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Prioritizing the Church in Missions
Encourage Long-Term Faithfulness in Missions with a Biblically Informed Strategy That Recenters the Church
The church is the origin, means, and end of missions. Scripture calls on missionaries to start and strengthen churches where new believers—and more missionaries—can grow. But today, many Christians downplay the role of the church in favor of pragmatism and parachurch ministries, weakening the missions cause.
In this brief guide, pastors John Folmar and Scott Logsdon share their decades of experience working as pastors in Muslim countries. Showing how healthy churches are essential for fulfilling the Great Commission, they teach biblical ecclesiology and missiology with wisdom and real-world advice from the field. They also caution readers against movement-driven missions, theological minimalism, and other techniques that replace the church’s God-given roles of equipping, training, and sending missionaries. Offering an effective, biblical strategy for global evangelism, Prioritizing the Church in Missions helps pastors and churches not only make Christ known throughout the world but ensure that God’s word is preserved long after missionaries leave.
Accessible Guide on Ecclesiology and Explores the biblical role of the church in equipping, training, and sending qualified missionaries as well as the dangers of unhealthy missions practices Equips churches for effective evangelism, expositional preaching, prayer, and partnering together in the Great Commission Helps Churches Build a Biblically Informed Missionary Ideal for missions-minded pastors, staff, students, and lay believers Part of the 9Marks Church-Centered Missions Series
The church is the origin, means, and end of missions. Scripture calls on missionaries to start and strengthen churches where new believers—and more missionaries—can grow. But today, many Christians downplay the role of the church in favor of pragmatism and parachurch ministries, weakening the missions cause.
In this brief guide, pastors John Folmar and Scott Logsdon share their decades of experience working as pastors in Muslim countries. Showing how healthy churches are essential for fulfilling the Great Commission, they teach biblical ecclesiology and missiology with wisdom and real-world advice from the field. They also caution readers against movement-driven missions, theological minimalism, and other techniques that replace the church’s God-given roles of equipping, training, and sending missionaries. Offering an effective, biblical strategy for global evangelism, Prioritizing the Church in Missions helps pastors and churches not only make Christ known throughout the world but ensure that God’s word is preserved long after missionaries leave.
Accessible Guide on Ecclesiology and Explores the biblical role of the church in equipping, training, and sending qualified missionaries as well as the dangers of unhealthy missions practices Equips churches for effective evangelism, expositional preaching, prayer, and partnering together in the Great Commission Helps Churches Build a Biblically Informed Missionary Ideal for missions-minded pastors, staff, students, and lay believers Part of the 9Marks Church-Centered Missions Series
232 pages, Paperback
Published September 9, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 26, 2025
Important book for Christian missions moving forward. Im excited for the forthcoming volumes in this series (I think there are 7 more to come?)
A few key take aways:
-Christianity is church shaped, therefore missions must be thoroughly church shaped.
-Conversion is corporate (Eph 2:11-22; 1 Pet 2:10)
-Unhealthy churches on the mission field is anti-missions
-To minimize doctrine on the mission field is to minimize the gospel and the Great Commission
“On every continent the local church promotes and protects the gospel” (p55)
Matthias Lohmann is right, everyone involved in missions should read this. And if you know and follow Christ that should mean you.
A few key take aways:
-Christianity is church shaped, therefore missions must be thoroughly church shaped.
-Conversion is corporate (Eph 2:11-22; 1 Pet 2:10)
-Unhealthy churches on the mission field is anti-missions
-To minimize doctrine on the mission field is to minimize the gospel and the Great Commission
“On every continent the local church promotes and protects the gospel” (p55)
Matthias Lohmann is right, everyone involved in missions should read this. And if you know and follow Christ that should mean you.
November 30, 2025
I don't disagree with much that is written here, but it is much more of a critique of bad practice than a positive vision for the local church in cross-cultural mission.
December 23, 2025
Wish I could give a 4.5 ⭐️ such an encouraging read!
December 7, 2025
4.3
Helpful primer corralling missions into our understanding of the church, i.e. ecclesiology’s indispensable relevance to missiology. I found the anecdotes about missionaries, churches, and pastors insightful and the organization of the book made a compelling defense for their definition of missions.
I find myself still wanting to think more rigorously about what’s commanded versus what’s normative, especially in the accounts in Scripture. I’d have benefited from further clarity in understanding evangelistic work that doesn’t strictly fall within the bounds of the authors’ working definition of missions, such as campus evangelism with an organization like Cru or the Navigators.
