This comprehensive introduction helps students, pastors, and mission committees understand contemporary Christian missions historically, biblically, and theologically. Scott Sunquist, a respected scholar and teacher of world Christianity, recovers missiological thinking from the early church for the twenty-first century. He traces the mission of the church throughout history in order to address the global church and offers a constructive theology and practice for missionary work today.
Sunquist views spirituality as the foundation for all mission involvement, for mission practice springs from spiritual formation. He highlights the Holy Spirit in the work of missions and emphasizes its Trinitarian nature. Sunquist explores these topics from a primarily theological—rather than sociological—perspective, showing that the whole of Christian theology depends on and feeds into missions. Throughout the book, he presents Christian missions as our participation in the suffering and glory of Jesus Christ for the redemption of the nations.
In the Logos edition, this volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Scripture citations link directly to English translations, and important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.
“Therefore, as an introduction, this book is primarily concerned with right thinking about Christian mission, right thinking about the church, and pointing toward faithful practices.” (Page 1)
“‘missional church,’ but I use it here to mean the responsibility of each and every church to participate in God’s mission in all its fullness.” (Page 9)
“Mission is from the heart of God, to each context, and it is carried out in suffering in this world for God’s eternal glory.” (Page xii)
“Christianity was transformed from persecuted minority cult to favored faith” (Page 29)
“While Asian Christians struggled to survive in a hostile anti-Christian context, European Christians, with the support of the empire, developed their understanding of the church for about one thousand years without that type of pressure—without their earlier missional context. With Europe cut off from most of Africa and Asia, the missional story became the long process of converting Western culture, not sending missionaries to other regions of the world.” (Page 29)
This book offers a fresh understanding of Christian mission endeavors from historical, theological, and ecclesiological perspectives. It explains how the realities of suffering and glory have shaped the practitioners of mission in local, regional, and international contexts. Scott Sunquist’s teaching and living in mission contexts shine through in his expert choice of peoples and events in world Christianity. This work is a must-read for all who reflect on Christian mission and its legacy and prospects.
—Daniel Jeyaraj, professor of world Christianity, Liverpool Hope University
A powerful primer on the history and theology of mission, this book brilliantly lays out a clear understanding of God’s mission, which the church today needs to recover and build on. It is a must-read for students exploring Christian mission for the first time as well as a comprehensive resource for practitioners currently involved with global mission.
—Tom Lin, vice president of missions, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship