RESOURCES
Below is a curated list of helpful resources related to missions.
Let the Nations be Glad
By John Piper
To provide us with a sound theological foundation for missions, John Piper’s best-selling book Let the Nations Be Glad draws on key biblical texts to demonstrate that worship is the ultimate goal of the church and that proper worship fuels missionary outreach.
Missions is to be God-centered, Christ-exalting, Spirit-powered, Bible-saturated, missions-mobilizing, soul-winning, and justice-pursuing. This book has made a significant impact on modern missions and is often included in lists of the best books on missions.
To the Golden Shore
by Courtney Anderson
To encourage us toward total commitment to serving Jesus, To the Golden Shore is a well-researched story on the life of Adoniram Judson, whose pioneering mission work in Burma will astonish and inspire us. This is a classic.
Missions
By Andy Johnson
To help us understand the practical steps for training and supporting missionaries, forming international partnerships, sending short-term teams, and engaging the nations both at home and abroad. The premise of Johnson’s Missions is that the local church is the engine of world missions. But where should a church begin? Churches don’t need a complicated missions program. They need the Bible and the wisdom to know how to apply it.
* Illustration taken from Missions: How the Local Church Goes Global by Andy Johnson, Copyright © 2017., pp. Cover. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org.
Ministering Cross-Culturally: An Incarnational Model for Personal Relationship
by Sherwood G. Lingenfelter, Marvin K. Mayers (Contributor)
To help us minister cross-culturally, the authors demonstrate in Ministering Cross-Culturally that Jesus needed to learn and understand the culture in which he lived before he could undertake his public ministry. The authors examine how this can help us better understand what it means to establish relationships of grace with those from different cultural and social backgrounds.
Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility.
By Duane Elmer
To help us serve cross-culturally, Duane Elmer’s Cross-Cultural Servanthood provides principles and guides for avoiding misunderstandings and building relationships in ways that honor others rather than offend them. Blind spots cause us to communicate a sense of superiority, paternalism, imperialism, and arrogance. This book helps us to be more aware and considerate.
Communicating Christ Cross-Culturally: An Introduction to Missionary Communication
by David J. Hesselgrave
To help us communicate cross-culturally, David Hesselgrave maintains a strong commitment to the authority of Scripture while exploring the many features of communication that come into play when bringing the gospel into a new socio-cultural context. In Communicating Christ Cross-Culturally, Hesselgrave helps readers to consider the relationship and differences between form and function. This has deservedly become a widely used textbook for teaching Christian cross-cultural communications.
Cross-Cultural Connections: Stepping Out and Fitting in Around the World
by Duane Elmer
To help us build relationships cross-culturally, Duane Elmer’s Cross-Cultural Connections provides a compass for navigating through different cultures, showing us how to avoid pitfalls and cultural faux pas, as well as how to make the most of opportunities to build cross-cultural relationships. Filled with real-life illustrations and practical exercises, this guide offers the tools needed to reduce apprehension, communicate effectively, and establish genuine trust and acceptance. It’s helpful to novices as well as experts and is written with a Biblical perspective.
Becoming Equipped to Communicate: A practical guide for learning a language and culture
by Linda Mac and Mike Griffis
To help us communicate fluently and at a deep level cross-culturally, Becoming Equipped to Communicate (BEC) is an effective culture and language learning program.
Perspectives on the World Christian Movement
by Ralph D. Winter and Steven C. Hawthorne
To gain various perspectives on biblical, cultural, historical, and strategic dimensions of world evangelization, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement is presented by various of missionaries from various denominations.