9Marks Prioritizing the Church in Missions

Encourage Long-Term Faithfulness in Missions with a Biblically Informed Strategy That Recenters the Church

The church is the origin, means, and end of missions. Scripture calls on missionaries to start and strengthen churches where new believers-and more missionaries-can grow. But today, many Christians downplay the role of the church in favor of pragmatism and parachurch ministries, weakening the missions cause.

In this brief guide, pastors John Folmar and Scott Logsdon share their decades of experience working as pastors in Muslim countries. Showing how healthy churches are essential for fulfilling the Great Commission, they teach biblical ecclesiology and missiology with wisdom and real-world advice from the field. They also caution readers against movement-driven missions, theological minimalism, and other techniques that replace the church’s God-given roles of equipping, training, and sending missionaries. Offering an effective, biblical strategy for global evangelism, Prioritizing the Church in Missions helps pastors and churches not only make Christ known throughout the world but ensure that God’s word is preserved long after missionaries leave. 

• Accessible Guide on Ecclesiology and Missiology: Explores the biblical role of the church in equipping, training, and sending qualified missionaries as well as the dangers of unhealthy missions practices
• Practical: Equips churches for effective evangelism, expositional preaching, prayer, and partnering together in the Great Commission
• Helps Churches Build a Biblically Informed Missionary Strategy: Ideal for missions-minded pastors, staff, students, and lay believers
• Part of the 9Marks Church-Centered Missions Series

232 pages

“The apostle Paul did not start ‘movements.’ He planted churches. We are overdue for a renewed emphasis on what the Bible emphasizes: prioritizing the church in missions. This excellent resource-written by two seasoned pastors serving in churches overseas-is just the antidote we need. Pastors, students, missionaries, mission committees, mission agencies, senders, and goers-everyone interested in missions will be helped by reading this book.”
Kevin DeYoung, Senior Pastor, Christ Covenant Church, Matthews, North Carolina

“Far too much mission work today is gospel-less or gospel-light. Even more is church-less or church-light. This book-which is written not just for pastors and missionaries but for all of us-is biblically faithful, deeply needed, and extremely helpful. May God raise up thousands upon thousands of followers of Jesus who both love the church and live to see it multiplied among all the nations.”
David Platt, Pastor, McLean Bible Church, McLean, Virginia; Founder, Radical