PODCAST · religion
The Missions Show
by Alex Kocman and Scott Dunford
The Missions Show answers hard questions about theology, missions, and practice to help goers think and thinkers go. We are conservative, evangelical, and gospel-centered.The Missions Show is powered by ABWE International, a missions agency with a force of more than 1,000 workers serving across 90+ countries with a focus on evangelism, discipleship, and church planting.
Episodes
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What to Expect as a Prefield Missionary With Ken Lorow
What does it take to go from feeling called to missions to actually reaching the field? And how can you trust God through the challenges of raising support? In this episode of The Missions Show, hosts Alex Kocman and Scott Dunford welcome Ken Lorow, Director of PreField Ministry at ABWE, who…
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How to Teach Theology Through Bible Stories
How should missionaries teach deep biblical truth in cultures where storytelling, rather than reading, is the main way people learn? In this week's episode, Alex and Scott explore “character theology”—using the people, events, and overarching story of Scripture to help believers understand who…
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What Is God’s Mission? With Justin Schell
What is God’s mission—and how does the church fit into it? Christians often talk about being “on mission,” but before asking what we should do, we need to understand what God is doing. In this episode, Alex and Scott talk with Justin Schell, author of The Mission of God and the Witness of the...
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Defining the Missionary Task: Entrust (Part 4)
In the final installment of the Defining the Missionary Task series, Alex and Scott explore what it means to entrust the mission to others. The missionary task doesn’t end when people are evangelized, churches are established, and leaders are equipped. Healthy churches should grow into sending...
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Defining the Missionary Task: Equip (Part 3)
Are missionaries doing their job if they never work themselves out of one? In part three of the Defining the Missionary Task series, Alex and Scott turn to a vital part of church planting: equipping local leaders. Healthy churches need qualified men who can shepherd, teach, and lead God’s people....
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Defining the Missionary Task: Establish (Part 2)
Why must missionaries seek to establish churches? In part two of a four-part series on the missionary task, Alex and Scott move from evangelism to the next step: establishing healthy local churches. They explore why the church is not a Western institution or an optional addition to missions, but...
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Defining the Missionary Task: Evangelism (Part 1)
What is at the heart of the missionary task? In the first episode of a four-part series, Alex and Scott explore why essential to the missionary calling is that they must clearly proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ and call people to repent and believe. While mercy ministries, relationships…
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Zeal Isn’t Enough for Missions With Brooks Buser and Pat Daly
What does it take to send missionaries who are prepared not only to go, but to stay and faithfully serve for the long haul? Alex and Scott talk with Brooks Buser, president of Radius International, and Pat Daly of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary about the church’s role in sending...
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Should Christians be Losers? Feat. D. Michael Clary
Should Christians want to be losers? In this episode of The Missions Show, hosts Alex Kocman and Scott Dunford talk with pastor and author D. Michael Clary about the ideas behind his book, Loser Theology. Clary challenges the belief that Christians are somehow more faithful when they are…
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The Ultimate Happily Ever After: Christ’s Return and the Great Commission
If the world is ending, why bother with missions? This week, Alex Kocman and Scott Dunford are joined in the ABWE studio by Benjamin Vrbicek, lead teaching pastor of Community Evangelical Free Church in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and author of The Restoration of All Things (Baker Books). For most...
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How to Know if You’re Ready to Be a Missionary
Does it take more than a calling to be a missionary? This week, Alex Kocman and Scott Dunford are joined by Matt Bennett and Ryan Robertson, co-authors of The Path to Being a Missionary, to explore a question that often gets overlooked: not simply, “Am I called?” but “Am I qualified?” Together,...
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What Comes Next in Africa With Ron Washer
In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex sits down with veteran missionary Ron Washer to explore what God is doing across Africa after more than 50 years of ministry. From growing up as a missionary kid in Niger to serving in Togo and helping mobilize new workers, Ron shares how God has used...
