Can a parachurch ministry become so dominant that it actually undermines the very institution Christ established to carry out His mission? Dave Phillips, with @ServeAChild, shares a sobering lesson from Ecuador. Decades after a major wave of missions activity entered the country, he asked local pastors a simple question: "What is the role of the local church in evangelism?" The answer was alarming. Many pastors responded, "That's not the role of the local church. That's what the parachurch organizations do." Think about that for a moment. When pastors no longer see evangelism as the responsibility of the church, something has gone terribly wrong. The New Testament never presents parachurch ministries as God's primary instrument for advancing the gospel. That role belongs to the local church. Parachurch organizations can serve the church, equip the church, and strengthen the church—but they should never replace the church. Healthy missions doesn't bypass the church. Healthy missions builds up the church so they can evangelize the lost, disciple the believers, and be the salt and light in their communities. Hear the full episode now!

What happens when mercy ministry is rooted in the local church? For Dave Phillips and @ServeAChild, it's not just about delivering food, it's about helping churches build relationships that open the door for gospel conversations. "Our goal is to get the church into the homes of the poorest of the poor so that Christ can be put on display." By meeting physical needs, local believers gain the opportunity to understand the deeper challenges families face, share the hope and love of Christ, and provide ongoing care through the life of the church. Compassion and gospel proclamation aren't competing priorities. They're meant to work together. Watch or listen to the full episode now!

One phone call changed everything. As Dave Phillips was launching what would become @ServeAChild, a missionary in Honduras called with an urgent need: seven children with cancer needed a specific drug to survive. Dave wrote down the drug's name, prayed, and hung up. Seconds later, the phone rang again. A donor had 48,000 vials of a children's cancer drug to give away—and it was the exact same medication. That miraculous provision not only saved lives across 20 countries, it confirmed the path God was calling Dave to follow. Watch this incredible story of God's perfect timing.

Can compassion ministry and gospel proclamation work together? In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex and Scott sit down with Dave Phillips, founder and president of Children's Hunger Fund (@ServeAChild), to explore the relationship between gospel proclamation, mercy ministry, and the local church. Listen now - missionsshow.com/podcast/hel…

You never know how far the gospel will travel when you invest in one life. Forty years ago, a young man named Cesar trusted Christ at a camp ministry in Peru. He returned home, grew in his local church, received theological training, and was eventually sent out as a missionary. Years later, he was serving in Morocco, sharing the gospel among Muslims. Even after being kicked out of the country, he continued ministering to others and growing the church. What began with a gospel conversation at camp became a story that crossed continents. That's the power of evangelism and discipleship. The ripple effects often reach farther than we could ever imagine. 🌎 Share the gospel. 📖 Disciple believers. 🙌 Trust God with the outcome. Listen to the incredible life and ministry of ABWE missionary Stephen Douglas this week on the show.

"Going from zero independent Baptist churches to more than 70 in the city and surrounding areas–God truly has done an amazing thing." ABWE missionary Stephen Douglas talks about the incredible work that God has done to bring the gospel to a city where there wasn't an evangelical presence before. Listen to the incredible life and ministry of Stephen Douglas this week on the show!

"Our vision is that Peru will be an epicenter for worldwide missions." For decades, missionaries and local church leaders have been laying a foundation across Peru and South America. Today, that foundation is producing pastors, church planters, and missionaries who are carrying the gospel to the nations. But the work isn't finished. If God has given you gifts to disciple, train, teach, lead, plant churches, or equip believers, there is a place for you in His global mission. 🔥 Don't spend your life building what won't last. 🌎 Invest in what matters for eternity. Is God calling you to serve in missions?

Everyone wants the fruit. Few people talk about the decades of faithfulness behind it. Steve and Debbie Douglas, along with their parents, account for 90 years of gospel ministry in Peru. That's how churches are planted, leaders are trained, and missionaries are sent to the world. Don't give in to the gimmicks and tricks for flash in the pan church-planting. Lasting fruit takes the long path. 🌎 Faithfulness still matters. Listen to the full episode now!

How does God take a young couple from Pennsylvania and lead them to one of the most spiritually resistant cities in Peru? For Stephen and Debbie Douglas, it started with a growing conviction that God wanted them to invest their lives in reaching the people of Peru. That calling eventually led them to Arequipa—a city of over one million people known as the "Little Rome of Peru" because of its deep Roman Catholic roots. More than 40 years later, they're seeing the fruit of faithful gospel ministry and church planting in a place where the gospel once had very little presence. 🎧 Hear the full story on this week's episode.

