A Vision for Missions

by Tom Wells

Wells summons us back to first principles about missions. Human need is not the starting place. The gospel is a call to know and worship God.

Genres: Christian, Theology, Evangelism

160 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1985

Reviews

[Riley Hambrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

My vision still sucks, but I have glasses so… I get by. And now after reading this book I have ~spiritual~ glasses. See what I did there?

[Nate DeRochie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why missions? Because our God is glorious and worthy to be proclaimed among the nations. This is Wells’ basic contention: that God’s glory is the chief motivator for missions, not human need. This is why he spends about half the book explaining who our God is. This realization, however, ought to transform more than just missions. It should transform every aspect of Christian ministry: from preaching to evangelism to programs. All of it is primarily to proclaim God’s glory. Human response is secondary to that glorious purpose.

And who is best equipped to declare these things? Not those who know the most recent sociological or psychological theory but those who know God most.

I took a star off for the many editing oversights I came across and for the fact that some of this book seemed to be directly transcribed from sermons without thought as to how to change the form of the message based on its medium. However, the content of this book is excellent, and its main argument is extremely compelling.

[Michael Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well this book surprised me a lot! This book is a fantastic re-alignment for the person on fire to reach the lost across the world. God is worthy to be known and proclaimed for who He is! This should be the theology that everything stems from for the missionary and believer. We must burn inwardly at the thought of God’s glory, then we must burn out in our service for God.

[Abbey Riggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book that reminds us that it is God’s glory we seek after. I highly recommend this book.

[High Pointe Baptist Church]

Why God calls us to do missions (with answers you might not expect), and what it might look like for you to commit your life to missions.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple truths stated simply yet powerfully. A stirring reminder. Excellent words on abandoning a utilitarian God and striving to proclaim God in His glory, not just the benefits salvation brings.

[Mary Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, Tom Wells brings to the fore that a vision for missions must stem from a vision of God. Christians must know who God is and believe that God is worthy to be known. The first portion of the book zooms in on the character of God, emphasizing that the ultimate goal of missions is to glorify God, who is the head of missions. The second portion of the book presents three missionaries as a model of how the vision for missions is applied in real life. In between the two portions are two transitional chapters highlighting that Christ Jesus is how God chooses to reveal Himself to us, and that God’s glory must take precedence over human need.

The sections on God’s sovereignty and self-sufficiency truly left a deep impression. The resounding fact is this: God does not need us. I believe for me, and many Christians passionate about “advancing God’s work”, it must feel like a stab to the heart. When Wells spoke about how “thousands of young persons enter Christian service from no higher motive than to help [...] God”, coupled with “a fair amount of compassion for the underprivileged and you have the true drive behind much Christian activity today” (p.26-27). I highlighted this passage immediately and just wrote “ouch” next to it. For this mindset has fueled my passion for missions for the longest time. But on p77, Wells revisited the point about compassion, and I finally realized that concern for the lost is a good and valid motive for missions, it just cannot be the only motive, nor can it be the central one. Instead, compassion for men has to stem from reverence of God, and a desire for Christ to receive the worship and praise that is due Him. In short, we must be careful not to forget God in our zeal for men (p.104).

Finally, one invaluable application I took away from this book is the essentiality of prayer in missions. Like William Carey and his friends, they rooted everything in prayer. How humbling the act of prayer is, and what an act of surrender! Through prayer, missionaries are giving all control back to God, and submitting to His sovereignty, self-sufficiency, and perfect wisdom.

[Elliott Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The thesis of this book is: God is worthy to be known and proclaimed for who He is, and that fact is an important part of the missionary motive and message… This book also has a second thesis: those who know the most about God are the most responsible and best equipped to tell of him” (p. 9).

To prove the first thesis, Wells takes the first 3/4 of the book to work through the bigness and beauty of God’s character and apply it to missions. God is sovereign over all and has good reasons for all he does. He needs nothing. He has the power to do whatever he pleases. He knows everything. He is the standard for truth. Salvation is always from him. He is loving, gracious, and good, shown most clearly at the cross. He is faithful to his promises, his people, and his glory.

