This book rightly strives to shift the thinking in the evangelical church on an important biblical principle of missions. Unfortunately, the proposed solution to return the definition of the word ‘missions’ to its historical meaning is far from sufficient to solve the problem the authors have identified. As first established in the title, the book's premise is that the language used by Christians and churches to describe missions work is being diluted to the point that the word ‘missions’ is becoming meaningless. However, despite this premise, it is clear the authors are not ultimately worried about the definition of the word ‘missions’ but are concerned with the collapse of cross-cultural mission work in the evangelical church. Yes, words have meanings, and it is essential to have the terms rightly defined and rightly understood, but what is at stake is not that the meaning of the word ‘missions’ is lost but that souls around the globe will be lost to eternal torment. Perhaps the best case is that the term ‘missions’ remains consistent with its historical meaning, and cross-cultural mission also grows and flourishes in the church as the result of this book. However, it would be astonishing if these authors mourned while biblical missions work exploded, but it was done under some other word or no word at all. This book is filled with concern for expanding mission work and fear that it is slipping in the church. The arguments in this book would have been stronger if they had not been formed around saving the definition of a word but instead around saving Great Commission work.
Chapter 3 stands as the most decisive passage in the book as the authors present undeniable truths about the need for missions. These are the sort of compelling arguments that need to be made in churches from the pulpit to move the church back towards growing a heart for missions. Christians should be reminded of their sin and their eternal destination before their redemption, developing a passion for missions. From the pulpit should come the church’s visions for mission work. Teaching should define the biblical roles within a church and clarify that some are called to go, and some are called to send. From the pulpit, missions should be defined according to the terms of the Bible. This is the solution to the problem of dissolving interest in mission work. By the power of the Holy Spirit, faithful preaching can change how people live and act.
Although perhaps it is not done intentionally, the authors’ battle to retain the meaning of the word ‘missions’ resulted in the denigration of the local work that a church does. There are millions of lost souls in Boston, United States, and in Mumbai, India, who are all in the same, precise same state of desperately needing salvation through Jesus Christ. It would be foolish to pretend the people in Boston and Mumbai were within the equal reach of a legitimate church. Christians must be taught to commit the necessary extra resources to reach people who are further from help. However, a lost soul is a lost soul anywhere on the planet. Christians should be motivated to missions and local evangelism because they are deeply concerned for the lost. Being rightly concerned for lost souls will drive Christians and churches to do local work and cross-cultural missions without hesitation. Undoubtedly, God has the resources to supply the people and the money to reach the unsaved in Boston and Mumbai.
This book struggles under the needless workload of attempting to retain the definition of an English word while skillfully dealing with profound biblical truths that are well-supported and argued about the importance of cross-cultural missions.
Spitters, Denny, and Matthew Ellison. When Everything Is Missions. Bottomline Media, 2017.
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