Missions Resources

 Ways to Encourage Global Workers    

  • Learn about their family and work. Read their updates and thank them for keeping you informed.
  • Let them know you are praying for them. Personally in your time, or during your small group Bible Study, pray for one of our global workers
  • Encourage them. Tell them they are doing a great job and you are thinking of them
  • Send Birthday  and Christmas  greetings
  • Recommend a good book that might be an encouragement to them
  • Share what you are learning spiritually and how God is encouraging you in your walk with Him
  • Share a photo of your family, pet., or something you found interesting on Pinterest
  • Let them know it is okay to take a break from work and enjoy the country to which God has sent them. It is okay to have fun.
  • Send them something humorous. Laughter is good for the soul.


Content Caution  

Some of our global workers live in restricted-access countries. Electronic  communication in these countries is not private. This includes email, Facebook, WhatsApp, or any other social media driven communication. When writing someone in a sensitive country avoid using the words below. Using such words may put the workers  at risk or harm to themselves or to people with whom they minister.

  • First Baptist Church
  • New Believers
  • House Church
  • Underground church
  • Missionaries
  • Pastor/ Bishop
  • Ministry
  • Salvation
  • Conversion
  • Accept Christ as a Savior
  • Ask Jesus into his/her heart
  • Miracles
  • Born again
  • Bibles
  • Pastor’s conference
  • Brothers or sisters in Christ
  • Jesus Christ
  • Gospel
  • Christians
  • Muslims
  • Buddhists
  • Sunnis/ Shias
  • Islam
  • Mohammad
  • Caste System
  • Hindu/ Hinduis
  • False gods
  • Team
  • Muslim Background believer
  • Politics/ Protest
  • Government
  • Revolution
  • Baptism
  • Missions
  • Name of churches
  • Full names of anyone
  • Names of organizations
  • Specific locations

Suggested Reading List

 

Holistic Mission: Evangelism & Justice

  • The Hole in Our Gospel, by Richard Stearns *
  • The Irresistible Revolution, by Shane Claiborne *
  • Live Like You Give a Damn, by Tom Sine *
  • Toxic Charity, by Robert Lupton *
  • Transforming Society, by Melba Maggay *
  • Walking with the Poor, by Bryant Myers *
  • Whole and Reconciled, by Al Tizon *

 Short-Term Trips

  •  Deep Justice Journeys Leader’s Guide: 50 Activities to More Mission Trips and Mission Living,
    by Kara Powell and Brad Griffin *
  •  Foreign to Familiar, by Sarah Lanier *
  • Short-Term Mission Workbook, by Tim Dearborn *
  • Helping without Hurting in Short-term Missions, by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert *

Church & Mission

  •  Christian Mission, by Dana Robert *
  •  The Next Evangelicalism, by Soong-Chan Rah *
  • The New Global Mission, by Samuel Escobar *
  • Our Global Families, by Cindy Wu *
  • To All Nations From All Nations, by Justo Gonzalez and Carlos Cardoza-Orlandi *

Contextualization

  • Beyond Christendom, by Jehu Hanciles *
  • Cross-Cultural Partnership, by Mary Lederleitner *
  • Cross-Cultural Servanthood, by Duane Elmer *
  • Rescuing the Gospel from the Cowboys, by Richard Twiss *

Books on Human Trafficking (Adapted from THELOOKOUT)

  • A Crime So Monstrous by Benjamin Skinner (Free press, 2009)
  • Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy by Kevin Bales (University of California Press, 2012)
  • Good News About Injustice by Gary A. Haugen (IVP Books,2099)
  • Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn (Vintage, 2010)
  • Just Courage: God’s Great Expedition for the Restless Christian by Gary A. Haugen (IVO Books, 2088)
  • Not for Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade– and How We Can Fight It by David Bastone (HarperOne, 2010)
  • The Road of Lost Innocence by Somaly Man (Random House, 2099)
  • The Slave Across the Street by Teresa Flores (Ampelon Publising, 2010)
  • The Slave Next Door: Human Trafficking and Slavery in America Today by Ron Soodalter and Kevin Bales (University of California Press, 2010)
  • Terrify No More by Gary A. Haugen and Gregg Hunter (Thomas Nelson, 2010)

 *   Adapted from The Evangelical Covenant Church

  Missionary Biographies and Autobiographies

  • The Insanity of God by Nik Ripken
  • Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret by Dr. Howard Taylor
  • To the Golden Shore by Courtney Anderson
  • Sent by Hilary Alan
  • Servant on the Edge of History by Sam James
  • Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ by John Piper
  • Through the Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot

  Leveraging your life

  • Let the Nations Be Glad by John Piper
  • Risk is Right by John Piper
  • Radical by David Platt
  • The Call Finding and Fulfilling the Basic Purpose of Your Life by Os Guinness
  • The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
  • Follow Me by David Patt
  • Gaining By Losing by J.D. Greear

  Personal and Relational Health

  • Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands by Paul David Tripp
  • Side by Side by Ed Welch
  • When People are Big and God is Small by Ed Wech
  • Disciples are Made Not Born by Walter Henrichsen
  • Spiritual Discipleship by J Oswald Sanders
  • Crucial Conversions by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler

  Planting Churches Overseas

  • T4T: A Discipleship Re-Revolution by Steve Smith
  • Church Planting Movements by David Garrison
  • A Holy Ambition by John Piper
  • Church Planting by the Book by Elbert smith
  • Church Planting Movements by David Garrison

  Praying for the Nations

  • Operation World by Jason Mandryk
  • Joshua Project
  • People Groups

  Preparing To Go Cross Culturally

  • Cross-Cultural Servanthood by Duane Elmer
  • Discovering the Mission of God by Mike Barnett and Robin Martin
  • Missionary Methods by Roland Allen
  • Anthropological Insights for Missionaries by Paul G. Hiebert
  • Ministering cross- culturally by Sherwood G Lingenfelter
  • Cultural intelligence by David Liver

  Specific to Region or Religion

  • Death of a Guru by Rabi R. Maharah
  • Breaking the Islam Code by J. D Greear
  • Jesus Among Other Gods by Ravi Zacharias
  • Handbook of Today’s Religions by Josh McDowell
  • A Global Gospel in a World of Religions ( Secret Church Resources)
  • A Wind the House of Islam by David Garrison
  • Seeking Allah Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi

  Strategy

  • The Insanity of Obedience by Nik Ripken
  • When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert
  • Finish the Mission by John Pipper
  • Poverty of Nations by Barry Asmus and Wayne Grudem
  • Movements that Change the World by Steve Addison
  • The Meeting of the Waters by Fritz Kling
  • The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert E. Coleman

  Resources for Families

  • The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd Jones
  • The Gospel Story Bible by Marty Machowski
  • The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross by Carl Laferton

  Devotional Books for Before You Go and While You’re Gone

  • Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent
  • New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp
  • Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan
  • Taste and See by John Piper
  • Valley of Vision by Arthur Bennett
  • Comforts from the Cross by Elyse Fitzpatrick

  Missions history and Theology

  • From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya by Ruth A. Tucker
  • A History of Cristian Missions by Stephen Neil
  • The Open Secret by Lesslie Newbigin
  • A Light to the Nations by Michael W. Goheen