Scripture Untangled

Season 11: Episode 7 | Paul Bendor-Samuel | Faith and Medicine on the Mission Field

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• Dr. Paul Bendor-Samuel’s life from growing up in the mission fields, to becoming a physician, missionary, and Executive Director of the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies.
• His legacy of faith and calling – Paul traces his family story from his Jewish refugee great-grandfather who met Christ, to the generations of missionaries in his family who dedicated themselves to Bible translation and cross-cultural ministry.
• Paul’s calling to medicine and mission, and how this paved his way to serving people outside traditional ministry spaces, and intertwining healing and mission with his calling.
• Redefining development work, and what “Christian development” means to missions with local communities.
• How the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies equips global Christian leaders to shape theology rooted in their own cultures.
• The growing spiritual openness among young people in Europe and North America.
• What Western Christians can learn from believers in the rest of the world — bold faith, joy, and community.

Paul spent the first 10 years of his life in Brazil and West Africa, the son of missionary parents. He studied medicine in Cardiff, Wales, where he met his wife, Liz, also a doctor. In preparation for cross-cultural mission they did two years theological and missiological training and then served in Tunisia for 12 years, first in primary health care and rural development and then for seven years as Executive Director of the joint mission agency L ‘Association de Cooperation en Tunisie (ACT – actdev.org). During our life in Tunisia, we were privileged to see God building his church again in that country after fourteen centuries without an indigenous church.

In 2003, Paul became International Director of Interserve (interserve.org), moving to Malaysia in 2005. Between 2003 and 2015 Paul led the organisation through two major change processes, the first organisational, the second missiological.

In 2016, Paul became Executive Director of the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies (OCMS – ocms.ac.uk ). OCMS is a global hub, based in Oxford, UK, that seeks to enable the church to participate more fully in God’s mission through rigorous research and applied scholarship.

Paul enjoys preaching, teaching and has published a number of articles and two books on mission and organisational spirituality.

Paul and Liz have been married for over 40 years, have four sons, three daughters-in-law and five grandchildren.

Rev. Dr. Andrew Stirling

Rev. Dr. Andrew Stirling was the Senior Minister of Timothy Eaton Memorial United Church in Toronto, one of Canada’s largest United Church congregations and was responsible for leadership and administration at Timothy Eaton from 1998 until his more recent retirement. Overseeing staff, providing visionary leadership, acting as the public representative of over 1,500 members and managing a dynamic and ever-evolving ministry to the city of Toronto and beyond.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Law from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, a Master of Divinity from the Atlantic School of Theology in Halifax, Nova Scotia and a Doctor of Ministry in preaching from Acadia Divinity College, Wolfville, Nova Scotia. In 2008, Wycliffe College, Toronto, recognized his contribution to preaching with an honorary Doctor of Divinity.

Rev. Dr. Andrew Stirling is now the Ambassador for the Canadian Bible Society building relationships with churches, academic institutions and individuals across Canada.