Communication in Mission

this fascinating and stimulating compendium has been shaped by contributors who probed deeply into missional communication initiatives that negatively impacted a gospel witness. through insightful analysis and well-grounded suggestions, they move readers forward to consider fresh options for fruitful intercultural engagement. a particular strength is the breadth of contemporary spheres addressed, which invites readers from diverse areas of mission to examine their own (mis)communication experiences and seek more effective strategies. i heartily recommend this compendium for all desiring to communicate the gospel in relevant, winsome, and effective ways. 

-Evvy Hay Campbell, PhD  

Associate Professor, Intercultural Studies Emerita 

Wheaton College Graduate School 

Communication in Mission is like fresh water and a rich meal. It is a gift to both contemporary missions scholars and practitioners, as well as the church at large. First, the book recognizes the role of communication as more than simply a tool, rather as a way of life, and more specifically the key to a life with great impact. Second, the compilation of authors offer micro (everyday) and macro (societal), nuanced understandings of how communication impacts missions and how missions impact communication. This book exceeded its goal of capturing my attention and speaking to my heart. May it do the same for you.  

-K. Arianna Molloy, PhD 

Associate Professor, Department of Communication Studies  

Biola University 

the world of missions is a complex entity, especially when it comes to cross-cultural communication. fortunately, this well-researched and documented missiological compendium has emerged to guide cross-cultural workers in this complex task. the authors are not only scholars but also missional practitioners. their work is refreshing because it emerges out of their personal mission experience. readers will greatly profit from this treasure of missiological thought, which will stimulate increasingly effective cross-cultural communication in their ministries, helping the advancement of the gospel. 

-Cecil Stalnaker, PhD 

Professor Emeritus and Adjunct Professor, Intercultural Studies 

Tyndale Theological Seminary, the Netherlands 

Communication in Mission offers a wide-ranging compendium-from storytelling to AI-that will expand your thinking and keep you current in the fast-changing world of communication. 

Tom Steffen, DMiss 

Marcus Dean (PhD, Trinity International University) is professor of Intercultural Studies and Missions at Houghton College (Houghton New York). For six years he was book review editor for Evangelical Missions Quarterly. Before coming to Houghton College, he pastored and then served for fifteen years in theological education with the Wesleyan Church as a missionary in Colombia and Puerto Rico. Scott Moreau (DMiss, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is Professor of Intercultural Studies and the Academic Dean of Wheaton College Graduate School. For sixteen years, he was editor of Evangelical Missions Quarterly and general editor of Baker Books' Encountering Mission series. He has written or edited over twenty books and three hundred articles, and received numerous recognitions for his writing, teaching, speaking and service to society. Sue Russell (PhD, UCLA and La Trobe University) is Professor of Missions and Contextual Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary. Prior, she was Associate Professor of Anthropology and Chair of the Department of Anthropology at Biola University; and for seventeen years was with Wycliffe in S. E. Asia working with national pastors to complete the translation of the Tagal language Bible.

Figures and Tables 

Preface  

by marcus dean 

Part 1: Communicating the Gospel through the Language of Words and Art 

chapter 1: preaching between scylla and charybdis: sermons and the task of contextualization in the twenty-first century  

by jared e. alcntara 

chapter 2: the character of the incarnation in preaching with translators: principles and practices 

by john cheong and rochelle scheuermann 

chapter 3: missions application of translanguaging theory and methodologies: leveraging multilingualism to increase ministry impact  

by timothy hatcher 

chapter 4: hidden stories of reciprocal mission in the glocal world: a case study  

by joy kim 

Part 2: Communicating the Gospel in Global Settings 

chapter 5: knowing when to drink coffee: a case study of (mis)communication in intercultural mission partnership  

by phil davis 

chapter 6: contextualizing the gospel in australia: empowering christ to communicate with an aussie accent  

by robert l. gallagher 

chapter 7: honor/shame culture: analyzing impact on christian women's social exchanges 

by kara l. garrison 

chapter 8: conversing with unique identities: american muslim youth in a multicultural religiously plural world  

by matthew henning 

Part 3: Communicating Well in Mission

chapter 9: communicating a decolonized gospel 

by theon e. hill 

chapter 10: pursuing textual community with a chinese house church movement 

by hannah nation 

chapter 11: a case study: communicating a missions theology through the prism of the black church 

by linda p. saunders 

chapter 12: faithful fundraising: communicating needs without sacrificing dignity or short-circuiting discipleship 

by jessica udall 

Part 4: Communicating Mission through Social Media 

chapter 13: the medium is the message: reflections on disciple-making in the age of social media 

by michael hamkin lee 

chapter 14: communicating for the frontiers: how communication in the twenty-first century impacts mission in restricted-access contexts 

by jt matthews 

chapter 15: understanding the written word through popular culture in japan  

by song joseph cho 

about the contributors