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Ministry in Wartime: Challenges and Joys of Ministering in Ukraine
Four years into the full-scale war in Ukraine, daily life is still marked by air raid alerts, uncertainty, and loss. Yet ABWE missionary Mike Gustafson and Pastor Zhenya Yashchenko share how God continues to build his church in the midst of the conflict. They discuss the realities of serving…
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Does Physical Fitness Matter for Missions?
Physical fitness may not be the first thing that comes to mind when we think about ministry, but should it be? In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex Kocman and Scott Dunford explore why caring for our bodies is part of faithfully stewarding God's calling. They discuss the relationship…
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Missions in Kenya: Reaching Youth Through Soccer and Discipleship With Reuben Gitonga
How do you reach one of the youngest populations in the world with the hope of the gospel? In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex and Scott welcome Reuben Gitonga, a Kenyan ministry leader serving with ABWE. Reuben shares his remarkable journey from growing up in Nairobi to leading a ministry...
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What You Need Before Becoming a Missionary
Do you have what it takes to be a missionary? In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex and Scott discuss the importance of spiritual readiness, personal holiness, and character formation as someone starts to explore their calling to the mission field. Drawing from Scripture and missionary...
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What God is Doing in South Asia
What does everyday ministry look like in South Asia? In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex sits down with K.Y., a ministry partner serving in a predominantly Muslim country in South Asia, to discuss the realities of gospel ministry in one of the world’s most challenging mission fields. K.Y....
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Are You Doing Short-Term Missions Trips Right?
Are short-term missions trips more helpful or hurtful? In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex and Scott welcome Scott McCoy, Launch Point Missions Lead at ABWE, to discuss one of the most debated topics in modern missions: short-term mission trips. McCoy shares why he believes short-term...
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Helping the Poor Without Hurting the Mission
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 (CHF), to explore the relationship between gospel proclamation, mercy ministry, and the local church.…
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What 40 Years of Church Planting Can Teach Us
Is Peru as reached as we think? In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex and Scott 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...
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Listener Letter – When Spouses Disagree on Missional Calling
This week, Alex and Scott tackle a difficult question from a missionary wife who, after experiencing significant trauma, grief, anxiety, depression, family challenges, and cultural stress during overseas service, no longer feels able to return to the mission field while her husband remains...
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Bringing Masculinity Back to Missions With Chase Davis
In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex and Scott welcome pastor, author, and former missionary J. Chase Davis to discuss the crisis of biblical masculinity and its implications for the church and missions. Drawing from his book Offensive Christianity, Davis argues that the modern church has...
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Crisis Response and First Responder Ministry
In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex sits down with ABWE’s Director of International Security and Crisis Management, Bill Gruppen, to discuss the difficult balance between missionary safety and gospel risk-taking in some of the world’s most dangerous places. Drawing from decades of…
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How Missionaries Transform Cultures
Christian missions has never existed in a cultural vacuum. From William Carey’s role in ending widow burning in India to Gladys Aylward confronting foot-binding in China, the spread of Christianity has often transformed entire societies. But where is the line between gospel transformation and...
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Engaging Islam with the Truth of the Trinity With Dr. Imad Shehadeh
How do you explain the Trinity to Muslims? On this episode of The Missions Show, Alex and Scott sit down with Dr. Imad Shehadeh, founder and president of Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary, to explore what it means to faithfully articulate and defend the doctrine of the Trinity in a...
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How Christ Transformed a Former Iranian Revolution Leader With Dr. Shayesteh
In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex and Scott sit down with Dr. Daniel Shayesteh. Dr. Shayesteh shares his powerful journey from a radical Muslim involved in the Iranian Revolution to a follower of Christ. Raised in a devout Islamic context that viewed Christianity as corrupt, he rose to...
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Are Church Planting Movements Bad?
Can church planting be done wrong? This episode of The Missions Show explores the debate around Church Planting Movements (CPMs), interacting with a Lausanne article that presents them as a highly effective missions strategy. Alex Kocman and Scott Dunford explain what CPMs are and why they…
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Canada’s C9 Bill – Is God’s Truth Being Outlawed?
