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About

For several decades, this book has been recognized as an authoritative textbook in the field of missions. The passing of time has not diminished the relevance of Bavinck’s biblical insight and practical wisdom. If anything, the resurgence of paganism in contemporary society makes Bavinck’s classic more instrumental to the spread of the gospel today than in years past.

Now not only foreign missionaries, but also pastors and elders faced with an increasingly unchurched culture at home can find in this work the invaluable guidance they need.

As Bavinck says in his introduction, “The ancient church conducted missionary work as though it were self-explanatory. . . . [W]e are today probably more conscious than past generations that theoretical problems concerning principles, which can be answered by Scripture alone, lurk behind the countless practical problems which beset the church.”

Endorsements

"Bavinck organizes his excellent book into three parts. Part I concerns the theory of missions. Here he reviews the nature, foundations, aims, and approach of missions by carefully reviewing Scripture and history. Part II considers the role of elenctics, and Part III addresses the history of missions. . . . For careful exegesis, fidelity to Scripture, and precision, Bavinck cannot be bettered."

—The Christian Sociologist

The Author

J.H. Bavinck

Johan Herman Bavinck (1895–1964) was a pastor in the Dutch Reformed Church and a missionary in Indonesia. He was also professor of missions and practical theology at Kampen and Free University in Amsterdam, where his uncle, Herman Bavinck, famously served as professor of dogmatics. 

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