To be honest, the reason I (Doug) am in missions today is because of a 9-week unit in a college class focused on the biblical basis for missions. Learning God’s heart for the nations can have a profound effect on Christians. (Plot-spoiler: It can prompt us to want to *go* to the nations.) But in a day and age when many Bible colleges are closing, what’s the best way to learn that biblical basis? How can we learn God’s heart for the nations in this day and age? One example: We can find this in a video. Check out, for example, this 6 1/2-minute video by Global Frontier Missions: https://youtu.be/JmtfBZyO_hI?si=sWSngI__aS1oxC9z. But what are *your* picks of the best way to accomplish this same vision? Books (which ones)? Other videos? What are your favorites?
1) What’s the Best Way to Learn the Biblical Basis for Missions?
I like GFM’s videos!
Another take on the Local Church role in missions is the new book coming out:
MISSIONS ON POINT: The Local Church at the Heart of Ecclesiology and Missiology
see it at https://propempo.com/resources/missions-on-point-book/
I have found that the best course for serious people to consider is the Perspectives Course for the serious minded.
For the average person in the pew the Kairos course sponsored by Simply Mobilizing in the USA is the best I have found.
Online I have been impressed with the Momentum Yes! course. It is free and well done.
I agree with the Perspectives comment. I took it in 95 and things have never been the same since.
The Momentum Yes 6-week video course for small groups, similar to Perspectives in content but in a more flexible format.
I like the Kairos Course and the Momentum Yes course because more people can be recruited to these 2 courses, in my opinion, than to Perspectives Course, which is the gold standard.
agree…. Perspectives reveals His heart for the Nations and will transform hearts !
For me too, the Perspectives course led my wife into 22 years on the mission field. I also like GFM’s videos, and the Biblical basis one is very good.
For a more in-depth study than this, check out Didasko Missions Academy’s “The Bible and Missions”. It’s the first part of their “Discovering Missions” series of courses; the other two are “Missions 101” (overview of esp. UPG missions), and “Roles in Missions.” Check it out at https://www.dasko.org/courses/discovering-missions
https://perspectives.org/
THANKS all for the great comments on Perspectives. Indeed (as a guy who works at the same Organization that runs Perspectives and serves the global network that run the course other places) its first 5 lessons are focused on the Biblical Perspectives. (Followed by History Strategy and Culture, which also deal here and there with Biblical references).
For an “intro” to Perspectives there is the well done: Explore the World Christian Lifestyle, created by Via see: https://www.vianations.org/resources/explore-the-world-christian-lifestyle
Meg Crossman (published by YWAM Publishing) has a couple courses too, one is a 5 week course, but only one section (I think) is “biblical.”
These are great comments, gang. Thanks so much !
For books: Bob Sjogren’s UNVEILED AT LAST (changed my life), Todd Ahrend’s ABRAHAMIC REVOLUTION, Claude Hickman’s LIVE LIFE ON PURPOSE, my own COME AND SEE, and especially my GOD’S MISSION AND THE WITNESS OF THE CHURCH. I helped lead a workshop on this a few years back and believe it’s something we need more and more of. Finally, The Mission Course is worth looking at, on top of the courses already mentioned.