Missions Resources

02613X: Let the Nations Be Glad! 2d ed.: The Supremacy of God in Missions Let the Nations Be Glad! 2d ed.: The Supremacy of God in Missions
By John Piper / Baker

Why do we do missions? We are told, by Jesus, to preach the gospel and make disciples of all nations. So missions is duty, right? Wrong. If you do missions purely from a sense of duty you will not honor those you are reaching out to, nor will you truly honor God. Duty is the wrong place to look, so where do we find the answer to why we do missions? We turn, according to John Piper, to worship.

In our worship of God we encounter God's glory. The overflow from our worship is a desire to share God's glory with others (the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever), and we naturally become missional. When Jesus was asked what the kingdom of God was like, he compared it to a pearl so valuable that one would sell all they owned simply to possess it. Does that seem like duty to you? Instead, Jesus calls us to a new mindset, which flows from the mindset that worship creates in us. Thus, according to Piper, does worship become the goal of missions and the fuel which makes missions possible.

Worship as the fuel for missions makes sense to a lot of people, but worship as the goal of missions? Piper reminds us that the true reason we share God with others is to make them worshippers (and sharers) as well. He feels that the true goal of missions is "the gladness of the peoples in the greatness of God." If it is true, (as Piper states) that "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him," then increasing the number of people who are satisfied in God will bring God more glory. And missions is the way we can do that.

Missions must be seen as more than simply saving people from sin, though that is a very important aspect. And missions is not just about getting people into heaven, although that is important as well. Instead, through missions we should always seek to make as many people as possible into true worshippers, into those fully satisfied with the greatness of God.

With that mindset, missions becomes a joyous experience, as we joyfully share the life-changing presence of God in our lives with those who don't know God. When we have made worship both the fuel and goal of all our missionary endeavors, we realize that "missions is not a recruitment project for God's labor force. It is a liberation project from the heavy burdens and hard yokes of other gods." Missions is never a burden, because it comes out of our overwhelming joy in God's grace and mercy, and we just want to share that joy. So make God the center of your missions work, and joyfully share what He has graciously given to you.
40211: Missions Trip Prep Kit Student Guide Missions Trip Prep Kit Student Guide
By Kevin Johnson / Zondervan Youth Specialties

Wherever your destination, this journal pretty much says it all. It contains all you need to understand what you're learning on your trip, to digest and incorporate your experiences so they become part of you - and maybe even have some serious fun while you're doing all that spiritual stuff.

Inside these pages, you'll receive Devotional Bible readings and studies... reflective questions that get you thinking about the trip ahead or behind you... and, of course, journaling opportunities for expressing yourself before, during and after the trip.

4889X: Missions Trip Prep Kit Leader"s Guide Missions Trip Prep Kit Leader's Guide
By Kevin Johnson / Zondervan Youth Specialties

Headed to inner-city America? Appalachia? A border shantytown? Overseas? Wherever your destination, the Mission Trip Prep Kit contains all you need to prepare your students for an unforgettable cross-cultural experience - and tools to debrief them after they've returned to their worlds.

In this leader's guide, you'll receive not only the rationale, the how, and the logistics of planning and pulling off a missions trip, but, four pre-trip teaching sessions that will help your students:

  • Assess their expectations, their fears, their motivations
  • Adjust their perceptions of the culture they'll be working in
  • Improve their emotional and spiritual stamina for living for a week or a month in a very different world from their own
  • Practice the skills and attitudes (teamwork, servanthood, Christ-centeredness) they'll need for a missions trip
And to make sure your trip's goals are accomplished and the benefits stick around for the long haul, you'll also receive two post-trip sessions that will help you debrief your students, ease them back into their own worlds, celebrate with them, and make missions and ministry part of their everyday lives with Jesus.

What's more, in these pre- and post-trip teaching sessions are a variety of activities, processing points, creative prayer ideas, take-home applications, Bible studies relevant to missions trips, talk outlines that both instruct and inspire, and lots of sessions options you can tailor to your own high schoolers or middle schoolers.

32337: Short-Term Missions Workbook Short-Term Missions Workbook

By Tim Dearborn / Inter-varsity Press


Offer your congregation life- and faith-transforming experiences through global ministry. Eight orientation sessions prepare individuals and teams by instilling a biblical perspective of the world and increasing cross-cultural understanding. After your mission trip, two follow-up meetings help with "re-entry" adjustments. Dearborn's practical handbook features activities, reflection/discussion questions, suggestions for additional reading, and leader's guide. 126 pages, softcover from InterVarsity.

