Recommended reading: mission

Many of us would like to be better at living a missional life, but don’t know where to start. Sam Moore recommends books for those wanting to explore what mission looks like in theory and practice.

• The Drama of Scripture: Finding our Place in the Biblical Story by Craig Bartholomew and Michael Goheen (A best-selling textbook on the Biblical narrative as a drama in 7 acts, and how it establishes a Christian worldview in which we are invited to play our part)
• Bible and Mission: Christian Mission in a Postmodern World by Richard Bauckham (An examination of biblical mission, the uniqueness of Christianity, and being sensitive to postmodern concerns)
• A Time for Mission: The Challenge for Global Christianity by Samuel Escobar (A book that sheds light on how the global church can cross geographical, cultural and social barriers)
• The Symphony of Mission by Michael Goheen and Jim Mullins (An examination of how we can all play our different parts within a wider ‘symphony’ of mission – a book that helped shape Innovista Ireland’s ‘Find Your Place’)
• Abide and Go by Michael Gorman (Drawing from John’s gospel, this shows how Christian disciples become more missional through Jesus and the work of the Spirit)
• Embracing Justice by Isabelle Hamley (Exploring what spirituality shaped by biblical portrayals of justice would look like in the 21^st century)
• The Other Side of the Wall by Munther Isaac (A reflection of faith, lament and hope from Palestinian Christians witnessing from behind ‘the wall’)
• The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative by Chris Wright (An award-winning book on how holistic mission forms the basis for the whole Bible)
• Faithful Presence: Seven Disciplines that Shape the Church for Mission by David Fitch (A call to rediscover historical sacramental disciplines, so that the church can be reimagined as the living embodiment of Christ, dwelling in and reflecting God’s faithful presence

Want more? See also Sam Moore’s recommended reading list on the topic of leadership, which can be read by clicking here.