You may have heard it said, “We are all missionaries, whether nationally or internationally.” While all of us have indeed been commissioned to participate in reaching our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth in some way, Don Dent carefully examines the specific and unique role of “missionary apostles” in The Ongoing Role of Apostles in Missions.
In a sea of apostolic confusion, Dent carefully wades through the misconceptions and biblical evidence bringing clarity to the essential and continued need for The Ongoing Role of Apostles in Missions. Mining out the apostolic models and commands in scripture, Dent argues that missionary apostles are “God’s ongoing gift for the initial planting phase of the church among every people, to the end of the age. They are called, sent, and empowered by God for the specific task of spreading the gospel and planting multiple, reproducing churches where He is not known.”
The Ongoing Role of Apostles in Missions is made up of only five chapters, forming an easy to follow and carefully laid out argument. Chapter one presents the historic problem and misconceptions surrounding the use of the term “apostles” today. Chapter two is the centerpiece of the book and a careful excavation of the use of apostolic terminology in the New Testament. Arguing from the foundations laid in chapter two, Chapter three argues that there is an apostolic phase which forms the initial period of gospel proclamation and the establishment of the church. Chapter four offers biblical presentations of the apostle’s methodology in fulfilling his mission role. Finally, Chapter five attempts to bring the implications from the biblical lessons learned into practice.
As a mission practitioner making disciples and planting churches in Asia for the last ten years, I have found The Ongoing Role of Apostles in Missions very helpful. The in-depth research and presentation are exceptional. While it is not a particularly difficult read, the book is a self-confessed revised doctoral dissertation and as such is targeted toward those with deeper missiological and theological interest. I will certainly be referring back to this book many times in the future and highly recommend it to those interested in better understanding the missionary role.