Discovering the Mission of God: Best Missional Practices for the 21st Century, Edited by Mike Barnett alt

Discovering the Mission of God

Best Missional Practices for the 21st Century

Edited by Mike Barnett
Associate Editor Robin Martin

Discovering the Mission of God
ebook
  • Length: 640 pages
  • Dimensions: 0 × 0 in
  • Published: July 03, 2012
  • Imprint: IVP Academic
  • Item Code: 5985
  • ISBN: 9780830859856

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Biblical Foundations Book Award

"God cannot lead you on the basis of information you do not have." —Ralph Winter

What is God's mission in the world? For anyone passionate about discovering God's heart for the nations, Discovering the Mission of God will reveal his plans for you. Written by 21st-century field workers, scholars and church leaders, this book weaves together the basic components of God?s global mission and challenges readers to identify where they fit in the mission of God.

Discovering the Mission of God explores the mission of God as presented in the Bible, expressed throughout church history and in cutting-edge best practices being used around the world today. Drawing from a new generation of scholar-practitioners, this comprehensive reader provides global perspective, recent missiological research, case studies, recommended further readings and relevant discussion questions at the end of each chapter.

Contributors include:

Bryan E. Beyer
Karen O'Dell Bullock
R. Bruce Carlton
Gary R. Corwin
Don Dent
Robert Edwards
Nathan Evans
David Garrison
H. Al Gilbert
Kevin Greeson
Jim Haney
J. Scott Holste
R. Alton James
Patrick Lai
William J. Larkin
Christopher R. Little
Alex Luc
Stan May
Clyde Meador
A. Scott Moreau
D. Kurt Nelson
Howard Norrish
Meg Page
John Piper
Robert L. Plummer
Jerry Rankin
Nik Ripken
Tom Steffen
Ed Stetzer
John Mark Terry
LaNette W. Thompson
Greg Turner
Preben Vang
Joel. F. Williams
Christopher J. H. Wright
William R. Yount

Discovering the Mission of God is an indispensable resource for anyone wanting a better picture of what God is doing in the world and how to find one's place in God's global plan.

"Barnett has pulled together a great team of authors who have clearly communicated the glorious mission of God powerfully advancing through the centuries."

Dr. Bill Jones, president, Columbia International University

"Discovering the Mission of God is not simply a book you will read but a comprehensive and scholarly resource you will reference repeatedly. The depth and breadth of content is amazing. I highly commend this to you."

Steve Moore, president, Missio Nexus, author of Who Is My Neighbor? Being a Good Samaritan in a Connected World

"We are privileged to live in an amazing era of history. God's 4,000-year initiative to bless all nations on earth through Jesus Christ, Abraham's 'seed'--and thereby bring great glory to himself--is building toward a breathtaking climax. Discovering the Mission of God paints a comprehensive picture of God's grand plan, collecting and filtering the best insights of a new generation of mission thinkers and practitioners into one indispensible volume. I know of no better tool than Barnett's book to fuel today's revolution in global missions."

Steve Richardson, president, Pioneers-USA

"Discovering the Mission of God is a massive project of 38 chapters with almost as many authors. And the ebook supplement adds an additional 16 chapters! A book of this magnitude and authorship demands attention. Indeed it will serve as a missiological feast for years to come. Some of the articles will move you to stand up and shout 'amen!' Others will prove provocative and raise serious question marks in your mind. Good! Let's have a healthy Christian conversation and let the debate begin."

Daniel L. Akin, president, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

"I commend to you Mike Barnett's new work Discovering the Mission of God. I do believe it will become a standard work in the field of missiology. In this powerful copy, he combines the work of a multitude of scholars and practitioners in a thorough study of history, practice and varying philosophies about God's mission. Scholarly yet not pedantic, this new work is bound to find a unique place for those who seek a biblical and theologically correct understanding of God's plan for the ages. I commend it to you without hesitation."

Frank S. Page, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer, SBC Executive Committee

"Discovering the Mission of God is a tremendous asset for people seriously considering the shape of missions in the future, either corporately or individually. While firmly grounded on biblical principles, the wide and experienced range of contributors take into account the manner in which future technologies, demographic shifts and global politics will impact missions. Reading this book will help you discover your place in the missions equation."

Tom Elliff, president, International Mission Board

"This book represents a clear voice in a muddled church world. In these rapidly changing days when we are prone to chasing the latest trends, Discovering the Mission of God provides a needed anchor. God has a mission. It includes the church. We need to discover it. We need to accomplish it. Few books enable God's people to do so like this one. May it cause the church to regain its focus on God's mission!"

