Abstract
Covering such a broad topic as spirituality in mission is a daunting task. This volume accepts the challenge and admirably delivers with evangelical spirit, balancing various cultural and ministry perspectives. Spirituality is a lifelong journey that requires intellectual contemplation, reflection of the soul, and deliberate action.
Divided into eight parts, the book contains 39 concise chapters, each of which has the potential to be developed into more extensive articles or books. Part I introduces the topic and gives the background of how the book came to light. This is followed by part II on the theological implications, exploring such topics as grace, spiritual warfare, and suffering in relation to spirituality.
Part III addresses spiritual formation and spiritual direction as well as cultural issues such as racism, justice, and the arts. One of the editors, Bill Taylor, examines the stages of spiritual development using Fowler’s Stages of Development and Hicks’s Six Stages of Manhood.
Of particular importance is Paul Bender-Samuel’s chapter on organizational spirituality, which sets the tone for part IV under the same title. Chapter 24 presents case studies from a wide variety of organizational and cultural viewpoints. Especially interesting is L. N. Tluanga’s study of the spirituality of the Mizo movement in Northeast India.
Part V looks at how missions organizations can better prepare mission candidates for the rigors of spirituality on the mission field. Topics covered include the missionary call, encountering evil powers, evaluating risk, and preparing for persecution. Ruth Walls’s chapter gives a helpful educational paradigm on nurturing spirituality.
Part VI deals with caring for fellow travelers on the journey of mission spirituality. Detlef Blöecher’s overview is important here.
Finally, part VII examines the challenges missionaries face along the way, including the snares that can entangle and the antidotes that can rescue. Part VIII is an annotated bibliography.
All in all, this is an excellent and helpful book that could have been even better. Historical perspectives on evangelical mission spirituality could have been stronger by including such sources as the Moravians, Amy Carmichael, and more non-Western personages. There could also have been a greater emphasis on the role of the church in spirituality in mission. In addition, one might ask if there are differences in mission spirituality between men and women, singles and married, adults and “third culture kids.”
Lastly, the authors seem to be unaware of the growing number of books already published on this topic, including Spiritual Survival Handbook (2011), Godly Servants (2012), and Spiritual Equipping for Mission (2014), among others. An index would have been useful. This book should be required reading for missionary candidates, those already in the field, and mission executives.