Missions Resources - Bibliography
The Missionary Call
Authors: M. David Sills
ISBN: 978-0802450289
Publisher: Moody Publishers
Number of pages: 256
Type of cover: Soft Cover
Summary:
“God is not a God of confusion.”
Nor is he one of guilt, shame or misunderstanding – all factors which deafen believers’ ears to the missionary call, according to M. David Sills. Thankfully, Sills sets out to clear up some of this crippling confusion in The Missionary Call.
In this three-part book dedicated to defining, understanding and fulfilling the missionary call, Sills carefully seeks to answer many of the questions that have plagued potential missionaries for decades.
“There has never been a single definition of the missionary call,” Sills writes. The importance then, he says, is not finding the right interpretation of the call, but rather in understanding your own call. Call confusion stems from sources like believers doubting God’s voice and agencies dogmatically insisting on a single definition of the call.
In addition to basic discernment advice (prayer, counsel, consideration of timing and heart’s desires), Sills provides a break-down of the three common views of the call. These include no “missionary” call (instead asking “Are you called not to go?”), no personal call necessary (since all are called), and staying home if no call was heard. He condones no particular view, yet gives supporting historical examples of each.
The author also tackles the motivation behind missions, suggesting a missionary should not be driven solely by world need, personal passion or faith obligation, but a combination of these and other factors.
Through biblical research and countless real-life examples, Sills demonstrates how to approach not only the where, when, why and how of the call, but also the accompanying tougher questions through chapters like, “How Specific Does the Call Have to Be?” and “What Should I Do If My Spouse Does Not Feel Called?”
Following chapters cover the hindrances that come before, during and after mission field entrance. Though not directly related to finding one’s calling, these chapters do provide the necessary foresight into discouragements and difficulties that either keep or drive a missionary from ministry.
Though intended for the prospective missionary, The Missionary Call will prove resourceful for more than just the nervous first-timer, as it did with this missionary kid (who learned no one is exempt from call distractions like culture shock).
Unlike other missions books, which offer guidance through stories or biographies, The Missionary Call provides clear direction in finding “your place in God’s plan for the world.” While he does reference other missionary calls, and his own long-term work in Ecuador, Sills clarifies: “the legitimacy of the call should not be determined by comparing it to someone else’s experience.”
An easy read, with concise explanations and helpful metaphors, The Missionary Call encourages its readers to treat their personal calls like love relationships – carefully and uniquely – and in doing so, draws them back to the love that is the very heart of every missionary’s call.
by Shannon Whiting
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