Originally posted to Ed Stetzer’s blog, the following article by Nathan James — co-pastor of Epoch Church in Little Rock, Arkansas — looks at various aspects of being a Transformational Small Church.

At times it may seem that small churches can do little for the kingdom because of limited resources. But in reality we are all called to reach the nations, and every church is empowered by the gospel to make a global impact, regardless of size. Nathan is here today to address that very issue.

Mobilizing People For Missions

God can transform your life and show you his heart for the nations if you allow him. I had one of those experiences not long ago when our church took its first international mission trip. I had the chance to lead a team of twelve to serve the Lord in Haiti on July 4th, 2010. I had been on an international trip before, but this was the church’s first. I want to point out something I was starkly reminded of: When you are willing to follow the Lord’s mandate to reach the nations, then it is as if God pulls back the curtains and gives you a wider kingdom perspective. The way you pray changes. When you pray, Our Lord, it has a whole new meaning. The way you worship in song changes. When you sing, “How Great is Our God,” your worldview broadens. The way you see those around you changes. When someone is hurting, you have a keener sense of compassion. Are you willing to allow the Lord to broaden your kingdom perspective? (more…)

by David Armstrong

At the annual M-DAT Board Retreat this Spring, the staff and Board made some significant changes in M-DAT’s leadership roles to better facilitate continuing growth in our services and better match our team member’s skills and gifts with needs in the office.

Some key responsibilities were shuffled and the organization is moving to a three person leadership team composed of an Executive Director, a Director of Program Services and a Director of Operations.

Peter Armstrong, who has ably led M-DAT for its first 10 years, has assumed the role of Program Services Director to focus his energies and skills on the ongoing development of our web based missions training and preparation services.

The legal, financial and overall administrative tasks for the organization will now be covered by the Director of Operations. David Armstrong has moved into that role. Amanda Snodgrass has assumed the position of ShortTermMissions.com Service Manager and will be helping the many organizations who use ShortTermMissions.com to make known the opportunities they offer.

And lastly, we are now looking for a new Executive Director. Pray for our Board as they define the unique job description for this position and then find and interview candidates. We would appreciate your prayers as we wait on God to provide the right person for the new role. Also pray for the team as a whole as we adjust to these transitions.

As always we remain committed to helping people take their next step in missions involvement.

Prayer: Pray that God would provide a new Executive Director for our Leadership Team. And pray for the M-DAT team as we adjust to the modified and enlarged roles.

Prayer: Pray for us as we are in discussions about a partnering arrangement with another website to provide broader coverage for the many great mission trips posted on ShortTermMissions.com. There are a lot of details to be considered.

Praise: Praise the Lord for a college student and recent graduate who are inquiring about helping develop content for our web sites as volunteers.

Praise: Praise for a great time of interaction at our March Annual Board Retreat. We have a terrific Board which provides helpful perspectives.

Praise: We were greatly encouraged to see the number of people looking for mission trips go back up this Spring after a plateauing of interest last Spring.

It is hard to miss Joshua Project’s “Unreached of the Day” widgets on websites and Facebook profiles. But you are likely unaware there is a an email version of these. Fuel your prayer for the unreached by getting these daily or weekly prayer (your choice) reminders in your inbox. The email consists of a profile of a different unreached people group each day—complete with picture, map, and prayer ideas.

A “Double the Prayer Challenge” is underway to increase how many people receive these daily reminders to pray for the unreached to over a thousand. For more information about the challenge and how to subscribe to the “Unreached of the Day” emails go to http://prayfortheunreached.com.