Run with the Vision

A Remarkable Global Plan
for the 21st Century Church

By Bob Sjogren
and Bill & Amy Stearns
Bethany House, $9.99

ISBN 1556613210

A No-Nonesense Guide to World Evangelism

Review by Robert Liparulo

Go ahead and admit it: the Great Commission is sometimes rather confounding. Indeed, we want to obey, to make disciples of all nations, but as we prepare for the rubber to meet the road, very often we stall. Questions clutter our path: How can I help? Where do I start? What is the best way to reach people with different languages, cultures, beliefs? What about money?

Good questions, all. And all are answered in a timely and truly brilliant book called Run With the Vision. The book combines the mission and evangelism insights of authors Bill and Amy Stearns (who penned the award-winning Catch the Vision 2000) and Bob Sjogren (co-founder and associate U.S. director for FRONTIERS, an interdenominational faith mission agency). As sharp as these authors are, here they wisely sought counsel from numerous mission agencies, books, articles, experts, and of course Scripture.

The result is a thorough exploration of missionary-training methods, fund-raising ideas, strategy starters, the ways various groups are reaching out, mission terminology-just about everything readers need either to get into the mission field themselves or to mobilize others. Incredibly, the book lives up to its sweeping subtitle, "A Remarkable Global Plan for the 21st Century Church: How to Mobilize, How to Send, How to Go."

The book is divided into two sections. The first is an overview of what's happening in the world today, how mission organizations and individuals are using these events to grow God's Kingdom, and why outreach is so crucial. The evangelical church in Argentina, for example, has grown more than 800 percent in the past decade. Next, it challenges readers with sketches of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and other widespread religions.

The first part of the book tills the fields of your mind, getting it ready for the second half, which focuses on the reader's specific participation in world evangelism. It addresses the various roles missionaries fill, the discomfort-versus-adventure factor, the questions wannabes should ask before jumping in or backing out, how to solicit help, and much more. The chances of your not knowing your role in world evangelism after reading this section are about the same as for the resurgence of the Pony Express.

Here's the fun part: the Stearns and Sjogren are entertaining writers. Each chapter begins with a story of real-life evangelism, written in the second person ("Your feet are beginning to blister in the hot sand . . ."). The style makes for easy reading, while explaining sometimes complex ideas. It puts you in the driver's seat, so when they ask you to take the wheel, you are ready to take their ideas for a spin.

With Run With the Vision, questions about the Great Commission simply vanish. Instead, youÕll be filled with ideas, motivation, and understanding. Whether you're a "goer," heading to a foreign land, a "sender," using your gifts to strengthen the church at home for its outreach tasks, or a "mobilizer," encouraging and facilitating others, use this book as a springboard. To paraphrase the old credit card commercial, you just can't leave home without it.

Robert Liparulo is an author and reviewer living in Colorado Springs, CO.