Church Signs: 7 Metaphors that Clarify the Mission of the Church / David & Lorene Wilson

The church was established to accomplish Christ’s mission on earth as ambassadors of a Kingdom not of this world. This book explores seven metaphors from Scripture that help clarify the mission of the Church: The Bride, The Body, The Branches, The Building, The Brothers and Sisters, The Bulwark and The Beacon.

Dr. Marvin Newell, Ambassador at Large, Mission Nexus

Missions on Point: The Local Church at the Heart of Ecclesiology and Missions / David C. Meade

This biblically based and comprehensive review of the local church’s role in bringing the gospel to the ends of the earth will strengthen any church missions mobilizer’s sense of the biblical foundations for their role. It also makes a case for the importance of the church as the centerpiece for integral sending and emphasizes the need for churches to take a long-term view and involve the entire church in missions sending.

Dr. Mark Byrom, Executive Pastor of Outreach and Care, Alliance Church Appleton, WI

Don’t Hold Back: Leaving Behind the American Gospel to Follow Jesus Fully / David Platt

Platt once stated publicly that anyone who hoped that his church would take political stances was in the wrong church. To his surprise, members from both left and right chastised him, and as a result, Platt wrote this book describing his stance on several biblical practices of disciples, including race and diversity in the church, justice, and compassion. The later chapters describe how disciples are also engaged in shaping purpose around the least reached and God’s global mission.

Mike Pollard, Church Partnerships Facilitator, Pioneers

Crossing Cultures with the Gospel: Anthropological Wisdom for Effective Christian Witness /  Darrell L. Whiteman

This book was written to encourage and empower cross-cultural workers from any region or background to become more effective, serve longer, and thrive in their cross-cultural ministries. Whiteman explains the concept of culture, incarnational ministry, common communication problems, culture shock, and how to learn from and engage with people in other cultures despite the cultural baggage we all tend to carry.

Marti Wade, Editorial Director, Pioneers-USA

People Vision: Reimagining Mission to Least Reached People / Edited by Leonard N. Bartlotti

This seminal book is a benchmark study of the people-group paradigm that underscores its vital role in the twenty-first century. Leveraging insights from the Majority World, over 60 authors reexamine our understand­ing of people-group missiology from the lens of Scripture, reflection, conversation, prayer, and case studies from field workers and church/mission leaders.

Marv Newell

The Sending Church Applied / Bell, Easton, McCrary & Sloan

This follow-up to The Upstream Collective’s earlier book, The Sending Church Defined, overviews how the application of good assessment and tactics empower the church to send cross-cultural workers well. The Sending Church Applied is valuable for those just getting started as well as for seasoned church missions mobilizers. I found insights and examples throughout the book that are useful and practical to my ministry as a mission pastor.

Mark Byrom

Shaped by the Spirit: Being Formed into an Outward-Focused People / Kate Pocklington

In this immensely practical book, Australian missionary Kate Pocklington invites readers to explore why being formed by the Spirit is only half of the picture. Our experiences with others also help to form us for the sake of God’s mission in the world.

Marv Newell

Lead with Prayer: The Spiritual Habits of World-Changing Leaders / Skoog, Greer & Doolittle

Mission leaders in my agency are eating this up and I am, too! It’s a challenging but practical and inspiring book full of stories and testimonies from contemporary and historic prayer leaders, both men and women, along with helpful tools we can all use to grow in prayerful leadership.

Marti Wade

Go Low: Learning Humility in a Hubristic Age / Dietrich Schindler

This book presents humility as the antidote to a culture awash in self-absorption (hubris). Written by a veteran missionary, Go Low unpacks the good and beautiful virtue of humility in three ways that makes the book helpful.

Marv Newell

Some People Go: A Children’s Missionary Story / Porter, Porter & Craig

This rhyming book about one family’s missions work in a foreign country is told through the eyes of their young son. Parents and teachers can use this story to talk with kids about missions, sharing the gospel, and the fact that “some people go and some people stay, the most important thing is that we obey.”

Go Tell Everyone: 9 Missionaries Who Shared the Good News / Cook & Smietanka

This is a board book for children up to age 4. Since the interactive content focuses on where each missionary served, the book is appropriate for older children too. Featured missionaries are diverse in gender, ethnicity, and country of origin.

Amy Carmichael: The Brown-Eyed Girl Who Learned to Pray / Beless & Mab

The well-known story of Carmichael’s rescue of children in India is retold in this picture book for kids ages 4-8 emphasizing how God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Kudos that this Do Great Things for God series also includes books about African-American missionaries, Betsey Stockton and Maria Fearing.