The Changing Face of World Missions: Engaging Contemporary Issues and Trends

Encountering Mission

by Michael Pocock, Gailyn Van Rheenen, Douglas McConnell

The dramatic changes that have taken place both in global society and in the church have implications for how the church does missions in the twenty-first century. These trends include the rise of postmodernism, the spiritual decline in the West and the advance of the gospel in the rest of the world, and the impact of technology on society and missions.

The Changing Face of World Missions is for the mission-minded church leader or lay person who wants to understand these trends. Each chapter identifies and evaluates a trend, examines it in light of Scripture, and proposes a practical response. Important terms are defined, and sidebars help readers think through the issues on their own.

Genres: Christian, Theology, Nonfiction, Religion, Evangelism

392 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2005

Reviews

[Stan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book thoroughly examines key trends facing the church and missions agencies. It is more than 10 years old, so an update will soon be in order.

The strongest benefit of this book is the model they present for analyzing trends. This is a skill sadly lacking in the church and missions agencies. We need to carefully consider the voices of people who present this level of analysis.

The book examines changes taking place outside the church, inside the church, and within missions agencies where procedure is concerned.

If you have any interest in looking at trends and how they should be addressed, this is the book for you. Enjoy!

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful look at some specific issues. Unfortunately, already a bit dated in some chapters. Also, the organizing scheme is very artificial. Authors had to shoehorn their thoughts to fit the pattern.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the second book in a series of books on the topic of missiology: the study of missions. The first installment was a wonderful addition to the field and very practical and helpful for anyone interested in missions. This volume, however, is a completely different story. At least one of the contributing authors unapologetically aligns himself with the likes of Brian McLaren and the emerging church movement. His approach to 'engaging contemporary issues and trends' in missions is not in line with the true gospel and is harmful for the kingdom of God. Other chapters, while not as painfully harmful as this chapter, simply covered the 'contemporary trends' of missions, which will probably be either obsolete in a few years or so normal we do not need to write about them (such as the use of internet in the life of a missionary)! I believe there are many more helpful ways to engage with the topic of missions than can be found in this volume.

[Craig Prather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was great in giving a well rounded approach and context to modern missions. Covering topics such as assimilation, indigenous people groups, syncretism and globalization, the authors do a good job of explains what works abs what does not in the mission field.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book covers a wide array of issues related to modern missions. Very interesting and thought provoking. Some chapters more so than others.

[Yajaira Marmolejo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought of it to be very informational. There is a lot of statistics about missions that I wasn't aware of.