Recommended
MISSIONS RESOURCES
Global Partnerships
Books
BEAUTY OF PARTNERSHIP
Werner Mischke / Mission One
http://beautyofpartnership.org/
This 210-page study guide leads local church missions leaders and short-term trip participants in the West to discover how they can be successful in cross-cultural relationships and partnerships in the Majority World. Online videos expand learning on six topics: servanthood, listening, trust both/and (cultural intelligence), accountability, and appreciation.
BODY MATTERS
Ernie Addicott / Interdev Partnership Associates
An introduction to partnerships that explores organizational and relational dynamics, particularly from the field perspective.
BUILDING STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIPS
Daniel Rickett / Sisters in Service
A brief guide to forming partnerships with nationals that promote self-sufficiency and avoid common mistakes.
CROSS-CULTURAL PARTNERSHIPS: Navigating the Complexities of Money and Mission
Mary Lederleitner / Intervarsity Press
An intensely practical resource that illuminates many common problems that arise in financial matters related to partnership and provides real-life solutions—and better yet, preventive measures!
KEYS TO THE NATIONS
Caleb Resources
A compilation of articles about advocating for unreached people groups. Includes sections on partnerships, adoptions of people groups, and other topics.
MAKING YOUR PARTNERSHIP WORK
Daniel Rickett / Winepress Publishing
Handbook for successful partnerships with nationals, focusing on the essential elements of vision, relationship, and results.
WELL CONNECTED
Phill Butler / Authentic Publishing
How partnerships reflect God’s design and how to make them succeed. Especially focused on on-site partners and partnerships.
Web Resources
JOSHUA PROJECT
www.joshuaproject.net
Resources on the people groups of the world presenting statistics on the degree to which each is still unreached with the gospel
Missions Vision/Lifestyle
Books
BECOMING A WORLD CHANGING FAMILY
Donna S. Thomas / Baker Books
A very practical and fun book about how to instill a world Christian view in your whole family.
GOD’S GLOBAL MOSAIC
Paul-Gordon Chandler / InterVarsity Press
Describes how diverse cultural expressions of worship from around the world form individual tiles in a Divine Mosaic. This is a foretaste of what worship will be like in Revelation 7.
LET THE NATIONS BE GLAD
John Piper / Baker Book House
A plea for the church to catch a God-centered vision for engaging the world. Piper shows that worship is the ultimate goal of the church and that proper worship fuels missions.
A MIND FOR MISSIONS
Paul Borthwick / NavPress
Presents 10 essential building blocks to becoming world Christians including action as well as knowledge elements.
SHAPING ETERNITY
Mission America and Caleb Resources
Includes God’s Heart for the Nations Bible study guide with eight lessons as well as a DVD with videos on the unreached, sending, going, messenger, passion, etc.
www.calebresources.org
Website
PERSPECTIVES ON THE WORLD CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT
www.perspectives.org
A college/graduate level course that can also be audited for personal enrichment. Offered in hundreds of locations by the US Center for World Mission.
The Church’s Role
Books
MISSIONS IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Tom Telford / Harold Shaw Publishers (Out of print, but available used online)
A guide for helping local churches excel in missions, drawing on the author’s experience as baseball umpire. Includes recruitment, missions conferences, and pitfalls to avoid
SERVING AS SENDERS
Neal Pirolo / Emmaus Road, Int.
How the folks back home can effectively hold the ropes for their missionaries.
TODAY’S ALL-STAR MISSIONS CHURCHES
Tom Telford / Baker Books
Stories of many different churches across the US and how they are approaching missions.
YOUR FOCUS ON THE WORLD and
Your FOCUS on the World Implementation Guide
Ellen Livingood / Catalyst Services
www.catalystservices.org
A resource manual and step-by-step process guide for walking the leaders of a local congregation through the process of (1) discovering their missions potential, (2) selecting the right global partners, and (3) implementing a successful, cross-cultural initiative. The implementation materials are included in the basic manual but also available as a separate resource.
Short-Term Ministries/Cultural Awareness
Books / DVDs
ABIDE IN THE VINE and WALK AS HE WALKED, etc.
Howard & Bonnie Lisech / Published by Deeper Roots
Daily personal devotional guides for use before, during, and after a short-term trip
Purchase directly from Deeper Roots: www.deeperroots.com
AMERICAN CULTURAL BAGGAGE
Stan Nussbaum / Orbis Books
A primer on American culture written for Americans. Helps make Americans aware of their own beliefs and attitudes as they cross cultures.
DEEP JUSTICE JOURNEYS
Kara Powell and Brad Griffin / Zondervan
Contains 50 activities to help make a youth mission trip a springboard for students to adopt a more missional lifestyle.
FOREIGN TO FAMILIAR
Sarah A. Lanier / McDougal Publishing
A short, easy introduction to cultural differences that highlights key understandings for those crossing cultures.
HELP! WE’RE GOING ON A SHORT-TERM TRIP!
Larry Ragan / CultureLink
A very practical series of sessions to prepare short termers. Both a leader’s guide and participant notebooks available. Purchase from Larry at 770.973.8809.
MISSION LAUNCH
Mission Excel
A training curriculum with DVD and workbook that prepares teams culturally, spiritually, and practically in 5 sessions.
www.missiontriptraining.com
TELLING GOD’S STORIES WITH POWER
Paul F. Koehler / William Carey Library
A practical introduction to storying for those who want to use biblical storytelling in cross-cultural contexts. It includes many stories of the responses of tribal people to the first proclamation of the gospel through storytelling.
THE NEXT MILE
Brian J Heerwagen / Authentic
Leader Guide, Goer guide, and devotional for churches developing programs. Includes follow-up resources.
THE ORAL BIBLE – BIBLICAL STORYTELLING FOR TODAY
Paul & Teresa
A hands-on workshop for those who want to learn to share God's Word in story with others. A 2 DVD set.
www.gme.org
ROUND TRIP
Chris Blumhofer with Andy Crouch / Christianity Today
A brand-new resource that includes a DVD, leader’s guide, and participants’ guide. Provides five sessions of overview and preparation. Purchase from CT: www.christianitytoday.com/roundtrip/
SERVING WITH EYES WIDE OPEN
David A. Livermore / Baker Books
An insightful study of cultural intelligence and how to apply it on short-term ministry trips.
WHY ARE AMERICANS LIKE THAT?
Stan Nussbaum / Enculturation Books
A fun orientation to American culture filled with explanations of American sayings and the values they reflect.
Web Resources
FELLOWSHIP OF SHORT TERM MISSION LEADERS
www.fstml.org
FSTML is a network of people who coordinate short term missions for their mission agency, Christian college or church. Their annual conference is held in October of each year in Atlanta, Georgia. Through the conference, networks are established that provide peer encouragement and challenging throughout the year.
HOPE ESL SOFWARE
www.roofbreakers.org
CDto teach English using a dramatic presentation of God’s redemptive story in 12 chapters from creation through Jesus Christ. Great for short-term teams. Can be copied and distributed without charge.
NATIONAL SHORT TERM MISSION CONFERENCE
www.nstmc.org
NSTMC exists to: PREPARE Short Term Mission (STM) leaders with practical essentials; PROMOTE discussion, insight and innovation in STMs; and PROVIDE inspiration for personal spiritual growth in order to strengthen STM practitioners in all STM efforts worldwide. Their annual conference is held in January of each year in differing locations.
ROUND TRIP MISSIONS RESOURCES
www.roundtripmissions.com
A website and weekly e-newsletter on all kinds of topics related to short-term missions edited by Paul Borthwick.
STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE FOR SHORT TERM MISSION
www.stmstandards.org
Invites ministries to adopt 7 standards of excellence to promote effective, culturally-aware short term service
MORE RESOURCES
A more extensive list of materials is available under the Short-Term Resources section of the FOCUS Resources web page.
Prayer/Spiritual Warfare
Books
POSSESSING THE GATES OF THE ENEMY
Cindy Jacobs / Chosen Books
A thorough overview of intercessory prayer, equipping readers for intercession and addressing common questions about it
TOUCH THE WORLD THROUGH PRAYER
Wesley Duewel / Zondervan
A passionate call to a life of prayer that equips and inspires
VICTORY OVER THE DARKNESS
Neil Anderson / Regal Books
Explores how to overcome Satan’s attacks in your own life and help others do the same
For Those Considering Missionary Service
Books
BUSINESS AS MISSION
Michael R. Baer / YWAM
A practical resource by a long-time BAM practitioner that answers questions for those considering this type of ministry.
GLOBAL MISSION HANDBOOK
Steve Hoke and Bill Taylor / Intervarsity Press
A comprehensive resource for preparing for cross-cultural ministry.
