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