I hope this collection of thinkers and ministries will further challenge you to live an on-mission lifestyle. Enjoy.

Read:  I recommend Toxic Charity; How the Church and Charities Hurt Those They Help – and How to Reverse It.  by Robert Lupton, Founder of Focused Community Strategies. Through 40 plus years of experience in urban ministry, Lupton asserts most charitable work on behalf of churches and other organizations is ineffective, and even harmful to the one it is intended to help. He offers suggestions and practices on how to help connect the individual organization desiring to help with the individual in need, so the recipient can maintain dignity and take control of their own situation.

Follow:  Tim Rice. Tim is the Missions Mobilization Director for the South Carolina Baptist Convention. He is passionate about assisting individuals and churches to live missionally and engage their communities, state, and the nations with the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know Tim personally and you will be both encouraged and challenged by what he shares with others. You can find him at @timricesc

Follow: JR Woodward. JR is the director of V3 Movement – a grassroots church planting movement. He also publishes a very insightful and educational online paper regularly at his site. You will certainly be encouraged and informed by his work. It has been a source of encouragement for me. You can find him at @dreamawakener

Get to Know: The Sunshine Girls – a weekly outreach ministry to women who work in the Adult Entertainment Industry in Savannah, Georgia. Their goal is to shine the life-changing light of the Gospel into these dark places. The mission of the organization revolves around establishing relationships and opportunities for another way of life. You can learn more about them here. Pray for the work these women are doing in some very hard and dark places. I am thankful to know one of these Sunshine Girls personally.

Just the Facts: According to Lifeway Research:

86% of Protestant pastors believe Christians have a responsibility to care sacrificially for refugees and foreigners.

When asked to share which single factor has most influenced their beliefs and opinions about immigration, evangelicals provided the following answers:

• Relationships with immigrants – 17%
• Friends and family – 16%
• Media – 16%
• The Bible – 12%
• Their Church – 2%