The Practical Missions Podcast
Pod #102 What If Fruit Isn’t The Measure Of Faithfulness?
Character over charisma and faithfulness over fruit
A single decision at 14 can set a direction you only understand years later. We sit down with my guest to trace how a teenage “all in” moment, a world atlas opened during exam prep, and a summer camp prayer meeting with George’s inflatable globe became the quiet beginnings of a lifelong call to cross-cultural missions. Along the way, we talk about how God often guides through “means” like mentors, biographies, teams, and the simple pull of a burden that won’t go away.
We also get honest about the interior battle many cross-cultural workers face: the pressure to prove you’re worth the investment. My guest shares what it was like to feel ineffective overseas while learning language and culture, and why that season taught him a deeper priority: God cares more about relationship and character than output. We unpack 1 Corinthians 3, the freedom of “God gives the growth”, and the daily practice of preaching the gospel of grace to yourself so pride and despair don’t run your life.
From there, we zoom out into leadership on the field and mission strategy. We explore how missions has changed since the early 1990s, what has stayed the same. We talk about what healthy leadership looks like in a diverse global organisation: character over charisma, leaders who are still walking with Jesus, and leaders who develop successors.
Finally, we trace the bigger story of mission innovation from William Carey to people group thinking, church planting movements, and disciple making movements, then ask what comes next as AI, migration, urbanization, and a post-Western global church reshape the mission landscape. If you care about missions, church planting, discipleship, contextualization, and resilient leadership, this one is for you.
Timeline
- 00:00 Intro
- 01:00 At 16 years old, asking God where to serve
- 06:12 Resting in God and working hard are not opposites
- 9:44 Feeling weak and useless is the path to trusting God
- 14:00 How missions has changed since the 1990s
- 21:28 What makes a trustworthy leader?
- 30:34 How to avoid cynicism
- 34:53 The History of Missions and Innovations Cycles
- 41:50 Understanding where we came from helps us address the challenges we face now
Listen on: Apple Podcast | Spotify
The greatest amongst you will not be the most successful, or the most fruitful, or the most strategic, or the most exciting, or the most articulate. The greatest amongst you will be the servants of all.
Pod #102 What If Fruit Isn’t The Measure Of Faithfulness?
Character over charisma and faithfulness over fruit
A single decision at 14 can set a direction you only understand years later. We sit down with my guest to trace how a teenage “all in” moment, a world atlas opened during exam prep, and a summer camp prayer meeting with George’s inflatable globe became the quiet beginnings of a lifelong call to cross-cultural missions. Along the way, we talk about how God often guides through “means” like mentors, biographies, teams, and the simple pull of a burden that won’t go away.
We also get honest about the interior battle many cross-cultural workers face: the pressure to prove you’re worth the investment. My guest shares what it was like to feel ineffective overseas while learning language and culture, and why that season taught him a deeper priority: God cares more about relationship and character than output. We unpack 1 Corinthians 3, the freedom of “God gives the growth”, and the daily practice of preaching the gospel of grace to yourself so pride and despair don’t run your life.
From there, we zoom out into leadership on the field and mission strategy. We explore how missions has changed since the early 1990s, what has stayed the same. We talk about what healthy leadership looks like in a diverse global organisation: character over charisma, leaders who are still walking with Jesus, and leaders who develop successors.
Finally, we trace the bigger story of mission innovation from William Carey to people group thinking, church planting movements, and disciple making movements, then ask what comes next as AI, migration, urbanization, and a post-Western global church reshape the mission landscape. If you care about missions, church planting, discipleship, contextualization, and resilient leadership, this one is for you.
“The greatest amongst you will not be the most successful, or the most fruitful, or the most strategic, or the most exciting, or the most articulate. The greatest amongst you will be the servants of all.”
Listen on: Apple Podcast | Spotify
Timeline
- 00:00 Intro
- 01:00 At 16 years old, asking God where to serve
- 06:12 Resting in God and working hard are not opposites
- 9:44 Feeling weak and useless is the path to trusting God
- 14:00 How missions has changed since the 1990s
- 21:28 What makes a trustworthy leader?
- 30:34 How to avoid cynicism
- 34:53 The History of Missions and Innovations Cycles
- 41:50 Understanding where we came from helps us address the challenges we face now
— Related Pods —
Pod #49 How NOT to turn Your Ministry into a Project
I talk to a man who loves his family, loves the ministry, and loves God. It’s clear he has not lost sight of the reason we serve on the field. We talk about family, hospitality, team life, discipling locals, dealing with local needs, and much more.
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