Book Review: The Mission of God and the Witness of the Church

An excellent starting point for anyone seeking a biblical theology of missions
By Aaron Myers

I was 26 when I traveled to a missions conference in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was there that I first heard—or at least comprehended—the idea that the whole of the biblical story was a missions story, a reflection of the Father’s heart for the nations and one cohesive narrative of God’s plan for rescue. I’m not sure I realized it at the time, but before then I had viewed the Bible as more of a collection of random stories about God, and the Great Commission as a sort of new idea that Jesus brought onto the scene. But as the main speaker walked through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, highlighting the missional nature of God’s plan and the repeated refrain that all nations would one day worship God, I realized for the first time that the Bible was truly the story of the mission of God. It was there that I first understood that mission is not something the Bible merely speaks about. Mission is what the Bible is about. It is the context that provides the backbone for God’s story and our story. Since creation, God has been working to redeem all peoples to Himself.

Since that conference, I’ve read many books that focus on the missional story of God; John Piper’s Let the Nations Be Glad and Christopher Wright’s The Mission of God’s People, to name just two. These are fantastic works that helped build a deep biblical foundation for missions and books I’d encourage everyone to read. However, the book I would encourage everyone to read first is Justin Schell’s, The Mission of God and the Witness of the Church. I valued Schell’s book first and foremost because of its accessibility. At just eight chapters and 109 pages, it is a highly readable book offering keen insight into the Scriptures without getting bogged down in overly theological language. It is, however, far more than simply a CliffsNotes version of other mission books. The language, examples, and teaching are clearly presented and easy to read.

​For example, reflecting on the Great Commission, Schell writes:

​In the Great Commission, God continues with his original plan in Eden, a world filled with men and women who would reflect and represent the good God in all the earth—that is, disciples of all nations.

With clarity and clear examples, Schell walks through the Bible and gives a simple but solid overview of the whole Bible’s mandate for missions. Chapter one introduces the biblical God of mission, his character and his purpose in mission. Chapters two through eight then walk through the biblical story from Eden through the Fall to Abraham and the exodus before exploring Matthew 28 and the Great Commission. It then follows the early church as they work to obey Jesus before bringing the book to a close with a survey of the Epistles and the Book of Revelation.

As part of the Short Studies in Biblical Theology series of books printed by Crossway, The Mission of God and the Witness of the Church is the first book I’d recommend to a mission committee working to gain a better understanding of why we do missions. It would be a helpful book for any pastor feeling the need to have a better understanding of missions in the church and could also be a book for small groups to utilize for study and discussion. I have created a simple chapter reflection guide, which I trust will be beneficial for individuals and small groups as they work through this book. This worksheet, as well as, links to the book can be found below.

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The Mission of God and the Witness of the Church is a book I would highly recommend to anyone wanting to build a solid biblical foundation for understanding God's mission. I found it to be both deeply insightful and remarkably accessible—a combination that is not always easy to find. Whether you are new to missions or have spent years studying the subject, this book offers a clear, biblical framework for understanding God's heart for the nations. It is a resource I expect to return to often as I continue helping others discover their place in the mission of God.

Article Resources

• The Mission of God and the Witness of the Church by Justin Schell
  
• Chapter Reflection Guide Worksheet
  
• The Short Studies in Biblical Theology Series
  
• Let the Nations Be Glad by John Piper
  
• The Mission of God's People by Christopher Wright

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