Is Peru as reached as we think? In this episode, @ajkocman and @Scott_W_Dunford talk with veteran ABWE missionary Stephen Douglas to explore more than four decades of gospel ministry in Peru. Stephen shares how God led him and his wife Debbie to the city of Arequipa—a historic Roman Catholic stronghold known as the “Little Rome of Peru”—and how a small church-planting team, where no evangelical churches existed before, grew into a network of dozens of churches throughout the region. Listen now - missionsshow.com/podcast/wha…

For missionaries, pastors, and ministry-minded families, there's often a pressure to keep moving, keep sacrificing, and keep pushing forward. But sometimes wisdom looks like taking a pause, praying longer, and giving your family the time and attention they need. @scott_w_dunford challenge is simple but powerful: 1️⃣ A six-month delay probably won't derail God's plans. 2️⃣ A year spent caring for your family isn't wasted time. 3️⃣ You will never regret investing deeply in your children. Looking back, you won't wish you had moved faster. Slow down. Shepherd the moment. Embraced the season God had placed in front of you.

"The problems we have here in the States, in our own culture and our own church and our own families, they're just going to get exacerbated under the pressure of culture, language, strangeness, and spiritual warfare [on the mission field]." @scott_w_dunford explains the dangers of culture shock and the stresses it puts on a family overseas. Listen to how Alex and Scott tackle a family disagreement over missional calling this week.

🎙️ “Do you want a partner in ministry, or an unwilling participant?” That's the challenging question at the heart of this clip from The Missions Show. When a husband feels called to the mission field but his wife is reluctant to go, what does biblical leadership require? Is it enough to appeal to authority and expect submission—or does sacrificial love demand something more? 🎧️ Listen as Alex and Scott dive into this challenging topic.

What happens when one spouse feels called to the mission field—and the other doesn't? This week's episode raises a difficult question many missionary families quietly wrestle with: How do you move forward when a husband and wife are not aligned on their calling to the mission field? In missions circles, it's easy to assume that the most radical path is always the most faithful one. But is that true? What about a desire for a quiet, peaceful life that focuses on family? When a husband's vision for ministry and a wife's concerns for her family seem to be pulling in different directions, how should they discern God's will together? ▶️ Watch the clip and join the conversation.

When major ministry decisions create tension in a marriage, the answer isn't isolation, it’s inviting godly counsel into the conversation. Scott explains why couples facing deep disagreement over missions should not be afraid to involve their church leaders. Pastors and elders aren't outsiders looking in; they're shepherds God has given to help families navigate difficult decisions with wisdom, humility, and biblical accountability. Too often, missionary families feel like they have to figure everything out on their own. But one of God's gifts to His people is the local church. Listen and watch the full episode now!

What happens when one spouse feels called to continue in missions—and the other feels completely finished? In this week’s episode, Alex and Scott respond to a heartfelt listener letter from a missionary wife who returned from the field carrying the weight of trauma, grief, anxiety, family challenges, and burnout. While her husband still feels called to return overseas, she’s asking a difficult question: Is it wrong to say, “I can’t do this anymore”? This is one of the most honest and practical conversations we've had about the realities of missionary life, family, and obedience. 🎧 Listen now and join the conversation. missionsshow.com/podcast/lis…

“Meekness does not mean weakness...Meekness simply means power under control and the appropriate use of power for any given situation.” @jchasedavis Christians don’t need more shallow rules or performative niceness. We need the wisdom of Christ — wisdom that knows when to speak boldly, when to endure suffering, and how to maximize opportunities for gospel proclamation. Too often, the modern church prioritizes safety and comfort above faithfulness. But biblical missions requires courage shaped by wisdom and governed by God’s Word. Listen now.

"Men are looking for application. They're looking for a rigorous Christianity that's applied to all of life." @jchasedavis calls for the church to reclaim an "offensive Christianity" that challenges men from a place of strength, not appealing to therapeutic-niceness. Listen to the full episode now!

What if we started presenting missions not as a comfortable humanitarian project, not as “safe” Christianity overseas, but as frontline spiritual warfare. @jchasedavis challenges the church to recover a vision of missions that calls people, particularly men, to courageous living, personal sacrifice, endurance, and living for an eternal reward. “Come and expect hard things. Do hard things. Preach the gospel. Die and be forgotten.” - @ajkocman When missionaries are sent into places where Christ is unknown, resistance is real, and spiritual darkness is strong. It’s dangerous work, but it is done for the King of Glory. The call to missions is not a call to worldly comfort, but to lay up treasures in heaven for the glory of Christ among the nations. 🎧 Listen to the full episode now.

Men don’t need shallow hype or constant criticism. They want a faith that challenges them. “They’re looking for a rigorous Christianity that’s applied to all of life.” - @jchasedavis Too often, the church replaces real discipleship with therapy-speak. But biblical Christianity calls men higher — to responsibility, conviction, courage, and obedience to Christ. 🎧 Listen to the full episode now.