A Conversation on John Chau, Missions, Methodology, and Martyrdom

What can John Chau teach the church and the broader Western culture which condemns conversionary missions altogether as mere colonialism?

In this special episode, our hosts address the recent death of missionary John Allen Chau. In his final letter before being arrowed to death by the hostile North Sentinelese islanders, Chau penned, “It’s worth it to declare Jesus to these people.” As believers mourn Chau’s loss, how should discerning Christians react to Chau’s gospel zeal, methodology, and apparent motivations—and what can he teach the church and the broader Western culture which condemns conversionary missions altogether as mere colonialism? We address these important questions in this special conversation about a topic that affects us deeply in the missions community.

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Alex Kocman & Scott Dunford

Alex Kocman is the Director of Communications and Engagement for ABWE. He serves as general editor for Message Magazine and co-hosts The Missions Podcast. After earning his M.A. in Communication and B.S. in Biblical Studies, he served as an online apologetics instructor with Liberty University and a youth pastor in Pennsylvania, where he now resides with his wife and three children. Read his blog or follow him on X/Twitter.

Scott Dunford is the pastor of Western Hills Church in San Mateo, Calif. Previously, Scott served as Vice President of Mobilization and Communications for ABWE and as a missionary in East Asia. Scott graduated from Northland International University (B.A. in Pastoral Studies), earned his M.A. in biblical studies from Central Baptist Theological Seminary, his M.B.A. from Cornerstone University, and is currently enrolled in Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s D.Min. program with an emphasis on missions.