Andy Olsen, Author at TEAM Christian Missions Blog

What is Community Development?

Staff at Potter’s House, a TEAM-partnered ministry in Guatemala City, work to empower families in a community near a massive garbage dump. Improving life for such communities is a long-term process. Photo by Robert Johnson / TEAM

Mar 19 2014

“Development” is a word thrown around a lot these days: international development, economic development, community development, sustainable development, etc. Years ago, it was a concept often seen as separate from missions work, safely contained on one side of the wall that divided ministries of “word” and ministries of “deed.” But today, the church is a lot more comfortable knocking down that wall and allowing those ministries to commingle into a more holistic approach. At TEAM, community development is one of our core ministry focus areas (we have 24 of them in total). Because this is a broad term that’s sometimes…

It may be that what you do before (and after) your mission trip matters even more than what you do during your trip. Photo by TEAM

Mar 13 2014

Spring is just around the corner, which means we are well into the season for summer mission trip fundraising. Many of the questions we get asked at TEAM are about raising support, and there are lots of great fundraising resources out there. But if you’re planning on raising funds for a short-term trip — whether for two weeks or a year — here’s a big idea that many people overlook in their support-raising approach: Your potential supporters are investors. Treat them that way. We need to learn from the sharks. If you’ve never seen the popular show Shark Tank on…

China is a quickly urbanizing country where, by some estimates, more than 20,000 new skyscrapers will be built in the next two decades. Robert Johnson / TEAM

Feb 27 2014

You may have heard it, the saying often attributed to pastor and author Tim Keller, about why God loves the city more than he does the country. The country has more trees than people. The city has more people than trees. Because God loves people more than he loves trees, he loves the city more than he loves the country. This bit of tongue-in-cheek probably strikes you differently depending on whether you live among the trees or the concrete. But at least as it relates to global missions strategy, there is much truth in it. Urban mission is one of…

[Video] Graffiti Gospel

Video by Joel Hager / TEAM

TEAM places a high value on storytelling. We love to inspire and educate the church by offering peeks into what God is doing around the world. Occasionally, we even publish stories that have only a roundabout connection to TEAM, simply because we feel they are unique or noteworthy enough to tell. When good things are happening in the kingdom of God, we are happy to share them!

This video highlights the budding Christian graffiti scene in Adelaide, Australia. Josh Routley, one of the artists interviewed in the video, is a student at a TEAM-partnered college. Josh and others like him are trying to bring hope into the often brooding and anger-filled culture of street art.

Check out the video in HD here. You can also read more about Australian street art in the accompanying story from Horizons, TEAM’s magazine.

Learn more about what TEAM is up to in Australia and how you can get involved there.

Feb 10 2014

The Choice

Photo by Jimi Allen for TEAM

Jan 28 2014

Every so often, we’re going to post glimpses of the daily life of missionaries at work, in an occasional series we’ll call Field Journals. This is the first post, written for us by a TEAM worker in East Asia who will remain anonymous. Walking home one night from church, I glanced down the street while waiting for the light to change at an intersection and spotted a homeless man digging through a trash can. He was dirty, with long, unkept hair and a scraggly beard. Though the temperature was in the lower 40s, he was wearing almost no clothes. He…

TEAM founder Fredrik Franson (far left) and the first group of TEAM missionaries to head to Swaziland, in southern Africa, circa 1892. TEAM archives photo

Jan 14 2014

Last December, over 3,000 people gathered in a hot stadium in Manzini, Swaziland, to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the Evangelical Church. The Swazi denomination — not to be confused with greater Evangelicalism — was founded by TEAM missionaries in the early 1890s and now has hundreds of nationally led churches across southern Africa. They invited TEAM CEO Scott Henson to speak about TEAM’s legacy there, which includes founding schools and hospitals along with building churches. He shared the stage with Sibusiso Dlamini, Swaziland’s prime minister and himself a product of the Evangelical Church. Milestones like this are worth a…

TEAM missionary Craig Querfeld visits a community development project in Arequipa, Peru. Craig shared a video with us that helped bring missions into a fresh perspective. Photo by Andy Olsen / TEAM

Jan 07 2014

Sometimes the language we use to describe missions becomes so familiar that it loses its power to inspire. Craig Querfeld, a TEAM missionary in Peru (that’s him, above), recently put us on to a video that brings into fresh perspective why we do what we do. A couple of years ago, Peru’s agency for promoting its tourism and exports — called PromPerú — sent a film crew and some of the nation’s most famous celebrities to the small town of Peru, Nebraska, population 569. Their mission: To enlighten their fellow “Peruvians” about just what it means to be Peruvian. The…

[VIDEO] Visit Us This Year!

Here’s an easy resolution you could accomplish in this New Year.

If you haven’t visited us yet in one of our Missions Places (or at our main offices in Wheaton), this year may be your chance. But if your travels aren’t taking you near our storefronts in Wheaton, Ill., or Maryville, Tenn., we’ve made it easier than ever to come see us. You can take a video tour of both our Missions Places online, hosted by our very own and talented Melissa Barber. Watch the video here.

If you’re not familiar with all this Missions Place talk or just how excited we are about it, you can read the backstory here in the latest issue of TEAMHorizons magazine. There are lots of exciting things coming down the pipe this year for our Missions Places and Hubs, advancing collaboration among missions organizations and churches. So stay tuned!

Locate our missions places here.

Jan 02 2014

Be Still

A nativity scene in Japan beckons busy passersby to be still. Photo by Robert Johnson / TEAM

Dec 24 2013

Things are pretty quiet at the TEAM offices this week. As they should be. In a few days, the new year will arrive with a flurry and we will rush to meet it. There will be plenty of time for all that, later. For now, it’s time to be still. Today is the final moment of Advent, and we join with Christians around the world as they inhale and wait for the clock to strike midnight, so we can all shout: Joy to the world! Merry Christmas, from the staff and missionaries of TEAM.

Children dance during a Christmas event at a TEAM cultural center in a Muslim-majority city. Photo by Robert Johnson / TEAM

Dec 19 2013

Every family has unique Christmas traditions. For TEAM families working in Muslim-majority countries, Christmas in not just a time to gather with loved ones, but also to welcome friends who often don’t understand the true meaning of the holiday. We talked with six TEAM workers serving in Muslim contexts about how they use their celebrations to open doors. Since every country is different, their experiences might not reflect what happens in other regions of the Muslim world, or even on the other side of town. But their insights can help us see Christmas from a slightly different angle this year….

Author - Andy Olsen

What is Community Development?

Mission Trip Fundraising – Treat Your Supporters Like Sharks

Why Cities Matter (INFOGRAPHIC)

[Video] Graffiti Gospel

The Choice

Do Missions Work?

Why We Do What We Do

[VIDEO] Visit Us This Year!

Be Still

Muslims and Christmas