"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age." - Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)

Christians everywhere and of all ages recognize God’s heartbeat to take the gospel to the nations and wrestle with the implications of the Great Commission in their own lives. Many ask how they can know for sure that God is calling them to missions. But the practical concerns inherent in discerning God’s will about whether to join Him in missionary service usually throw us into a crisis because of the comfort-zone-exploding ramifications of surrendering to that call. Christians direct questions about their general understanding of the call and the implications of such a vocation to college and seminary professors, pastors, mission agencies, missionaries, and friends. They ask what exactly constitutes a missionary call, how detailed it must be, and how God communicates such a call to His children. Many wonder whether a specific and personal call is necessary since it seems to them that all Christians are called and the obedient respond. Even if they are certain of a personal call to missions, they are still left with the dilemma of discovering the elusive details of where, when, how, and with whom the calling is to be fulfilled. Some who believe they are called to missions struggle with how they can follow God’s calling when their spouse does not yet feel called. Confusion abounds for most believers about the missionary call.

Very few books address the missionary call as it practically applies to people in the twenty-first century. Issues such as terrorism, globalization, urbanization, and pluralism have changed the missions landscape.While some mission agencies have responded to these challenges with innovations such as creative-access platforms to provide access and protection in dangerous places, others are openly calling for missionary martyrs. Some speakers and missions literature say that all are called to go while others say that no one should go without a specific calling. Discernment can be difficult under the best of circumstances and these complications just make knowing and doing the will of the Lord seem even more difficult.

A misunderstanding of the missionary call, who receives it, and how it comes to people has probably kept more people from going to the mission field than any other reason. Perhaps you are one of the many young people anxiously wondering whether God is calling you to missions. Or maybe you are one of the hundreds of thousands of faithful church members approaching middle age with kids who are now in college or married with families of their own. You want to finish your life well and would love to serve on the mission field with your remaining years. Christians just like you, all around the globe, also struggle with the question: Is God calling me to missions? It is not an easy question to answer and the life-changing consequences that could follow make it all the more important....about the book

For more information about Dr. Sills' ministry, visit his ministry website, Reaching and Teaching.