I have gone to church almost all my life and sensed a call towards vocational ministry in college. This calling began in campus ministry contexts and local church ministry before pursuing formal theological education at Fuller Seminary. This educational pursuit opened a new world of Christian thought and reflection. I read many books along the way, but I want to focus on books that enhanced my understanding of a discipline called missiology, the study and reflection on Christian missions. I currently serve as a Research Associate at Frontier Ventures with a desire to explore how we might demonstrate Christ and reflect on sharing who He is and what it means to follow Him for those in my local context and unreached communities far from my geographic home. 

The first book that I want to recommend is Subversive Mission by Craig Greenfield. This book delves into how one might posture themselves and learn how to utilize their spiritual gifts in contexts where they are the outsider. Greenfield notes that one of the challenges about outsiders is that they can always go home; therefore, he encourages a focus on humble alongsiding and raising up local leadership for a sustainable, indigenous community that is not dependent on outsiders nor their resources. “Local ownership is crucial for the ongoing success and sustainability of any project. Otherwise, it’ll slowly fizzle out after the outsiders leave” (Subversive Mission, p. 30).  

The second book would be Disciple Making among Hindus by Timothy Shultz. If you are like most people not of South Asian descent, you probably know very little about Hinduism. However, in this short book, Shultz will introduce you to this complex, fascinating, and diverse world, which includes many unreached peoples. Shultz asks the question of whether the lack of discipleship to Christ in upper caste Hindu contexts is due to their resistance to the Gospel or the lack of ability to faithfully communicate the Gospel to Hindus in forms and methods that they can understand. Shultz argues that effective witness to higher caste Hindus is built over time through learning cultural expectations which improve communication, clarifying various Hindu misconceptions about Jesus, and allowing Hindus time to respond to Jesus (Disciple Making among Hindus, p. 40-1). Shultz acknowledges that there are mistakes and challenges along the way with no guarantee of success, but he shows us a way forward that engages God and neighbor with deep love and relationship. 

The third book is a hefty one, Motus Dei edited by Warrick Farah. This book is a collection of articles that presents many different angles to the missional phenomenon of movements. As a Westerner, I often think of sharing Christ as delivering a message to a single individual, whereas Motus Dei discusses the dynamics of fostering movements toward Jesus that continue to grow within families, communities, and networks before spreading through other “bridge” persons. This phenomenon has been widely discussed and debated from various angles, but this book presents a strong resource that looks at the phenomenon through the angles of theology, missiology, Scripture, sociology, gender, ethnodoxology, case studies, leadership, and many more. This book and other literature on movements ought to be carefully read and reflected upon especially for those who desire to serve God in more collectivist contexts. As its editor writes, “As participants in the mission of God to redeem the nations back to himself, we need to better understand how movements are happening and how they could be fostered more effectively” (Motus Dei, p. 19).  

The fourth book is Sacred Misinterpretation by Martin Accad. Islam is much more familiar to us than Hinduism in many Western contexts, and our religious traditions share a lot more in common. However, it is also common to have certain (mis)understandings, which make it very difficult to build deep relationships with Muslim neighbors both near and far. In this book, Accad engages with crucial theological differences between Islam and Christianity like hermeneutics, who God is, the person of Jesus, engagement with the Bible and the Qur’an, discussion of Muhammad, and finding a path beyond mere conflict. Accad’s deep study and reflection on both Christian and Islamic sources finds creative ways forward that can bring fruitful discussion to both Christian and Muslim contexts. “It is crucially important today for the church to engage in a radical reexamination of its assumptions with regard to its understanding of Islam” (Sacred Misinterpretation, p. 33). Accad encourages building an insider understanding of Islam for the purposes of deeper engagement, and although I’ve yet to achieve that level of understanding, I aim to continue to pursue it through further study and relationship. 

The fifth book is Christ-Followers in Other Religions by Darren Duerksen and like the last book mentioned is academically rich and can be quite complicated. However, as with most books, one can gain a lot of understanding even if they don’t understand every word or implication of Duerksen or Accad’s work. Duerksen’s book seeks to illuminate an understanding of insider movements or those who remain in their socioreligious community of birth while coming to follow Christ. Duerksen includes both historical and contemporary examples of these movements and leaders, as they search out a way toward following Christ while honoring their local community. Duerksen notes that this is an ongoing process and not all insiders will agree with one another nor will they keep the same practices and traditions as they grow in Christ. For Duerksen, “Insiders and their imaginaries help us see a glimpse of God’s mending and patient mission among those who have been ‘marginal’ to the dominant forms of Christianity. And they invite us, should we choose to quietly listen, learn, and join with that mission as God leads” (Christ-Followers in Other Religions, 175).  

Many more books could be mentioned, but this is a good start for those beginning to reflect on their journey in missions and missiology, and I’d be happy to dialogue further with others on different parts of their missiological journey.