Web Resources
BUSINESS AS MISSION BIBLIOGRAPHY
www.businessasmission.com/pages/books
An annotated bibliography listing many books on the Business as Mission movement.
Contemporary Missions Issues
Books
GLOCALIZATION
Bob Roberts Jr. / Zondervan
A treatise on the meaning of discipleship, mission, and church leadership in a globalized, pluralistic world.
IS JESUS THE ONLY WAY?
Garry Poole and Judson Poling / Zondervan
A group discussion guide for seekers including inductive Bible study and apologetic information. From Willow Creek Resources
MISSIONS IN THE THIRD MILLENNIUM
Stan Guthrie / Authentic
An accessible guide to 21 key trends affecting missions in the 21st century
NOT FOR SALE
David Batstone / Harper San Francisco
Exposes slavery in its various forms around the world with facts and narratives. Written by a university ethics professor
ONE WORLD OR MANY?
Edited by Richard Tiplady / William Carey Library
A compendium of chapters by authors from around the world on globalization and its impact on missions
TELLING GOD’S STORIES WITH POWER
Paul F. Koehler / William Carey Library
A practical introduction to storying for those who want to use biblical storytelling in cross-cultural contexts. It includes many stories of the responses of tribal people to the first proclamation of the gospel through storytelling.
THE CHANGING FACE OF WORLD MISSIONS
Michael Pocock, Gailyn Van Rheenen, Douglas McConnell / Baker Academic
A scholarly, but readable exploration of new trends such as globalization, collaborating in networks, new technology, and post-modernity
Web Resources
CHALMERS CENTER FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AT COVENANT COLLEGE
www.chalmers.org
Trains the church worldwide how to minister to the poor without creating dependency.
Reference Materials
Books
ENCOUNTERING THE WORLD OF ISLAM
Edited by Keith Swartley / Authentic
A thorough compendium about Islam for Christians including beliefs, culture, history, theological differences, and missions strategies
OPERATION WORLD
Patrick Johnstone and Jason Mandryk
A comprehensive prayer guide providing information on every nation in the world. Contains demographic, religious, political, and economic information along with specific prayer points for each country.
PERSPECTIVES ON THE WORLD CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT (A Reader)
Edited by Ralph D. Winter and Steven C. Hawthorne / William Carey Library
An exhaustive compilation of 135 missions articles and chapters that accompanies the Perspectives course (see next section).
Web Resources
MISSIOPEDIA
www.missionmanual.com/wiki/Main_Page
The missions version of Wikipedia, an open-source encyclopedia of missions information.
A/V, Drama, & Classroom Resources
Classroom
PERSPECTIVES ON THE WORLD CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT
US Center for World Mission
A 15 week missions course taught around the world in classroom and online formats that covers missions in the Bible, history of missions, cultural issues, and mission strategy.
www.perspectives.org
ENCOUNTERING THE WORLD OF ISLAM
www.encounteringislam.org
Videos
THE HARVEST—A Modern Day Parable
Allegory of a farm family needing help bringing in the harvest poignantly teaches how we are all needed in spiritual reaping. 17 minutes
www.campuscrusade.com/Video_DVD/harvest.htm
SHAPING ETERNITY INFO BYTES
Part of the Shaping Eternity materials.
Ten, 2-minute PowerPoints with dialog about world need, unreached peoples, etc. Good for all ages. Available from Caleb Resources
Drama Scripts
MISSION SKITS
Caleb Resources
Children’s Missions Resources
BUILDING GREAT COMMISSION KIDS
Notebook including three guides:
How to Conduct a Successful Kids Missions Festival
Missions Prayer Tools for Children
Four Complete Lesson Plans for Building Great Commission Kids
EVERYBODY OUGHT TO KNOW
Kathy Felty / Published by House to House Publications
A seven part missions curriculum for pre school children, including activities for up to two hours of programming for each session.
HIS BEST FOR GOD The Story of Eric Liddell
Gloria Repp / Published by CEF Press
A flashcard lesson on dedication for children’s classes—ages 5-12.
CEF Press/800-748-7710
WINDOW ON THE WORLD
Daphne Spraggett / Paternoster & WEC
Children’s version of Operation World. Great pictures and stories.
Most of these resources and many others are available from:
Caleb Resources / www.calebresources.org
If you need further assistance, feel free to contact me:
Ellen Livingood
Catalyst Services
PO Box 152, Newtown, PA 18940
215.579.4346
www.catalystservices.org