J. Paul Nyquist, Ph.D., president, Moody Bible Institute

"In this contemporary missions reader, a stellar cast of contributors leaves no stone unturned in helping the missions-minded reader discover the mission of God in the Bible, in history and for today. This impressive volume promises to be an indispensable resource for missionary practitioners and a required course text for missions classes for years to come."

Andreas J. Köstenberger, director of Ph.D. studies and senior professor of New Testament Biblical Theology, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, N.C.

"Mike Barnett and the diverse team of contributors to this fine volume have provided readers with an outstanding resource for engaging with biblical, historical and contemporary understandings of and approaches to the mission of God. Comprehensive in its scope, insightful and up-to-date in its approach, kingdom-oriented in its focus, this important work fills a gap for missiologists, missionaries, pastors and students alike. Discovering the Mission of God will be a significant reference work to keep on hand for years to come."

David S. Dockery, president, Union University

"Mike Barnett has pulled together a stellar group of Baptist and other Christian contributors to explore the mission of God as it has unfolded in the Scriptures, in history and throughout the world today. These compelling essays will offer solid guidance to a new generation of Great Commission Christians from many Protestant denominations."

Todd Johnson, associate professor of global Christianity, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

"Discovering the Mission of God is an exciting compilation of writing and reflections by contemporary actors who are involved in the divine activity that is moving toward that elusive objective when all peoples have the opportunity to hear, understand and respond to the gospel in their own cultural context. . . . [It] will challenge the church and motivate God's people to adjust priorities and personal agenda to become aligned with what God is doing to fulfill his mission today."

From the preface by Jerry Rankin, president emeritus, International Mission Board
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CONTENTS

Preface
Jerry Rankin
Acknowledgments
Mike Barnett
Introduction: Discovering the Mission of God
Mike Barnett

Part One: The Mission of God in the Bible
God's Mission
1. Word of God and Mission of God
Christopher J. H. Wright
2. The Missionary Message of the New Testament
Joel F. Williams
3. The Supremacy of God in Missions Through Worship
John Piper
4. The Kingdom of God and His Mission
Alex LucM
5. God's Great Commissions for the Nations
Jeff Lewis
God's Method
6. Jesus Christ—the Living Word—and the Mission of God
Bryan E. Beyer
7. The Heart of the Task
Zane Pratt
8. The Church in the Mission of God
Preben Vang
God's Power
9. The Power of the Gospel
Robert L. Plummer
10. The Passion of Christ and the Martyrs
Jerry Rankin

Part Two: The Mission of God in History
Ancient Eras
11. The First Decades of the Mission of God
William J. Larkin, Jr.
12. The Ante-Nicene Church on Mission
John Mark Terry
13. The Gospel Goes East
Zane Pratt
Missionaries and Movements
14. Monastics on Mission
Karen O'Dell Bullock
15. Post-Reformation Missions Pioneers
R. Alton James
16. The Great Century
Howard Norrish
17. The Global Century
Mike Barnett

Part Three: The Mission of God Today
The Task
18. The State of the Spread of the Gospel
Jim Haney
19. Finishing the Task
J. Scott Holste
20. Spiritual Warfare and the Mission of God
Jerry Rankin
21. Apostles Even Now
Don Dent
22. Strategic Prayer for God's Mission
Mike Barnett
Communicating the Gospel Across Cultures
23. Cultures and Worldviews
Stan May
24. Tell His Story So That All Might Worship
LaNette W. Thompson
25. Comprehensive Contextualization
A. Scott Moreau
26. Effective Bridging and Contextualization
Kevin Greeson
27. Back to Basics
William R. Yount
Through the Church
28. Church-Planting Movements
David Garrison
29. Measuring Progress in the Mission of God
Gary R. Corwin
30. Breaking Bad Missiological Habits
Christopher R. Little
31. Multiplying Leaders on Mission with God
R. Bruce Carlton
32. Creative-Access Platforms
Tom Steffen
33. Biblical Lessons from the Persecuted Church
Nik Ripken and Kurt Nelson
Co-Laboring
34. Women on Mission with God
Meg Page
35. Caring for God's Missionaries
Robert Edwards and Nathan Evans
36. The Trouble with Our Jerusalems
Ed Stetzer
37. The Local Church and the Mission of God
H. Al Gilbert
38. Where Do You Fit in the Mission of God?
Clyde Meador

About the Contributors
Subject Index
Scripture Index

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Mike Barnett

Mike Barnett (PhD, Southwestern Seminary) is dean of the College of Intercultural Studies at Columbia International University. He teaches courses on church-planting movements, leadership and teams, creative access (business as mission), and the history of global Christianity. He also serves as national vice president of publications for the Evangelical Missiological Society. He has a business background and continues to work in international business development. He and his wife, Cindy, served for twelve years with the International Mission Board.