The SEND U Blog

A Lifestyle of Prayer and Dependence

Editor’s note: This blog post is republished by permission of the author, Jack Gilbert. Jack & his wife are missionaries with SEND International in Spain. Jack regularly blogs at I’m Listening to GOD. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.(1 Thessalonians 5:17-18) We all live busy lives, juggling responsibilities, challenges, and expectations. And in the middle of it, Paul’s words can hit hard: “Pray without ceasing.” At first, that might feel impossible, or even a little unfair. But what if it’s not a rule to follow, but a way of life to enter? Instead of an obligation, what if we are being invited into something better than just getting by? Prayer is the rhythm that sustains the soul, the connection that shapes how we face each day. And that is what Paul wanted to communicate… Read the whole post

June 22, 2026June 16, 2026

Jack Gilbert6 mins read

The Six Conversations: Why Loving Conversations Matter for Cross‑Cultural Missionaries

Many missionaries today live with a quiet tension. On the one hand, they are deeply committed to relationships—within teams, churches, and communities across cultures. On the other hand, they often experience relational fatigue, misunderstanding, and isolation, even while surrounded by people. Conversations that once felt natural can become complicated by language barriers, cultural differences, and ministry pressure. Heather Holleman’s book The Six Conversations: Pathways to Connecting in an Age of Isolation and Incivility speaks powerfully into this reality. Rather than offering communication techniques or formulas, Holleman calls for a revival of loving conversations—conversations shaped by posture, not performance; by presence, not persuasion. For those serving cross‑culturally, this message is especially timely. Missionary life places extraordinary relational demands on people, and the quality of our conversations often determines the health of our teams, partnerships, and witness. Understanding the Author’s Perspective Heather Holleman is an associate teaching professor of advanced writing at… Read the whole post

March 16, 2026March 13, 2026

Ken Guenther9 mins read

Theology, Training, Contextualization, Leadership Training, Mission Methodologies

Self-Theologizing and Church Maturity: Lessons from the Ukrainian Church

Self-Theologizing and Church Maturity A recent blog post highlighted three books written by Christian Ukrainian authors and scholars. In my view, this points to an often-overlooked fourth metric for church maturity. Most church planters are familiar with the traditional criteria for church maturity or an exit strategy. We often look for churches that demonstrate the three “selves”: self-governing, self-supporting, and self-propagating. These three “selves” do not always develop in a linear way. From my observation, Ukrainian churches have shown a strong vision and trajectory for self-propagation. Their progress toward self-sustainability (self-supporting), however, has been less consistent. At times, churches have looked too quickly to the West for financial support. This is simply my perspective. The Ukrainian Church as a Sending Church By 2022, the Ukrainian church was not only self-propagating. In practice, it had also become a sending church. Ukrainian missionaries were already serving among some unreached people groups. The… Read the whole post

February 10, 2026February 9, 2026

Alfie Mosse6 mins read

Books, Book Reviews

Reflections on War in Ukraine: Three Essential Books

Over the years, much of our cross-cultural ministry has been in leadership development (including theological education) in Ukraine. We have had the privilege of learning from and serving with truly gifted Ukrainian colleagues. Now, during war, as citizens of the defending nation and as citizens of heaven, many of our colleagues are sharing their experiences and reflections in print. I want to recommend three books that have been recently published. The three books are: Beatitudes and Terror: A Ukrainian Theological Response to Russian Aggression edited by Oleksandr Geychenko, Roman Soloviy, and Yevgeny Ustinovich Light in the Valley of the Shadow of Death: Stories of Ukrainian Christians During the War edited by Roman Soloviy Serving God Under Siege: How War Transformed a Ukrainian Community by Valentyn Syniy Beatitudes and Terror The foreword of Beatitudes and Terror says, “The book you’re holding right now is an endeavor by eight Ukrainian evangelical theologians… Read the whole post

January 5, 2026January 3, 2026

Alfie Mosse9 mins read

Confrontation, Teaming

Musar and Healthy Conflict: A Biblical Lens on Team Health

Recently, the International Leadership Team (ILT) of SEND International went through an exercise to identify our strengths and weaknesses in relation to Patrick Lencioni’s model of the Five Dysfunctions of a Team. (Yes, Lencioni wrote a book about this, and it definitely is worth reading.) This framework has been widely used in leadership development because it highlights common barriers to team effectiveness. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Lencioni’s identifies these five dysfunctions: Absence of Trust – Team members are unwilling to be vulnerable. Fear of Conflict – The desire to preserve artificial harmony stifles productive, ideological conflict. Lack of Commitment – Without clarity and buy-in, decisions lack support. Avoidance of Accountability – The need to avoid interpersonal discomfort prevents members from holding one another accountable. Inattention to Results – Pursuit of individual goals erodes focus on collective success. Fear of Conflict and What Leaders Can Do Fear of conflict… Read the whole post

December 15, 2025December 18, 2025

Ken Guenther8 mins read