Mission Ministry

Elisabeth Elliot (1926–2015) is one of the most widely known Christians of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. After the death of her husband, Jim, and four other missionaries at the hands of Waorani tribesmen in Ecuador, Elliot famously returned to live among the same people who had killed her husband. Her legacy, however, extends far beyond these events. In the years that followed, Elliot became a prolific writer and speaker, touching the lives of countless people around the world. Author Lucy S. R. Austen takes listeners on an in-depth journey through the life of Elisabeth Elliot.

When Jesus thought about the church, what did he imagine? Most churches are small, and rightly so. With power being redistributed in our time, networks of smaller enterprises are both growing and thriving. The yearning for participation and empowerment has us all looking for versions of church that make room for everyone. Perhaps, after all our hand wringing and insecurity about the size of our churches, we have missed the point. Microchurches can be strong, beautiful, accessible, and potent portraits of just what Jesus had in mind, if not for all time, at least for ours.

Steve Saint was five years old when his father, missionary pilot Nate Saint, was speared to death by a primitive Ecuadorian tribe. In adulthood Steve, having left Ecuador for a successful business career in the United States, never imagined making the jungle his home again. But when that same tribe asks him to help them, Steve, his wife, and their teenage children move back to the jungle.

Just like we do today, the writers and chief actors of the Old Testament felt a deep longing for the presence of God. It is symbolized in the temple ruins, and before it the temple itself, and before that the ark of the covenant and the tabernacle that housed it, and before that the Garden of Eden. In response to this longing, God shares his ultimate mission, in which his people play a part: the expansion of Eden, the temple of God's presence, to all peoples throughout the earth.

Speaking as one whom Jesus Christ set free from the devil's grip, John Ramirez, once a satanic high priest, exposes the tormenting weapons of fear of our number one spiritual enemy, the devil, and equips and arms believers with the weapons of our warfare that God has given us through his son, Jesus Christ, to abort the enemy's mission. In this audiobook, Destroying Fear, you will learn how to get back your peace and purpose and walk fearlessly into your destiny by dismantling every stronghold and stopping the enemy's attacks once and for all, for a life of freedom!

Six-year-old Ludwig was sitting at the table, reading his Bible and praying, when Swedish soldiers stormed through the castle door. Ludwig looked up at the soldiers and then returned to his prayer and reading. The soldiers stopped and stared--then left. They said they could not ransack a place that God watched over.

His street name was Daylight. But he was a nightmare. On the streets of New York, darkness and violence reigned. Dimas "Daylight" Salaberrios began selling drugs when he was 11 years old, and by 16 he had served his first stint at the notorious Rikers Island prison. Dimas saw only one way to survive: by reigning over the streets. He would be the richest, most powerful ruler in the hood...or die trying. Street God is the true story of one man's dangerous journey through the underworld.

In 1993, Andrew Brunson was asked to travel to Turkey, the largest unevangelized country in the world, to serve as a missionary. Though hesitant because of the daunting and dangerous task that lay ahead, Andrew and his wife, Norine, believed this was God's plan for them. What followed was a string of threats and attacks, but also successes in starting new churches in a place where many people had never met a Christian. As their work with refugees from Syria, gained attention and suspicion, Andrew and Norine acknowledged the threat but accepted the risk.

How can biblical authority be a reality for those shaped by the modern world? This book treats the First World as a mission field, offering a unique perspective on the relationship between the gospel and current society by presenting an outsider's view of contemporary Western culture.

Why would someone risk his safety, destroy his schedule, and become dirty and bloody to help a needy person of another race and social class? And why would Jesus tell us "Go and do likewise"? Like the wounded man on the Jericho road, there are needy people in our path- the widow next door, the family strapped with medical bills, the homeless man outside our place of worship. God call us to be ministers of mercy to people in need of shelter, assistance, medical care, or just friendship.

While globalization gives North American Christians unprecedented opportunities to influence the world, we need to take care not to slip into a type of postmodern colonialism in which we make ourselves the experts or the "hero come to save the day". Jesus commanded us to make disciples of all nations, not to spread Western cultural Christianity or solve the world with American dollars.

Duane Elmer asked people around the world how they felt about Western missionaries. The response? "Missionaries could be more effective if they did not think they were better than us". The last thing we want to do in cross-cultural ministry is to offend people in other cultures. Unfortunately, all too often and even though we don't mean it, our actions communicate superiority, paternalism, imperialism, and arrogance.

John Piper's bestselling book on missions (more than 300,000 copies sold) draws on key biblical texts to demonstrate that worship is the ultimate goal of the church and that proper worship fuels missionary outreach. Piper offers a biblical defense of God's supremacy in all things, providing listeners with a sound theological foundation for missions.

Missiologist James E. Plueddemann presents a roadmap for cross-cultural leadership development in the global church. With keen understanding of current research on cultural dynamics, he integrates theology with leadership theory to apply biblical insights to practical issues in world mission. The future of the global church depends on effective multicultural leadership. God has called people from various contexts to minister and lead in every land for the sake of the gospel.

For parents who are concerned that their child is pulling away, following poor role models, or making choices that will lead to pain and difficulty, Mike Berry has good news: It's not too late. He offers parents six keys to maximizing and leveraging their influence to help their children through these difficult years and develop a relationship with them that can weather any storm.

Thomas à Kempis' collection of meditative writings from the Bretheren of the Common Life is the most widely read book in the world after the Bible. The reflective devotions have been a heartening friend to great men such as Thomas More, St. Ignatius Loyola, Thomas Merton, Pope John Paul I, and John Wesley. Learning to live live Jesus is the central task that A. Kempis explores in this classic devotional. This book provides comfort and counsel to every person who seeks to live a more connected and whole life.

God Wants to Unleash Us into Fruitful Disciple-making Beyond Our Wildest Dreams. What if passionate Jesus followers began to multiply rapidly until thousands of lives and families were transformed? What if, instead of hard work with little fruit, God began to do “exceeding abundantly beyond all you could ask or imagine?” Imagine those you’ve invested in sharing Jesus freely, making their own disciples, and then training them until they too can disciples others.

This no-compromise biblical clarion call to revival is timeless. Leonard Ravenhill clearly shows how the church can be brought from where it is to where it ought to be. The church still needs his message, first published in 1983, for as Ravenhill said, "We live in a generation which has never known revival God's way." The message is drastic, fearless, and often radical. His goal for the church is nothing less than full restoration to the glory, power, holiness, and dignity that Christ intended for it.

Promises in the Dark by Dr. Eric McLaughlin strengthens the hearts of listeners to persevere in God’s calling to walk with those in need. As a missionary doctor in Africa, McLaughlin knows how walking closely with those who suffer and bearing others’ burdens can easily lead to burnout or cynicism - unless we find the path to perseverance that the Lord provides. McLaughlin explores how to endure in such a yet-to-be-redeemed world as ours, which is full of tragedy and heartache, pointing to God’s promises.

Every local church should be engaged with global missions, even if most individuals in the church aren't called to go overseas. But what does this engagement actually look like? How can local churches train, send, and support missionaries well? Unpacking principles from the Bible and applying them in the context of real life in a local church, this short guide is filled with practical steps and advice for supporting missionaries, forming international partnerships, sending short-term teams, and engaging with the nations here at home.