There is a growing body of literature about the missional church, but the word missional is often defined in competing ways with little attempt to ground it deeply in Scripture. In A Light to the Nations, Michael Goheen unpacks the missional identity of the church by tracing the role God's people are called to play in the biblical story. Goheen examines the historical, theological, and biblical foundations of missional ecclesiology, showing that the church's identity can be understood only when its role is articulated in the context of the whole biblical story--not just the New Testament. He shows that the Old Testament is essential to understanding the church's missional identity. Goheen also explores practical outworkings and implications and offers field-tested suggestions, putting Lesslie Newbigin's missionary ecclesiology to work in shaping the contemporary church. The book is written at a level easily accessible to students in missions, pastoral, worldview, and theology courses as well as pastors, church leaders, and all readers interested in the missional church.

About the Author

Michael W. Goheen (PhD, University of Utrecht) is Geneva Professor of Worldview and Religious Studies at Trinity Western University in Langley, British Columbia, and a teaching fellow in mission and world Christianity at Regent College, Vancouver. He is also minister of preaching at New West Christian Reformed Church and the author or coauthor of several books, including The Drama of Scripture, Living at the Crossroads, and a work on Lesslie Newbigin's missionary ecclesiology.