To date there have been very few, exceptionally few, history and strategy of missions books. Of those few only one can be considered both accurate and readable, this book was Jerusalem to Jaya by Ruth A. Tucker. While this work was considered the standard, it has been challenged and in many ways surpassed buy a new work titled Missiology: An Introduction to the Foundations, History, and Strategies of World Missions. This work by John Mark Terry, takes a different approach than Tucker did. For Terry as editor compiled a scholarly collection of articles detailing missions as a whole instead of individual biographical accounts.

Furthermore while this is a scholarly work it is very readable and can be used in teaching missions to a wide variety of ages from teenagers on up. Even more I would suggest that this work could be adapted to be a Early College text book. While there is definitely a Baptist bent to this work, it does not exclude missions efforts from other theological views. I commend this work to anyone who is serious about missions as a study to understand and apply the history and strategies of world missions up in through the modern era.

I received this book from B&H Academic free of charge for an unbisaed review, I was not required to write a positive review.

Some thoughts on "MISSIOLOGY_ 2nd Edition

The message doesnt change but the method of delivering it does. That is evident in sermons, in church music, and the way we do missions. Back in 1997 the first edition of Missiology was published, and now in 2015 the 2nd edition of Missiology: An Introduction to the Foundations, History, and Strategies of World Missions (edited by John Mark Terry, published by B&H Academic) is available. Again the message doesnt change, but the way we take that message to the world certainly has changed. The nations are coming to us in numbers greater than ever before and at times we have to adapt to the changing climate.

If you're a big fan of 3-point sermons you might wonder why this wasnt broken into 3 sections instead of 5, but sometimes we have to change the way we do things. There is a logic to the sub-divisions, and the papers are neatly arranged according to several themes, the study of missions, a Biblical basis, theology history, and application. (For you three-pointers, you have an intro, 3 points and an application.)

Many prominent names in the field of Missiology are included in the list of authors represented in this edition. They are noted scholars who have advanced the study of Missions through their experience and writing. This is an ideal reference book for all those interested in studying how the Great Commission is being fulfilled in the 21st centuryand it certainly has changed over the last few hundred years.

Although I have no complaints about the authors, the papers, or the way things are arranged, I would have liked to see some indication of when the papers were actually written (and maybe that's there and I missed it). Especially when things are being updated, it's helpful for me to be able to look back and see how things have changed. Is the change something that has been happening over the past 50 years or 100? Or is it a recent (3-5 years) change?

This a must for the reference shelf of anyone interested in missions.



I received this book for free from B&H for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 : Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.