Helpful primer corralling missions into our understanding of the church, i.e. ecclesiology’s indispensable relevance to missiology. I found the anecdotes about missionaries, churches, and pastors insightful and the organization of the book made a compelling defense for their definition of missions.
I find myself still wanting to think more rigorously about what’s commanded versus what’s normative, especially in the accounts in Scripture. I’d have benefited from further clarity in understanding evangelistic work that doesn’t strictly fall within the bounds of the authors’ working definition of missions, such as campus evangelism with an organization like Cru or the Navigators.
September 15, 2025
If you follow the Missions Talk podcast, the only thing particularly new about this book is the format. It contains the same truths from the same Word, applied to the same world of missions. And for that, it's great.
Folmar and Logsdon show how intricate the church is in every stage of missions. They use a good blend of abstract theology and concrete, real-life examples.
The big negative is this book is its publishing date. It is first in the series but came out second. Therefore, the setup becomes redundant. Read this one first, and you'll be all set.
Folmar and Logsdon show how intricate the church is in every stage of missions. They use a good blend of abstract theology and concrete, real-life examples.
The big negative is this book is its publishing date. It is first in the series but came out second. Therefore, the setup becomes redundant. Read this one first, and you'll be all set.
November 17, 2025
Well written and researched depiction of how essential the church is to missions! Gave me an idea of what missions is before I head on my mission trip. Although I’m going on a short term mission trip, this educated me on what questions to ask while I’m there to explore a potential future in missions
September 23, 2025
A voice of biblical reason in an age that neglects the local church as the beginning, middle, and end of missions.
December 24, 2025
This book is more important than you realize.
Your view and practice of missions flows from what (and how much or little) you think of the church, the bride of Christ. Take up and read.
Your view and practice of missions flows from what (and how much or little) you think of the church, the bride of Christ. Take up and read.
October 26, 2025
Thought provoking, biblically argued, well-researched, and convincing. The local church is God's plan for reaching the nations.
From my review:
"When you read the word missions, what comes to mind? Do you immediately think of sending agencies and missions organizations? Do your thoughts run to a missionary couple you know whose goal is to be salt and light in a difficult place but have no intention of planting a church? Do you think primarily about evangelism and serving but not about preaching and teaching? Does the Bible have any say in how missionaries should go about their work, or is it more of a free-for-all so long as the gospel is presented in some way?
John Folmar, pastor of the Evangelical Christian Church of Dubai, and Scott Logsdon, pastor the Union Church of Istanbul, aim to bring clarity to these questions in their appropriately titled book, Prioritizing the Church in Missions. Their argument is that the local church is God’s clear plan for reaching the nations, whether “local” means Sheboygan, Wisconsin or Amarah, Iraq. Although institutions like missions and sending agencies have their place in serving the work of missions, missions work is ultimately an endeavor of the church. The central claim of this book is that the local church is the origin of missions, the means of missions, and the end of missions. And Folmar and Logsdon’s goal in this book is to call local churches back to that central role."
See my full review here: https://zakmellgren.substack.com/p/wi...
Thanks to Crossway for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
From my review:
"When you read the word missions, what comes to mind? Do you immediately think of sending agencies and missions organizations? Do your thoughts run to a missionary couple you know whose goal is to be salt and light in a difficult place but have no intention of planting a church? Do you think primarily about evangelism and serving but not about preaching and teaching? Does the Bible have any say in how missionaries should go about their work, or is it more of a free-for-all so long as the gospel is presented in some way?
John Folmar, pastor of the Evangelical Christian Church of Dubai, and Scott Logsdon, pastor the Union Church of Istanbul, aim to bring clarity to these questions in their appropriately titled book, Prioritizing the Church in Missions. Their argument is that the local church is God’s clear plan for reaching the nations, whether “local” means Sheboygan, Wisconsin or Amarah, Iraq. Although institutions like missions and sending agencies have their place in serving the work of missions, missions work is ultimately an endeavor of the church. The central claim of this book is that the local church is the origin of missions, the means of missions, and the end of missions. And Folmar and Logsdon’s goal in this book is to call local churches back to that central role."
See my full review here: https://zakmellgren.substack.com/p/wi...
Thanks to Crossway for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews