Mission Books

Jump to books and tapes on:
becoming a missionary
world missions
selecting a mission agency
missionary biographies
guidance and the missionary call
support-raising
business, teaching English, etc
other missions topics

Becoming a Missionary

Workbook: Send Me! Your Journey to the Nations
by Steve Hoke and Bill Taylor, veteran missionaries who also grew up on the mission field. This 136 page interactive manual (c. 1999) has been designed to help you work through the path to cross-cultural service in 10 steps. Each step presents a basic explanation of the importance of that phase of the process, and it provides adequate room for you to keep notes, journal, and gather information you collect. The extensive resource section in the back provides further information you may need, including how the 10 steps vary among a dozen difference missions agencies. Download or print the book: Part 1, Part 2 .

Book: On Being a Missionary: A Complete Look At What It Takes
by Thomas Hale, veteran missionary to Nepal. This 422 page book (c. 1995) is not a theoretical textbook, but rather a highly readable, practical compilation of the ideas, experiences and insights of over one hundred missionaries.

World Missions

Book: Operation World
Every future missionary should get this book (c. 2010) by Jason Mandryk. In a readable format this guide contains vital information from an evangelical perspective on every country in the world.

Book: Perspectives on the World Christian Movement : A Reader, edited by Ralph Winter, Steven C. Hawthorne, et al. This is the text for the college level course which will help you understand God's plan for our world - and for your life. Every prospective missionary should take this!

Book: 2020 Vision: Amazing Stories of What God Is Doing Around the World by Bill and Amy Stearns.
Read this book and discover how the Gospel is reaching people in some amazing places. Exciting breakthroughs in new harvest fields are highlighted, along with scriptural insights into God's heart for the nations. Read about the Black Berbers, the Parmiri, and the Meo people and also that the percentage of born-again Christians is growing fastest in places like Cameroon, Aruba, and Togo. This books provides in-depth updates on missions today and also practical ways for individuals and churches to get involved.

Selecting an Agency

The Mission Handbook is a yellow pages of more than 800 North American-based mission agencies that are doing ministry overseas. Each listing includes contact information, types of mission activities, and areas in the world where that agency is working. Order here.

The Church Is Bigger Than You Think
by Patrick Johnstone author of Operation World
Ralph Winter says "I have no hesitation in saying that this is the best single-volume introduction to the entire cause of missions. It is sparkling and readable but comprehensive and very wise. It undoubtedly gives more balanced insight, and at the same destroys more popular misunderstandings, than any other book." Order here. Three chapters in the book (c. 1998) relate to selecting a missions agency:

  • A 2000-Year History of Church Structures
  • Who Sends the Missionaries?
  • How Can a Local Church become Mission-minded?

Missionary Biographies

Christian Heroes: Then and Now by Janet and Geoff Benge. Any of these will keep you on the edge of your seat. Each is only 200 or so pages long. Especially recommended HUDSON TAYLOR: Deep in the Heart of China
Then enjoy the rest...
ADONIRAM JUDSON: Bound for Burma
AMY CARMICHAEL: Rescuer of Precious Gems
BETTY GREENE: Wings to Serve
CAMERON TOWNSEND: Good News in Every Language
CORRIE TEN BOOM: Keeper of the Angels' Den
DAVID LIVINGSTONE: Africa's Trailblazer
ERIC LIDDELL: Something Greater Than Gold
GEORGE MÜLLER: The Guardian of Bristol's Orphans
GLADYS AYLWARD: The Adventure of a Lifetime
HUDSON TAYLOR: Deep in the Heart of China
JIM ELLIOT: One Great Purpose
JONATHAN GOFORTH: An Open Door in China
LOTTIE MOON: Giving Her All for China
MARY SLESSOR: Forward into Calabar
NATE SAINT: On a Wing and a Prayer
WILLIAM CAREY: Obliged to Go
Order any of the above biographies from YWAM Publishing.

Other Missions Books

Habits of Highly Effective Christians by Ron Meyers. Using personal anecdotes from years as a career missionary Meyers shares rich biblical insights on prayer, fasting, obedience, etc.