These truths are what motivate and sustain missionaries. God is worthy to be known! His character humbles us, emboldens us, comforts us in suffering, calls us to trust God, and reassures us that our work for him is always meaningful and we will never be failures in his eyes. And we must do something with this knowledge of God. We must share it. We must prioritize God’s glory above all else.

To prove the second thesis, Wells looks at the example of several missionaries who had a big view of God. David Brainerd wanted people to know and praise God for who he is. William Carey’s view of God caused him to pray for the world. Henry Martyn lived on God by finding inspiration in who God is more than in his own success.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best pieces I've read on the foundation for missions, mission, and evangelism.

Two stated theses:
(1) God is worthy to be known and proclaimed for who he is, and that fact is an important part of the missionary motive and message.
(2) Those who know that most about God are the most responsible and best equipped to tell of him. Those who know Jesus Christ the most know God the most clearly.

Wells deals with common missionary appeals that use shame or human need as primary motivators for telling others about God instead of God's glory being the primary aim. Though published in 1985, he levels several critiques of modern evangelicalism that still ring true today.

I'm writing a study guide for this for our church as we seek to stir people to tell people about God in the places and spaces God has them in, and to stir a passion for God's glory among the nations.

For those interested in being more faithful in personal evangelism, I'd likely point them to this book over any practical evangelism book I've read.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wells makes the case that God is worthy to be known and praised for who he is and those who know the most about him are best suited to make him known. God's glory ought to be the ultimate and sufficient motive of missions. The first two chapters are excellent and a must read for those interested in missions. The rest of the book lightly touches on various attributes of God and connects them to missions. The final chapters highlight David Brainerd, William Carey, and Henry Martyn as positive examples of missionaries who were motivated by the glory of God. Wells does a great job pointing out how God's glory is most clearly revealed in Jesus Christ and him crucified.

[Nick Whitehead · Rating 4 out of 5]

The content was superb as Wells unpacked the proper biblical motives for evangelism and missions. Really argued against a “zeal without knowledge” approach to modern missions and sets before the reader a Big-God and gospel-centered theology.

I did personally struggle with the writing at times. It felt clunky and circular.

[Josh Stowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that shows the worthiness of God and our blessed obligation to make him known. A pleasure to read and plenty of quotes to flip back to.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot think of a book I’ve enjoyed more. Its message is simple and God-glorifying.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure how I acquired this book. I believe it was given to me at some point. It sat on my shelf amidst other volumes until one day when it piqued my interest. Little did I know when I pulled it from its resting place that it would prove to be an epochal book in my life.

It was one of those books that seemed to appear at just the right time. I was only a few years into the ministry. I was like a little boy with a new set of Legos. I had the important blocks but they were in a jumble. I was wrestling with them, moving them around, turning them over, and trying to put them together cohesively to build something sensible and useful.

I was fully persuaded of God's absolute sovereignty and supremacy in all things, but this book revealed an inconsistency and prompted an articulation of God centeredness in all things. What does that look like in the realm of missions? What should be our chief aim and motivation in missions? Before reading this book, I would have answered: Our chief aim and motivation in missions is the salvation of the nations.

That answer is not right and Tom Wells helped me see that in this book. God is always first. He is sovereign and supreme. So our first aim and motivation in missions is to declare His glory among the nations.

This crucial truth profoundly impacted my life and ministry. The pieces were there, but they weren't fit together quite right. Looking back at my sermon log, I see that after reading this book I preached messages like "Declaring God's Glory" from Psalm 96:1-3 and "God's Commitment to His Own Glory" from Isaiah 42:8. I owe a debt here and I am grateful. I want God centeredness to saturate every aspect of life for me.

I highly recommend this book to you and hope you will consider well the primary message it contains.

[Susanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Challenging reminder that "God is the One worthy to be known and served and loved and followed and proclaimed for ever. Not for His rewards--God Himself is the reward. He is worthy to be known and proclaimed for who He is. His faithfulness proves it."

[Andy]

0065