Great Books on Global Missions

In my conversations and presentations on global outreach, I often encourage people to build a library of mission-related resources in their home, particularly if they have children or teens. This can help infuse vision and mission into your home over the long run, and also offer you encouragement from across the world (and throughout history) of how God has used ordinary people to do extraordinary things.  Here are some of the books on our shelves at home, that I highly recommend:

Kids & Teens

Window on the World // Build a prayerful understanding of other cultures and unreached groups

Missionary Stories with the Millers // very compelling short stories, great for family read-aloud time

Trailblazers // a series of books for kids that highlight the stories of important figures in Christian history

Christian Heroes: Then & Now // a series of kid-teen friendly biographies of missionaries, Christian leaders (get all of them!)

From Akebu to Zapotec // a book for smaller children on 26 people groups across the world still waiting for Bible translation

Wycliffe Bible Translators // this is not a book, but a series of downloads & activities for kids, to grow mission awareness

 

Adults & Teens

From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya  // a comprehensive history of Christian missions – lots of key characters and movements

Commissioned // this is my own book on mission movements in India & Sri Lanka – contemporary stories of God at work  (PDF for free here)

Perspectives on the World Christian Movement // a textbook style look at the big picture of mission movements everywhere

Tortured for Christ // a disturbing book on the dramatic persecution of Christians under Communism (available free here)

God’s Smuggler // the daring journey of one man who sought to illegally smuggle Bibles into oppressed places

Light Force // an inside look at the growth of the church and the lives of believers hidden in the Middle East

Secret Believers // compelling stories of people who follow Jesus Christ in Muslim-majority nations

Operation World // a detailed prayer & mission informational guide for every nation on earth

Eternity in their Hearts // a captivating book of stories that show how God prepares various people groups to hear the gospel

There are many more books and resources out there that tell the amazing stories of those who have given so much to serve the gospel.  In the comments, feel free to alert us to additional resources we could add to our libraries.  Also, I’d encourage you to get on a few mission-organization mailing lists so that you can start becoming more aware of what is happening currently in missions across the world.  There are hundreds of great organizations.  Four that I follow and participate in personally…

> India Gospel League  // sponsor kids, pastors, churches, meet practical needs, etc. in one of the least-reached areas of the world

> Global Media Outreach  // become an internet missionary from anywhere, to everyone

> Operation Christmas Child   // share gifts & the gospel with needy children across the world

> Cru  // a campus and international outreach ministry that has many ministries across the world

(You can surf the websites of these four organizations and request to be added to their email lists, receive print-welcome kits, etc.  This will help keep you in the loop on exciting developments across the world, and places where help may be needed in the future!)

UPDATE:  Want to sign up for a great org that will bring you to the frontlines of the Great Commission advance?  Check out OpSat – by signing up for their occasional emails here:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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