Real stories and honest questions for sending well.
Not Another Missions Podcast cuts through the noise of quick fixes and high-level strategy to tackle the real mess of global ministry.
Hosted by former missionaries and missions pastors Bradley Bell and Nathan Sloan, the show dives straight into the hard, practical questions senders and goers face in the trenches. Sending well isn't about easy answers, it starts with humility, curiosity, and honest conversation.
Suffering is an inescapable reality of following Jesus, but what happens when it strikes in the middle of cross-cultural ministry? In this raw and deeply personal episode of The Conversation, we share stories of mental health collapses, traumatic injuries, and stage four cancer—and ask the hard question: Does suffering only threaten our faithfulness, or can it become part of how Christ forms us for His mission?We explore a theology of suffering that moves beyond "bumper sticker Christianity," looking at how pain strips away our illusions of control and draws us closer to a Savior whose glorified, resurrected body still bears His scars.
30 Oct 2026
Church Membership on the Field: How to Send Without Letting Go
When a missionary is sent to the global field, what happens to their local church membership? Should they remain covenant members of their sending church thousands of miles away, or transition fully to a local receiving church on the ground?In this episode, we unpack the complex, messy middle of missionary membership and soul care. From "Distributed Membership" covenants to "Watch Care" frameworks, discover how sending churches and receiving fields can collaborate to ensure sent ones experience deep belonging, pastoral oversight, and clear accountability without falling through the cracks.
23 Oct 2026
"Why Should We Trust You?” | Lessons from Kenya on Global Sending
In recent history, global missions has sometimes been described as moving “from the West to the rest.” But what happens when Western missions leaders enter a room being expected to teach but actually take the time to listen—to pain caused by foreign missionaries and to questions that challenge some of their assumptions about church discipleship, authority, and global sending?In this episode, Brad shares with Nathan reflections from his recent trip to Kenya as we explore the growing reality of polycentric missions: the gospel moving from everywhere to everywhere.We discuss an honest exchange in which an African elder voiced pain and distrust shaped by previous experiences with Western missions, the importance of humility and mutual repentance, and the danger of assuming that effective cross-cultural missions must be begin primarily with money, power, and strategies.We also consider how churches in the Global South are already sending and have the potential to send even more; how Kenyan churches are recognizing sending pathways God has already developed without requiring anything from their budgets; and how local churches around the world can collaborate toward truly interdependent Great Commission engagement.
16 Oct 2026
What Happens When Churches Can't Do It All?
Are local churches swinging too far between outsourcing missions to agencies and trying to "do it all" alone? In this episode, we dive into the dangerous pitfalls of both extremes and reveal why so many sent ones end up coming home broken, unfunded, and feeling like failures.We unpack Upstream’s working definition of Interdependent Sending—a collaborative framework that brings four essential stakeholders to the table: the Sending Church, the Mission Agency, the Sent One, and the Receiving Field. Discover how to build trust, set clear roles, and create a sustainable sending culture that protects your missionaries and honors the local church's biblical role.
9 Oct 2026
But You ARE Sent! | Missionary vs. Sent One: How Your Daily Life is God's Mission Field
Are all Christians called to be missionaries, or is there a crucial distinction between missionary vocation and everyday "sentness"? In this episode, we dive deep into the theology of missiology, missionary discipleship, and what it truly means to live as a "sent one" in every sphere of life.Rather than starting downstream with strategies, methods, and guilt-driven activities, biblically faithful missiology starts upstream with the character of a sending, Triune God. Whether you are living cross-culturally, working a 9-to-5, driving a truck, homeschooling, or serving in your local church, your primary identity in Christ is that of a sent one. Join us as we unpack how recovering this sent identity removes guilt and shame, elevates the dignity of every believer, and actually leads to healthier cross-cultural church planting and sending.#missions #sentidentity #missionalliving
2 Oct 2026
Why Missionaries Fail to Bridge Culture Gaps
Why do so many missionaries and believers struggle to communicate the gospel cross-culturally? Too often, we stop at the surface level, focusing on external behaviors rather than digging down to the worldview that drives them.In this episode, we explore why "sent ones" must exchange judgment for relentless curiosity. Using Lloyd Quast’s "Onion Model of Culture", which layers behavior, values, beliefs, and worldview, we unpack why behavior-focused ministry fails. True contextualization happens when we take a posture of a learner, ask "why?", and allow the true gospel to confront core worldview assumptions (like the American false gospel of self-sufficiency) rather than exporting our own cultural preferences.Whether you're preparing to go overseas, ministering in a globalized city, or learning to live on-mission in your hometown neighborhood, this conversation provides essential missological tools to help you ask better questions and share Christ effectively.
25 Sept 2026
What to Say When Missionaries Aren't Ready for the Field
Sending someone to the mission field before they are spiritually and relationally ready can cause a lot of damage, not just to the individual, but to their families, their field team, and the local churches on the ground. But as a pastor or missions leader, how do you handle a enthusiastic believer who wants to buy a plane ticket today without a team, plan, or church backing?In this episode, we dive into how local church leaders can move from reactive "yes" or "no" responses to a holistic, discipleship-focused pathway. Discover why saying "not yet" is often the most loving thing a leader can do, how to navigate hard conversations without crushing a calling, and how to shepherd individuals through proper preparation and community discernment.#MissionaryDiscipleship #ChurchSending #ChurchLeadership #PastoralCare #Missions #ChristianPodcast
18 Sept 2026
Why No One Talks About the Pain of Missionaries Coming Back Early
When sent ones return from the mission field early, whether in the first year or after decades on the field, they often feel like failures. They deal with intense guilt, shame, and the quiet question: "What am I doing here?" But when returning workers come back, how should churches respond? Why no one talks about missionaries coming back early is one of the biggest hidden crises in the church today.
In this conversation, we dive into the hard realities of returning missionaries and why proper pastoral care for those who come back too soon is the one of the most neglected aspects of global missions.
Driven by a message of grace, healing, and Romans 8, we'll break down how church leaders can move past superficial questions and learn to shepherd, integrate, and walk alongside those who are hurting.
18 Sept 2026
Welcome to Not Another Missions Podcast
Real stories and real conversations about sending well.
Not Another Missions Podcast cuts through the noise of quick fixes and high-level strategy to tackle the real mess of global ministry.
Hosted by former missionaries and missions pastors Bradley Bell and Nathan Sloan, the show dives straight into the hard, practical questions senders and goers face in the trenches. Sending well isn't about easy answers, it starts with humility, curiosity, and honest conversation.
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