discovering missions - Southern Nazarene University

245187 Disc Missions ins 9/6/07 1:04 PM Page 5
PREFACE
This is an exciting time to study global mission. It was not supposed to be
this way because half a century ago respected church leaders were talking about
the demise of mission. A few even proposed a moratorium on mission. With
the passing of time, however, the number of missionaries and the finances
spent on missionary work have increased to higher levels than ever. A new appreciation
of missionaries and the world Christian movement has developed,
typified by Harvard University historian William Hutchison’s Errand to the
World. Not long ago, TIME magazine featured “The New Missionary” as a
cover story. In 2002, Philip Jenkins, a history professor at Penn State University,
wrote The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity, which
chronicled the stunning growth of the Christian faith in the non-Western
world. A lead story in Newsweek recounted “how the explosion of Christianity
in developing nations is transforming the world’s largest religion.” 1 The view
that global mission outreach would become a relic has itself become a relic.
Mission is a topic that concerns the whole church. A primary audience of
this volume is students at the university and seminary level. For easy use in semester-long
classes, the book has 14 chapters. However, it has also been written
with pastors and laypeople in mind. We have tried to help readers with
sidebars and boxed quotes to amplify the subject matter and to give contrasting
views. Questions are given at the end of each chapter to provoke further discussion
and analysis. The glossary at the end of the book defines those words
that are in bold type the first time they appear in the text.
We are grateful to all who helped with the preparation of this book. The
project would have stalled out had it not been for the persistent nudging, encouragement,
and help of Bonnie Perry, director of Beacon Hill Press of Kansas
City, and Alex Varughese, managing editor of the Centennial Initiative.
Missionaries Amy Crofford, Barbara Culbertson, and John Seaman read
two successive drafts of the entire manuscript, each time offering real-life examples
for illustrations and suggesting clarifications in wording. Helping track
down and verify numerous details were librarians, archivists, and researchers
Joseph Achipa, Stacy Barber, Debra Bradshaw, Stan Ingersol, Dale Jones, and
Vernell Posey. Sarah Bean, Elaine Cunningham, Roger Hahn, and Pam Rider
helped with editing the manuscript. Missionaries who critiqued most or all of
the full manuscript include Doris Gailey, Steve Heap, Tim Mercer, Terry Read,
Scot Riggins, Craig and Anita Sheppard, and Brian and Julie Woolery.
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