Did Canada just pass a bill that outlaws particular Bible teaching? This episode of The Missions Show explores the implications of Canada’s Bill C9 (the “Combating Hate Act”) and its potential impact on religious freedom, gospel proclamation, and missions. Guest John Taylor, ABWE missionary in...
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A Defense Against Missions as Colonialism
How do you respond when people say that missions is colonialism? In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex and Scott tackle the increasingly common claim that missions is inherently colonialistic with guest Will Maxson. Prompted by real-world examples and cultural trends, they explore why this...
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Sustaining Grace Through Tragedy: The Bowers Shoot Down, 25 Years Later
In April 2001, tragedy struck deep in the jungles of Peru when a missionary flight carrying the Bowers family was mistakenly shot down during a counternarcotics operation gone wrong. Roni Bowers and her infant daughter, Charity, were killed. Jim Bowers and his young son survived. Twenty-five…
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Protestant Missions and the Catholic Question
How should we view Roman Catholicism on the mission field? In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex and Scott tackle the complex and often sensitive question of how Protestant missionaries should engage with Roman Catholics in the context of global missions. They emphasize that missions is not...
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Reaching Muslim Refugees With the Gospel
In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex and Scott speak with ABWE missionaries “Will and Beth McAuliffe” (pseudonyms) about their long journey toward serving among Arabic-speaking people. After years of preparation and ministry in the Middle East, their plans were unexpectedly disrupted when...
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Demystifying the Order of Love
How does Scripture order our affections? In this episode, Alex and Scott unpack the historic Christian concept of the ordo amoris—the “order of loves”—and why it matters for missions today. Drawing from Alex’s new book Ordered to Love, they explore how Scripture and theologians like Augustine and...
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Global Persecution, Biblical Judgment, and Discernment on the Mission Field
How do we exercise discernment on the mission field? In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex and Scott examine common misunderstandings about global persecution and why discernment is essential when evaluating reports of suffering in the church. Drawing from missionary experience, they explain...
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What’s Happening in Iran? Protests, Crisis, and the Church
How do believers respond to the situation in Iran? In this episode, Scott Dunford talks with “Sam,” an ABWE missionary serving Persian and Iranian communities, about the crisis gripping Iran. Looking at ancient Persia's biblical roots, home of Daniel and Esther, to the 1979 Islamic Revolution…
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How to Develop Godly Grit With Kyle Farran
This week Alex and Scott are joined by ABWE missionary and Western Europe regional director Kyle Farran to explore what true, godly grit looks like in ministry. Rather than defining resilience by personality or overcoming high-pressure moments, they discuss grit as being formed through daily...
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Thailand: A Strategic Missions Hub With Benjamin Collins
Can reaching Thailand be the key to reaching all of Southeast Asia? In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex sits down with ABWE missionary Benjamin Collins to discuss gospel work in Thailand, a nation with long-standing missionary access yet less than one percent Christian. Ben shares about…
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Why the Puritans Matter to Modern Missions With Stephen Yuille
What can the Puritans teach us about missions? This week, Alex is joined by Stephen Yuille, director of Puritan Publishing at Reformation Heritage Books, to explore who the Puritans really were and why they still matter for missions today. Yuille challenges common cultural caricatures of...
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Reforming Missions: A Conversation With Jerry Slate Jr.
Has global missions strayed from a biblical foundation? In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex and Scott talk with Pastor Jerry Slate Jr. to discuss the theological foundations and practical realities of faithful missionary work. The conversation centers on the question of what sustains...
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Do You Believe in Miracles? What Acts Says With Dr. Darren Carlson
Do you believe miracles can still happen? In this episode of The Missions Show, Scott is joined by Dr. Darren Carlson—pastor, author, and founder of Training Leaders International—to discuss the ongoing work of God as revealed in the book of Acts and experienced around the world today. Drawing…
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Paris – A City of Light and Mission With Billy Bean
What does missions look like in a global city like Paris, France? In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex and Scott are joined by pastor Billy Bean to discuss A City of Light, a short documentary exploring gospel work in Paris, France. Often overlooked as a missions field, Paris is presented…
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New Name, Same Show
New year, new name. The Missions Podcast is now The Missions Show. Why the change? We’re stepping into a video-first world. The show is now on NRBTV, with Lighthouse TV launching soon in central Pennsylvania. We’ve been on YouTube for some time, and this rebrand reflects a move beyond audio-only...
