Mission-Ready Friendship: A Blueprint for Deeper Relationships and Life-Changing Faith

by Jason J. Simon

Whether we know it or not, we all have family members or friends who are fighting hidden battles of doubt, alienation, isolation, guilt, compulsions, grief, or hopelessness. But often we don’t know exactly how to offer the Good News of Jesus to them in these struggles—at least not beyond offering our “thoughts and prayers.” Mission-Ready Friendship is a roadmap for how to truly befriend your friends, not by solving their problems for them but by going deeper to become the friend Jesus created you to be.

Jason J. Simon grew up in a faithful home but wandered into darkness through his high school and college years. For years, he struggled with shame and despair until Chip, a guy he met while eating donuts after Mass, noticed that darkness and disrupted it by being an intentional, thoughtful friend. This relationship changed Simon’s life and eventually inspired him to lead the Evangelical Catholic, a national organization dedicated to helping people discover how God is already at work in the lives of our innermost circle.

This book spells out simple and incremental practices any Catholic can use to develop deeper, more purposeful friendships. You will learn how to

become more invested, curious, and empathetic toward others; pray for the people God has placed in your life; be ready for the ways God is prompting you to build deeper friendships; and bring intentionality to your relationships to accompany them closer to God.   Jesus himself used these practices with his followers and sent each of them to use mission-ready friendship to share his good news with others. It’s a simple but powerful approach to relationships that promises to change lives, including your own.

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2024

Reviews

[Arianna Santiago · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m torn on this one. On one hand, I know that Mr. Simon’s stories, easy to understand points, and conversational tone will resonate with most of his audience: those in the church who have perhaps never encountered intentional friendship. He breaks down the intangibles of pursuing virtuous friendships and discipling those around us in an easy to understand manner - just keep your eyes and heart open and walk with them where they are at. On the other hand, I found it incredibly simplistic, and at times a bit too much like a sales pitch. Maybe it was the repeated cadence of “disrupt their lives!” Maybe it’s because I was hoping for more intellectual depth, stories from scripture or the lives of the saints, or even an emphasis on the importance of first being rooted in one’s own serious life of prayer and intimacy with the Lord before all else. Maybe my opinion is based on my experiences of living out these things through college and young adult ministry and knowing that his stories and examples don’t quite measure up to the real thing. But at its heart, I think “Mission-Ready Friendship” gives a fine blueprint on how to live out our call to “go and make disciples of all nations,” and issues a challenge to Catholics and Christians today to remind those around us of what they are truly seeking. They just need to keep it off the shelf long enough to let this knowledge inform their everyday habits.

Thanks to Ave Maria Press and NetGalley for the review copy in exchange for my honest feedback!

[MonkeyBusiness · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are valuable suggests in here, and I really like the summaries and discussion questions. Where the book falls short is in the examples. Most are relatable to married people, especially with children. As a single person, and one without children or immediate family, there wasn't common ground.