This is an excellent resource for those interested in the development of modern Mission theory. The book is produced in a concise dictionary format, with articles on over 70 prominent figures from a variety of traditions. Each article provides a biographical overview of the subject personality, a summary of their main contributions to Mission, and a discussion of their central writings. Articles conclude with a select bibliography of foundational sources that provides the reader with an excellent starting point for further reading and research.

Because the book focuses upon those in Mission who have left a literary record, there are few women who are examined in these pages. Women missionaries (generally) tended not to write treatises on mission theory and practice. So, even though they were central to Christian Mission during the time period covered, they are virtually absent from this volume. This should not be counted as a fault, however. Rather, the reader should keep in mind the limits of what the book covers.

This book should be in the library of anyone interested in Christian Mission. Excellent.

Mission Legacies is an attractive, durable hardback book of missionary biographical articles published by the American Society of Missiology through Orbis Books. It is divided into several major divisions: "Promoters and Interpreters," "Theologians and Historians,""Theorists and Strategists," and "Administrators." The chapters of this book first appeared as articles in the "International Bulletin of Missionary Research" beginning in 1977. Chapter assignments were made in a "serendipitous fashion over a period of about twenty years", as editors chose well-known contemporary church historians to write the biographical profiles.

Some of the famous 75 names are from the late 1700's, but most are from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. They were chosen without regard for disciplinary, national, or denominational backgrounds, though there are only six women and six representatives of the two-thirds world among them. This will no doubt be different if a later edition is published.

Though the articles are scholarly, they are very readable and interesting. This will serve primarily as a reference book, but lovers of world missions and biography will find themselves often dipping into it for information and inspiration. I was pleased to find such diversity as Pius XI and William Carey, such educators and promoters as A.J. Gordon, John R. Mott and W.O. Carver, and such famous missionaries as David Livingstone, Hudson Taylor and Lottie Moon. I was glad to see historians like Kenneth Scott Latoureette and Stephen Neill, such innovative missionaries as Frank Laubach and E. Stanley Jones and such missions strategists as John Nevius, Roland Allen, D.T. Niles and Donald McGavran. In these pages, students of world Christianity "can gain insight into the spiritual and human dynamics that produced the modern Christian missionary movement". This book, now in its fourth printing, should be of interest to all students of World Christianity and Mission.

The authors provide a practical guide to developing a training program designed to help people with communication difficulties. The authors also provide a state of the art review of the current training issues regarding the treatment of shyness, apprehension, and reticence.

This is a good collection of essays on Missions from a variety of perspectives. It's a great overview and introduction on what is going on in terms of missions work in the mid- to late- 1990s. It's not all theoretical (as there is some practical stuff), but gives a lot of history and context, as well as a variety of places for missions, and some missiological issues. It is written from a varied Christian background.

The book is divided into 4 sections, and every essay is approximately 10-15 pages:

Section 1: Christian Families in mission. Four essays are presented, from Evangelical Missions, Conciliar Missions (i.e., the Ecumenical movement within Protestantism, usually associated with liberal Protestantism, and the World Council of Churches), Roman Catholic Missions, and Pentecostal&Charismatic Missions. Each of these essays gives some background of history, assumptions, theology and missiological background (e.g., for the Roman Catholics, Vatican II plays a very strong influence, and is discussed).

Section 2: Christian Mission by Region. This is a very practical section, discussing missions in various parts of the world. The areas covered are Southern Asia, the former USSR (i.e., the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)), Africa, North America, Oceania, Latin America, Northeast Asia, Europe, and Middle East.

Section 3: Foundational Disciplines of Mission. This chapter is on more of the theory and theology behind missions, and how to interact with other cultures (and their religions). Essays in this section include one by Bosch on "Reflections on Biblical Models of Mission," and others on Mission Theology, Spiritual Formation for Mission (written by Catholics, so they emphasize dialogue, mentoring, developmental psychology understanding of peoples, and understanding culture, religion, tradition, rather than the Protestant approach of in spiritual formation of piety, conviction based upon Scripture, and then Contextualization through Incarnation), Mission Strategies (mostly an essay about applying strategies), Contextualization in Mission, (towards) Forming Indigenous Theologies, and Popular Religions.

The final section, section 4 presents special challenges in mission: The teaching of missions, women in mission, mission and the Problem of Affluence, Mission and Social Justice: An American Dilemma, Urban Mission, Christian Dialogues with Other Faiths, Christian-Muslim Relations, Church-State Relationship and Mission, and then some stuff about Gerald H. Anderson.

I think, if one was looking for a book to be introduced to what's going on in missions and some different views on this topic, this would be a good book. It doesn't strike me as the type that has a timeless classic feel to it (unlike Bosch's book, Transforming Mission) or Stott's book, Christian Mission.

Nonetheless, it's good supplement to hearing first-hand stories on missions.