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Evangelism and Missions in India With Aaron Menikoff and Harshit Singh
In this week's episode, Alex and Scott welcome pastor Aaron Menikoff (Atlanta, USA) and pastor Harshit Singh (Lucknow, India) to discuss how evangelism and missions function through the local church, particularly in the Indian context. Drawing from their book Prioritizing Missions in the Church,...
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A Practical Theology of Persecution With Matt Rhodes
In this episode of The Missions Podcast, Alex welcomes returning guest Matt Rhodes—missionary, church planter among Muslims, and author to discuss his new book Persecution in Missions: A Practical Theology. Together they discuss that persecution is not an anomaly but a normative feature of...
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Holiday Special! Our Favorite Episodes from 2025
Come celebrate another year of The Missions Podcast! In this special end-of-the-year episode, Alex and Scott recall their favorite discussions from 2025 and important takeaways from each. They also discuss how they are using this holiday season to celebrate the incarnation of Christ. Become a...
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Church Planting From Bangladesh to NYC With Prodip Das
What's the spiritual climate like in Bangladesh? In this week's episode, Scott interviews Pastor Prodip Das, a Bengali church planter in New York City with ABWE's EveryEthne ministry. Together, they discuss the unique nature and conflict of Christianity and Islam within Bangladesh. Prodip tells…
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The Reality of Missions in Japan With Bill Petite
Why is Japan the graveyard of missionaries? In this episode, Alex talks with veteran ABWE missionary Bill Petite, who reflects on 35 years of ministry in Japan. Bill gives an honest look at the spiritual, cultural, and emotional realities of serving in one of the world’s least-reached nations.…
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The Transcultural Gospel With E.D. Burns
How does the gospel transcend cultural understandings like guilt/innocence, honor/shame? In this episode, Alex is joined by longtime friend of the show, Dr. E.D. Burns, a missionary, author, and ABWE’s Executive Director for Training & Development. E.D. argues that many modern missionary methods...
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Behind the Numbers: What’s Really Happening in Global Missions With Ted Esler
In this episode of The Missions Podcast, Alex Kocman and ABWE President, Paul Davis, interview Ted Esler, president of Missio Nexus, on the global state of Christian missions. Esler explains that although the global church is experiencing slow and steady growth, many evangelical churches lack a...
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Islam’s War on Christians in Nigeria With Larry Alex Taunton
What's happening with persecuted Christians in Nigeria? In this episode of the Missions Podcast, Alex and Scott talk with Larry Alex Taunton, an author and apologist, who shares his firsthand experience witnessing Christian persecution in Nigeria. Taunton recounts his journey to the country’s...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The Missions Show answers hard questions about theology, missions, and practice to help goers think and thinkers go. We are conservative, evangelical, and gospel-centered.The Missions Show is powered by ABWE International, a missions agency with a force of more than 1,000 workers serving across 90+ countries with a focus on evangelism, discipleship, and church planting.
HOSTED BY
Alex Kocman and Scott Dunford
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Missions Show have?
The Missions Show currently has 717 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Missions Show about?
The Missions Show answers hard questions about theology, missions, and practice to help goers think and thinkers go. We are conservative, evangelical, and gospel-centered.The Missions Show is powered by ABWE International, a missions agency with a force of more than 1,000 workers serving across 90+...
How often does The Missions Show release new episodes?
The Missions Show releases new episodes frequently with a large back catalog of 717 episodes. Check the episode list for recent publication dates.
Where can I listen to The Missions Show?
You can listen to The Missions Show on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Missions Show?
The Missions Show is created and hosted by Alex Kocman and Scott Dunford.
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