptural saints who also struggled and still made profound impacts for the kingdom. Then, global contributors—comprised of an equal balance of Korean and Western writers—reach into the complexity of missionary mental health with the added component of accountability in church and agency support systems. Specifically, four important areas of missionary mental health are considered: 1) disillusion, discouragement, and depression; 2) relational dynamics and tensions; 3) contributing factors in missionary psychological duress; and, 4)resources and organizational structures that address missionary mental health. Every chapter demonstrates courage, personal conviction, and judicious honesty. Significant insights provided through case studies, surveys, and personal reflections will offer action steps for increasing mental health awareness and developing mental health best practices for individuals and teams. Written for field workers and those who support them, Missionaries, Mental Health, and Accountability is a critical resource in member care.

"The Korean missions movement is perhaps the most significant story of the Church in the world over the past one hundred years. Today Korea can boast of being the leading sender of missionaries per head of population. Yet this movement has not been well integrated into the global mission community and also this community has at times failed to understand and learn from this tremendous work of God. I am excited that God has brought together a unique body of people to wrestle with these issues. This work will help bring about much needed collaboration and develop each other's strengths in an environment of mutual respect." --MALCOLM L. McGREGOR, SIM International Director "Accountability in Missions is a remarkable book, exploring the full range of mission accountability issues--strategic, financial, and relational--from both Korean and North American perspectives. This is global missiology made practical and accessible to all missions practitioners. The many articles that penetrate the mysteries of Korean and North American interaction especially make it a must-read book for all Koreans and North Americans working together." --STEVE STRAUSS, Professor of Mission and Intercultural Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary "This collection of essays provides a biblical and theological basis for accountability and brings voices East and West, demonstrating that accountability--to God and to others--is a universal principle, not linked to one culture or context (i.e., Western). Further, the collection is eminently practical, addressing matters of governance (decision-making), finance, and personal integrity. To all mission leaders I say: read this book! Actually, read it but also find colleagues with whom to discuss and digest these principles and review our mission practices." --GORDON T. SMITH, President, reSource Leadership International

Can the Desert Be Green? Our world is in peril. Environmental degradation, human suffering, and relentless calamities confront us daily, painting a picture of a planet in distress. Amid this daunting reality, how can God’s people respond effectively? This critical question beckons for a thoughtful and proactive response that intertwines faith and ecology with tangible action in our increasingly fragile world. Hope for Creation offers a unique blend of theological insight and practical application. It gathers perspectives from theologians and practitioners, each giving a comprehensive understanding of creation care. The contributors not only diagnose environmental and humanitarian issues but also propose actionable solutions rooted in biblical foundations and contemporary experiences. This book is a call to action for Christians and mission leaders worldwide, urging active participation in restoring and preserving our planet. It equips church leaders, missionaries, and believers with the knowledge and tools to make a meaningful impact. By embracing this mission, readers contribute to a sustainable, hopeful future, joining a transformative journey towards environmental and human healing.

Christianity Today 2019 Book of the Year Award, Missions/Global Church Building from a behind-the-scenes case study of Kenya's Nairobi Chapel and its "daughter" Mavuno Church, Wanjiru M. Gitau expands their story into a narrative that offers analysis of the rise, growth, and place of megachurches worldwide in the new millennium. In contexts experienced as deeply volatile, and on a continent reeling from the structural incoherence imposed in colonial times, megachurches provide a map of reality to navigate by, with the gospel as their primary compass. Gitau shows that recognizing the psychological, spiritual, and social destabilization of modernizing societies is the first step to valuing the place of megachurches in contemporary Christianity. Through analysis of social demography, theology, philosophy of ministry, leadership development, and strategy, Megachurch Christianity Reconsidered makes integral sense of the historical and social forces that give megachurches their growth opportunity, and reclaims them as a subject of serious theological conversation. This engaging account centers on the role of millennials in responding to the need for "a home for new generations" amid the dislocating transitions of globalization and postmodernity in postcolonial Africa and around the world. Gitau gleans practical wisdom for postdenominational churches everywhere (mega- and otherwise) from the lessons learned in Kenya's remarkable urban, evangelical renewal movement. Missiological Engagements charts interdisciplinary and innovative trajectories in the history, theology, and practice of Christian mission, featuring contributions by leading thinkers from both the Euro-American West and the majority world whose missiological scholarship bridges church, academy, and society.

The Routledge Handbook of Megachurches provides a survey of global megachurch phenomena, with an international slate of authors introducing existing and emerging research on a wide variety of relevant topics. Over the past decade, the field of megachurch studies has matured and become global in its scope and orientation. The Handbook offers 33 chapters by top scholars in the field, focusing in particular on: The location, demographic nature, and transnational connections of megachurches. Megachurch worship, hermeneutics, and theology (in theory and practice). Megachurch institutional dynamics. The various ways that megachurches have both influenced and been influenced by their social contexts in terms of class, age, gender, sexuality, and pop culture. The Handbook's interdisciplinary orientation makes it essential reading for sociologists, political scientists, anthropologists, media specialists, pop culture observers, business strategists, leadership consultants, marketing analysts, scholars of religion, and Christian historians, theologians, and missiologists. Experienced scholars of megachurches will gain valuable insight into aspects of megachurch research beyond their own specializations. Scholars new to the field will find the chapters useful as signposts for where to begin their own academic exploration. Christian pastors and laypeople will learn more about this increasingly prominent and influential form of their faith.