J.D. Payne Shares the Uncommon Influence of Roland Allen

J.D. Payne is the pastor of church multiplication with the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama. He is a missiologist and today we talk about his unique perspective on missions. JD also has his own podcast, Strike the Match, and blog. He has written or edited twelve books on missions including the one we talk about today, Roland Allen’s The Ministry Of Expansion: The Priesthood of the Laity (Amazon affiliate link). Today, J.D. shares the incredible story of an unpublished manuscript by prominent early 20th century missionary Roland Allen and how it came to him for publication 80 years after it was written.

Stories JD shared:

• The ministries to unreached people groups within the US
• Finding Christ through a televised revival
• Resisting and eventually giving into the sense of God’s call on his life
• What waiting on God feels like for him and the comfort he finds in the Psalms
• The focus of his podcast called Strike the Match with J.D. Payne
• The course he took on a whim that changed the direction of his life
• Why he is fascinated by Roland Allen
• The story of how he was honored to edit and publish an unpublished manuscript
• How Roland Allen pioneered and influenced many missionary practices today

Great quotes from JD:

If I continued to say no, in all likelihood someday I was going to wake up in the belly of a fish.

The Lord is often gracious with his sheep.

What should be the response of the church when our cultural preferences are unable to keep up with the Spirit?

Resources mentioned by JD (Amazon affiliate links):

• Roland Allen’s The Ministry Of Expansion: The Priesthood of the Laity edited by J.D. Payne
• Indigenous Church Planting, a Practical Journey by Charles Brock
• The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church: And the Causes That Hinder It