259157: Boundless Faith: The Global Outreach of American Churches Boundless Faith: The Global Outreach of American Churches
By Robert Wuthnow / University Of California

Has the American church turned inward, offering a cold shoulder to the rest of the world? Not at all, concludes Wuthnow, who sees vitality in the sending of missionaries abroad, short-term volunteer efforts, world relief, building orphanages, starting microbusinesses, attempts to shape American foreign policy, and lots more. 356 pages, hardcover. University of California.
509779: How to Get Ready for Short-Term Missions How to Get Ready for Short-Term Missions
By Anne-Geri Fann & Gregory Taylor / Thomas Nelson

A must for people heading out on short-term missions and help for parents to loosen their clammy grip on their kids who go. Anne-Geri and Greg have been on the mission field and led successful teams and from that created this guide to help you know what to expect-no matter where you're headed, how to have genuine ministry once you're there and even help you adjust to life upon return.
721896: Reflect: Youth Mission Devotional Journal Reflect: Youth Mission Devotional Journal
By Standard Publishing

This pocket-sized journal is perfect for preparing for a mission trip! You may have been packed for weeks, but there is still preparation mental, emotional, and spiritual that has to take place before you step out onto the mission field. The 15 devotions written by missionaries and journaling space help you get ready to share the love of Christ with the lost.
721919: Anticipate: Youth Mission Devotional Journal Anticipate: Youth Mission Devotional Journal
By Standard Publishing

You're going on a missions trip, or maybe you know someone who is. Maybe it's your first trip; maybe you've been many times. Either way, you have questions, and wonder about how you're supposed to feel about this whole experience. What better way to focus everything that you're feeling than a combination of a journal and devotional?

This series of small books contains articles written by young adults who have been active in missions. They address issues and concerns common to almost all missionaries, and allow you to put how you're feeling into perspective. The series of three books consists of 'Anticipate', for gearing up to entering the missions field; 'Experience', for journaling your daily thoughts while at your destination; and 'Reflect', for after you return.

Small in size, but packed with information for missionaries at all levels, and are wonderful keepsakes and mementos of those special times in our lives when we are able to bring God's Word to a world that hasn't heard of Jesus yet.
97388: Ready-to-Go Missions: 12 Complete Plans for Life-Changing Experiences Ready-to-Go Missions: 12 Complete Plans for Life-Changing Experiences
By Jason Schultz / Abingdon Press

These ready-made missions packages are completely accessorized with everything you need to easily prepare and smoothly execute effective and meaningful mission activities for youth.

You can spend less time on planning event details, and more time directly engaging your teens. These plans cover every detail, even laying out hour-by-hour schedules for you. Think of the convenience. Think of all the up-front prep time you can save.

492176: Ready-to-Go Devotions for Mission and Service Ready-to-Go Devotions for Mission and Service
By Mark Ray / Abingdon Press

Ready-to-Go Devotions for Mission and Service is a toolkit of daily devotionals for youth mission trips. The devotions in this book address every aspect of the mission experience, from leaving home and sleeping on the floor to dealing with language barriers and grumpy teammates. Each devotion includes a relevant Bible story, a commentary that connects that story to the mission experience, and a section that challenges the reader to take specific actions on the trip, back home, or both. The book includes devotions in preparation for, during, and after the mission trip or service project. The ready-to-go format allows the youth worker to quickly assemble a customized devotional journal for participants, matching each day's selection to what's likely to happen that day. The devotions could also be used in a group setting, which would allow the youth worker to pick devotions based on what has happened during the trip or event. Either way, the devotions point to the larger biblical and personal significance of mission trip or service project happenings.
 
44988: Don"t Waste Your Life Don't Waste Your Life
By John Piper / Crossway Books & Bibles

In this provocative work Pastor Piper challenges us to set aside the trivial pursuit of self-fulfillment so that we can develop a deeper passion for God. Piper believes that if we passionately submit the sufferings we endure, the risks we take, and the goals we set to the pursuit of God's glory, then not one moment of our lives will be wasted. Don't miss this opportunity to rekindle your passion for the cross of Christ and the glory of God.
34869X: Don"t Waste Your Life Group Study Kit Don't Waste Your Life Group Study Kit
By John Piper / Crossway Books & Bibles

You get only one life . . . so make it count for God's glory! John Piper's passionate challenge to the up-and-coming generation comes through loud and clear in this dynamic curriculum. Speaking straight to the hearts and minds of today's youth, it includes a DVD with 10 teaching sessions; a special edition of his bestseller; a study guide; and more.
48706: Don"t Waste Your Life Study Guide Don't Waste Your Life Study Guide
By Crossway

This study guide is designed to be used in a ten-session, guided group study that examines each chapter of "Don't Waste Your Life," by John Piper, or with the DVD sessions in the Group Study Kit. 123 pages, softcover from Crossway.
7545403: Re-Entry: Making the Transition from Missions to Life at Home Re-Entry: Making the Transition from Missions to Life at Home
By Peter Jordan / Ywam Publishing

Going on a short-term outreach, or a long-term outreach for that matter, can be like going into outer space. You leave home fast, and you come down hard! And in between is a totally foreign and completely exhilarating experience. But what happens when you get back home? Will your experience overseas be completely understood by your friends, your local church, and your loved ones? Will you be able to translate the blessings of what you experienced overseas into daily life back home? It is important to ask these questions - and more important to answer them. This book is the key in helping every person involved in missions to come face to face with the key issues of "re-enty."