Mission Handbook 21st Edition 7

I want to bring to your attention a new resource that needs to be added to your library.  Linda J. Weber has edited the latest edition of Mission Handbook: U. S. and Canadian Protestant Ministries Overseas.  This work was published through the Evangelism and Missions Information Service (EMIS) at the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College. 

This project was the collaborative work of several individuals.  Recently, I was able to ask Linda, Scott Moreau, and Laurie Nichols to comment on this massive project.  While Linda edited the work, Scott (professor in the intercultural studies department at Wheaton College) analyzed the data and complied the trends section, and Laurie (editorial coordinator of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College) oversaw the editorial work in the publishing department.     

What is the Mission Handbook and what is its practical value?

The Handbook is a collection of nearly 1,000 mission agencies—with staff anywhere from 2 people to 5,000 or more—that are based in the U.S. or Canada but are doing work overseas. Each listing includes information on how/who to contact, mission statement, purpose statement, year founded, annual income, personnel statistics, where the agency is serving, and what kind of work they are doing.

There is also a 60 page chapter on trends in North American missions.

The Handbook has incredible value for those going into missions and those who are part of the missions endeavor. It is a guide to help people plug into what agency fits their passions and giftings. It is one of the best places to look when someone is considering which agency to partner with. Professors and researchers can use the Handbook to look at the state of North American missions and trends in short-term, mid-term, and long-term missions.  

This is the 21^st edition of the Mission Handbook.  Can you share a short history of this publication?

The Mission Handbook first appeared in 1953 with the title Foreign Missionary Agencies in the United States: A Check List. It was compiled and mimeographed by the Missionary Research Library (MRL) in New York. The MRL was founded in 1914 at the initiative of John R. Mott who chaired the World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1910 and headed its continuation committee.

In 1968 the publication became a cooperative effort of MRL and the Missions Advanced Research and Communication (MARC) Center, a division of World Vision International. The title was changed to North American Protestant Ministries Overseas Directory. In 1973 the title included “Mission Handbook” as the publication began to include related articles and expanded analyses of the survey data. In 1976 MARC became the sole publisher.

For nearly two decades, John A. Siewert of MARC served as editor of the Handbook. In 2000, the Evangelism and Missions Information Service (EMIS) of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College became the publisher. The 18^th edition (copyright 2000) was the 1^st volume produced by EMIS. This edition is the 4^th volume published by EMIS. It is edited by Linda J. Weber.

What does the increase in non-US foreign workers in their own country indicate?

It refers to U.S. agencies employing nationals in their own country; the survey does not distinguish those serving among their own people from those serving cross-culturally in their own country. We do not ask about administrative employees, but I suspect a good number of those reported are in that category as well. 

You indicated that there was a relative lack of deployment to the Middle East, under 2% for full-time categories. Is this due to the countries being closed and the agencies not reporting all their numbers, or a fear by the American Church of the Muslim world?

Security is the key concern rather than Americans not going to these countries. Also, it is harder to get entry visas, etc.  

Do you think the number of tentmakers will continue to increase if the economy does not improve?

This is a tough one to determine. The economy in China is still growing much faster than U.S. or Europe, and tentmaking in settings like that can certainly continue to grow. I think this is a result of agencies being more willing to experiment and develop new “categories” for their workers.

Canadian mission agencies reported increases in total non-Canadian citizens on their payroll in every survey from 1996 to 2008. Is this a healthy trend?

Essentially yes—it’s in line with globalized sending. That they increased in the number of Canadians in the 2008 survey shows it’s not just a matter of shifting from one to the other.

What resources are available for those interested in finding out more about the Mission Handbook, EMIS, and the Billy Graham Center?

EMIS is the publishing division of the Billy Graham Center. Our publications include:

• Evangelical Missions Quarterly (EMQ), a quarterly journal providing practical articles from veteran missionaries around the world. It is also available online at http://www.emqonline.com/. EMQ has been equipping missionaries and mission leaders worldwide for 46 years. There is an annual subscription fee.
• Lausanne World Pulse (http://www.lausanneworldpulse.com/), a free, monthly, online-only publication providing news and information by Christian leaders around the world on issues related to evangelism and missions.
• Centerline, the quarterly newsletter of the Billy Graham Center. You can access it at: www.billygrahamcenter.com/bgcadmin/centerline.html.
• And a variety of other books on missions, including helps for those in prison ministry and Muslim ministry. For a list, visit: http://www.emisdirect.com/.
• You can also find more information on the Mission Handbook at: www.missionhandbook.com

Thank you all for sharing with my readers. 

To provide you with additional encouragement to get a copy, I leave you with the endorsement that I wrote for this book:

“With over two hundred new ministry listings, this edition of the Missions Handbook is the most expansive edition to date!  If you want to know what in the world these North American-based agencies are doing, then you must get this resource. While chocked full of a wealth of data, this volume is not designed to sit on your shelf and collect dust.  Get it, rejoice in what the Lord is doing through our brothers and sisters, and use it to assist in Kingdom advancement!”