The Whole World Guide to Language Learning by Terry Marshall. This is the book everyone should choose if they are going abroad for more than just a few weeks. Whether you enroll in formal language classes, or work language learning into a busy work or ministry schedule, the author's "on location" approach to language learning will fit your needs. Key concepts are getting a mentor, and using the "daily learning cycle."

The Whole World Guide to Culture Learning by J. Daniel Hess. When we go abroad, we encounter things about the host culture which disturb us. To adapt satisfactorily, and to effectively exploit the opportunities for culture learning, we need to overcome these negative responses that are so prevalent. This book faces squarely the difficulties inherent in cross-cultural experiences, and shows how real learning can take place.

Guidance and the Missionary Call

Is That Really You, God? hearing the voice of God by Loren Cunningham, founder of Youth With A Mission (YWAM). This 157 page autobiography (c. 1984) shares the victories and the mistakes Loren learned about divine guidance as he discovered his call to missions while a young adult. Here are a few excerpts from the summary at the end of the book. If you know the Lord, you have already heard His Voice – it is that inner leading that brought you to Him in the first place. Jesus always checked with His Father (John 8:26-29) and so should we; hearing the voice of the heavenly Father is a basic right of every child of God.

Don't make guidance complicated. It's actually harder NOT to hear God if you really want to please and obey Him! If you stay humble, He promises to guide you. (Prov.16:9)
Allow God to speak to you in the WAY He chooses. Don't try to dictate to Him concerning the guidance methods you prefer. He is Lord - you are His servant. (I Sam. 3:9)
Get your own leading. God will use others to confirm your guidance, but you should also hear from Him directly. It can be dangerous to rely on others to get the word of the Lord for you. (I Kings 13)
Every follower of Jesus has a unique ministry. (I Cor. 12; I Pet. 4:10-11; Rom.12; Eph. The more you seek to hear God's voice in detail, the more effective you will be in your own calling. Guidance is not a game. It is a serious business where we learn what God wants us to do in ministry and how He wants us to do it. The will of God is doing and saying the right thing in the right place, with the right people, at the right time, and in the right sequence, under the right leadership, using the right method, with the right attitude of heart.

(Editor's note: even though I have never been a YWAMer myself, for a few years I read this book annually asking God to build these lessons more and more into my life.) By the way, as you consider selecting a mission agency, read the biography of the founder to see how he or she received guidance from God. In the case of newer agencies, ask for an audio cassette of a sermon in which the founder describes his or her beginnings in missions.

Experiencing God: knowing and doing His will workbook by Henry Blackaby, former church planter in Canada who now inspires many worldwide to prayer and spiritual awakening. This 224-page workbook is designed to be studied daily for three months. Blackaby's prayer is for God to teach you how to:

  • hear when God is speaking to you
  • clearly identify the activity of God in your life
  • believe Him to be and do everything He promises
  • adjust your beliefs, character, and behavior to Him and His ways
  • see a direction that He is taking in your life and what He wants to do through you
  • clearly know what you need to do in response to His activity in your life
  • experience God doing through you what only God can do!

Knowing God does not come through a program, a study, or a method. Knowing God comes through a relationship with a Person. This is an intimate love relationship with God. Through this relationship, God reveals Himself, His purposes, and His ways; and He invites you to join Him where He is already at work. (Editor's note:a few years ago God used this book to reprogram my perspective on guidance and I've reviewed this material in detail before each subsequent ministry transition.)

What Color Is Your Parachute? Best-Selling Job-Hunting Book by Richard Nelson Bolles, For 40 years this book has helped those looking for satisfying and fulfilling employment. At the heart of Bolles's formula for finding the right job are two questions: What do you want to do? Where do you want to do it? This works for those just starting out in the "real world" as well as for those who are thinking seriously about a career change. (Editor's note: even though this book does not focus on international missions or on divine guidance, God used it to help me recognize my God-given transferable skills – and to hold on to His calling me into missions mobilization.)

Scaling the Wall: overcoming obstacles to missions involvement by Kathy Hicks of OM USA. Missionaries, from many organizations and from around the world who have experienced common fears, share their personal stories of how God overcame and met their needs in ways they never expected.

