Suggested Missionary Book List

I have added a “suggested” reading list for those who are pursuing the life of being a missionary. Again, not only have I found that many who serve on the field today are ignorant in their Bible reading, but even fewer are familiar with those who came before them; “The History of Missions.” Today just a simple sickness, broken leg, discouragement, loss of a child or spouse will quickly send one running from the field back to their home country but it was not so in the past! I personally feel that long before one steps out to pursue such a life style they should be made aware the people whose footsteps they follow in. Reading of the lives of such past saints can truly be informative and challenging, and often better than any missiology course which one might take these days. Don’t just stick with missionaries who worked in the area which you feel called, for a rich education can be found as you read through a broad range of different experiences.

Many of the books which I have listed (and will add in time) are out of print; however, thanks to the internet most can be found for a reasonable price. If you are interested in a particular region, please do not hesitate to ask, my library is quite extensive and I am familiar with a number of past missionaries and their work.

Your Bible Should Be Your First School

Several years ago while on a year and a half furlough, the door opened for me to audit a series of classes in a local seminary. I had all the benefits of any other student with two exceptions: I only paid $25 dollars per class, and would receive no diploma. This sounded good to me, for I have never found my security in papers or the praise of men. My time there was also a great eye-opener to the background and desires of those who were at the time studying to be America’s new up and coming pastors, church educators, and missionaries.

One morning in my New Testament class the professor asked how many of us had read the entire Bible. The response came as a great surprise to my then naïve heart. Less than a third of the students raised their hands. Here was a room full of people studying for their Masters of Divinity. Over half were already either serving as pastors or working on church staffs somewhere…yet the majority had never read their Bible. How did they even know that seminary was where they needed to be? This also meant that when a professor gave his interpretation of a passage of Scripture, they at first would have to just take his word for it till they could later study it out for themselves. But even then the professor’s word (teaching) might shape how the student read the Word and interpreted it rather than being the other way around.

From that morning on I began to understand better the struggle which is now taking place in the churches in America and on the mission field. People who know the Bible (and the Gospels there in) well can more easily conceive of following a flesh-and-blood, risen Jesus than can those who concentrate on the more abstract and theologically conceived Christ. Unfortunately, the average student with only a Sunday-school background enters college at best, with a sixth grader’s knowledge of the life of Jesus – a sprinkling of isolated miracle stories. But a systematic understanding of Jesus’ earthly life makes New Testament theology more practical, and having read the Old Testament will aid one with a deeper understanding of the context of what unfolds in the New.

This is why I have greatly encouraged those in each group I have discipled to read through the Bible (beginning to end) for themselves. Taking up just three chapters a day will carry one through the whole Bible in just a little over a year. And don’t just stop with one read through. Every time I reread a book out of the Scriptures, I find that I understand it a little better and store more of it away into my heart and mind. Another recommendation to a new disciple is to master one of the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, or Luke). Some may choose Mark because of it being a shorter book; however, I often encourage people towards Luke so their flow into the book of Acts (both being written by the same author) might have a smooth transition.

When you have grasped the main outline of one of the Gospels and know the highlights of Jesus’ life, you will begin to see the eternal significance of particular events in His life because you see them in their proper historical context and progression to a climax. Combining this with your knowledge of the Old Testament and other Gospels (for instance, the one of John), you will have a far richer understanding of who Jesus is. Not only is such an understanding of Jesus’ person and His mission essential to your discipleship, it is indispensable to your future ministry!

On the Field Mission Training

About two years past between the time Jesus chose the apostles and when he finally sent them into the world. Jesus exposed them to all kinds of life situations and taught them on the basis of their reactions to those situations. He always used concrete illustrations, whether it was the immediate event or vivid familiar imagery. He urged questions, provoked harder thinking and often left discussions open-ended. He never gave up, no matter how obtuse His students were. How I wish I could teach and train as skillfully and personally as He!

We need that kind of training from someone whose life and ministry we respect. Internships have become more common in the last few years (in fact we have trained over eight interns in recent years). But, larger numbers seem the be flocking to just the two week to three month summer short-term trip, or serve as a junior worker (such as the two year Journeyman program, International Mission Board). However, it is a matter of junior job assignments (to relieve the senior worker) and a written report afterward rather than some joint assignments with personal interaction and evaluation. Look, if possible, for a live-in situation with a godly discipler.

A Mystical Plane Flight

Christians often seem to have the impression that “becoming a missionary” is some form of metamorphosis by which a radical change of nature is achieved. Someone, possibly deeply stirred at a missionary meeting and challenged by the need of some less-privileged people, feels constrained to offer overseas service. Almost inevitably, this “offering” comes to be regarded as a “holy call” to a sacrificial vocation. The idea becomes wrapped in a veil of romantic splendor, so that even the candidate may fail to observe the unreality of it. The tendency of congregation and friends well-nigh to hero-worship the missionary only increases the dilemma. Looking at the situation honestly and critically, many may know that, mentally, physically or spiritually, the candidate is unsuitable for missionary service. Some would-be candidates do not even have a burden of prayer for the peoples they hope to serve, nor have they ever sought to bring their immediate friends and neighbors in their own country to a knowledge of their Friend and Savior, Jesus Christ. Yet they vaguely hope that as soon as they board the plane to take them to a foreign land. Something mystical will occur and transform them into their image of a “missionary”.

Nothing can be further from the truth! I believe that, at its simplest, a missionary is one sent by God to live a Christian life, usually amongst people other than his own. It is living which counts. This may include formal preaching, but it will certainly include personal relationships, and these often have to be worked out under most trying conditions. For example, many missionaries discover that it is far from easy to adapt themselves to a completely different climate. The new foods may be hard, not only on the digestive system, but also on the aesthetic tastes. The language barrier may constitute a difficult problem, especially in the early years. One cannot choose one’s friends. Two missionaries of vastly differing backgrounds, likes and dislikes, may be thrown together for several years with no choice of other companionship. One is often expected to do jobs for which one is not trained, and which may be actually distasteful. Yet in all this, one is called upon to reveal Christ, to live a Christ-like life, to be a “missionary”.