A Resource by CAFO's Research & Pure Religion Initatives

Mission Wise

Scripture, Science, and Serving the World's Most Vulnerable

MissionWise Cover_Horizontal

You want to engage with the work God is doing in the world.

We want to help you do so with excellence when it comes to caring for vulnerable children and families.

Have you ever been on a short-term mission trip and felt uncomfortable, wondering if you’re really making a long-term impact?

Do you wonder about best practices for serving children, families, and communities in other countries?

Do you ever wonder if your current global missions are hurting more than they are helping?

Mission Wise curates today's best practices and principles to give you clarity and confidence to take the next step forward in your mission strategy.

Who should read this book?

Pastors, ministry leaders, volunteers, and advocates in local churches who:

Want to align your missions and outreach with the best available knowledge.

Wonder if your current global engagement strategy is hurting more than helping.

Long to love vulnerable children, families, and communities wisely and well.

Are overwhelmed at the idea of changing their missions strategy.

Desire to leverage short-term missions for long-term impact.

What will you learn?

A theological basis for orphan care ministry.

An understanding of the concept of “orphan.”

The role of child development in thinking about global missions.

The importance of supporting quality care for children everywhere.

An understanding of family-based solutions for children.

Formation and maintenance of strategic mission partnerships.

Common approaches for global church engagement.

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This short book will help you develop a local and global missions strategy. It will help you as you evaluate current and new partnerships, as you seek to equip your church and think holistically about how to actually serve children, families and their communities well!

Gabriel Forsyth

Missions Pastor, Mosaic Church

Mission Wise

What's included in the book?

Clear Guidance

Clear Guidance

You’ll find evidence-based guidance, moving beyond theory and opinions to show you what really works.

Visual Explanations

Visual Explanatations

Infographics that present and explain complex concepts will simplify and accelerate your learning.

Practical Steps

Practical Steps

Clear action steps will help you implement learning to improve your practice.

Free Resources

Free Resources

A curated list of relevant resources will allow you to dive deeper into your areas of interest.

View Resource Guide
MissionWise

Read the book Mission Wise to learn more.

Join us on the journey of learning to serve children and families better…together.

Meet the Authors

Dr. Nicole Wilke

Director, Research Center

Dr. Nicole Wilke

Director, Research Center

Location:

Peru

One place I’ve always wanted to visit:

Thailand

Favorite pastime activity: 

Hiking

Coffee or Tea?

Tea


More about Nicole:

Dr. Nicole Wilke serves as Director of CAFO’s Applied Research and Best Practice Initiative. Prior to this role, she worked as a child and family therapist, missionary, in juvenile detention, and with children with special needs. Through her professional and personal life, she has gained extensive experience with foster care, adoption, residential care, trauma recovery, transitioning to family care, OVC research, and cross-cultural ministry. Nicole has degrees in Psychology, Family Studies, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Permanency and Adoption Competency. She lives with her family in Peru, where they work to see vulnerable children raised in families.

Jason Johnson

National Director of Church Engagement and Mobilization

Jason Johnson

National Director of Church Engagement and Mobilization

Location:

Texas

One place I’ve always wanted to visit:

Doc’s house in Back to the Future.

Favorite pastime activity: 

Construction projects around the house.

Coffee or Tea?

Coffee. Lots of coffee.


More about Jason:

Jason and his wife Emily met their senior year in college and were married just after graduating. They have four daughters and a long story…and anyone who’s been in the world of foster care and adoption can relate to that…it’s a long story! 🙂

After growing up in a ministry home in Dallas, TX Jason attended Texas A&M University (where he Emily met…Gig ‘Em!) and began working at a church during his time there. After graduating in 2002 he began his pastoral ministries studies at Dallas Theological Seminary while working in ministry.

In 2008, alongside a core team of people in the North Houston area, Jason and Emily had the privilege of planting and leading a church. It was here that many, including their family, became involved in foster care. The church then founded a non-profit committed to serving, supporting and equipping foster and adoptive families in the city of Houston.

In 2013, combined with 14 years of church-based ministry and leadership experience and their family’s foster and adoptive journey, Jason began working for an organization helping church leaders implement structures and strategies of ministry within their churches and developing resources to encourage and support foster and adoptive parents along their journeys. This ultimately led to his current role as the Director of Church Mobilization and Engagement with CAFO. In his work he speaks and teaches at churches, conferences, forums and workshops on church and nonprofit ministry strategies and best practices as well as encouraging families that are in the trenches and those that are considering getting involved.

Much of his time is also spent coaching and consulting with church and organizational leadership teams around the country on how to start, lead and grow ministries within their church or build the most effective church engagement strategies within their organizations.

Jason is the author of ReFraming Foster Care (for families and support groups), Everyone Can Do Something (for church and ministry leaders), The ALL IN Curriculum (small group based study for those considering), Effectively Engaging Churches (for organizational leaders and advocates) and blogs regularly at Jason Johnson | Blog.

Jason and Emily and their four girls live in Texas and enjoy whatever it is they’re doing, as long as it’s together.

If you are a pastor, ministry leader, advocate, organizational non-profit leader, foster or adoptive family or potential foster or adoptive family, Jason would love to connect!

Additional Resources

Already reading Mission Wise?

Find resources to dive deeper into the topics found in the book.

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