Mission
This page contains tools for mission that have been submitted by users or found by the Administrator. To be included here the material must be freely distributable to any who intend to actively aid in the spreading of the Gospel! However… The site administrators do not guarantee that all submitted material will be free of copy write or trademark restrictions (we are not perfect, but if we do discover a violation the material will be removed).
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Mission U (niversity)
This seasons TLO events are a special offering in partnership with Lutheran Hour Ministry. Congregations are encouraged to send teams of 3-5 (or more) to a series of 4 live broadcasts on Outreach and Evangelism. During these four sessions, each ministry will develop and outreach activity, schedule and host it. In addition, each participant will learn how to share their God-story with another.
To learn more about participation please visit the Mission U page on the SED web site. I have included the power points used in the sessions here, but more information and documents are available at the web site.
General Introductory Power Point
Session 1:
Session 2:
Session 3:
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Books:
Luther in World Mission – A Historical and Systematic Study
In this book Ingemar Oberg (translated by Dean Apel) explores the body of Luther’s works to answer the question “is Luther interested in foreign mission?” He proposes that “Luther’s missiology cannot be found in programmatic writings on foreign missions, but it can be traced in his thirty-two-years of work with the biblical texts”. By many examples Oberg shows the heart of Luther for outreach to all. Politics and circumstance limited his contact with “foreigners”, but this reformer’s desire to communicate to all that they could be saved by grace through faith for Christ’s sake is unmistakable.
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The Church Comes from All Nations, Luther Texts on Mission. It is published by CPH. It is by Volker Stolle and translated by Klaus Detlev Schulz. Robert Kolb from Concordia Seminary in Saint Louis said of this book: “Stolle’s collection of Luther citations helps preachers, Bible classes, seminary and college students, and all interested Christians to explore Luther’s deep conviction that God calls all believers to speak the Gspel and share their faith so the Holy Spirit can use them as instruments in bringing unbelievers to faith in Christ. From theological observations based on exegetical study to practical advice on how to witness to those outside the faith, these citations reveal Luther’s lively commitment to evangelization.”
Blessings in Christ,
John Rickert
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The Great Omission: Fulfilling Christ’s Commission Completely
Review from Robert P. Sugg Jr on Amazon:
Saint provides a sound discussion of on overlooked missiological theme in The Great Omission. This is a “must read” for anyone involved in either long-term or short-term missions. Two of the greatest mistakes missionaries make are addressed in this little book: not developing national leaders and creating dependancy among those to whom we minister. Saint writes in a very engaging, readable manner and uses real life examples to illustrate his points. I distribute it to all my mission leaders
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This week I finished reading Reggie McNeal’s new book, Missional Renaissance. It is, in my opinion, a “must read” book for anyone interested in understanding the missional church movement and the direction of the church in the 21st century. It is his best book since Present Future. If you are not acquainted with the missional direction of current thought, this is the best, practical primer on the subject you will find. If you are already well read in the field, you will be delighted by the clarity and style and by the metrics for measuring the vitality of a missional journey.
This is a great book for discussion by circuits, staffs and congregational leaders. I’ve posted a review on my blog http://manonaswing.blogspot.com
The review provides more information.
I read a lot in this field. If I had to recommend one book for you to read on the missional church this year, this would probably be the one. It will get you thinking, may make you uncomfortable, but you will learn and grow.
Art Scherer
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Kelly A. Fryer, Reclaiming the “C” Word: Daring to be Church Again, Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2006.—- This book is obviously a sequel, or perhaps a prequel, to “Reclaiming the ‘L’ Word.” It focuses on challenging the church to redefine itself in a new missionary age. Fryer puts it this way: “I believe there is a fundamental shift happening in the way we think about what it means to be the church. There is an emerging ecclesiology (ecclesiology – a theology of the church) across every Christian denomination that says ‘to be the church is to be a part of God’s mission to love and bless the whole world’ This missional ecclesiology offers a way forward, into this new century, that can finally get us beyond the tired categories of “left” and “right” and the old debates that are tearing apart not only the church but our culture as well. In fact, iit calls us beyond ourselves – and our arguments – to be a part of what God is up to in the word. It is Biblical. It is deeply rooted in Christian orthodoxy. It believes in the central role of local congregations and communities of faith. It honors the past. It respects context. It teaches that ‘every single one of us’ has a call to participate in God’s work in the world. This way of thinking about what it means to be the church is at the heart of this book.” P. 6 There is good theology in the book, much of it already stated in “Reclaiming The L Word” and in Fryer’s chapter on gift and call in “The Evangelizing Church,”” but she says “…this book is primarily about how it might look if we practiced a missional ecclesiology within existing local congregations” Most of what is in this book is part of the theological fabric of those reading this review. If I gave the speech, you would tell me you had heard it before, but this little book could be a valuable tool for introducing congregations to the concept of missional ecclesiology. It’s worth the price.
Art Scherer