Come and See: A History and Theology of Mission

by Glen Scrivener, Justin Schell

God’s mission in creation and redemption is to bring men and women into the fellowship that the Father, Son, and Spirit have always shared. Come and A History and Theology of Mission is an invitation to understand that mission. Exploring how God’s nature informs mission and surveying the missional narrative of Scripture, Come and See lays a theological and biblical foundation for Christian mission, inviting you to savor and participate in the grand story of God’s mission that begins in Genesis and continues today.

Come and See will introduce readers to both the theology of mission and the history of God’s work through the church on mission. You and your church are welcomed to join the great mission story that God is telling!

Genres: Theology

125 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 28, 2023

About the author

Glen directs the evangelistic charity Speak Life. He is an ordained Anglican who writes, speaks, and makes media to equip the church and reach beyond it. He is married to Emma and is the author of 7 books, including 321, Long Story Short and The Gift.

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely give books 5*, but this one deserves it because of the way it fully convinced me of what I believe it intended to: that mission isn't something that just a few Christians 'are called to', but something that all Christians ought to be passionate about.
It is a very brief theology and history of mission, so it is suitable (and indeed greatly beneficial) for the average layperson. I'd love a reading list at the end to include resources for readers who want to dig deeper into the topics.
Mission was something that (to my shame) I hadn't thought much about in the past, but after reading this book I'm now planning to look more into the subject and prayerfully think through the ways in which I can participate in God's mission.

[Rusty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone interested in Mission work will appreciate this book. The sub title could have included the word brief, as in A Brief History. . . At 130 pages including an index it is a taste of history and theology.

Written from an Evangelical view it is a good introduction to many ideas that hinder working together. Justin Schell clearly and fairly presents observations that Evangelicals need to ponder and wrestle with.

The book left me feeling hopeful.

[Nathanael Barr · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘The mission of the church flows out of the heart and mission of God.’

The key question of the book is this, ‘Shouldn’t all theology be about mission?’

Everything comes back to who we reach, how we reach them, and why?

Scrivener and Schell, in an accessible, inspiring, and brief manner, seek to show how biblical and systematic theologies, as well as the testimony of church history prove that mission should be the heart and driving force of all the churches work in the world. Brief, yet grand. Simple, and yet engaging. If you want to start thinking about missions, this book provides a fairly comprehensive (for all the size of it) starting point.

It is a great entry point, easy to read, and will definitely encourage you to pick up more books, and consider further some of the themes and great lives addressed.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought after hearing a book review at a conference. A good, readable introduction to the theology and history of mission. The prayers at the end of each chapter, and the review and preview are helpful handles throughout the book. My one critique is the chapter on the history of mission. It is very similar to what would be covered in many Bible colleges in Australia (and other places I assume) - which focuses on Europe, America, UK etc.

[Melanie Mead · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid, basic introduction to God's heart for the world (missions) and a brief overview of the history of missions. It has a modern look at the world and the progress of evangelisation. I enjoyed it and I think it will be a good one to share with people as an introduction on the topic.

[Jonathan Thomas]

A helpful gospel centred introduction to the mission of the church.

[Paul Brunning · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good as far as it goes, but it is only a brief and basic introduction to the whys and whats of mission.

[Kaitlyn Barnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good foundational introduction into missions and the call God has put on all of our lives. It reminded me a lot of Perspectives and hits a lot of the points made throughout the class so for someone who hasn’t taken the class in a while, it was an encouraging reminder of things I had heard!

[Peter Yock · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy, profound, and excellent introduction to missions. Covers the nature of God (and how it relates to mission), a biblical theology of mission, a history of mission, and lots of excellent applications and prayers. We've already started using this with our student leaders in an AFES context and it's an excellent resource. Highly recommended.