I want to tell you about a mission / vision trip that I am putting together with the Upstream Collective and the International Mission Board to Taiwan this Fall. We will depart from the states on September 19, arrive the next day on the 20th, and will complete the trip on September 26th.

Each day we will be taking a look at various ministry venues for church planting in that part of the world. I will be leading a session each morning with the group. We will also hear from some of the leaders of the Upstream Collective network each day as we talk about missional living in an urban and cross cultural context. We have some slots left for this trip. If you have an interest in going you need to fill out an application on theupstreamcollective.org and they will be in touch with you.

Hope to see you in Taiwan.

I am sitting in a coffee shop in Vail, Colorado as I write this. Around me are people who speak other languages, have different skin tones, and come from different cultures.

Last week, I took my daughter to California and we spent a few days in L.A.. The diversity was much more evident there. In many places, we were the only ones who spoke English as a first language.

Across North America, our airports, downtown streets, and even suburban malls have become a cornucopia of cultures and nationalities. Increasingly America just doesn't look much like me. However, as I enter the doors of many churches, I see mainly people who look like me. I recognize that there are strong ethnic churches and I do visit them, but I am concerned that too many churches are not engage in cross-cultural mission engagement when the opportunity is so clear.

I do not see the variety of people groups in our churches that I see in our cities--and this grieves me. I have written about this lack of ethnic leadership in my own denomination, but it is an evangelical problem. I have shared some resources on the topic here.

For the first time in recent history, more churches are being started in North America than are closing, yet this expansion of churches has made few inroads to internationals of non-Christian backgrounds living within our borders. This worries me, not only for the future of our country, but more importantly for the future of international missions. The question must be asked: If we as the church in North America desire to share the gospel to the world, how can we expect to be effective overseas when we cannot even reach the world at home?

The church has some waking up to do. The U.S. Census projects that 50% of the U.S. population will be of a race or ethnicity other than non-Hispanic white by 2050. International immigration to North America has created an exponential growth among Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and other non-Christian groups. Toronto, a city of over 6 million, is now 50% foreign-born.

If we take Jesus' command, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you," with any seriousness, we must be willing to share the gospel with "others" who are not just like us. And these "others" do not just mean people in different economic or racial positions. It also includes those "others" who speak other languages, adhere to foreign religions, and hold cultural values that are much different from mine and yours.

I'll let the experts figure the forces behind the upsurge in immigration. I'll let the politicians argue about whether it is good or bad and what we should do about it. But, in the meantime, I will listen to Jesus and tell the good news to those peoples increasingly present around us. And, obviously, we need some hope to engage in this essential mission.

That is why I am thrilled that practitioners and experts are now speaking out for the purposes of Christ's kingdom. I came to know Phillip Connor when he worked at the North American Mission Board under my watch in the Center for Missional Research. While there, Phillip directed the peoplegroups.info project and was the project manager and stats man behind the church planting studies I conducted while at the North American Mission Board. While at the mission board, we nicknamed Phillip "Luke Skywalker" for his perseverance and sharp intellect to get things done. Phillip is smart (he is doing his Ph.D. at Princeton University in immigrant religion), but his wife Kandace is even smarter. She speaks three languages fluently while Phillip only speaks two. They are both graduates of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary under the tutelage of Thom Wolf. Most importantly, they have real world experience working among internationals, particularly when they planted churches among South Asians, Chinese, and other people groups while living in Montreal. They continue to reach out to internationals in their new home in New Jersey.

Kandace and Phillip are releasing their first book, Who is My Neighbor? Reaching Internationals in North America for which I wrote the foreword (and part of this article is adapted from that forward). Who is My Neighbor? will not only challenge you to look beyond your own setting and give you a greater passion for internationals, but more importantly will provide you with the practical tools to go from an interest in internationals to establishing a multiplying church network. It is rare to find a book on missions so well designed and focused yet also a delight to read.

Kandace and Phillip believe, as do I, that the growing international population in our continent will not be reached through an elaborate, grandiose missions program. Instead, it requires a volunteer army of lay people, like you and me, spread all across North America committed to an incarnational ministry of proclamation and church starting, one international family and subsequently one people group at a time. Don't miss this! This book is not for the career missionary, although they could learn from it. It is for the missional Christian eager to engage across cultures. The book is only available for purchase at Phillip and Kandace's website, reachinternationals.com. So be sure to order yourself a copy, but also order one or two more to give to those people who can really use it!

Kandace and Phillip are friends. Over the past several years, we have been in the same church, worked together on many projects, and have enjoyed time together as families. Phillip and Kandace are a rare breed. They are humble. But, do not confuse humility with lack of knowledge. I count them as the most knowledgeable people I know in ministering among internationals in North America. They are friends to my family, but more importantly, they are friends to the world living in North America. You will be blessed and challenged as you read their book.