The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson. This small book shows how to identify and overcome the obstacles that keep millions from living the life they were created for. Wilkinson begins with a compelling modern-day parable about Ordinary, who dares to leave the Land of Familiar to pursue his Big Dream. With the help of the Dream Giver, Ordinary begins the hardest and most rewarding journey of his life. Wilkinson gives readers practical, biblical keys to fulfilling their own dream, revealing that there's no limit to what God can accomplish when we choose to pursue the dreams He gives us for His honor. Wilkinson shares his personal story of making the decision to become a missionary in southern Africa.

Support Raising Books and Software

Book and Video: Funding Your Ministry: Whether You re Gifted or Not by Scott Morton, Vice President of Development for The Navigators. This book (c. 2007) addresses the obstacles for those who raise personal support and those who send them. Whether you're an experienced fund-raiser or just starting out, find answers to your questions and discover a biblical path for recruiting and maintaining donor support. Also the series of training videos with workbook has been used for years by missionaries in over 65 nations.

Book and Video: Friend Raising: Building a Missionary Support Team that Lasts by Betty Barnett Barnett is practical, warm and genuine in her approach to life, ministry and the teamwork that goes with missions work. Friends are persons we appreciate and value for their own sake, not just persons we use for the missions offerings they may generate. The book is 130 pages (c. 1991).

Book, Audio/Video Series, and Tracking Program: People-Raising by William P. Dillon. Dillon begins with cultivating a positive attitude toward support-raising and then moves to the skills that have worked for him: how to effectively secure appointments, how to conduct an appointment, how to efficiently expand your contact, etc. In addition to the book (c. 1993), he has added a 6-hour video and audio series (c. 2000). In 2002 he added the People Raising Tracking Program, based on Microsoft Excel. In one program you can prioritize your prospects and donors, estimate donor capacity, develop a weekly strategic plan, measure your fundraising time and effort, track dollars raised, and follow your donors giving patterns. Browse http://www.peopleraising.com.

Two Audio Tapes: Building Your Support Team by Neal Pirolo, Director of Emmaus Road Int’l Neal covers figuring costs; full information/NO solicitation; how to receive graciously, and many other topics. Designed to be used in conjunction with the book Serving As Senders.

Book: Getting Sent by Pete Sommer, Director of Development Training for InterVarsity.
This 200-page book (c. 1999) focuses on building the right base for long-term support - relational, prayer, financial. An appendix describes how to fine-tune the process for a short-term mission.

Book: Marching to a Different Drummer by Jim Raymo, former U.S. Director of WEC Int’l.
Chapter six covers raising financial support and the problem of missionary affluence, while other chapters in this book (c. 1996) discuss raising children overseas, tentmaking, non-western missionaries, and encouraging trends in missions today.

http://www.peopleraising.com The People Raising Tracking Program is based on Microsoft Excel. In one program you can prioritize your prospects and donors, estimate donor capacity, develop a weekly strategic plan, measure your fundraising time and effort, track dollars raised, and follow your donors giving patterns.

http://www.donormanager.com  Built around a mailing list, the program will help the missionary keep track of names and addresses of individual partners and churches, a history of donations Important dates in the partner's lives (birthdays, anniversaries), a history of contacts and personal touches with the ministry partner, and notes about the partner, their family, occupation, etc. You'll also be able to store profile information about the donor, print out mailing labels & envelopes, and do merges to most popular software. It'll print out reports about ministry partners, contributions, etc. You can even attach a picture to a supporters file so you will never forget the donor's face.

Books on business, teaching English, etc

Book: Business Power for God’s Purpose: Partnership with the Unreached by Heinz Suter & Marco Gmur, c. 1997, 127 pp. The world is in need of Christian businesspeople who are willing to share in God’s concern for unreached ethnic groups, especially in restricted-access countries. They can be of great service in the advancement of the kingdom of God, making use of their business networks, expertise, influence, logistical, personal and financial resources to help plant churches where Christ is not yet known.

Book: English Teaching as Christian Mission by Donald Snow, c. 2001. What does it mean to teach English in the name of Christ? With thousands of Christians doing just that around the world, this book is a much needed assessment of the role it plays within missions.

See the list of helpful books related to Tentmaking at http://www.globalopps.org/resources.htm