By David Roach

When pastor Werner Hamukoto’s congregation in Namibia asked questions during Bible study, he had answers to give. But “it always felt as if it was the textbook answer,” he said, “and I didn’t really have the theological grounding” to support what I was saying. Thanks to an online degree program through BibleMesh and Union Theological

Anglican priest Bill Shergold feared what might happen when he visited Ace Café, a notorious mid-20th century biker headquarters in England. But his fears never materialized. Instead, he received a warm reception and ended up holding biker services at which young riders could dedicate themselves and their motorcycles to God’s service. Indeed, Shergold found that

Drew Yancey encourages his students at the BibleMesh Institute to write papers on topics relevant to their ministries. So he was thrilled when two students preparing for missionary service in the Middle East wrote on approaches to Bible translation in the Muslim world. “It was really fascinating to have some back and forth with them,”

Ted Esler noticed a challenge among the missions network he leads: Agencies wanted to require theological training for their missionaries, but asking workers to spend time in physical classrooms was delaying their arrival on the field. When agencies attempted to train missionaries after they arrived on the field, they sometimes lost track of their progress.

If the nativity scenes in your house are like the ones in mine, there’s no hint that the characters experienced difficulty or pain surrounding the birth of Jesus. Shepherds, wise men, Mary, and Joseph all admire the Christ child in the warm glow of a cozy stable, smiles on their faces. Of course, Christmas did