Theology, Piety, and Mission: The Influence of Gisbertus Voetius on Missiology and Church Planting

by Ronaldo Lidório

What can we learn about church planting from the first Protestant missiologist?

In Theology, Piety, and Mission, cross-cultural missionary Ronaldo Lidório reflects on the life and influence of Gisbertus Voetius, the first Protestant missiologist. Drawing on this seventeenth-century theologian’s perspective on missions and church planting, Lidório lays out principles for us to consider for these essential activities today.

Read this book to reflect on the powerful combination of theology and piety that must fuel the Great Commission.

“Missionaries, church planters, and all faithful Christian witnesses will benefit greatly from Ronaldo Lidório’s accessible book.”
—Brian A. DeVries, principal of Mukhanyo Theological College, South Africa

“. . .makes a valuable contribution to dispelling the myth that the Reformation did not prioritize missions. . . provides essential insights into the significance of spreading Christ’s gospel and advancing His kingdom.”
—Breno Macedo, pastor of Messiah’s Independent Reformed Church, Holland, Michigan, and adjunct professor at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary


Table of
Foreword
Introduction Who Was Gisbertus Voetius? Theocentric and Trinitarian Missiology Church Planting Missiological Considerations for Today Theological Principles for Church Planting Final Thoughts and Considerations

Appendix 1—Doctrinal themes
Appendix 2—The phases of a local church
Appendix 3—Figures
Bibliography

Ronaldo Lidório is a Brazilian Presbyterian pastor who has served as a cross-cultural missionary since 1993. He is affiliated with the Cross-Cultural Presbyterian Mission Board (APMT), which is a department of the Brazilian Presbyterian Church, and is also a member of WEC International, acting as international director of missiology and church planting for about ten years. Author of twenty-five books, he has a Ph.D. in theology with a focus on missiology. He is married to Rossana, and they have two children.

128 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 21, 2023

Reviews

[Zack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very edifying and personally convicting at several points (especially about the dangers of carnal ambition and competitiveness in church-planting ministry). But the treatment of Voetius’s thought is underdeveloped. The book is half an introductory survey of Voetius’s theology, piety, and missiology, and half the author’s personal theological reflection on missiology. I benefited from the book, and I would recommend it to others who are involved in missions and church-planting. However, it isn’t precisely what I was expecting (based on the title and description). As to be expected from a popular work, it is heavy on assertion and light on demonstration. But it is a spiritually useful book. If teaching a class on the subject of missions, evangelism, and church-planting, I would include this as recommended reading and cite it at certain points. I am very thankful for the author, who is a good brother, full of the gentleness and sincerity of our Savior, and concerned for true piety among men of God involved in the extension of Christ’s kingdom. I would have liked to see a more developed treatment of the visible church (especially denominations as visible expressions of the church) as the God-appointed agencies for missions and church-planting. There seems to be a down-playing of denominations, perhaps due to the author’s own experience of ungodly pride and competitiveness among denominations in the mission field. That is understandable. Also, he would have done well to make clearer that not only theological clarity and unity are necessary for faithfulness in church-planting, but also ecclesiological theological/biblical truth. He is too open-handed on this. His other prescriptions for church-planting are realized in a Presbyterian/Reformed setting, not in prelatic, congregational, or episcopal settings. Overall, I like the book and find it valuable, but it is not quite what I was expecting based on the notices of its publication and distribution.

[Ryan Denton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book on church planting, but rather thin on Voetius’s view of church planting, which is what the title seems to imply the book is about.

[Samuel Kassing · Rating 3 out of 5]

A basic look at church planting through the writings of Voetius.