Being on mission is not just one facet of following Jesus is part of our gospel DNA.
"As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you" these were the parting instructions Jesus left his followers. God desires every Christian, regardless of location or specific calling, to live "sent" in their everyday lives. In You Are Sent, Nathan Sloan leads readers to discover how the Spirit that sends us fills us with God's heart to share the gospel with those near and far.
In this nine-week study, participants will discover God's passion for local and global missions and be empowered to make Jesus known everywhere they go. You Are Sent is adaptable and flexible for each church's need and accessible for every member, no matter where they live or what they do. This resource helps every Christian live missionally while at the same time helping them to develop a passion and knowledge for global missions.
AUTHOR
Nathan Sloan, DMiss,is the executive director of Upstream Sending, a missions sending organization focused on putting the local church in the driver's seat of sending. Nathan is also a pastor at Sojourn Church Midtown in Louisville, Kentucky, and is the author of Multisite Missions Leadership and You Are Sent. Nathan is married to Sarah, and they have two wonderful children.
Serge is an international missions organization dedicated to sending and caring for missionaries, mentoring and training ministry leaders globally, and creating gospel-centered resources for personal and church renewal. They emphasize the transformative power of the gospel of grace in the believer's life, focusing on ongoing renewal and equipping leaders and believers for mission.
"From biblical theology to a history of missions, and from contextualization to one's particular call to be a missionary, You Are Sent clearly covers all essential topics in a transferable format. More importantly, it emphasizes that God's sending of his people is not intended for a select few. Rather, wherever God has put us, we are on mission. Highly recommended!"
Gregg R. Allison, Professor of Christian Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; secretary, Evangelical Theological Society; author of Historical Theology and Sojourners and Strangers
"Inspirational, practical, and made to order for the biggest, most diverse social network in the world; the church. Nathan's heart for the local church comes through in this book. It is combined with an equal dose of Great Commission vision. If you have been looking for a way to energize the soul of your congregation, this is the resource for you."
Ted Esler, President, Missio Nexus
"Each week in my church toward the end of the service, we pray this prayer: "And now, Father, send us out to do the work you have given us to do, to love and serve you as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord." In this new work, Nathan Sloan provides tangible feet to this prayer a practicable and reflective guide to help every believer engage in God's mission. I highly recommend it."
Edward L. Smither, Dean, College of Intercultural Studies, Columbia International University; author of Christian Missions and Mission in the Early Church
"Nathan knows God's grace and love for us is the power that propels us into our unique roles in world-wide gospel mission. As a missionary, scholar, and pastor, Nathan calls us into the meaning of this age following Christ into all the world with his gospel."
Josiah Bancroft, Senior Director of Mission, Serge
"Nathan Sloan brings together in this book his training as a missiologist, his experience as a missionary, and his years of service as a Pastor of Sending in the same local church for over a decade to help Christians understand that, as followers of Christ, we are all sent ones. Even though we are not all professional missionaries, readers will learn what it means to live as a sent follower of Christ in the ordinary rhythms of life in our communities."
Jarvis J. Williams, Associate Professor of New Testament Interpretation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY; author of Redemptive Kingdom Diversity and Christ Redeemed Us from the Curse of the Law
"In You Are Sent, Nathan provides an excellent introduction to foundational ideas for every believer to consider as they pursue faithfulness to the Great Commission. This accessible work provides sufficient content for someone new to global engagement while resourcing those with some prior knowledge. I would commend it to you and your ministry!"
Todd Engstrom, Executive Pastor of Ministry Strategies, The Austin Stone; cofounder, 100 UPG Cooperative
"In a straightforward, biblical, and adaptable style, Nathan Sloan provides an invaluable guidebook in preparing your church to live on mission. It will challenge everyone to consider their role in God's global mission, along with highlighting their identity as a sent one, no matter their geographic location or vocation. A must-have missions training resource."
Greg Mathias, Director of the Global Mission Center, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
"You Are Sent is an excellent road map and resource for every church that longs to see God's people on mission yet grapples with where to start. Nathan has done a brilliant work in creating a tool that gives pastors and church leaders confidence in equipping their congregations to embrace God's heart for the nations."
Michelle Atwell, CEO, SEND US
"Nathan has a big heart for missions, and after reading this book, you will too. There are many books written on missions but few that would force you to slow down, ponder, ask questions, and try to apply it to your heart. It's a practical, accessible guide, packed with a lot of wisdom; one that should be read and paid heed to by all believers. Churches and missions pastors will do well to use this book."
Hezekiah Harshit Singh, Pastor, Satya Vachan Church, Lucknow, India
"Christ sent us to reach a big and complicated world. You Are Sent is a practical primer on that commission, written for the local church. It will help you and the people in your church understand the task of missions in a clear, biblical, and compelling way, and help lead you to your next step in completing Christ's last command."
Nate Irwin, Pastor of Global Outreach, College Park Church, Indianapolis, IN
The subtitle of the book, "Finding Your Place in God's Global Mission" is a good way to introduce these lessons. The 9 lessons are designed for small group, class or individual study. The lessons start out a bit slow, talking about renewal and mission which I am not personally enamored with the word "renewal." I get it and understand how it is being used, but seems a bit over-used. I didn't feel there was a "hook" to grab my attention for the lessons themselves to pull me in to want to know more...rather drab beginnings to the sessions, at least in the Leader's Notes. The first session aim to show that the Bible is a missions book through and through is great! One minus is there is no Scriptural index at the back of the book to refer to. Otherwise, I felt the lessons were good and gave another perspective on teaching, learning about missions. I have taught other courses on missions and feel this one is put on the level of the every day Believer not just those who "feel called" or who are preparing to go cross-culturally.
You Are Sent is a nine week Bible Study that focuses on sharing the gospel message locally as well as globally. The reflection questions coupled with scripture memory and and mission-based activities bring the book to life. This would be a great resource to use for a church-wide study. While this complimentary book was provided for review by New Growth Press, no other compensation was given. All remarks are my personal and honest opinions.