Bibliography on International Student Ministry Leiton E. Chinn, Lausanne Catalyst, International Student Ministries The Cape Town Commitment; Part IIC, 5 (The Love of Christ among People of Other Faiths; Love Reaches Out to Scattered Peoples-- International Students/Scholars) In 2015 there are about 5 million international students and scholars who have left their homelands to study abroad. They are a strategic sub-set of the broad category of scattered or Diaspora peoples, because they represent the future leadership and nation-builders of the world. While the majority of Diaspora peoples become permanent residents as Immigrants and Refugees in their new, adopted homelands, there are other Internationals who are temporary residents, most of whom will eventually return home. While the growth of the International Student Ministry (ISM) movement has gradually accelerated in the last 60 years, it had its foundational roots in 1911, when John R Mott, the recognized leader of the 1910 World Missionary Conference, established the first national ministry among foreign students, The Committee on Friendly Relations among Foreign Students. The following bibliography of International Student Ministry resources is divided into three sections: Publications specifically about ISM; Chapters on ISM within a broader work on Diaspora missions; and Priority Concern: Returnees and Reentry Issues. Publications Specifically on ISM: * Leiton Edward Chinn. International Student Ministry: From ʻBlind- Spotʼ to Vision (unpublished paper for the Lausanne Diaspora Strategy Consultation, Manila, 2009) This 21 page paper is the most comprehensive overview of the ISM movement, including the biblical-missiological perspectives and strategic nature of ISM, and the growth of the ISM movement globally (incorporating data from 57 major ISMs from 22 countries). Also included is the growth of
the ISM movement within the Lausanne context, and some priorities for the future. (A modified and expanded version of the paper was incorporated into Making Disciples of International Students in Global Migration, a paper for the Tokyo2010: Global Mission Consultation.) * Leiton Edward Chinn. International Student Ministry: A Most Strategic Yet Most Inexpensive Global Mission Opportunity Arises in Asia, Asia Missions Advance, January, 2014 (An updated and revised version was prepared for the Asia Missions Association 12th Triennial Convention, April, 2016, in Manila) The Asia-Pacific Region is rapidly growing as a destination for study abroad students, and the ISM movement has been picking up momentum in the last 20 years. * Leiton Edward Chinn. Reflections on Reaching the International Student Diaspora in North America, Global Missiology, www.globalmissiology.org, July, 2014 A personal perspective is woven within the historical and strategic contexts of the ISM development in North America. Lawson Lau. The World at Your Doorstep: A Handbook for International Student Ministry (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1984), and God Brings the World to Your Doorstep: Open Your Heart and Home to Welcome the Internationals (self-published by Dr. Lawson Lau, 2006; lawsonllau@gmail.com) Dr. Lawson Lau, a journalist and international graduate student from Singapore to the United States in the 1980ʼs, shares his personal experience and lessons and practical advice for ISM in his first volume, and adds additional insights 22 years later in his second work. Both books are used by the author for a seminary course on ISM. Dr. Yaw Perbi, Thinking Outside the Window, available on Amazon, 2016
A personal journey from a career in medicine to a calling to ISM; from Ghana to Montreal, to assume the presidency of of International Student Ministries of Canada. Dr. Perbi is a Lausanne Co-Catalyst for ISM. Tom Phillips and Bob Norsworthy. The World at Your Door: Reaching International Students in Your Home, Church, and School (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 1997) Nearly 45 years of collective organizational experiences and resources of International Students Inc are gleaned by the former ISI leaders in compiling this tool chest for churches, ministries, and individuals interested or engaged in ISM. Catherine Weston. Mission Possible: Reaching the World on Our Doorstep; The Story of Friends International (self- published by author, catherine@intonations.org, 2006) This is a historical account of the establishment of the UKs oldest and largest national ISM with a focus for equipping churches for outreach among international students. Chapter, Section on ISM within Broader Diaspora Missions: Lausanne Occasional Paper #55: Diasporas and International Students: The New People Next Door, 2004. Available at: http:// www.lausanne.org/en/ documents/lops/871- lop-55.html The LOP #55 is a joint publication of two Issue Groups (Diaspora and International Students) which met separately and collaboratively at the Lausanne 2004 Forum. The section on International Students was crafted by 23 International Student Ministry participants from 10 countries. * Leiton Edward Chinn. Diaspora Missions on Campuses: John R. Mott and a Centennial Overview of the International Student Ministry Movement in North America, Global Diasporas and Mission, Regnum Edinburgh Centenary Series, vol. 23; 2014. * Leiton and Lisa Espineli Chinn. Agents of Diaspora Missions In and From the Academic World, Scattered & Gathered: A Global
Compendium of Diaspora Missiology, Regnum, Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, 2016 One of the distinct features of this chapter, in comparison with most ISM publications that highlight the strategic value of international students as a mission field, is that international students are a potential mission force. J.D. Payne. Strangers Next Door: Immigration, Migration, and Missions; Students On the Move, Downers Grove, IL, Intervarsity Press, 2012. Reaching international students is addressed among the broad stories, statistics, and suggested strategies for mission among migrants and strangers moving next door. Neal Pirolo. Internationals Who Live Among Us, 2013. www.eri.org International students are among the seven categories of Internationals addressed in this book of practical ideas for ministry among the foreignborn in our communities. Special Concern of ISMs: A survey of regional ISMs (North America, Asia-Pacific; and Greater Europe) disclosed the priority issue of Reentry to countries of origin and the challenges faced by Returnees. Some International Student Reentry resources have been developed for preparing Christian international students for growth and service as returnees. * Leiton Edward Chinn. International Student Reentry & Returnee Ministry: An Overview, ChinaSource Journal, www.chinasource.org, December, 2011). The research and resources section of the paper lists several Christian publications pertaining to international students and nation-specific (e.g. China) returning students. Lisa Espineli Chinn. Think Home: A Reentry Guide for Christian International Students (Madison, WI: International Student Ministry,
Intervarsity/USA, http:// ism.intervarsity.org. 1984, revised 1987, 2000, 2011) Think Home was the first reentry/returnee publication for Christian international students, and it has been adapted by ISMs in more than five countries and modified for use by other ISMs in North America. Lisa Espineli Chinn. Back Home: Daily Reflections on Reentry for Those Who Lived and Studied Abroad, http:// ism.intervarsity.org, 2011 This is a unique 30 day devotional for returnees. Nate Mirza. Home Again: Preparing International Students to Serve Christ in Their Home Countries (Colorado Springs, CO: Dawson Media, 2005, first edition 1993) The experiences and advice of returnees to South- East Asia culled from numerous interviews in their homelands contribute significantly to this practical handbook for spiritual growth and ministry. New Horizons: Adjusting to Life Back Home www.isireturnees.org, 2008 International Students Incorporated utilized numerous visits with returnees back in their homeland over a few years to produce this insightful resource for returnees. * Publications by Leiton Edward Chinn are available upon request as electronic attachments; lechinn@aol.com