What do you think?
Rate this book
Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (4th Edition): A Reader
Perspectives on the World Christian Movement presents a multi-faceted collection of readings exploring the biblical, historical, cultural, and strategic dimensions of world evangelization.
Writings from more than 150 mission scholars and practitioners (over 60 of them new to this edition) portray the history and anticipate the potential of the global Christian movement. Every one of the 170 articles and side bars offers practical wisdom enabling Christians to labor together in bold, biblical hope to finish the task of seeing that Christ is named and followed among all the peoples of the earth.
The Fourth Edition contains over 60 articles and sidebars that are new to this edition. Many articles have been updated and revised.
Writings from more than 150 mission scholars and practitioners (over 60 of them new to this edition) portray the history and anticipate the potential of the global Christian movement. Every one of the 170 articles and side bars offers practical wisdom enabling Christians to labor together in bold, biblical hope to finish the task of seeing that Christ is named and followed among all the peoples of the earth.
The Fourth Edition contains over 60 articles and sidebars that are new to this edition. Many articles have been updated and revised.
2114 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2009
68 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Read
March 18, 2026I’m enjoying this pre-reading for a course that Sara, I, and some good chums are taking this spring. It’s provocative for we conservative Mennonites who may be at risk of spending too little time with thinking about the way our culture interacts with our missional aims and the cultures of those around us, and it's providing lots of helpful conversation fodder.
Several things about the formula that the book presents make me uncomfortable.
Triumphalism that puts our agency and behavior as what stands between God and his intentions--a strange eschatology. (We can do it guys! Let's make a few more converts, and then Jesus can come back!!!) See Wright’s Surprised by Hope.
Human agency that puts God’s work on earth at the mercy of us getting our technique and motivation correctly tuned. See Ellul’s The Technological Society.
The whole system depends on understanding “ethne” in the great commission as “people groups.” This is a very fragile and, again, strange hill to die on.
It’s an anti-ecclesiology that resents structures and aims for new, multiplying churches with no structure beyond existing family and kinship groups.
A peculiar omission. It’s all about the “go ye” part of the great commission and has no patience for “make disciples.” See Kreider’s Patient Ferment of the Early Church.
It’s Constantinian, doesn’t adequately reckon with the role of empire in global mission movements, and sees taking political power as a desirable outcome. See Dreher’s Benedict Option (pre-Orban fascination).
Despite all this, it’s a thrilling read and genuinely helpful, especially for my tribe. I’m looking forward to rehashing all this stuff in an enculturated, embodied, institutional church.
Several things about the formula that the book presents make me uncomfortable.
Triumphalism that puts our agency and behavior as what stands between God and his intentions--a strange eschatology. (We can do it guys! Let's make a few more converts, and then Jesus can come back!!!) See Wright’s Surprised by Hope.
Human agency that puts God’s work on earth at the mercy of us getting our technique and motivation correctly tuned. See Ellul’s The Technological Society.
The whole system depends on understanding “ethne” in the great commission as “people groups.” This is a very fragile and, again, strange hill to die on.
It’s an anti-ecclesiology that resents structures and aims for new, multiplying churches with no structure beyond existing family and kinship groups.
A peculiar omission. It’s all about the “go ye” part of the great commission and has no patience for “make disciples.” See Kreider’s Patient Ferment of the Early Church.
It’s Constantinian, doesn’t adequately reckon with the role of empire in global mission movements, and sees taking political power as a desirable outcome. See Dreher’s Benedict Option (pre-Orban fascination).
Despite all this, it’s a thrilling read and genuinely helpful, especially for my tribe. I’m looking forward to rehashing all this stuff in an enculturated, embodied, institutional church.
November 18, 2025
“On the one hand, God is committed to bringing redemption to the world. On the other hand, God will not do it without us. He has called us to be a part of it, and our obedience does matter.”
“Missions is not about what we do, but about what God is doing”
“Missions is not about what we do, but about what God is doing”
October 24, 2022
Some two decades back I read the third edition for my missions undergrad class at Zion Bible Institute. Not every chapter was required, but I read those we didn't cover in class on my own time. Then I read the book cover to cover (all thousand or so pages) again about five years later. I was overjoyed to find out this book was included in the syllabus for one of my MDIV classes. The book isn't really a book but rather a collection of articles that in total are a comprehensive education on the theology and state of missions. It is also the single greatest collection of essays and articles one could ever read. You might say that as a missionary, I am biased. But I am not stating an opinion, simply a fact.
So go ahead. Read this book cover to cover. It is a lot to digest, but outside the Bible, it is probably the best and most important thing you will read this decade.
So go ahead. Read this book cover to cover. It is a lot to digest, but outside the Bible, it is probably the best and most important thing you will read this decade.
December 22, 2023
I didn’t read all of it, but finished the parts for my class ✅
December 15, 2023
Perspectives is such a transformative class, anyone who wishes to grow in living out the great commission should take it.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews