Missions

Articles & Podcast

Article: The 50 Countries Where it is Hardest to Follow Jesus in 2022

Get an in depth look at where Christian persecution rates were the highest around the world in 2022. Read The 50 Countries Where it is Hardest to Follow Jesus in 2022 by Jayson Casper with Christianity Today.

Article: The 50 Countries Where it is Hardest to Follow Jesus in 2023

Get an in depth look at where Christian persecution rates are the highest around the world in 2023. Read The 50 Countries Where it is Hardest to Follow Jesus in 2023, by CT Editors at Christianity Today.

Article: Global Map of The Persecuted Church

Christian persecution is worst in these 50 countries, according to the Open Doors 2023 World Watch List, now in its 30th year. View the Global Map of The Persecuted Church, made available by Open Doors.

Article: Fixing Foster Care: Lessons from the Potholes of Chicago

View the Article made available by the Christian Alliance For Orphans, Here.

Article: Orienting Our Hearts and Minds for Effective Foster Care

If you're considering being a foster care parent or supporting foster care, it’s helpful to develop postures—orientations—of the heart and mind. Read Orienting Our Hearts and Minds for Effective Foster Care, made available by Christianity Today.

Article: 'Lord, When Did We See You in Foster Care?’

Caring for foster children can be difficult—even devastating. It is also a revelation of the love God gives and expects of his people. Read 'Lord, When Did We See You in Foster Care?’, made available by Christianity Today.

Article: God Wanted Me When the Foster-Care System Didn’t

I bounced from home to home before finding the Father my heart yearned for. Read God Wanted Me When the Foster-Care System Didn’t, made available by Christianity Today.

Podcast: What is Language Survey by The Bible Translation Podcast

Jed Carter, a language surveyist working in Papua New Guinea, shares the importance of conducting a language survey among a people group that does not have the Bible in their heart language. Listen by clicking here.

Podcast: Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey #578

Guest David Platt explains unreached people groups and how we as believers are to be aware, advocate, prayer and support all the ways that we can reach those that are unreached. Listen by clicking here.

Podcast: Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey #579

Guest Steven Morales - Steven shares how the Gospel is spreading to the nations, and how the Iranian church is considered the fastest growing church in the world. Listen by clicking here.

Podcast: Standing in the Face of Persecution with Tehmina Arora Part 1, The Strong Women Podcast, Colson Center

Do you ever wonder what you would do in the face of the toughest persecution? Tehmina Arora has asked herself the same question and seen first-hand what people of faith do: They stand. Listen by clicking here.

Podcast: Standing in the Face of Persecution with Tehmina Arora Part 2, The Strong Women Podcast, Colson Center

India is ranked 10th on the World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most persecution—but there is a strong woman living faithfully in the midst of it all. Listen by clicking here.

Podcast: Victim or Victor? With Virginia Prodan, The Strong Women Podcast, Colson Center

What would you do if someone came to assassinate you because you’re a Christian? Virginia Prodan, author of Saving My Assassin, boldly proclaimed the Gospel to the man that came to kill her. Listen by clicking here.

Podcast: Finding Strength in God through Persecution with Virginia Prodan, The Strong Women Podcast, Colson Center

Virginia Prodan tells us about her participation in God’s work in communist Romania, the way He strengthened her through persecution, and what we can learn from her story of being faithful when faced with challenges and opposition to our faith. Listen by clicking here.

Podcast: VOMRadio - The Voice of the Martyrs Radio Podcast

Join host Todd Nettleton each week as he shares testimonies of brothers and sisters suffering for their faith in Christ. The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) is a nonprofit, interdenominational missions organization that offers practical and spiritual help to persecuted Christians around the world. Listen to the latest episode by clicking here.

Podcast: Season One of the Maverick Podcast, a Pioneers Podcast

The entire first season follows the story of Bishara, a young Muslim man from Central Africa who accepts Christ and faces intense persecution as he shares the gospel with his community. Listen by clicking here.

Podcast: Ep. 152. Pursuing Excellence, Part 1 with Keith McFarland, a Think Orphan Podcast

In Episode 152, Part 1 of the two-part episode with Keith McFarland, Dr. Rick and Phil have a conversation with Keith, co-author/co-editor of In Pursuit of Orphan Excellence and Director of the Institute for Gospel Transformation at New Hope Uganda. Listen by clicking here.

Podcast: Ep. 153. Pursuing Excellence, Part 2 with Keith McFarland, a Think Orphan Podcast

In Episode 153, Part 1 of the two-part episode with Keith McFarland, Dr. Rick and Phil have a conversation with Keith, co-author/co-editor of In Pursuit of Orphan Excellence and Director of the Institute for Gospel Transformation at New Hope Uganda. Listen by clicking here.

Podcast: Preston Sprinkle and Brandon Stiver - Rethinking Orphan Care, a Think Global, Do Justice Podcast

A podcast collaboration with Theology in the Raw. Brandon sits down with Preston Sprinkle to dive into all things global orphan care and discuss the realities of that children in orphanages face worldwide. The conversation weaves between a theology of calling and mission and how American Christians intersect with orphans in the Global South. Listen by clicking here.

Media & Video

Bible Translation Dedication

Presented by Project 42 Partners, Bible Translation Dedication shares the incredible story of the Tharakan people in Kenya as they receive the completed translation of the Bible in their native language. Watch this mini documentary by clicking here.

Reimagine Orphan Care - The Orphanage

Did you know that the word orphan may not mean what you think? This first video in our series will explore some of the misconceptions about orphaned children and the way we've tried to help them. Presented by The Archibald Project, watch the video by clicking here.

Reimagine Orphan Care - The Family

Did you know that the word orphan may not mean what you think? This second video in our series will explore some of the misconceptions about why children are orphaned and the families they come from. Presented by The Archibald Project, watch the video by clicking here.

Reimagine Orphan Care - The Community

Did you know that the word orphan may not mean what you think? This third and final video in our series will explore how, with your help, a reimagined model of caring for orphaned children can empower communities and protect entire families. Presented by The Archibald Project, watch the video by clicking here.

Books

The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected, by Nik Ripken

The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected tells a remarkable and unique story of the Ripkens’ own spiritual and emotional odyssey. The gripping, narrative account of a personal pilgrimage into some of the toughest places on earth, combined with sobering and insightful stories of the remarkable people of faith Nik and Ruth encountered on their journeys, will serve as a powerful course of revelation, growth, and challenge for anyone who wants to know whether God truly is enough. The book is accessible on Amazon in print, digital, or audio formats by clicking here.

The Insanity of Obedience: Walking with Jesus in Tough Places, by Nik Ripken

The Insanity of Obedience: Walking with Jesus in Tough Places is a bold challenge to global discipleship. Nik Ripken exposes the danger of safe Christianity and calls readers to something greater. The Insanity of Obedience challenges Christians in the same, provocative way that Jesus did. This book dares you—and prepares you—to cross the street and the oceans with the Good News of Jesus Christ. The book is accessible on Amazon in print, digital, or audio formats by clicking here.

Saving My Assassin: A Memoir, by Virginia Prodan

As a young attorney under Nicolae Ceausescu’s brutal communist regime, Virginia had spent her entire life searching for the truth. When she finally found it in the pages of the most forbidden book in all of Romania, Virginia accepted the divine call to defend fellow followers of Christ against unjust persecution in an otherwise ungodly land. Saving My Assassin is the unforgettable account of one woman’s search for truth, her defiance in the face of evil, and a surprise encounter that proves without a shadow of a doubt that nothing is impossible with God. The book is accessible on Amazon in print, digital, or audio formats by clicking here.

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, by Nabeel Qureshi

Providing an intimate view into a loving Muslim home, Qureshi shares how he developed a passion for Islam before discovering, almost against his will, evidence that Jesus rose from the dead and claimed to be God. Unable to deny the arguments but not wanting to deny his family, Qureshi struggled with an inner turmoil that will challenge Christians, Muslims, and all those who are interested in two of the world's greatest religions and the quest for truth. The book is accessible on Amazon in print, digital, or audio formats by clicking here.

Safely Home, by Randy Alcorn

Is this the day I die? Li Quan asks himself this question daily, knowing that he might be killed for practicing his faith. American businessman Ben Fielding has no idea what his brilliant former college roommate is facing in China. He expects his old friend has fulfilled his dream of becoming a university professor. But when they are reunited in China after twenty years, both men are shocked at what they discover about each other. Thrown together in an hour of encroaching darkness, both must make choices that will determine not only the destinies of two men, but two families, two nations, and two worlds. The book is accessible on Amazon in print, digital, or audio formats by clicking here.

Persecuted: The Global Assault on Christians, by Paul Marshall, Lela Gilbert, Nina Shea

Many Americans do not understand that Christians today are victims in many parts of the world. Even many Western Christians, who worship and pray without fear of violent repercussions, are unaware that so many followers of Christ live under governments and among people who are often openly hostile to their faith. They think martyrdom became a rarity long ago. Persecuted soundly refutes these assumptions. This book offers a glimpse at the modern-day life of Christians worldwide, recounting the ongoing attacks that rarely make international headlines. The book is accessible on Amazon in print, digital, or audio formats by clicking here.

Dreams and Visions, by Tom Doyle

Pastor Tom Doyle has spent 11 years as a full-time missionary in the Middle East and Central Asia, spreading the word of Jesus Christ. Throughout his journey he has encountered a staggering number of Muslims who were first introduced to Jesus through a vision or dream so powerful that they eventually turned from their lifelong religion of Islam and embraced Christ as their Savior. Despite living in a culture where converting to Christianity can result in execution, these former Muslims have found hope, peace, and inspiration that comes from knowing Christ. Their stories will amaze you. Jesus is reaching out to the Muslims, and they are responding. The book is accessible on Amazon in print, digital, or audio formats by clicking here.

Sorrow and Blood: Christian Mission in Contexts of Suffering, Persecution, and Martyrdom, by William D. Taylor, Antonia van der Meer, Reg Reimer 

This book is the product of the Mission Commission's global missiology task force and a worldwide team of committed colleagues and writers. Some 62 writers from 23 nations have collaborated to generate this unique global resource and anthology. This latest WEA volume has the potential of profoundly shaping our approach to mission in today’s challenging and increasingly dangerous world. The book is accessible on Amazon in print, digital, or audio formats by clicking here.

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

Matthew 28:19

"He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."

Mark 16:15

"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?"

Romans 10:14

"Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples."

1 Chronicles 16:24

"And the gospel must first be preached to all nations."

Mark 13:10

"Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day."

1 Chronicles 16:23

How to Pray

A great way to be involved in global missions if you are unable to go to the nations, is through prayer. Here is a list of the Top 10 Most Dangerous Places to be a Christian. We invite you to pray for the Christians who live in these places, and that God would grow His Church in these countries.

Top 10 Most Dangerous Places to be a Christian:

10. Sudan, Northeast Africa
9. Afghanistan, Middle East
8. Iran, Middle East – The fastest growing Church in the World
7. Pakistan, Middle East
6. Nigeria, West Africa
5. Libya, North Africa
4. Eritrea, Northeast Africa
3. Yemen, Middle East
2. Somolia, East Africa
1. North Korea, East Asia

Missions at Timberline

Learn more about mission opportunities at Timberline Church or how to get involved, here.

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